Once Upon a Rose [Kindle Edition]

Jill Gregory (Author), Nora Roberts (Author), Ruth Langan (Author), Marianne Willman (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

An addition to the "Once Upon..." series (Once Upon a Dream, etc.), this anthology of magical stories is anchored once again by the prolific Roberts. All four entries have the vaguely mystical feel of the fairy tale and the connecting conceit of the rose. The best of the lot is Willman's "The Fairest Rose," a quest narrative with a winning heroine who displays a strength of will that surprises even herself. The weak link is "The Roses of Glenross," by Langan. Featuring a pair of battle-scarred lovers recuperating in a haunted Scottish abbey, the story is tainted by inconsistent characterizations and a contrived rose motif. Roberts deftly conjures a fantasy world of ice and snow in "Winter Rose," but her chilly tale lacks the fiery romantic tension typical of her writing. Finally, Jill Gregory's "The Rose and the Sword" is an engaging but slight quest narrative; the hero and heroine achieve their ends too hastily and learn very little from their journey. The rose motif ties this anthology together better than many similar projects, but none of the selections are outstanding. Although each of the contributing authors has a loyal fan base who will be pleased by this book, this isn't a worthy introduction to their work. (Oct. 2)Forecast: With Roberts's name emblazoned on the cover in large print, this mystical anthology will sell, especially among avid readers of historical romance and fans of fantasy.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Roses link four novellas by four romance writers. The best is Roberts' powerful fairy tale of a kingdom imprisoned in ice and snow that features a wounded hero from another land who appreciates all that the young hardworking queen does for her people, even risking her own life to magically heal those who need it. Marianne Willman's story is about the daughter of a king hidden from the evil sorceress queen by means of an amulet forged with rose petals. Jill Gregory's tale is of a princess who, upon her twentieth birthday, will lose the protection that has kept her hidden from the evil sorcerer who had slain her family. Her only hope of surviving is to marry a man with a magical sword. Ruth Ryan Langan tells of a mute girl in war-torn Scotland and a wounded warrior. As with all collections, some stories will appeal more to some readers than to others. Diana Tixier Herald
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 302 KB
• Print Length: 403 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0515131660
• Publisher: Jove (October 1, 2001)
• Sold by: Penguin Publishing
• Language: English
• ASIN: B000O76N6Y
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #79,903 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well written and enchanting, October 10, 2001

By 

Gennie Bailey (Savannah, Georgia United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Once Upon a Rose (Mass Market Paperback)

Okay, I admit it. I'm a sucker for a good fairy tale. We all grew up hearing the stories of the prince who comes and rescues the beautiful princess from the evil queen. Now that I'm older, I'm not afraid to admit that I'm still attracted to those kind of stories. And that's why I absolutely loved Nora Roberts' "Once Upon A Rose". She, along with authors Jill Gregory, Ruth Ryan Langan and Marianne Willman weave four enchanting tales of wicked queens, handsome princes and magical creatures.

The first story, "Winter Rose" is written by Nora Roberts. It's the tale of Prince Kylar of Myrdon who wonders into a mythical land cursed with eternal winter. The prince has been injured in battle and is on the brink of death when he is rescued by Deidre, Queen of the Isle of Winter, who because of the curse cannot love. Kylar falls in love with Deidre and vows to find a way to break the curse.

The second story, "The Rose and the Sword" by Jill Gregory revolves around Brittany, the long lost princess of Palladrin, thought to have been murdered along with her family by Darius, the evil wizard. Hidden by a kind wizard and by Queen Elysia, Brittany has grown up knowing nothing of her family and that she is the rightful heir to Palladrin. Two days before her 20th birthday, Queen Elysia tells Brittany, really Britta, that a spell was cast when she was a child to protect her from Darius. The spell though, only lasts until her 20th birthday and that after then Darius will be able to see her and will try to kill her. To prevent this, Brittany must seek out and marry her betrothed Prince Lucius of Marric, who holds the Jeweled Sword. She also has to find the Rose Scepter. Together, the Jeweled Sword and the Rose Scepter can defeat Darius and reunite the kingdom of Palladrin.

The third story, "The Rose of Glenross" is by Ruth Ryan Langan It's set in war-torn Ballycrue, Scotland. Duncan McKay, a warrior has just saved Alexa MacCallum from the same fate as her family when he is wounded. When he wakes, he's in the care of kind nuns of the Abbey of Glenross. Also there Alexa, the young woman he saved. She speaks to no-one and tends to the rose gardens day in and day out. The only "person" she ever speaks to is Lady Anne, the ghost who haunts the Abbey waiting for her true love to return to her. Can Duncan heal Alexa's wounds as well as his own. And will Lady Anne's love ever return? I'm not telling. :)

The fourth and final story in the book is my favorite. "The Fairest Rose" by Marianne Willman begins with the fair Deidre, nine months pregnant awaiting the arrival of her love, Prince Gilmore of Airan, recently victorious in battle and appointed new King of Airan. Deidre knows that when he returns her and Gilmore will marry and will become a family. On his return though, Deidre discovers that a spell's been cast on him to forget her by his new wife, Queen Bryn. Deidre has been cursed by Bryn as well and gives birth to a girl, Rosaleen, before she dies. To protect the child from Queen Bryn, Deidre asks Elva, the village wisewoman, to cast a spell on Rosaleen so that those who would do her harm forget her. The spell can only be broken by her true love. As it so happens, years later, Tor,a warrior of royal blood, travels to Airan in hopes of winning the hand of the King's daughter, Prince Camaris as well as half of the King's land. The only way he can do this is to bring back the egg of the legendary Phoenix. And the only person who can help him is young Rosaleen, who is madly in love with him.

I thouroughly enjoyed this novel and would suggest it to anyone who loves a good fairy tale or love story in general.

Gennie Bailey-Rogers

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly Enchanting!, January 15, 2002

By 

"intentaccess" (Boca Raton, Florida USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Once Upon a Rose (Mass Market Paperback)

I love a great fairy tale! I absolutely love Nora Roberts and her "Once Upon a Rose " is no exception. Herself along with Jill Gregory, Ruth Ryan Langan, and Marianne
Willman give us enchanting tales of magic! Filled with handsome princes and of course wicked queens. I truly enjoyed all the stories in this anthology as all of the stories are well written with intriguing characters. I absolutely recommend this anthology, it is enjoyable, fun and truly enchanting!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Very Good Story., November 12, 2001

By 

Kathy Holbrook (NEW YORK , College Student) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Once Upon a Rose (Mass Market Paperback)

I enjoyed this story very much. I am a huge fan so of course, I like all Ms.Roberts books-- I have to admit however that I liked
Heaven and Earth a little better than Once Upon A Rose.