This book was not what I expected. I thought it would have darker, scarier components, but it was mostly about the relationship between two people. There was sex scenes I wasn’t prepared for. The beginning and end had potential focusing on the love aspect brought the rating down for me.

A widow trying to restore an old, haunted mansion and a professor who wants to dig into the history of the old mansion. Will Alva give in and let Samuel help her? Together they discover the secrets behind the mansion. Will there be romance too? Read and find out!!! Enjoy!!!

I’m forever on the lookout for stories that are not only well-written and deeply romantic, but that are also fresh, textured, unique and wonderfully quirky in their own way, so when I stumble upon a book that ‘ticks’ ALL the boxes—a book that is as quietly unsettling as it is tender, as emotionally gripping as it is witty—I get all giddy inside. A ghost-hunting adventure and sweeping romance in equal parts, and peppered with moments of breath-holding tension, it amazes me that this Gilded Age gem of a story is a debut effort. It’s a moving, evocative, beautifully told and, at times, chilling read, and even when I desperately wanted to speed ahead to find out what happens in the end, I made myself savour every exquisite last word of it.

Full review posted on Blog » https://natashaisabookjunkie.com/2019/09/05/review-the-widow-of-rose-house-by-diana-biller/

***Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review***

A delightful heroine makes this spooky story with hints of intrigue and romance a winning read!

I rarely gravitate towards books with a paranormal twist but decided to give this one a try, and it turned out be an entertaining read with a heart-warming romance.

Central to this story is the renovation of a dilapidated mansion, which is what drew me to the book, going through a renovation myself. I think Alva, the heroine, has it worse with a terrifying haunting. Alva is an enduring heroine, who has overcome personal challenges and scandals, without familiar support, to achieve a dream and future for herself. There was much to admire about Alva’s character.

The hero was probably my favorite character. Professor Sam Moore is a thinker, tinkerer and engineer and fits the “absent-minded professor” label. I liked how he was depicted — easily distracted temporarily but doggedly determined in solving a problem. In this case the problem or problems were Alva’s ghost and the mystery behind Alva. He was a supportive and patient hero, who brightened the scene whenever he entered.

This was a debut but did not feel like a debut. The writing flowed and felt like it was from a seasoned author. The story was complete and characters well drawn. The paranormal aspect blended well into the story without being overwhelming. I look to reading more by Biller and hopefully it will be a continuation of the charming Moore family.

*I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This story centers around Sam, the bright oblivious professor and Alva the wronged widow. Alva has been abused and wrongly accused and Sam comes to her rescue. There is a major supernatural force at work along with past evil, there is romance, humor and steam. Enjoyed this story immensely, not my usual read, put at the top of your TBR.

She wasn’t going to cry. Not standing in the middle of a haunted house. This wasn’t a gothic novel, after all.

Ah, but my dear, it is. I love when characters are self aware.

Ahem.

Welcome to Liefduis, perhaps the most haunted house in New York. At that point most people would have the sense to stay far and well away but Alva Webster is determined and also needs money – so of course she is set on restoring Liefduis to its former glory. Besides there’s not such thing as ghosts, people talk and make up ridiculous rumors all the time and she of all people knows that. However when strange occurrences begin happening at the dilapidated mansion and her construction crew bails on her, Alva starts to realize that maybe the stories are true. She is set to clear the name of Lidefuis and get her project off its knees but not alone. She enlists the help of zany well-known scientist Samuel Moore and the ghosts of her past, present, and future reveal themselves.

I was fully expecting a gothic ghost book getting into this and it is that to a point but more so it’s a romantic historical novel laced with some very very VERY descriptive erotica. My god, the terminology I learned. Now, I am very anti romance at the moment so I admit I was not happy to be thrown into this but it was delightful and so sweet. It reminded me of my life currently and the way my period is kicking my ass this time around it made me cry.

Alva is an amazing character. She’s witty, smart, and creative. She has also been through some terrible things with men, a lot that I can definitely relate to. Trigger warning: there is abuse in this novel as well as gas lighting. I’m happy it was talked about so frankly but it was also kind of a shock so if these situations bother you, please tread carefully.

