Customer Reviews

Chalice of Roses

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The authors have seemingly agreed to have all 4 of these pieces be about the grail, but either this limitation hobbled their imaginations or none of them put enough time into composition. The plotting and writing in this book are both inferior. I expected better from the normally dependable Beverley and Putney.

"The Raven and the Rose" by Jo Beverly. In the twelfth century the novice with an ancient bloodline and the monk unite to bring forth the Holy Grail to end the seemingly eternal war destroying England.

"The English Rose" by Karen Harbaugh. Although just a debutant enjoying her season, she now must prevent an evil threatening to overwhelm England from succeeding and also keep Napoleon's operatives from stealing the Holy Grail to take back to France.

"White Rose of Scotland" by Mary Jo Putney. Hitler plans to take the Holy Grail back to the Third Reich, but a Scottish intelligence agent and a Canadian Royal Air Force pilot try to thwart the Nazi operatives.

"Eternal Rose" by Barbara Samuel. In England, the American grad-student-teacher dreams of a medieval male who comes to her time to help deliver the Holy Grail to the protector guardian.

This time the romantic fantasy fearsome foursome (see Dragon Lovers and Fairy Magic) uses the Holy Grail to tell four strong tales occurring in different periods and starring terrific heroines and their destined mates who rise as couples to try to keep the religious artifact safe from evil doers.

Harriet Klausner

Jo Beverly and Mary Jo Putney have written great stories in the past, but not in this collection. These four stories seem like they were slapped together with a few agreed upon themes, eg: the 7th daughter/son of a 7th daughter; virginal; guardian/protector/knight of the Holy Grail, and all insulting to the intelligence of the romance reader.

Chalice of Roses is actually a grouping of four novellas on a single theme, that being the quest for the holy grail. Jo Beverley gives us a traditional medieval romance in "The Raven and Rose." It's quite enjoyable. The talented Mary Jo Putney offers a guardian story set in World War II. In "The White Rose of Scotland," she invokes the 1940's beautifully.
Karen Harbaugh, known for quality Regency, creates a story from a series of letters between the hero and heroine. It's a clever, humorous novelette entitled "The English Rose: Miss Templar and the Holy Grail."
The fourth piece in this book is Barbara Samuel's "Eternal Rose" which is wonderful fantasy lit. The heroine must find the holy grail and also save the enchanted hero from a malevolent fairy queen. It's quite charming and at the same time suspenseful. I recommend this book to fellow romance readers.

Jacqueline Seewald
TEA LEAVES AND TAROT CARDS, paranormal Regency romance