Customer Reviews

A Rose In Winter

5 star:		(98)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I cut my teeth on romance with Kathleen E. Woodiwiss novels but gave them up in the early 80's because her style seemed so demeaning to women. "A Rose in Winter" was recommended in another reader's listmania listing and I was pleasantly surprised when I decided to give it a try! This novel is full of romance and intrigue and I was drawn in from the very beginning.

Poor Erienne is just a pawn to the men in her life. First she is little more than a servant to her nasty father and brother, pawed over by potential suitors and then finally sold as a wife to the highest bidder. She is "bought" by the reclusive and masked Lord Saxton and cannot bring herself to endure the touch of this scarred and crippled man. He woos her gently, dispersing her fear with his constant familiarity. During his gentle courtship, Erienne's heart begins to beat for another man, a bold Yankee, Christopher Seaton. Christopher and Erienne have a rather love/hate relationship, but his pursuit of her is relentless. Will she give in to Christopher and forsake her vows to the strange but strong Lord Saxton? Who is trying to destroy the Saxton's and what of the vengeful night rider who roams the country at night frightening some wicked men? There is redemption for some characters in this novel and retribution for others. You will cheer for the loyal tenants of Lord Saxton and the triumph over evil in the end.

Erienne, though weak at times became a proud and strong woman by the end of the novel and I was satisfied that she did the best she could for the times she lived in. An engrossing read, dark at times but kept my attention to the end. I can highly recommend this.

Someone recommended this book and I admit that I was reluctant to read it. After all, I am not a big follower of bodice rippers and I've read many mixed reviews of Kathleen E. Woodiwiss's work. However, I decided to give A Rose in Winter a whirl because I figured the book would supply good escapism during my train rides to work. Despite some loose ends and numerous bodice ripper cliches, A Rose in Winter was not only an entertaining train read, but also quite a touching and palpable love story. The year is 1792 in Northern England. Erienne Fleming is a raven-haired, blue-violet-eyed beauty facing a conundrum: her father wants to find her a wealthy husband who'd pay for his gambling debts. Each and every one of her suitors is hideous and ill-intentioned, wanting to get her into bed the moment they see her, all except the dashing Yankee Christopher Seton. Well, he does want to get into her panties, but he is by no means unattractive. Unfortunately, he is also her father's biggest creditor and the reason why she is forced to wed someone to begin with. He is also the reason why her brother lost feeling in one arm after challenging Christopher to a duel. And that is the reason why Erienne "hates" him. Avery, Erienne's father, bans Christopher from taking part of the auction block where Erienne is sold off to the highest bidder, an enigmatic and grossly disfigured man by the name of Lord Saxton becomes her husband. But while the masked monster lavishes and woos Erienne with expensive gifts and incredible kindness, it is the handsome, sardonic and roguish Christopher that steals her heart, and soon she will have to choose between the two rather mysterious men.

I like the whole fairy tale feel of this novel. Beauty and the Beast (the original version, not the Disney one) and The Phantom of the Opera are two of my all-time favorite stories and I like that this book follows a somewhat similar theme. Christopher Seton is my idea of the perfect man and I admire his bold, yet misguided determination to win Erienne over. I enjoyed his sardonic ways and the fact that he seemed amused with Erienne's constant rejections. Christopher and the beauty and beast storyline were the attractive parts of this novel. However, there are many things I wasn't happy about. Erienne is a very one-dimensional heroine. She is shallow to the max and I couldn't believe that she was still wary of Lord Saxton after spending so much time with him and witnessing his kindness and love for her. She turned down most of her suitors on looks alone. Also, I found it unbelievable that every man wanted to cop a feel or rape her the moment they saw her. Woodiwiss made the heroine sound luminous and based on the descriptions I imagined a young Elizabeth Taylor, but the men reacted as though they had never seen a beautiful woman before in their lives and those scenes were too exaggerated and unrealistic. And the damsel in distress stuff was overdone here as well. The woman had to constantly be rescued by either Saxton, Christopher or any other man that was conveniently there to help her. Most of her distress centered on men harassing her. The whole damsel in distress thing is so outdated to me. In fact, the whole language of the novel was extremely outdated, but that was kind of expected since the novel was first published during the 1980s. The novel in general was too long, too descriptive (with too much purple prose) and too predictable. I knew what would happen the second Erienne was bought off at the auction. But that part of the story is quite compelling. All in all, the novel served its purpose by providing an entertaining, romantic, albeit cheesy love story with a very appealing hero. I look forward to reading a Kathleen E. Woodiwiss novel whenever I'm in the mood for some brain candy escapism.

A new take on the Beauty and the Beast story, A Rose in Winter is one of my top 3 romance novels. Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. Erienne is a colorful, willful, and proud character that readily jumps out of the pages, making it easy to relate with her. Christopher was a devious and thoroughly devastating character, it was impossible not to fall for him. The story was enticing and romantic, it was magnificently written. I was able to form a mental image of all the characters and the background as if seeing it on television. Being a romantic at heart, I truly love this book! My wish is that other writers would keep to the same formula Ms. Woodiwiss does, romance is in the way you seduce through looks and anticipation before touch. I now believe in romance and true love.

I am an avid reader and therefore must always have a book in hand. "A Rose in Winter" was the only one available at the time and though it is not of my preferred genre I was desperate. I LOVED THIS BOOK. Yes it was steamy but it was also believable for the time period and carried a high quality romance that was built between the damsel and her husband that was not based on looks since she never sees him without his mask. Yes, there is another man that pulls at her desire, but for all its worth her decision is to be with her husband which as it turns out is the best decision for everyone. Even if you are not a romance novel enthusiast I highly recomend this book! It is a much better version of "Phantom and the Opera." I only wish it were longer.

