"The Widow of Rose House" by Diana Biller is a gothic romance that offers a good mix of mystery, romance, and supernatural intrigue. The story follows Alva, a widow with a mysterious past, as she moves into an old mansion and starts to uncover secrets tied to the house. The atmospheric setting is one of the book's strengths, and there’s a nice balance of tension and romance that kept me engaged.

That said, I found the pacing a bit slow at times, especially in the middle where the plot seemed to drag on. The characters are likable, but I wasn’t fully invested in their development, and the mystery, while interesting, didn’t have quite the payoff I hoped for. Overall, it’s a fun read for fans of gothic tales but a bit uneven in execution.

I'm sad because I didn't love this as much as I should have. The writing was strong and the voice of the character was intriguing but I struggled to stick with it and found myself wishing I could read something else. I'm going to try the book in audio because maybe that format will help, especially since other readers I know and trust the opinions of have loved this book so much. An intriguing concept that missed its mark with me the first time around.

This book does a lot, it's a love story, it's historical and it's a ghost story, and it does it all well. All the elements come together in an original and very engaging story that never forgets it's a romance.

An enjoyable read but just not memorable. I loved the premise but I wasn’t wowed. The modern dialogue kind of took me out of it too often and spoiled the immersion I enjoy when reading.

The plot and setting is almost secondary to the characters and their relationship in this book. Alva has a wealth of emotional scars and Sam is just the right person to help lighten her burden. Their physical relationship felt a little sudden, and I would have liked a little more atmosphere for the haunting plot, but overall, a fun and engaging read.

The Widow of Rose House was charming, sweet and a little spooky. The perfect mix of romance and gothic fantasy made for a fun and fresh read compared to other historical romances. It feels like the author is setting this up to become a series which would be very welcomed because I'd love to read more about the eccentric Moore family.

Abostly loved this book. Not sure why my review didn't go in. In the first place back in 2019 but I reread it this year and I still actually really love it. I forgot I had it but was happy to find it on my Kindle again. Might have to start recommending this book again.

This was a hauntingly good ghost story! I loved Alva and Sam and their banter was otherworldly (yup, I'm going to keep going with the ghost puns!). This historical fiction novel has romance, suspense, paranormal and a bit of horror and it's hard to put down. Give me more sexy ghost stories, please!

The Widow of Rose House is a wonderfully gothic-ish historical, I thoroughly enjoyed the story. I thought it started off a little slow-paced for my liking and there were part's throughout that I felt dragged on a bit too much than necessary, similar to a couple of the chapters that could have possibly been a little shorter than they were, but it's a really compelling and engaging read which will keep you turning the pages.
I couldn't believe that this is the author's debut book, what an amazing talent to create such an engrossing story to start off a carer, I liked the ghostly, darker-edge feel to it - I am a fan of Gothic-ish historical's and this one is a real winner, it has an edgy and mysterious feel to it which does keep you hooked..
Overall, a great historical, it's original and dramatic.

I have reviewed this numerous times but the review keeps disappearing. So this will be short and sweet.
The Widow of Rose House by Diana Biller is a deliciously creepy, gothic flavored romance with a strong stoic heroine, a sweet and spicy hero, and a ghost whose existence becomes the pivot of the story.

I was initially attracted to this book because of the pretty cover, plus it’s a debut novel! I knew immediately it had to be included in my lineup of ghostly and atmospheric books to read this fall. And while this delivered great things in that atmosphere I was expecting, it also gave me a new book boyfriend to add to my list of swoony good guy heroes. Ladies, you have to meet Sam Moore.

This story is about Alva, a recent widow who’s come to America and bought a house with the intention of renovating it and publishing her design and decor ideas in a book using her “popularity” in the scandal sheets to do it. They say she’s a whore, that she cheated on her husband with so many men and had debauched parties. Even her family won’t talk to her. But she’s closed off to all that gossip and just wants to secure her financial future doing something that has some meaning to her. Except that the house she’s purchased is haunted and now no one wants to work there. So she enlists the help of sexy scientist Sam Moore, who has a passion for the paranormal and ghosts, to come and prove the rumors wrong.

