| Title | : | One Perfect Rose (Fallen Angels, #7) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0449000184 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780449000182 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 421 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1997 |
| Awards | : | All About Romance (AAR) Annual Reader Poll Most-Hanky Read & Favorite Road Romance & Honorable Mentions for Most Tortured Hero & Favorite European Historical (1998), RITA Award by Romance Writers of America Long Historical Romance (1998) |
One Perfect Rose (Fallen Angels, #7) Reviews
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This is what a romance novel should be, two people falling in love, facing hardship and adversity together (instead of bickering and arguing and hating each other into love) - with a multi-dimensional (human not inhuman) antagonist.
Spoliers follow!
The proloue covers the heroines childhood trama. Read it. Don't skip over it like some readers do.
Chapter one opens with the hero (an unmarried duke) receiving a diagnosis of death from his physician, only three to six months to live. To cope with the news, our hero decides to take off alone for a while, to live without the restrictions of being a duke.
He meets a traveling band of actors, and one actress in particular catches his attention. For various reasons, he stays with the company under a ficticious name. While with the troup, he falls in love with the heroine and marries her. Not until after the vows are said does the troup find out he's a Duke.
By this time in the story I'd figured out that the pain pills the doctor gave him (and told him to take at least once a day or more often if needed) contained some type of poison. As the story progressed I kept wanting to shout "It's the pills! Stop taking the pills!"
Well of course, that would have ended the story too soon.
The ending wasn't a surprise, but it was satisfying. Most importatnt, I will remember this story months or even years from now. What I will remember most is that the hero and heroine spoke to each other with respect and admiration, sliding through the various stages from attraction to happily ever after love. -
3.75*
A nicely done HR with a sweet fulfilling romance between two very likable and easy-going mcs. In fact, too many nice people here. Every character is nice and pure hearted, none more so than the h's foster family.
The author has added plenty of subplots that keep the story going besides the lovely slow burn between the h/H.
*spoiler* The terminal illness stories are rarely done in a satisfactory way - either they are too silly or too serious. Here, though I wanted to whack the h/H for being a bit slow on the uptake (a second opinion?), I could believe that it'd actually have happened this way.
So, our H, a quiet, serious and dutiful duke learns that he has only few months to live and does what anyone in such a situation would do - he bolts. I mean, after the denial etc. he goes off alone on horseback and wanders the countryside while battling the debilitating stomachaches and growing weakness. Then he meets the Fitzgeralds, a family of roaming actors. He saves the life of their youngest, a 10 yo boy and finds himself lovingly embraced by this open, rambunctious lot. Only their oldest daughter, the h is of a somewhat sensible practical bend. it's inevitable to the plot that he ends up filling up for some absent actor- and shows himself as a reluctant but adequate actor because after all there’re 'similarities between acting and addressing the House of Lords'. And mostly gets cast as one imposing duke or the other. Predictable but still entertaining.
The h/H have an insta connect and attraction but they take the way of friendship on to something more. The H tells her of his condition and proposes. She knows by now that he's well off and so accepts not only to make a better, stable life for her beloved family but also because she's fallen for this sweet, sensitive and caring man. It's only later that she learns that she'll in fact be a duchess.
'“Of course not—I’m congratulating myself on my brilliant instincts. Here I thought you were merely a delightful, sinfully attractive man. Now I find that I pulled off the marital coup of the year without even knowing it,” she said in a teasing voice.'
They marry midway in the book and continue their (now more ducal and proper) travels across the country but his weakness increases. Later, in London, the h’s backstory takes centre-stage. She’s an orphan who was adopted at age 3 by the kind hearted Fitzgeralds who saw her wandering the docks, alone and hungry. The truth about who she really is and where she comes from is another fairytale. Then the H’s family’s knotty relationships are sorted out at the end.
And so, this story is all about love, kindness, forgiveness and the basic goodness of the human spirit.
“He was the linchpin of the Kenyons, the head of the family both in terms of custom and natural authority. It was a tribute to the largeness of his spirit that… ”
Maybe a tad goody two shoes but still heartwarming.
