The Soul of the Rose

Debating the merits of fine literature at great lengths is the common ground that has brought Celia Thatcher and Edward Lyons together.

Celia works for Mr. Chestley as his assistant in a bookstore in Massachusetts in 1876. It's a place she used to frequent with her family as a young girl and its that love of books that has made her a valuable edition for Mr. Chestley. She loves to read, and one of its delights was to provide an escape from the real world. She just wishes she can find someone who will long for her like a rose whose soul has gotten into a man's blood.

Edward Lyons has been a social recluse after the death of his wife, Marguerite, venturing out only at night to pick up his latest book purchase to add to his growing personal library where he lives alone with only his fellow literary characters from his books as companions to pass the time. He is a man who's been searching for the truth but has been searching in all the wrong places avoiding God is doing so. This brings Celia and Edward to some great philosophical debates on the truth when it comes to science versus religion or faith in God.

He needed to know the depth, the sensitivity of her mind. Did she have a true interest in what he valued? He felt she did, but had to know fore certain. He couldn't bear another Marguerite. Edward believed he was the only man to appreciate her, if all he surmised about her was true. Granted, she was a woman of set beliefs, of strong religious conviction, yet he also saw her mind wonder and leap at new thoughts and ideas.

Rumors have been circulating in a small town such as theirs were about whether or not Edward had anything to do with his former wife's death. Some wonder if Edward killed her or is she simply died an early death due to some unknown illness.

Mrs. Harrod, has found another acceptable suitor and escort for Celia, her son Charles, an up and coming Harvard Law Student, who finds a way to charm himself into Celia's life through books and profound theological conversations instead of merely beauty and good looks, but Charles was young, nearer to her own age than Edward. Who would claim her heart and soul?

I received The Soul of the Rose by Ruth Trippy compliments of Abingdon Press for my honest review and received no monetary compensation for a favorable one. I have to say that the writing style for me was difficult based on the words used to convey the types of people that Edward and Celia are, both educated and wise beyond their years, but it's that wording that caused me to slow down my progression from the story to take time to investigate the meaning behind the words use to convey this story. It distracted me from the flow of the story and made it difficult to remember what I had read previously, however overall the premise behind the story is exceptional. Being a huge book lover myself, I could easily relate to Celia's character who isn't afraid to speak her mind to men, especially when her upbringing included having those same discussions with her father. She is definitely more than just a beautiful woman! For those reasons, I rate this novel a 4 out of 5 stars and for those that love a great historical romance with a bit of mystery attached to it, then you will undoubtedly LOVE this one!

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The Soul of the Rose by Ruth Trippy

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• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Abingdon Press (October 1, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1426767498
• ISBN-13: 978-1426767494
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches