A young widow restores a dilapidated mansion with the assistance of a charming, eccentric genius, only to find the house is full of dangerous secrets in this effervescent Gilded Age debut novel It’s 1875, and Alva Webster has perfected her stiff upper lip after three years of being pilloried in the presses of two continents over fleeing her abusive husband. Now his sudden death allows her to … allows her to return to New York to make a fresh start, restoring Liefdehuis, a dilapidated Hyde Park mansion, and hopefully her reputation at the same time.
However, fresh starts aren’t as easy as they seem, as Alva discovers when stories of a haunting at Liefdehuis begin to reach her. But Alva doesn’t believe in ghosts. So when the eccentric and brilliant professor Samuel Moore appears and informs her that he can get to the bottom of the mystery that surrounds Liefdehuis, she turns him down flat. She doesn’t need any more complications in her life–especially not a handsome, convention-flouting, scandal-raising one like Sam. Unfortunately, though Alva is loath to admit it, Sam, a pioneer in electric lighting and a member of the nationally-adored Moore family of scientists, is the only one who can help. Together, the two delve into the tragic secrets wreathing Alva’s new home while Sam attempts to unlock Alva’s history–and her heart.
Set during the Gilded Age in New York City, The Widow of Rose House is a gorgeous debut by Diana Biller, with a darkly Victorian Gothic flair and an intrepid and resilient American heroine guaranteed to delight readers.
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Utterly irresistible. With engaging, original characters, and dialogue as crisp as a new apple, Diana Biller’s debut will have you rooting for Alva and Sam through every spooky twist.
Take a Joanna Shupe Gilded Age romance, stir in a Simone St. James ghost story, add a pinch of Julia Quinn banter, and, voila! Sheer fun with a satisfying emotional conclusion.
The Widow of Rose House by Diana Biller is primarily a romance, however the added facets of historical fiction, mystery, and a spooky/paranormal activity.
I enjoyed the two main characters and their connection. I enjoyed the historical timeline.
My only slight negatives to keep this from being a 5/5 is the added “sexual content”. I was not offended by anything by any means, but it could have been excluded and been an even better novel.
The ending was a nice wrap up and I am looking forward to what the author has in store for these characters for the future.
4/5 stars
“They were two sides of the same story. That’s what he’d been waiting for…the other side of his story. And now he very much thought he might have found her.”
Fleeing her abusive husband, Alva Webster believes she has finally found safety by returning to New York. Once word of her husband’s death and the scandal attached to their marriage reaches the newspapers and gossip columns, Alva perceivers to hold her head high, and make a life for herself. Purchasing a mansion in the Hyde Park area, Alva pitches to a publisher on how she could restore and write a book on architecture and design that everyone would benefit from reading. What she didn’t count on was the house being tainted of tales of ghostly hauntings…and one very handsome and persistent Professor Samuel Moore.
Absent minded Professor Samuel Moore is widely known for his engineering brilliance. When he hears that the Liefdehuis mansion has been purchased, he makes it his mission to get the owner to grant him permission to attempt to contact the spirits housed within. But when he discovers that the owner is non-other than the infamous Mrs. Webster, Sam becomes fascinated with her strength and will to rise above scandal to make her own way in the world…and Sam is determined she won’t do it alone.
While their romance may have started in an unconventional manner, Alva and Sam work together to unlock the ghostly secrets bound to the house. And little by little, Sam works towards getting Alva to share not only her own secrets, but her heart as well.
Now, rating/reviewing this story is a wee bit difficult for this reader. While I found the beginning and end quite enjoyable, the middle dragged on too much for me. Professor Moore’s character was my favorite, and I enjoyed how the author weaved his absent-mindedness into a delightfully charming quirk. Diana Biller’s debut novel The Widow of Rose House is perfect for fans of Victorian/Gothic Romance. Overall, the story was good and well written, and I’d recommend to fans of this genre!
**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. **
This novel wasn’t for me. I’m not a fan of ghost stories, intimate scenes or profanity.
I borrowed a copy from my local library. All views expressed are my honest opinion.
The Widow of Rose House is a historical paranormal romantic mystery. I enjoyed the setting, bits of intrigue, and touches of the paranormal, but I especially appreciated the protagonists, Alva and Sam. Alva maintained her core strengths after much cruelty and social snubbing. She also repeatedly proved to be a remarkable judge of character. And Sam—Professor Samuel Moore—if there is a more sweet, bumbling, handsome, brilliant, inventor hero out there in the literary world, I want to “meet” him. He is ADORABLE! Although the banter between Alva and Sam shines the brightest, I found all of the dialogue to be clever and Sam’s relationships with his family and best friend to be extremely charming. I enjoy a good ghost mystery and LOVE a gratifying romance. The Widow of Rose house was satisfying in both areas. Particularly so since it is the author’s debut novel.
What an incredible story! Alva and Sam’s characters have a special place in my heart.
I purchased a copy of this book while in the middle of reading it. As an Army spouse who moves every two years or so, weight matters. Until my husband’s retirement, I rely a lot on amazing libraries and my kindle because books are heavy to move. However, I knew before even finishing this one it would be a book I’d want to revisit over and over again and so I had to have my own copy.
I’m not a ghost story or paranormal lover but I picked this one up based on a favorite podcast reading it for their show(learningthetropes). And I fell in love with the characters. Alva is so strong and gets things done. Sam has a matter-of-fact way about everything he’s impossible not to love from the first line. Plus, many outlying characters are sweet and fun…Sam’s lawyer assistant (and friend) Henry, Liza (Alva’s maid), and Sam’s entire family are just a joy to read. Plus, you get to have the classic villain, a mystery and a bit of adventure tossed in. All together it makes up a book that I just loved so much. It’s witty and fun and has that storybook feel that provides such a delightful escape. It’s hard to believe this is a debut novel from Biller but believe it when I say I will be following her closely in anticipation of future releases.
The Widow of Rose House is the debut of author Diana Biller. It is a fun and suspenseful historical romance set in New York in the 1870s. Alva is a widow with a scandalous background who buys an old home to fix it up while writing a book on interior design. She meets an eccentric scientist whose personality and family you can’t help but love. Together, they investigate the haunting of her new home.
The characters were developed nicely and I loved the integration of humor into what could have been a very dark ghost story. I love Alva and Sam together and may have found my new book boyfriend. I will definitely keep an eye out for the author’s next book!
I’ve seen this book recommended by many wonderful bookstagrammers, but I never got the chance to get to it until now (you know… the usual forever intimidating TBR pile ), but I’m so glad I did! I LOVE it so much that it’ll be surely make it to my 2020 favorite list .
Professor Samuel Moore is the epitome of all cinnamon roll heroes! He’s a brilliant, eccentric scientist/inventor, typical absentminded, wearing-mismatched-pair-of-socks type of genius . He grows up in a loving and supportive family who are all mad scientists and just fun people to be around with, and so his love has no boundaries. He’s kindhearted, patient, persistent, supportive, funny, and just absolutely ADORABLE ! And he’s also a great lover …
In contrast to Sam’s beautiful and smooth upbringing, Alva Webster’s childhood is all loneliness and sheltered. Her early marriage turned into a nightmare that she couldn’t wait to get away from. She’s built a fortress around her so she could withstand the storms of scandals and societal judgments, to protect her heart and soul from being bruised again. She’s strong and resilient, intelligent and independent, determined to make a life for herself without the need of a man’s support!
The premise is set in New York in 1875, quite different from other HRs I’ve read, in a haunted house that Alva bought upon her return from Paris, with the intention of renovating it and using it as a demo for her book in interior designs. I LOVE the metaphorical comparison between the house and Alva: they’re both abandoned, lonely and sad, crumpling and broken, haunted and uncared for, withstanding the test of time against scandals and rumors, and that’s what has drawn her into buying it in the first place. And not only does he literally install electricity and lighting for her house, Sam has also brought light into her darkest moments and warmed her up with his undying love …
This book is so well written, it keeps you on reading and guessing, “are there really ghosts in the house?” The character arc is just wonderful! It’s such a delight to see how Alva’s heart slowly thaws under Sam’s warmth. I found myself laughing, crying, swooning, fanning myself , also in fear of ghosts … It also touches on domestic violence (not on the page) and how society dealt with people with “mental disturbances” in the past. I can’t wait to see what comes next, as I just adore everyone in Sam’s family ! I HIGHLY recommend it!