It’s strange to reconcile that I dnf-ed the first book in the series as I found the whole premise annoying and (sorry but) doubted the author’s credentials as an HR author. And then this book here totally blew me away. The author’s writing is beautiful and I savored the many little things that she’s sprinkled here and there.
I won’t go in the details but the various Shakespearean plays and their relevance in the here and now is charming.
How she brings in the various ‘roses’.. 'he tucked the golden rockrose behind her ear'…'absently traced a Tudor rose in a few drops of spilled ale.’
Personally, I liked how she words the timeless and unending rivalry and contrast between physicians and surgeons - “Pills and potions and complicated schedules for dosing… cheerful bloodthirsty sorts who approach the world with a knife and a smile.” -
MJP definitely saved the best for last in the Fallen Angels series. Had I known that this one could most likely be read as a standalone (maybe reading
Shattered Rainbows first, but not necessarily), I probably would have read it first, but at least I got to know a lot about the secondary characters on my journey.
Stephen Kenyon, Duke of Ashburton, is dying. His doctor warns him that he has 3-6 months to live, but probably will not make it all the way to 6. So Stephen - desparate to live what little life he has left - gives himself 90 days to live and begins a backwards countdown while he sets out by himself to find peace with his untimely death. A week into the journey, he stops to watch a troupe of strolling players, and is intrigued by Mrs. Rosalind Jordan, a minor character actress. However, he knows that beginning an affair, if the lady is even willing, isn't fair to either of them, and he continues his journey. Until he comes across Rosalind and her family, The Fitzgerald Theater Troupe, in trouble. After saving the youngest son, he is hailed as a hero, but due to a head injury, he accidentally leads them to believe he is Mr. Stephen Ashe, an itinerant gentleman. As he travels with him, first to recuperate and then because he is having fun, he and Rosalind form a tentative friendship that soon leads to something much more. When Rosalind finds out that Stephen is terminally ill, comfort turns to passion, and soon they are planning to be married. Luckily, the truth of Stephen's identity comes out easily, and the Fitzgeralds - including Rosalind - are accepting, although she is somewhat bemused to have gone from foundling orphan widow to the Duchess of Ashburton. She enters her marriage knowing Stephen is not long for this life, and though the thought grieves her, she is determined to make the best of what time she has left with Stephen, and she succeeds in doing just that.
There are a few quibbles (I figured out what was wrong with Stephen on page 8, and the resolution of Rosalind's origins is one of my all time Romancelandia pet peeves) and until I hit the last leg of this book, I knew I was going to give this "only" four and a half stars. But as I sobbed through the last 60 pages, and then finished it and continued to sob, I knew that this book deserves no less than five stars for a WONDERFUL conclusion to this series. A must-read for anyone who loves sweet but heartwrenching historical romance. A+ -
Excellent audiobook narration of a wonderful historical romance
All of his blameless life, Stephen Kenyon, Duke of Ashburton, has lived an upright, responsible, and somewhat stodgy existence, caring for his estates and his numerous dependents. But at 36 years of age, his personal physician hands him a death sentence. He has only six months to live due to an incurable disease. Angry and despondent at an unjust fate, he is determined to not waste the few, remaining days of his life walled up in an ivory tower of privilege. He will ride out into the wider world and somehow, for the first time, truly live...before he dies.
In the course of his initial, aimless wanderings, Stephen saves the life of a drowning child by plunging in after him into a roaring river. In the process, he meets the boy's beautiful stepsister, 28-year-old Rosalind Jordan, a foundling adopted as a young child by two charming, lovable actors. Under an assumed name, and purposely omitting to mention his title, Stephen sets out with Rosalind and the actors' troupe that she is part of on their travels around England. In the process of sharing the actors’ joys and hardships, Stephen grows to care more deeply for Rosalind than he ever dreamed possible. But it is the doomed love of a man with no future.
This is an emotionally intense read as Stephen embarks on a journey that is perhaps the most difficult any human can make, accepting his own mortality. There is a great deal of truth to the saying that only in facing death do many of us ever truly learn how to live.
