Customer Reviews

Romance of the Rose

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This was a fun, passionate book for lovers of the Elizabethan period. Of course Queen Elizabeth and the bard William Shakespeare make appearances. In fact, they are both heavily involved in the plot of this book. It's also a good book if you like unrequited love, and friends/enemies to lovers. Rosalind was a good heroine, and I admired her determination to live her own life, even if that meant remaining unwedded. Drake was complicated and had some motives that might have made him seem amoral, but Beard did a good job of making him sympathetic. I loved that he was helplessly in love with Rosalind, and had been since he was a child. Of course love denied turns to spite. But even at his worst, he was not cruel to Rosalind. I enjoyed that both characters grew and had to made a determination about what was really important to them in their lives. The passion between them was fiery, yet the consummation came right on time. I enjoyed the look at the bawdy, intrigue-filled, and complicated lives that people led back in the 16th century. Not always pretty or pristine, but definitely interesting. This book is a keeper."

I am not a traditional romance reader, which may well be why I LOVED this book. Julie Beard writes romance, but so much more! The independence of the heroine, the interplay of the "play", the twist using Shakespeare...I read it all without ever putting it down!

I loved the clever humor and the strong characterizations. Following the hero and heroine from childhood to adulthood brought the story full circle. Loved the choice of Shakespeare's play at the end!

I enjoyed this book very much. I thought Drake was very well written and it is refreshing to have a male character be the one with the love in his heart before the female character realizes. His love for Rosalind has existed since childhood and he even had to leave because he felt She would never love him. A very original story with wonderful characters.

Julie Beard has always been a favorite of mine for Medieval Romance, but she is just as captivating with Shakespeare! If you liked the film, Shakespeare In Love, you will love Romance Of The Rose!

Never having read a romance novel before, I picked up this one right before an 8-hour flight. I finished the novel on the plane -- and instantly became a addict of historical romance novels.

This book, like all of Julie Beard's books, is charming and fast-paced and a fun read. And the hero is to die for. :-) Two and a half years later, I've read dozens of other romance novels and this one is still my favorite.

Possibly the best romance novel I have read. It is suspenseful, funny, heartwarming, and basically extremely--well--romantic! (sigh...)

My search for the perfect romance novel seems to be as hopeless as my search for the perfect knock-knock joke. The nature of the thing precludes it. Or, more likely, the formula romance publishers demand makes it very unlikely.

On the whole, this was an entirely decent romance novel, but I'm getting awfully annoyed at the "he was so big and strong and male", "he was very close and very male"-type descriptions. For goodness' sake. Is that all that's required to make a heroine swoon? Someone of the opposite gender? I'm also annoyed with sexually inexperienced heroines who are afraid of their own desires, and heroines who have nurturing hobbies, like cooking, caring for the sick or for animals. This heroine gardened and that was an element of the plot but luckily she cared about writing more and that hobby was much more interesting to read about and was mentioned much more often.

Oh, and heroes with "piercing, unearthly blue eyes". I'm sick of them too. Sigh. I want a romance novel that does not follow the conventions of a romance novel. That is not this author's fault. But her cheesy descriptions are her fault. When the hero and heroine finally get together, their love scene is way over the top. "When he made love to her, he knew that Heaven existed." Oh my gosh. Really? No thank you.

So, if you got this book for free go ahead and give it a read. If you're going to spend money on something, however, you'd be better off with a book by Celeste Bradley. Her heroines are never useless and her heroes are interesting and believable.

No romance!Absolutely NOT in this book.Just chaotic confusion of Shakespear and Queen Elizabeth.The reason I write this review:I bought this book recommended by other three revieweres below and I don't want you to. The hero is always selfish, commanding, heroine ..baah, I can't even describe her.She has no spine, I think. Anyway, I want you to know this book is about Shakespear and his play, not about romance or love.