While this story is about a haunted house, it’s not very scary and I think also not very spooky. It does have the right setting but if you’re looking for truly spooky this is very light. That being said, the romance! OMG this book is all about that romance. I fell head over heels with Sam Moore from the very first time we meet him and the more we see from him, the more I swooned. Sam is just too adorable and such a good guy, a little beta, and really everyone’s perfect guy. Go out and get this because Sam Moore is everything!

I have to say that Diana Biller really has a great debut here. THE WIDOW OF ROSE HOUSE is a character driven story that really kept me interested ’til the end. If you need the perfect book with a touch of Halloween but with all the romance feels, pick this up.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for the chance to read and review this book. This book was great! So many great elements-romance, ghosts, a mansion, the Gilded Age in New York. All of these elements combine to make a good story. Highly recommend!

The Widow of Rose House by Diana Biller is a 2019 St. Martin’s Griffin publication.

My kind of ghost story!

Alva Webster has returned to New York amid scandalous rumors swirling around her after the death of her estranged husband.

Ready to put the past behind her, she purchases Liefdehuis, and old mansion she intends to refurbish, then feature in a book about interior design.

The house, unfortunately, has a reputation for being haunted. This scares away the workers Alva needs, so she eventually succumbs to the overtures of one Sam Moore, an attractive man who is interested in studying the potential paranormal activity in the house.

The chemistry between Alva and Sam is undeniable, but Alva has dark secrets in her past that makes her wary of romantic entanglements.

Meanwhile, it would appear there really is a ghost, prompting intensive research to uncover the truth behind the haunting.

If my memory serves, I added this book thinking I would read it for Halloween, but I never got around to it. Now, over a year later, I’m finally pulling it up to the top of the TBR pile.

While this would be a nice book to read at Halloween, any time is a good time for a spooky ghost story. I had forgotten the premise of the book at first, but soon found myself immersed in the history, the mystery, and the red-hot attraction between Alva and Sam! Whew!

This book surprised me! I didn’t have any expectations one way or another, but this book turned out to be more than I bargained for! The author painted a vivid historical portrait of the time period, created a spine-tingling atmosphere, with shades of Gothic horror, added compelling commentary on mental illness, and provided a wonderful love story to cap it off.

Although this one was a bit steamier than I usually feel comfortable with these days, I really, really liked this story!!

Tackling the TBR list is turning out to be a whole lot of fun!!

4.5 stars

FULL REVIEW ON FRESH FICTION
THE WIDOW OF ROSE HOUSE by Diana Biller is an atmospheric, engaging, and romantic historical novel. Alva Webster’s tumultuous past is slowly revealed throughout the novel and makes her a cautious yet strong heroine to root for throughout. Samuel Moore is a charming and curious man, who, with the best intentions, truly cares about finding out the truth - be it for science or about the woman he suddenly finds himself in love. There’s a wonderful push and pull aspect to this new relationship, and it’s a joy to see Alva and Sam wittily bickering one minute, then working together the next. The Moore family of scientists and thinkers are delightful - readers will want more of their chaotic and loving conversations. The historical aspects of this novel and how it deals with scorned women, mental illness, and scientific discovery were informative. . . all three of these things relate to both Alva’s backstory, as well as the possible ghost inhabiting Leifdehuis. A fast-paced, enjoyable historical novel with intrigue, love, and maybe an actual ghost or two!

AUTHOR INTERVIEW:

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The Widow of Rose House
Diana Biller


Diana Biller’s debut, The Widow of Rose House is a delight, a fantastic mix of romance, mystery and a ghost story thrown in for good measure. Set in the Guilded Age with credible backdrops she accurately describes the wondrous inventions being discovered left and right and the utter powerlessness of women who were still considered property of their parents and then their husbands. Her characters good bad and in between are all believable and the stand outs are Henry and Sam’s family but it’s her stars, Sam and Alva who are the absolute cat’s meow. Her portrayal of Sam as this brilliant man who wears different colored socks who doesn’t have the sense to come in out of the rain and is just a bit disheveled is absolutely spot on and her portrayal of Alva will make hearts ache and bring tears. The narrative is colorful and period perfect, the pace is steady and readers will have a hard time putting this one down. Fans of historical fiction, historical romance and women’s fiction will eat this up.