Stephen is a marvelous hero, a man of integrity, bravery and compassion. And Rosalind is his equal in intelligence, decency and kindness. Their love story, though presented initially as a presumed tragedy, is obviously not going to have a sad ending. It is not a spoiler to say that, because Mary Jo Putney writes HEA romances. Thus, we can assume in advance that somehow all this bad news for Stephen will be resolved in an upbeat finale. The surprise lies in the unexpected twists and turns along the way to that desirable outcome.
The lovemaking scenes in this book, as is always the case with Ms. Putney, are written with deep tenderness as well as passion. There is never any crudeness, and the sensuality always contributes to the overall flow of the plot, rather than being presented as sex for sex’s sake.
The historical details within this story are accurate and woven seamlessly into the story in a natural, unobtrusive way, such that the reader is swept away and fully immersed in a long-vanished world of the past.
Rosalind's adoptive family of colorful theater people are a delight, and exist as an essential part of this novel. By the end of the story we also have a chance to learn fascinating details about Stephen's family.
In short, in every way possible, this historical romance is a compelling read from beginning to end.
I have read this book multiple times over the years, originally in the form of a mass market paperback, later in Kindle form, and most recently, I experienced it as an audiobook. The narrator is Siobhan Waring, a British voice talent who does an excellent job with the voices of characters of all ages, both genders and many regional accents. It was a pleasure listening to her perform this wonderful historical romance. I will definitely play this keeper recording many times in the future, and I recommend it to fellow historical-romance fans without reservation.
I rate this book as follows:
Heroine: 5 stars
Hero: 5 stars
Subcharacters: 5 stars
Historical Setting: 5 stars
Romance Plot: 5 stars
Writing: 5 stars
Audiobook narration: 5 stars
Overall: 5 stars -
I'm really fond of this book. I like ones where the main character thinks he's dieing and goes about closing out his affairs and doing the things he feels he should do before he dies. Of course since I like happy endings, I only like these books if the character doesn't really die. Here the hero sets off to travel and discovers love. I really enjoyed Stephen and loved the travelling players he meets. Well drawn main characters and secondary characters.
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I've given this a B+ for both narration and content at AudioGals, so 4.5 stars
One Perfect Rose is the seventh and final book in Mary Jo Putney’s Fallen Angels series, and was originally published in 1997. Audiobook versions of the first two books appeared a few years ago (Thunder and Roses in 2013, and Dancing on the Wind in 2014), but the narration was fairly poor in both (I reviewed
Dancing on the Wind, and it was horrible!), and production halted until earlier this year, when four of the remaining books were released (I can’t see that book four has been recorded), thankfully with a much better narrator at the helm. As a result, listening to One Perfect Rose was a pleasure rather than a chore!
Stephen Kenyon, Duke of Ashburton, is a quiet, reserved man who has always done what was expected of him. He’s taken his duties and his responsibilities towards family, dependents and title seriously, and he married – and was faithful to – the woman chosen for him, even though he didn’t love her nor she him. Now aged thirty-six, and with his stentorian, exacting father dead, his dukedom prospering and the mourning period for his late wife ended, Stephen is finally able to think about living for himself for a change. He plans to travel, to do things that make him happy – until his physician informs him that he has a tumefaction of the stomach and liver and has, at best, only three to six months to live.
You can read the rest of this review at
AudioGals. -
4.75 stars
Backwhen dinosaurs roamed the earthin the 1990s, I was a huge Mary Jo Putney fan, and the Fallen Angels novels were some of my favorite books. In 2012, I tried to revisit the series, but it was hard to finish Thunder and Roses, and I wrote Dancing on the Wind off as a DNF. Recently, a friend mentioned that she too was disappointed in the early books in the series when she reread them, but that One Perfect Rose, the last book in the series, held up well. Her comment convinced me to give rereading it a shot.
Stephen Kenyon, a duke, has lived an exemplary life, fulfilling all his duties, including making a well-regarded match. He had hoped that love would grow between himself and his wife but it never did. Now widowed, Stephen intends to seek a new bride, this time without regard for convention.
Stephen’s plans are foiled when he experiences gastric pains and his doctor tells him that he has a tumor and at most six months to live. Since time is in short supply, Stephen takes off on a solitary trip on horseback, to give himself a chance to come to terms with his impending death.
