Set on the Isle of Wight we come upon Eveline Stanhope, an independent young woman. Unlike her two sisters, Evie (as she is called) is quite different from her siblings, not only in looks but she has a strong mind, an independent streak This novel is set in the Victorian era verging on the cusp of a new world, technologically speaking. The railroad plays an important role at this time, one that will bring change, opening up a new and faster world. With Evie's new found interest in photography (in it's infant stage) and her longing for travel, it is interesting to see how the restrictions of the "Victorian Age" attempt to restrict her. As for her love interest, that is a challenge as well, with her mother trying to steer her in one direction and Evie desire for another. I found Evie to be an endearing character and found the social norms for this time period interesting as well.

This was an enjoyable novel as I wandered through a time so different than today. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I think the romance could have had a little more development, other than that it was a good reading and look forward to reading more from this author.

Eveline was before her time which made this book all the more interesting. She really didn't do anything outrageous but she did speak her mind, learn about cameras and photography and dismissed the coming railway as a flash in the pan until she learned it would only take minutes to get to the next town, where it took an hour by horse and buggy. A nice comparison that really opened my own eyes. A really fun, satisfying book as the youngest member of the family had more sense than anyone else.

Stealing Roses is set in England in the 1860s. It is still a time when women's only purpose was to be home to take care of the husband and kids, and a "prestigious" marriage was considered a good thing. Eveline is the third daughter in her family. She is not the beauty her two older sisters are. She is not interested in finding a rich husband, but her mother is looking and thinks Charles Sandham would be the perfect match.

The railroad is coming through their small town and Thomas Armitage is working with family friend Mr. Watson to put in the line. Eve cannot deny the attraction between her and Thomas, but he is only there until the railroad line is finished. Even though Eve is the youngest daughter, she works to help her sisters solve their marriage issues and to help her mother solve their financial problems. All the while she is developing a great interest in the new art of photography. It's an interesting story of women who are coming out of their prescribed roles and finding new freedoms and adventure. There are a few sexual scenes which do not add the story.

Engaging read! My first book by Heather Cooper, and it won't be my last. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to review this.

It's a nice enough story, but it's clear the author is trying hard to channel Elizabeth Gaskell, and unfortunately, without much success. The prose is basic and does not really evoke the 19th-century English novelists tackling issues of women's roles, technological development, and class struggles in the Industrial Revolution. I finished it, but was left with an impression of Gaskellian fanfiction.

This wonderful Victorian romance is populated with compelling, well-drawn characters during the 1860s, a time in which railways were being built and the fledgling photography industry was taking off.

Eveline Stanhope lives a dull and sheltered life on the Isle of Wight and craves knowledge and adventure. An intrepid heroine, she learns all she can about photography. Eveline even learns to swim, and while she initially decries how the new railway encroaches on the lovely countryside, she eventually changes her mind.

Appearing stern and rigid at first, Thomas Armitage, an engineer overseeing the railway's construction, is in reality a wonderful match for Eveline. The secondary characters in this story are interesting as well. While it's known early on that he's a cad, what Charles Sandham eventually does surprised me. Eveline's mother comes off as flighty to me.

There is adultery in this book concerning some secondary characters, but thankfully it is off-screen.

Cooper's prose is lovely, and her description of the scenery is vivid and detailed. The editing is exact. There is one sex scene in the latter part of the novel but it is not graphic. I also learned beef olives have nothing to do with actual olives. All in all, a great read, and I look forward to Cooper's next offering.

Thanks to Allison & Busby and NetGalley for an ARC of this enjoyable debut novel.

Review excerpted from my blog post over at FanSciHist (https://fanscihist.wordpress.com/2019/08/09/stealing-roses-by-heather-cooper/)

My Rating: 4 stars

Library recommendation: Recommended for public library historical romance collections.

Warning: Hereafter, you chance spoilers. I will try never to reveal major plot points, but to review any book, you must reveal some parts of the story.


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Number of titles I have read by this author: 1

Love story speed: Slow burn

Relationship dynamics: The Progressive Railway Engineer (H) / The Modern Gentlewoman (h) ; elements of the Love triangle

Sexual content: A smidge, lightly explicit; vague descriptions of nudity unrelated to sexual activity

Triggers: Physical assault and groping (of h, not by H); infant death; adultery (not by h or H)

Grammar/Editing: This was a very clean ARC.

Review: This is a leisurely paced novel that spends time on far more than just the romantic story line, including descriptions of the historical locales and societal contexts, which are extremely well-researched, especially the history of the railway in Cowes. The alignment of fictional elements with actual historical events is also excellent.

Thomas and Eveline have a very gentle, Austenesque romance with a smattering of contemporary ideas. It isn’t intense, or particularly dramatic. Thomas is intelligent, progressive, sympathetic, and very good at his job. Eveline feels restricted by proprieties enforced by her class and longs to have the freedoms afforded to those of the lower classes. Thomas supports her in all of her interests. These things being said, the book felt like it was far more about Eveline’s growth as a woman than her romance or marital prospects, which might not appeal to all romance readers. The supporting characters are also very well-developed; so much so, in fact, that this read very much like a family tableau. I found myself emotionally invested in each of the family members, including the servants, which is an incredibly unique experience.

Railway version: On a straight track with a few bends through modern, yet still idyllic countryside, this scenic line locomotive will get you where you are going on schedule, if you have time for a slower ride.



Full disclosure: I received a free advance review copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A gentle Victorian romance with social considerations. A reasonably well-to-do widow and her three daughters live in comfort on the Isle of Wight at the dawn of the railway there. The two older daughters are both married but the youngest, Evie, lives at home with Mama and two other elderly relatives, Whilst Mama and Evie's sisters see her future as marrying a young man of appropriate social status, and preferably wealthy, Evie longs for more - to develop her interest in photography, to have freedom from social strictures of her class, to help those less fortunate than herself and to not wear a hat! Bring the new railway into the picture, the engineer who is designing it, the neighbours who resent it but are happy to make money from it and the effects it is having on the working class poor as well and there is an interesting story. Yes we have the rake, and yes we have social beauties with little going on in their heads beyond new hats and feathers but Evie's journey to her fulfilment make a god read. Her gentle manipulation of her mother is enticing especially when Mama finally accepts that their money just does not stretch to their life-style (not helped by older daughters still requiring new hats and gowns to be paid for by Mama rather than their rich, but 'mean' husbands). The characters are well drawn and believable as are the settings and place. Thanks to NetGalley and Allison & Busby for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.