I read this book years ago and it has always remained one of my favorite novels. Shanna & this book are the top two books by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss in my opinion (Ashes in the Wind was very good as well). She creates such chemistry between her characters & there is always a bit of mystery to keep you guessing.

This is sort of like a beauty and the beast kind of story. Erienne, the heroine, is sold into marriage to this mysterious character that everyone fears. All of a sudden the enigmatic Christopher happens to be at the right place at the right time. Sparks fly between them but there's a little problem. She's married to Christopher's cousin. Out of guilt she surrenders her body to her husband and find out that, although she can't see him because he's always in the dark or covered in robes from head to toe due to his burn scars, he's the sweetest lover ever.

The love scenes between Erienne and her husband are absolutely enchanting. The author trully transmits the whole essence of a couple in love and how they feel when being intimate. These scenes are absolutetly beautiful. Out of these encounters a true love emerges between the heroine and her deformed husband, but then again, what happens with the handsome Christopher? While between Erienne and her husband making love is magical, a kiss with the dashing Christopher is pure dinamite!

Erienne must choose between her husband and Christopher. She's torn in two but you must know that there's a great plot twist that will leave you open mouthed. I recommend this book for all of those who love to turn children's fairy tales into grown up fairy tales.

A Rose in Winter, the BEST of Kathleen Woodiwiss' novels. If you haven't yet read this, buy it new, buy it used but buy it because it's a keeper!!! Woodiwiss' manages to hold the reader as captive as the characters! All you could want from start to splendid finish...the romance, the love, the wonder, the excitement and much more suspence than most. Not a run-of-the mill predictable piece but a true romantic work of art! Woodiwiss' style is superb with her noted flair for colorful attention to character, time period, attire (a promise..not a word is wasted). I was so captivated, I couldn't put the book down. This novel has been in my library for years & is one that's truly worth reading time and time again. A romantic high worthy of 5+ stars--so once you begin, give yourself the luxury of hours to enjoy. You'll not regret one page of this engaging, enchanting fairy tale.

I've just read A ROSE IN WINTER for the second time. I still enjoy the "Beauty and the Beast"/"Phantom of the Opera" plot. Keep in mind that this book was written before the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, so this was not as much in fashion at the time as it is now.

The first time I read it (around 1986), I would have given it 5 stars. I was right with Erienne and was surprised by the ending.
Also, the romantic atmosphere of the book sweeps you along. This time around, I had to lower it a star because I believe the book's age is showing. For one thing, it is WAY TOO WORDY AND LONG. Secondly, Christopher and Erienne seem to be pretty thin characters really. And you don't even know what Christopher sees in her with the way that she continually treats him. Some of this, I believe, were staples of 1980s romances that just don't carry over today.

However, that the book made such an impression on me that I wanted to read it a second time (something I rarely do) says something. I've also read COME LOVE A STRANGER twice. Which I must say is my favorite Kathleen Woodiwiss novel. Another good one is SHANNA.

I would still recommend it for anyone to read for a first time. But once you know the plot, it may not hold up for the second.

Since my co-worker saw me spend my every lunch hour with my nose in a book, she felt the need to strongly recommend this book and to actually hand me a well-read copy the next day. Now, ya KNOW when they do that, you have to read it because, well, there'll be a quiz on Tuesday. I hope my groan wasn't audible and that she couldn't read my thoughts ("oh GEEZE, it's a bodice ripper-and a LONG one! I HATE bodice rippers! I'll waste HOURS!")

My distaste was VERY quickly replaced with enchantment and delight. I stayed up half that first night to continue reading it, and it was certainly not to "get it overwith".

Erienne was forced by her no-good father to marry the hideously scarred and masked Lord Saxton. She trembles with fear at his very presence. She's miserable, not only because of her fate, but because she's half-bursting with lust for the arrogant but oh-so-sexy Christopher Seton.

As we read on, however, Erienne gradually learns to appreciate her gentle and loving husband and tries like gangbusters to be a good, faithful wife. He's rich, he's good to her, and she's happy enough with his carnal skills. By golly, she's even beginning to think she's in love with him...even though she has never seen his face! But then there's Christopher, who relentlessly pursues the married Erienne, insinuating himself into her life at every turn. She simply cannot forget him either. Who could? He simply STEAMS off the pages of this book!

Torn between a life with the solid, adoring-but-hideous-looking husband and her lustful desires for Christopher...Erienne is certainly in a bind. I found myself firmly rooting for Lord Saxton most of the time, but then...Christopher is SO hot!

How will she ever resolve this love vs. lust situation? READ THIS! Find out!

I remembered to thank my co-worker for this one and we've had many lively discussions about the outcome...I've also recommended it many times over.

I was 17 when my father purchased this book for me, just getting into historical romance. I am now 37 years old. I have the big version of this book so you know it is old. But that does not stop me from pulling it out every year and reading it again. No matter how many times I read it, I find something new that I did not see before and I find it very hard to put the book down. The story had everything in it that makes a book worth reading. It has comedy, romance, suspense, tragedy, and hope. the characters were very lovable and real to life. I only wish that Ms. Woodiwiss wrote a sequel to it. I have been waiting for many years to see one. I hope not to be disappointed. Erienne and Christopher are an adorable couple. Please continue their story, or maybe tell her brother's story and let Erienne and Christopher come for a visit.........