One afternoon, Stephen catches a performance of The Tempest given by a family of itinerant players. A couple of the actresses are gorgeous but his eye is drawn to another whose beauty is more subtle. The next day, he is riding toward the next town in the rain when he spots the theatrical family traveling ahead. A child falls into river rapids and Stephen dives in to save him. Stephen sustains a head injury and wakes to find himself in the troupe’s wagon, tended by the boy’s oldest sister, Rosalind, the woman he noticed earlier.
Rosalind is also widowed and hers too was a less-than-ideal match. She was adopted as a young child after her parents found her on the street near the London docks when she was only three or four. Rosalind is even-tempered and practical, and Stephen comes to see her as the eye in the dramatic storm. She steadies her family and does the job of the stage manager as well as taking on a small role here or there.
Rosalind and Stephen are attracted to each other but Stephen feels he can’t marry due to the death sentence that looms over him. Things change, though, when his secret comes out.
This book was a refreshing and wonderful surprise. The premise, that the hero is living on borrowed time, is one I have not seen done before or since in a romance context. The characters are sincere, intelligent and thoughtful. Stephen is a bit stodgy but he’s also solid and appealing. Rosalind, with her pragmatism and kindness, is easy to love. One of the best aspects of the book is that they hash out their disagreements like adults. They listen to each other and adjust their opinions based on their conversations.
The book is well-paced, especially considering that it was published in the 1990s (it compares very favorably to Kinsale’s The Shadow and the Star, which I reread recently). The plot feels sturdy, and the book is emotional without being angsty. Toward the end, I shed tears.
I loved that there were things to discover about both Stephen and Rosalind. Stephen’s struggle to accept death as a part of life and feel at peace with it is the theme that ties everything together, but Rosalind also has things to grapple with—a childhood trauma she has blocked out, and the identity of her biological parents.
Some of you may remember that in
my review of Lucy Parker’s Act Like It, I took exception to the egregious lack of research into the theater. Here, in One Perfect Rose, the theatrical milieu is captured beautifully. Everything that Parker got wrong, Putney gets right.
There were just a few things that bothered me, most having to do with Rosalind’s backstory. The villains in her past were over-the-top. It was hard to believe that a three- or four-year-old child could scavenge and survive on the street even for a few weeks.
Still, I thought this book was very strong. -
I followed this up from The Bargain. It's not quite the same trope but has resonances -- the dying hero --I picked it out from its fellows in its series from the descriptions on Amazon, so it must be what I was (still) in the mood for. A staid duke (why must it always be dukes, these days? Isn't the lesser aristocracy sufficient? Rank inflation...?) gets bad medical news (happily for the rest of the tale, not the pox), and rides out alone to deal with it; he encounters a group of traveling players, and angsty romance ensues. I quite liked the first half; the second seemed a bit overcrowded, and the ending slightly rushed.
It also worked quite well as a standalone, despite being a mid-series book. I very much liked that our male protag wasn't another Bad Boy type, a sort for which I have less and less tolerance with age. (My impression is that Heyer's heroes grew more sensible as their writer aged, too. It may be a common trend, as female writers get older and wiser.)
So... are there any romance novels with a dying heroine? Or is that role reserved for the guys, and if so, why?
Also, hurt/comfort -- why do (some of) we women readers and writers like it so much? Male writers are also quite willing to bang up their heroes, but it doesn't have the same tone -- demonstrating invulnerability rather than vulnerability, perhaps? What's up with that?
Mary Jo, by the way, wrote a very nice piece about the Vorkosiverse a while back, which may still be floating about somewhere on the Net, as well as being a chapter in The Vorkosigan Companion. And I had some musings about the genres in my Denvention speech, later partly recycled for the intro to Love & Rockets (not to be confused with the comic of the same title). Upon which the Bujold Dire Cover Curse still fell even tho' I only wrote the intro, sigh.
http://www.dendarii.com/denver08.html
Ta, L. -
This book is amazing! The struggle to come to term with death....the haunting uncertainties of whether there is a life after here...the need for love and fulfillment...all universal things that humans have grappled with and tried to understand since the beginning of time! MJP is a master of human emotions and potraying the dichotomies of human strength and frailties in the face of catastrophe of personal or larger proportion.