Sam, I think, was my favorite overall. He’s smart as hell, funny, forgetful, and has a big

Brain. You perverts.

He’s great and his family is great. I loved reading about them all but especially the women in his family!! His mom is a scientist and his sister is a wild thing and together they provided so many laughs with the ongoing joke about the explosions they cause and continue to cause in hotels.

“Be outraged. Maybe it can change something.”

My only issue with this book is that the plot and overall ghost story took a heavy backseat to everything else. I felt that this was more about the romance of Alva and Sam which is NOT a bad thing. I get it, I do but I still wish the ghosts were focused on more. Instead it wound up being this entirely predictable plot line with a very predictable outcome. Meh. What can I say ya’ll? I love ghosts more than I love romance. I’m sure my romance lovers will love this though lmao. Don’t worry guys, it’s not scary at all! At least not to my horror obsessed mind.

Overall though, this book is great. It’s funny, smart, cheeky, and the coupling is organic and beautiful. I actually see this as an ongoing series because Alva and Sam are way too good to only be used in one book. Also, want to read more about the Moore family, especially the women.

All in all, I have to give this sassy/sexy book a 3.5/5. Really can’t wait to read more from the author 🙂

Happy hauntings!

I love that this is a combo of romance and spookiness. Its the quintessential novel for fall porch reading. with this ghost story. You won't be able to stop reading until the end! Also, cute title and cover art!
Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for allowing me to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I won't lie, this book took me a long time to get through. I don't know why, because I loved the way it was written, but I just couldn't connect with the characters. It's hard work reading a well written book when you don't really give a fig what happens to the characters within it. I'd definitely read another by this author as I adore her writing style but hopefully she has more captivating characters next time. That being said, some people would probably find this characters brilliant and I urge everyone to give this book a good try.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Widow of Rose House⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
By Diane Biller

I confess I didn’t know what to expect when I selected this novel, however, I did enjoy the story. Ms Biller introduced several paths which she managed to intertwine successfully with one another.

Our heroine wished to begin fresh. Her reputation had been tarnished by her abusive husband. So her plan was to buy and refurnish Liefdehuis a long neglected estate. Her problem was the rumor of it being inhabited by ghosts.

Enters Samuel Moore he wishes to aid her and feels he can get to the bottom of her ghost problems.

I will not continue any further for to do so would spoil your enjoyment of this book.

I intended to read a chapter or two to see if I had any interest and didn't put it down until I had finished the entire book.

The notorious Mrs. Webster has returned to New York and nothing is going to stop her from reclaiming her life -- not even a ghost.

Alda Rensslaer was seduced at 16 by Alain Webster. As a sheltered and unloved girl, she was the perfect naive target for Alain who was 14 years older. He ruined her and arranged their marriage so that he could have her money. After ten years of physical and emotional abuse, Alda got up the courage and enough money to leave him. He wouldn't have cared but then murmurs started about Alda's constant bruises, so Alain distracted everyone by starting rumors about orgies and affairs which gossip came out in the newspapers and he once again left Alda ruined by society's standards. After her husband's death, Alda returned to New York and purchased an abandoned property known as Leifdehuis or Love House.

Alda's plan is to return the House to its former grandeur, all the while she will be documenting and photographing the work and she will then publish a book to sell to the up and coming middle classes on decorating. She is even willing to tout that the book is written by the notorious Mrs. Webster if it will help her sales.

Alda only has one major obstacle to her plan. The workmen and most of the town believe that her house is haunted and they refuse to return to work. The only way to get them back to work is to convince them, by a reliable source, that there is no ghost.

Professor Samuel Morse of the Morse Family -- the first family of American science -- has been trying to get Alda to let him study her haunted house. She agrees to let me and his equipment in in hopes that he will fail to find a ghost and then can convince her workman to return, and if he does find a ghost, can he convince it to, you know, move on and out so she can get back to work.

