Customer Reviews

The Silver Rose: A Novel

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Miri Cheney is the last of the Cheney sisters still living in France. She has returned to her island with hopes of finding a place where she feels safe and possibly find love. When her past catches up with her in the form of former witch hunter Simon Aristide she wants to hate him for what he has done to her family but she can't. Still, when he asks for help in locating the evil "Silver Rose" a witch with strong dark powers she turns him away...until she realizes that "The Silver Rose" has managed to find a foot hold on her island. She finds Simon and together they look for the one person who could be the end of them both...Will she be able walk away from the one man that she can't trust, who has hurt her unspeakably? Or is this time different and Simon be her salvation during this dark time?

This is the sadly the final book in the Cheney sisters trilogy. Ms. Carroll still manages to maintain the momentum she brought to the first book "The Dark Queen." Plenty of characters populate this read and the reader is lucky enough to see this story from multiple points of view without being overwhelming. This book offers a little for everyone. Wonderful romance, chilling mystery, paranormal elements...the list goes on. If you are looking for an amazing and entertaining series look no further than this one. You won't be left disappointed.

Ah yes... Simon and Miri - the dreaded, ruthless witch-hunter and the gentle, ethereal wise woman from Faire Isle - a match made in... well, what's not to love?

I agree that the books in this series should be read in their proper order so you can gain the history and knowledge as the entire story unfolds.

Susan Carroll is great with dialogue and creating tension on the page. She manages to insert timely bits of wit and humor as well. Her plot twists are always interesting, and her books are hard to put down.

In The Silver Rose, which takes place about ten years after the events in the second book (The Courtesan), we have Miri - the youngest Cheney sister - and Simon - once an orphan apprenticed to a fanatical witch-hunter - "reluctantly" working together to track down a new and merciless evil while simultaneously confronting their own inexplicable connection. Throw in some grievous past wrongs and a good dose of guilt and insecurity, a realization that you can't hide from the rest of the world and your role in it, loyal friends, scary witches, horrid deeds, a young child, and a dark queen and you have another exciting story.

I have liked each of the books, including the romance in them, but I have always found the magic b/w Miri and Simon, ever since they first clamped eyes on one another in the first book, to be the most compelling of the relationships. In The Silver Rose, we feel their undenialbe connection, their chemistry again - although I was slightly surprised that Miri had to do so much of the pursuing.

This is a great read. Perhaps my only reservation is that I think there are too many unresolved storylines at the end, and although I don't think a fourth book is planned in this series, I found myself wishing there would be one. What becomes of Wolf and his new companion in the years ahead? In whose hands does the Book of Shadows fall? What happens to certain members of the coven, even those whose fates we think we already know?

And, dare I say, wouldn't it be nice to see the sisters and their husbands reunite somewhere... I don't know, maybe at Belle Haven? Ariane, Renard, Gabrielle, and Remy are mentioned only rarely in this book, and although they had been living in exile, circumstances have changed. Can't you just picture them traveling to Faire Isle, reconnecting with each other, skeptical and wary of Simon and his presence in the family at first but eventually sitting down at the table for a meeting of the minds on how they will use their various skills and talents to work together to defeat the latest crop of evil? Probably won't be a fourth book, but a girl can dream, can't she? Here's hoping...

I really liked this one. I think that it ended prematurely though. I feel like she developed the characters of Miri and Simon and their relationship really well and although I figured out who the Silver Rose was, the writing was very good as in the other two. But the ending was way too short like Carroll had to meet a deadline or something and rushed in writing the end. I really wanted to read Ariane and Gabrielle's reactions and inevitable acceptance of Simon into their family. Plus the first interaction with Simon and Renard would have been interesting. That is why it gets four stars because there was room for improvement.

I really, really enjoyed this trilogy and couldn't wait for each book to be released. It can't be over! To many unanswered questions and loose ends. Please say it isn't so.....