So why not 5 stars?
Ohhh because I am a very very very impatient reader...and right from the very first chapter I guessed the foundation for the plot and climax! I wish MJP had done without it...because for me it detracted from the poignant and real emotional journey Stephen embarked on...because the issue kept tickling my thoughts instead of allowing it to enjoy the blossoming love between Stephen and Rose...and towards the end I started skim reading the book just so I could see the truth revealed....it annoyed me a great deal. Also some of the spiritual scenes became almost comical for me....the reincarnation claim was really ill fitting explanation for Louisa's behavior.
But despite all that you have to read this book. I cried a great deal, but I definitely recommend this book! -
This was a sweetly romantic book. The MCs were amazing and I loved their relationship. They were loving, honest, supportive, and patient with each other. It was a refreshing change.
Most of the conflict revolves around the fact that Stephen has been given a diagnosis that means he only has a few months to live. This changes the way he views everything in his past, present and future.
I give this 3 stars because it all was so predictable to me. I immediately guessed that . Since there was no mystery to the story, it dragged for me. I just wanted to get to the reveal so we could move on. It's totally a ME thing so others may love this book more than I did. As always the writing was excellent and the secondary characters made me want to read more from the series to find out their stories. -
So Stephen Kenyon wasn't a character who interested me, he is Michael Kenyon's bro from "Shattered Rainbows" the #6 in the Fallen Angels series, and probably why it has taken me so long to read this book and finish off the series. However, as the story started once again, damn my optimism, I began to get excited about where the story was headed. Stephen has found out he has 6 months to live (why is it always 6 months?) and decides to ditch the heavy cloak of being a duke and go live life. A wild duke, who doesn't want to read about that! Haha I liked the line about how it will be interesting to find out how ordinary people do their laundry; trust me on this man, it’s not interesting.
Putney did a great job of writing Stephen to be a tragic figure; describing his loneliness, responsibilities, and his desire to really live life.
It seems kind of morbid when Putney starts some chapters with the number of days Stephen thinks he has remaining to live. Maybe this is why I can’t seem to really involve myself in this story; the characters aren't investing themselves so it leaves me feeling I can’t. Although this is a romance story, so really some form of a happy ending is always kind of expected right? (Unless it is one of those rare books like Jude Deveraux's "A knight in shining armour" which as far as I'm concerned did NOT have a happy ending)
Alright, so I found it a little strange when their big first love scene began with Stephen laying on barn floor feeling like he was dieing from stomache pains, geesh I know men are always up for sex, but come on.
Some disappointment in Rosalind’s reaction, or lack thereof, to finding out Stephen was a duke. Give me a little more here, not quite swooning but maybe a face that drains of color? :)
It was a little disappointing when the author finally reveals Rosalinds back ground. Why can’t she just be a normal woman who entranced a duke instead of the sensationalized history of her origins?
The last 150 pgs or so started to drag for me and I could have really done without Stephen’s “anteroom” to heaven scene. The "cure" to Stephen's "illness" was pretty predictable also. I think Putney wanted this book to be bittersweet but it just felt morose for me. I gave it a pretty low grade because, I never felt invested in it and was easily distracted from reading it.
D -
I really enjoyed this book.
The overall writing is rather better than most of recently written books and that really makes it pleasant to read.
The plot with some secrets, some fool play, some adventure, came along very nicely, without ever dragging for too long. It supported the characters' development and change over time, especially regards their relationship which came unexpected but felt nonetheless true and strong enough to last a lifetime whatever came to them. I liked that the secrets are not kept for too long, that both characters learn to trust the other and treat him/her like an adult. Their feelings felt humane and not only ink on paper.
Following this book I decided to go on reading all the others I had from this author, and wondered why I left those aside for so long. -
Rosalind and Stephen worked well together. They were nicely developed and likable. It was very refreshing how the two actually LIKED each other through out the whole book, and never got mad at each other. Yay!
I loved Stephen! He was such a different romantic hero. He was kind and nice and not overbearing or bossy. He was genuinely a really good person. I felt SO protective of him. And I loved his brother, Michael. Their relationship was sweet.