I sat down to peruse a few chapters to see if I was interested and I was caught up in the story of Alda, and whether or not her house was haunted. Alda's a nice person. Her parents suck. As a young girl, she fell under the pretty spell of Alain, and his hot/cold romance antics left her desperate to please him. He abused her physically and mentally and the rumors that he spread about her still ruin her life long after his death. She also has her brother-in-law coming around and blackmailing her and mentally abusing her further. The ghost investigation takes up a portion of the story, but at least half is focused on the romance between Sam and Alda.

While the story itself was interesting, I have to confess my love (just like all the women in the book) for sweet Professor Sam Moore. Sam is the epitome of the absent-minded professor. He is brilliant and his mind goes many different directions at once, mostly on inventions or on Alda. If you read J.D. Robb's In Death series, he reminds me of a young Dennis Mira, adorable and flighty. He's like an adorable little puppy. All he wants is to study the ghost and spend time with Alda and invent more things. He doesn't care about the gossip and is frustrated because Alda won't let him into her life. At first, she is afraid. Alain and Sam are polar opposites and she knows this, but she was also fooled very badly by Alain. She is afraid to be vulnerable again to another man. Once she trust that Sam won't hurt her, Alda realizes that she doesn't want to drag him down with her, even if it hurts him, and he makes sad little puppy eyes at he

I loved the entire Moore family but unfortunately, there is no indication that we will be coming back to this family for more stories. I want more time with the Moores.

I received this book free an exchange for my honest review through NetGalley. #NetGalley
i loved this romantical, spooky book. It was a great read.

This was a very enjoyable read. I really liked the dynamics between the characters and I will be looking forward to more from this author. I am hoping she writes about other members of the family.

A well done novel that combines historical fiction along with gothic themes very well. I fell in love with the characters. Sam was one of the most lovable male protagonists ever. He’s romantic, a genius, awkward, sexy, and so many things all rolled into one. His family was just as amazing, and I would love to read more about their whimsical lives. Alva was also a great point of view to read from. Her persona differs from Sam, but understandably so, because she has had a completely different and tragic life. But despite all the people who talk behind her back, she still manages to hold her head high. The two of them together were perfects. I didn’t realize there was going to be supernatural elements in this novel, so the ghosts were a surprise, but enjoyed the addition of the haunted house. It was a great combination of having a believer (Sam) and a skeptic (Alva) trying to find out what was happening in this house (all while falling in love of course). Definitely would recommend to anyone who likes a good historical romance!

The Widow of Rose House was an intriguing romance set during the Gilded Age. Alva Webster, a widow with a dark past, meets Samuel Moore, inventor extraordinaire. As the pair try to solve the mysterious haunting of Alva’s newly acquired house. As the two surmount multiple obstacles, they’re relationship grows intimate. This book is was an excellent read and is highly recommend for fans of Amanda Quick.

The story is well thought out and nicely written making this an exciting page turner and one which I am more than happy to recommend."

Just the right blend of historical fiction and gothic romance, "The Widow of Rose House" is a winner! Author Diana Biller knows how to build intrigue--not only in plot but romance. Be prepared for a slow simmer as Biller colors her characters: a young widow from one of New York’s most illustrious families, a quirky scientist from a renown family of inventors, a cast of others in this Gilded Age mystery, and a falling down house that "seems" to have not one but five ghosts. Quite the page turner that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the end.

This book was so much fun! I was immediately hooked because the characters were so delightful and the banter was fantastic right from the start. I could not have loved Sam and his entire family more. I would read an entire series about them. This is way more of a romance than a ghost story which worked for me since I am a chicken who enjoys the occasional gothic novel. Still the haunted house was suitably atmospheric and creepy. This was so close to a five star read for me but I had some issues with the pacing in spots. I thought certain things were overly rushed like the development of feelings and the unraveling of mysteries regarding the ghost. All the same this is a book I will be recommending to romance readers far and wide.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A very engaging story! The author has created an Interesting combination of a ghost story and a love story. She conveys the time and place very well (New York in 1875), including the sad place of women and girls in society and their lack of legal status. I really enjoyed the male main character - an inventor.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy.

(Posted to Goodreads)

A very good Mystery,romance with a little ghost story.
Really like Ava and Sam and their connection.
The dialogue between them was great.
Really enjoyed reading .
Voluntarily reviewed