5-wonderful read for me!
Hero was everything! I assume there will be more books following the hero’s family who is utterly charming and fascinating. Can’t wait!
One of the best debuts I’ve ever read. Deliciously creepy, with an HEA that will warm your soul.
When a scandalous young widow who intends to restore a haunted mansion meets up with an engaging, hunky scientist . . .well, you can only imagine the sparks flying. Biller’s first novel is an engaging look at a woman escaping from her brutal past and looking for a way to support herself in post-war 1875 New York.
Married off to a brutal man who only wanted Alva Webster’s money, scandal and suspicion follow the widow from her Paris home. She hopes to restore the “haunted” Rose Mansion and publish a book about new home décor for the emerging middle class. Sam Moore, a charming, loving, honest, albeit somewhat scatterbrained, scientist with a loving family of likewise charming scientists quickly falls in love with Alva, who wants only to be left alone. Maybe.
After months of being of being closed due to shut-down orders, my local library finally reopened. And I found this book, full of love and lust, pain and sorrow, ghosts and ghost stories and two of the most interesting characters ever. What a treat!
This is historical fiction at its best! With a dash of hot romance and hauntings to boot. I would love to see more of the Moore family, and Alva and Sam of course. Wonderful book!
Wow, what an unusual tale! Romance and intrigue mixed with fascinating paranormal activity, domestic abuse, and treatment of mental illness. What I liked best about the hero of this story is that he’s not typical literary hero material. He’s sweetly oblivious and awkward and single-mindedly focused on his scientific theories and experiments. An absent-minded professor, who’s simultaneously open-minded, seeing possibilities nobody else sees. The heroine is the seemingly worldly, experienced, cynical type–for very good reason. This is not your standard historical romance. At times their relationship seems somewhat contemporary, there is such an openness about their interactions, even with a figurative wall between them. The atmosphere made me imagine a steel-gray sky threatening rain. There was a foreboding stillness and a brooding feeling throughout the book. The pacing of the story was a bit slow for me, although I’m sure it was intended to build suspense, and it succeeded in being both eerie and intriguing. I liked how the heroine’s history was only hinted at for a while. The reader is entrusted with the chilling details only as the heroine begins to trust the hero. I appreciated the partnership they shared, and the building admiration and connection between them. The reader learns through the hero’s eyes about how one doesn’t fully appreciate how good they have it until they see how others struggle through unimaginable and often hidden torture. It was a valuable lesson in gratitude. I immediately loved the attention-grabbing cover and book title, and now that I’ve read the story, I can see what it all alludes to and find it very clever. This was an engrossing book from start to finish.
Professor Sam Moore, part of a wonderful family of famous inventors, is a perfect hero: tall, handsome, fun, smart, compassionate, and strong enough to handle the complex heroine, her dark past, and her haunted house. The interplay between them in the lighter moments is delightful, while the mystery adds a great Gothic turn.
I quite enjoyed this historical romance with a twist. The twist is a ghost. Alva has moved back to New York after a turbulent marriage and the death of her husband. She brings with her scandalous rumors. Sam is an inventor, a genius, and a lovable absent-minded professor. He’s interested in ghosts…and Alva.
This was such a surprisingly charming read that made me laugh-out-loud more than once. Sam is the perfect kind of hero. There’s not a brooding bone in his (very handsome) body and that was so refreshing.
The ghost story is weaved throughout and it’s just enough to keep me interested without boring me. (I’m not much for the ghost-y sort of things.)
If you like historical romances, definitely give this one a try.
***4 Stars***
I don’t read a lot of historical romances anymore, I say this because there was a time (many, many moons ago) when that was all I read. But after reading the blurb, the need to dive in was strong and I have to say a very good idea. This was a fun and intriguing read with very unique characters that I wouldn’t mind spending a lot more time with.