Rosalind's sob story was a little silly and pointless and overdone. It was a bit too much for my tastes, but...wasn't bad enough to knock off a star. The whole thing just felt too overdramatic. -
4 stars. My heart hurts - this book was too bittersweet for me. I don’t feel light or happy but instead feel sad and like crying, even after the happy ending. I’m ok with novels that focus on heavy topics, this one obviously does, but I personally need more balance.
Overall, this is a really good book. It’s well written, it is well paced, it is very touching. I felt the love between the hero and heroine deep inside myself, I believed in their love and their undying devotion for each other. Their relationship was touching and beautiful. However, so much of the story was depressing that it took away from any happiness that I would have experienced from their love. I had the overwhelming urge to cry for about 50% of the book, maybe more. I shed quite a few tears, even though I had guessed the ending early on, and knew with near certainty what would end up happening.
Rose and Stephen meet when he rescues her brother from downing. He has run away from his life after receiving a fatal diagnosis of what is basically stomach cancer. He has a hard time facing death and decides that he needs to escape his responsibilities at least one more time before the end. The doctor has given him three months to live, and in that time he meets and becomes infatuated with Rose. She is an actress, and travels with her family of actors. He joins the troop and their relationship progresses until he feels like he needs to face reality and return to his position. But instead of leaving Rose, he takes her with him. The rest of the story is deeply depressing imo, with very little happiness until the very end. There are some religious overtones and a lot of talk about life after death.
Safe, both H & h are widowed, high angst. -
Intense. But in a good way. This was an amazingly romantic story, honest and heartbreaking, and it kept me riveted from page one.
Stephen, the Duke of Ashburton, has three months to live, six on the outside. After receiving the news, he fills two saddle bags with supplies and takes off alone to come to terms with his mortality. He might only have been gone a week, but when he saves the life of a boy who might have drowned into the river, he becomes a part of the boy's family -- a traveling theater troupe. He particularly stays for Rosalind, a foundling child rescued by Thomas and Maria Fitzgerald when she was 3 years old, roaming the streets of London. Now she's 28, longs for a home of her own (as much as she loves her family, she is really no actress), and here is Stephen -- clearly a nobleman, but hiding from something.
I did guess part of the ending -- though I was pleasantly surprised to learn the why of it. But even if I had guessed at the whole thing, Stephen's pain was real....both physical and emotional. He was dying, and he didn't know how to deal with that. Neither did Rosalind, when she learned the truth.
I thought this was an utterly amazing romance novel. Don't read it if you're in the mood for something light and fluffy, but do read it if you're looking for raw emotion and powerful themes -- life, death, love, and forgiveness.
www.christineamsden.com -
I guess the title speaks for itself. The book is perfection! We have 2 extremely likeable MCs (I usually have issues with either the hero or the heroine, but none of this book). I was rooting for their HEA, all the way. I experienced a myriad of emotions whilst reading. I was smiling when they were courting and was crying my heart out when the hero thought he was dying. The author's writing is simply exquisite. I couldn't recommend this high enough. A solid 5 star. You don't have to read the rest of the series to read this book.
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Wonderful story and wonderful ending to a great series. I loved how MJP kept us apprised of the other couples throughout the entire series without being intrusive about it. I would love to see a reunion book done, but that is just me never getting enough ending.
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2.5 stars rounded up.
This has the same problems as all the other HRs I’ve picked up from this author: excessively flowery prose, MCs falling for each other before the 50% mark, mushy love declarations.
Still, this is a solid story with well-rounded character so I can’t in all honesty give it a lower rating. If anything, I’ve finally established that this author’s work just isn’t my cup of HR! -
This is one of my favourite Fallen Angels books, the last in the series and doesn't really concern the group of friends at Eton, but Michael Kenyon's older brother who reached out to him in his own book and finally finds happiness here.
It's also a great introduction to the world of the strolling players, the wandering theatre troupes touring England at the time and the plays of Shakespeare.
Because of a misdiagnosis (with a sinister background, as is later on revealed), Stephen Kenyon believes he only has a few weeks to live. He wants to get away from his responsibilities as a Duke and come to terms with this - and then hopefully see his brother and sister again. While riding incognito through England a bit aimlessly, he saves the life of a boy falling into a fast moving river and gets adopted by the boy's family.