Miri Cheney is the youngest of the three "Sisters of Faire Isle," in 1585 France. Miri considers herself a daughter of the earth. Others believe she is a witch because of her skill in healing, foretelling the future, and her ability to communicate with animals.

Miri's family fled from Faire Isle, driven away because they were thought to be witches. Of the three sisters, only Miri was not charged as a witch. And she has returned to her beloved home, but is not welcomed by everyone. Even on Faire Isle she is unable to hide from an evil power threatening to take control of France from Catherine de Medici, the Dark Queen.

The evil one who would seize control of France is only known as the Silver Rose. And Miri must help her enemy Simon Aristide, a witch hunter, follow the Silver Rose's trail if France is to be saved. Miri who herself was hunted by Simon Aristide now must work with him and face her growing desire for him.

Susan Carroll's The Silver Rose is a finely tuned historical romance written with great attention to detail. The prose is lyrical and the plot is exciting.

Armchair Interviews says: It will keep you turning the pages as you devour it for its scintillating intrigue. And you'll be sad when it ends and you must return to "real life."

This is the third in the Dark Queen series and it is a very entertaining read. Love the renaissance France time-frame and the underlying current of magic and sorcery. Susan Carroll does a great job unraveling Simon's complexities and he becomes a wonderful hero. I enjoy Miri's gentleness with animals and her strength of character. The only thing I would have liked to see a little more of were Miri's sisters from the first two books. I look forward to reading Martin's story next.

I thought this was a brilliant conclusion to the Cheney sister trilogy. Miri was my favourite of the sisters and so I was looking forward to reading this novel. I wasn't disappoited, for I found Miri's character to be refreshingly pure--and yet very intelligent. Her story with Simon was compelling, especially due to the undercurrent of danger that flowed throughout. Susan Carroll is a very talented author.

The Silver Rose is a wonderful exciting addition to the storey of the Dark Queen and the wonderful Cheney sisters. Has great romance and lots of excitement and adventure. Its a must read if you love all that and magic.I loved this book!

I read the first two books..."The Dark Queen", the "Courtesan" and then the "Silver Rose" immediately after. It's a great story line and the characters are beautifully portrayed. I've read all of the books in this series (as well as the St. Leger series) and was left craving for more. Susan Carroll is a wonderful writer and amazing story teller...I am eagerly anticipating her next book!!!

...because it meant the trilogy was over! I could read many more books about the lives of the Cheney sisters if Susan Carroll chose to write them. That being said, this book was my least favorite out of the three, but I still really enjoyed it and I love the whole trilogy. The characters are so richly written and they really stayed with me after I finished each book.

The Courtesan was the first one I read and it is my favorite. I was disappointed that we did not get chapters devoted to Ariane's and Gabrielle's lives in The Silver Rose. Even though the Courtesan revolved around Gabrielle and Remy, we still got to see glimpses into Ariane's and Miri's lives and they both figured in the climax, along with Renard and Simon. I really thought the sisters would be drawn in to help battle Cassandra, especially given Gabrielle's relationship with her, so I was disappointed that this was not the case. The climactic scene with Catherine de Medici and the Silver Rose in this book was not nearly as exciting as the climaxes of the first two books. I also thought the book ended too soon and left me feeling deprived of a proper ending with the reunion of all the characters.

I loved the relationship between Miri and Simon, the witch-hunter in love with a "witch", I found it to be very romantic and I feel as though these two lovers got to know each other more deeply than Ariane/Renard and Gabrielle/Remy before taking their relationship to the next level, which, by the way, took way too long to happen and was not as romantic and passionate as the couplings in the first two books. I love Martin le Loup and my heart broke for him, but I believe Miri made the right choice. She and Simon were each other's destiny. I loved the way Simon was written in this book, with so much insight into his past and the choices he made.

I only wish so much time had not passed (ten years) between the Courtesan and the Silver Rose so that we could continue to have more adventures with the Cheney sisters. But I just discovered the Huntress, which I understand continues the story of Martin and Meg and I can't wait to start reading it!