I really liked Alva and Sam. Alva has been given a raw deal in life, though most definitely don’t see it, but regardless of all that she has had to, and is dealing with, she perseveres. I have to say, I loved her gumption and how she held her head high, no matter the circumstances. Sam was definitely interesting. He’s a cross between a pitbull puppy and the absent minded professor. Tenacious doesn’t begin to truly describe him, but once he’s in. He is ALL in. But he also has this goodness to him that makes you want to get as close as possible to him.
Their journey to their HEA was an interesting one, an enjoyable, but interesting as these two very opposite in almost every way people found that they were exactly what the other never knew they needed. Their bantering was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed watching as they got to know each other and let the other in ~ though that was easier said than done. Their life experiences, well, Alva’s life experiences to be exact, made for a lot of walls that they both had to climb, but I love the way everything turned out for them in the end.
This was a fun read. Engaging and though the pacing dragged at some points to me, it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story. The author did a good job at bringing the era to life with the differences between one’s social class, status in the world and the sexes. As for the supporting cast of characters, I have to say that I adored the Moore family as a whole. They were quite unique and I wouldn’t mind spending a lot more time with Henry, Benedict, Maggie, Winn and John.
~ Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley & voluntarily reviewed ~
What a delightful surprise of a book! First of all, the hero Sam was my favorite hero of the romances I’ve read recently – brilliant and kind and loyal and sincere and absent-minded and also gorgeous and giving in the bedroom… he’s an absolute treasure, and perfect for our heroine, who needs someone just like him in her life. The ghost story wasn’t as developed as I’d initially expected, but it was woven through the plot and I didn’t mind how it took a back seat to these fantastic characters. Looking forward to seeing more from this author!
I was just expecting a late Victorian/Edwardian romance, but I got much more; a really strong, rather gothic storyline, a wonderful, smart, wounded heroine and a lovely inventor/science geek hero. First of all, the setting was somewhat unusual for a gothic. Rather than being set in England or Europe, it was set in the Hudson River Valley of New York. That’s where our intrepid heroine, Alva, an infamous widow thanks to the lies her late, unlamented husband spread about her, buys an old estate with the hopes of renovating it so that she can write a design book aimed at making interior design accessible to the middle classes. Unfortunately, her new house comes complete with rampant ghost stories and hauntings.
It’s this reputation that attracts Sam, an absent-minded but brilliant inventor who comes from a brilliant, eccentric family made wealthy and famous by dint of the various inventions and patents. Sam is a bit obsessed with investigating ghosts in hopes of quantifying them and proving that they actually do exist. As soon as he hears the rumors, he introduces himself to Alva and requests permission to investigate her ghosts. He’s also absolutely thunderstruck by a strong attraction to Alva. Unfortunately for him, she does not want to get involved with him, refuses his requests to come and investigate her house, and doesn’t believe in ghosts. However, she arrives in upstate NY to find that her workmen have all run off and if she’s to have any hope of getting them back, she will need Sam’s help to try to get to the bottom of it all.
Alva had a horrible childhood, and was married off at 16 to a monster. Now that she’s finally free, she has plenty of trauma to deal with and just wants to get on with her life. Sam meanwhile is everything sweet, light and easy to Alva’s darkness and the two of them together were just magical. Their romance was swoony, there were plenty of sparks, and Sam was so considerate and so in love with Alva, although admittedly, he was sometimes a bit dense when he got caught up in one of his inventions. There were just enough spooky moments for me without overshadowing the romance, and I felt the ghost elements were very well done. I absolutely loved this book and am having a hard time believing that this is the author’s debut.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book from Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This book had a little of everything – romance, paranormal, suspense, mystery. Although this was a piece of historical fiction, I very much liked that Alva Webster was very much a “modern” independent woman, without seeming to come across as overly “quirky” (something that I find some historical novels struggle with). She knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to go after it. Her relationship with Sam is equally modern and their interactions are very enjoyable to read. It’s an intriguing story-line and definitely kept me turning the pages to see how it would all turn out in the end.
Honestly, I’d love to read more about the rest of Sam’s family – they were an interesting bunch. Fingers crossed we’ll see books for them in some shape in the future.