The group are personable and interesting and deal with him as himself and not as a Duke, but the drawing attraction is the oldest adoptive daughter of the brilliant theatrical couple that runs the troupe. Rosalind Jordan is the calm centre of the theatrical storm, not very gifted as an actress but the person who can organise anything and calm any waters.
Stephen and Rosalind develop a deep attraction that starts when she nurses him back to health from his water experience (and his bouts with his illness, but she doesn't know that right then) and he stays with the troupe as a helper and later even playing minor roles for a few days until the sexual tension and his outlook in life make him ask her to be with him as his lover until he isn't hale enough any more.
Rosalind and the rest of the troupe already know that he's a gentleman, so she has no preconceived ideas of being offered marriage. She actually was married to a faithless womanizer before and has no problem with sharing body warmth with a man she esteems and likes, but the very desire and compatibility they discover make her more worried about him when she realizes how ill he is - and she decides that he needs her more at the moment than her family.
Stephen wants her to be his because he literally never has met and loved a more kindred spirit than Rosalind (we get flashbacks to his childhood and his marriage), but it leads him to subterfuge because he is realitically worried that she will feel too inferior when she finds out that he is a Duke.
Meanwhile his physician and the brother he has lately made up with, Michael Kenyon, are upset that he seems to have vanished and are slowly but surely gaining on him.
Rosalind's parents accept their grown-up daughter's decision to be with Stephen (she doesn't tell them that he will die soon), Stephen not only makes her his mistress, he marries her (he had proposed but then she had found out he was a Duke which was awkward) and they set off for London to hopefully enjoy what time is left him.
Because Stephen is a caring and managing man he even manages to find a theatre he can set-up as the family theatre because he treasured the care and company of the Jordans, so they will be secure when he is no longer there. The sicker he gets, the more worried both Rosalind and Stephen are - Stephen because he realizes that Rosalind will mostly remember him as a burden and sick person and he doesn't want that (so he tries to withdraw, which hurts her) and Rosalind who has acknowledged her full-on love for him and just wants to find a cure for his disease.
They do find it and if MJP could have avoided the paranormal epilogue bit with Rosalind's true heritage and parents I would have been even happier. -
Reading my way through a box of old books. This was good as far as a love story goes. Man thinks he's dying, runs away from his title for a while, meets and falls in love. The problem I had is it just seemed like too many plot lines. He is dying, confronted with his mortality he behaves in a way that leads to his meeting his soulmate, but not to worry he isn't dying. Great. Oh and by the way she is an orphaned child found wandering the streets and adopted by actors, and she's really a countess. Great. And he comes from a history of abuse and has to learn what love is. great. And he doesn't believe in god but comes to have a religious experience that changes his mind. great (okay not so great). Just felt like too much in the air. In the last chapter of the book the main characters discover: he's not dying, but also he is no longer afriad of death, she is a countess, they are not barren, they love each other, he has a half brother, his siblings can get along, etc. Just felt too tidy and all at once. I may have given three stars if not for the religious commentary at the end and skimming over love scenes, though I'm sure it's a book a different breed of girl would love.
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This book was what originally drew me to Mary Jo Putney. A remarkable book with depth, this book is truly a wonderful culmination of one of my favorite series of all time. Stephen is such a complex man facing his own mortality and finally casting off the bonds of a "privileged" lifestyle that afforded him so much heartbreak. Truly the backbone of his family, I wish so desperately for him to survive and yet love the way he embraces his life on the brink of death. Rosalind, with such a tragic past, is everything Stephen deserves and vice versa. Her adoptive family, perfectly chosen for her, implants in her the kind of love she can give to Stephen. Love the literary references, and I love returning to this book again and again. This book is why I decided to find EVERY other book she had to offer.
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This really hit the spot. I *liked* Rosalind and Stephen immediately, and I enjoyed watching them get to know each other and fall in love. They're good people. Both have experienced pain but neither is defined by their traumas. (It's a relief to read about some likable characters who like each other rather than another tragic hero rescued by a saintly heroine.)
My only quibble, and it's a small one, is that the ending is a little too neat and a little too sweet.