Alva Webster has returned home to New York after her husband was murdered, not to grieve because she’s glad he’s dead but to heal from the whole sordid ordeal that’s left her battered, scarred and with a scandalous reputation. She’s also being hounded by an eccentric, handsome, absent minded professor who wants to study the supposedly haunted house she just purchased. Crazy thing is he doesn’t seem to know or care about her ugly notoriety, crazy thing is the more she’s around him the better he makes her feel which makes him very dangerous because she’s been fooled before.
Professor Sam Moore is the foremost authority on spectral beings and is very interested in examining and investigating the old mansion recently purchased by a bewitching widow, trouble is she keeps saying no and he’s not about to take no for an answer because he really wants to learn the secrets of the house but mostly because he wants to learn her secrets too.

I tried really hard to get into this book as a bunch of people whose opinions I trust on Twitter told me to read it. Unfortunately 36% into the book, and I still wasn't able to get into it. I hope that down the line I can give this story another shot, but for now it didn't grab me.

I received an advanced digital copy of this book from the author, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley.com. Thanks to all for the opportunity to read and review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The Widow of Rose House has an interesting premise, well thought out characters, and a good sense of the historical period in which it is set.

That being said, the pace that story moves at is glacial. It drags on to the point of wondering when the reader is going to get to the meat of the story.

3 out of 5 stars.

Confession: I wanted The Widow of Rose House for the cover. There, I said it. But really, LOOK at that cover. It is a thing of beauty. Confession complete, I'm happy I let myself follow the "beautiful cover" impulse because it was a good time.

It's 1875 in NYC, and Alva Webster is a widow with a past. She buys a crumbling wreck of a mansion in Hyde Park, intending to renovate it, but then learns, *gasp*, that it's apparently haunted. Enter Professor Sam Moore, an inventor / ghost hunter / sexy man. He will help! Cue romance.

You might go into this one expecting something fairly spooky because of that cover, but it isn''t really terribly spooky in my opinion. In places it's even quite funny, which surprised me. So I'm not exactly sure how to bill this. I think it mostly belongs in the "historical romance" category. Perhaps it's best not to go into it thinking you'll be getting an intensely spooky ghost situation. I'm not sure I'd call that a flaw, because the end result is charming and therefore satisfying. All the same, if you're going to advertise something as ghosty, it needs to be more ghosty.

So we've got Gothic vibes, a supernatural element, some racy open-door romance, a Gilded Age NYC setting, snappy dialogue, and a resilient heroine you want to root for. There's a lot here, but it all adds up to a fun read. Anne Bogel recently recommended it as a bonus pick for her Summer 2020 Reading Guide as a "Love Story to Fall For" and it definitely fits that bill.

3 1/2 stars.

In 1875, a disgraced widow, Alva Webster, returns to New York to restore a dilapidated Hyde Park mansion. Her plans take a turn when her workmen leave the job claiming the house is haunted and dangerous. Desperate to have this project so she can write a book of renovation and decorating to support herself, she allows a prestigious professor and inventor, Sam Moore, access to conduct an investigation. With hopes that he can debunk such claims of the supernatural, she allows him access to her mansion and in doing so, her heart.

Great characters and eclectic chemistry between Sam and Alva make this a fantastic and easy to read paranormal romance. I loved their banter and enjoyed their romance. However, I don't know how historically accurate the dialogue or behaviors were. I enjoyed it myself because I am not a historical fiction fan, and this book seemed pretty modern for a book taking place in 1875. With that said, I still thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun romance with some paranormal. Just not for historical fiction fans.