One Perfect Rose isn't the first in the series, but I didn't experience any difficulties because of that. In fact One Perfect Rose reminded me of what Putney can do and I intend to read more in this series. -
Those of you who know me, know I rarely give out 5 star ratings. So take that as a sign of a great novel, I laughed, cried and smiled until my cheeks hurt. Touching is to soft a word but I can't seem to select another. Unfortunately this is not on audio, definitely an oversight... I would have gladly purchased it and listened to it immediately if that was the case. A great voice would have had me bawl I know. Definitely a HEA ending so have no fear... and that's the only spoiler you'll get from me.
BTW - I'm actually surprised I haven't read this type of plot in the past... in some ways it's an obvious one if your going for angst in your writing. -
4.25
My absolute favorite one in the series. I am a sucker for terminal illness romance but this one was so much more. It can be read as a stand alone. I don't think there was a character that I didn't care for in this book except the old already dead Duke... but I already hated him from previous books. -
3.75 stars rounded up to 4
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stephen is dying and that served as a wakeup call. deciding to do whatever he wants while he can, stephen went on holidays without letting anyone know how to contact him and where he’s going. stumbling into the fitzgerald family of strolling players, he meets rosalind, the adopted daughter and they soon found companionship and attraction. although his illness cannot be cured, stephen and rosalind soon followed their hearts and never hesitated.
this was pretty sweet. stephen and rosalind just went headfirst into the relationship without worrying too much. don’t worry, rosalind is aware of what’s going on. although stephen is a duke, he doesn’t act like one and doesn’t use his title as a shield. in fact, throughout the trip, he never told anyone his title. overall, a good historical romance! -
He kissed her again. “You are my heart and my beloved,” he said softly. “It was worth going to the brink of death to find you, my perfect rose.”
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Muy bestia que el pobre Stephen, hermano de Michael y duque de Ashbourne le digan que le quedan 6 meses de vida a lo sumo. Mientras lo lees, deseas que el médico se equivoque y que sea una tontería, pero si es cierto, al menos que consiga un amor de esos de verdad, ya que su matrimonio fue mero convencionalismo y amistad. Espero desesperadamente que sea un inicio trágico y nada más, porque desearía que tuviera una vida feliz acompañado de alguien que lo quisiera. En lo poco que ha salido en los otros libros me parece un muy buen hombre que merece más de la vida.
Tiene que ser muy duro afrontar que te quedan tan pocos días de vida y que es irremediable. Por lo que entiendo completamente que Stephen huya y viva un poco a lo absurdo, viajando y viendo, hasta que la vida le reclame. En lugar de enclaustarse en casa solo, esperando lo inevitable y temiéndolo. Aunque bueno, también podría estar con su familia… pero entonces no encontraría el amor que dará lugar al libro, cierto.
“Él la hizo enderezarse y se inclinó para besarla, con un destello de pesaroso humor en los ojos. Su beso fue cálido y suave, pero ella sintió el impacto emocional en todo el cuerpo. Sí, había algo entre ellos, una conexión que en otro tiempo o lugar se habría convertido en algo más profundo. Pero no tendrían tanta suerte.”
Me he pasado la mitad del libro leyendo, rezando como una idiota para que fuera mentira, para que Stephen realmente no se muriera, para que tuvieran una oportunidad. Creo que eso es lo que hace que un libro te llegue, algo que te revuelve por dentro y te da sensaciones más allá de unas frases en un papel. Seguramente a mucha gente ni siquiera le hiciera sentir, pero a mí, me hizo llorar y pensar, y darle vueltas a mil cosas. Y realmente encuentro que cuando eso lo consigue un libro, es que es especial.
Al final resultó que lo que pensamos la mayoría al leerlo –una cosa bastante obvia conforme vas leyendo- es lo que ocurre realmente, y se repone todo y hay un muy buen final romántico, de los de cuento. Sinceramente, sé que es un libro dramático muy tópico, que los personajes son normales, y que la historia es normal. Pero me importa un comino, a mí me ha encantado, pero encantado, y Stephen es un hombre maravilloso y merecía esa oportunidad y ese amor por fin, igual que la preciosa Rose y toda su familia. Me ha encantado.
