I loved the sense of belonging pervading in the novel.

I loved the understanding and compassion Jill Warner wrote with. She wrote with so much emotion.

Anna’s character was well developed, and beautifully done. And I loved William, so much that I would have loved a little bit more from him.

A compelling debut novel that has me excited to see what comes next from this author.

I have never read anything by Jill E Warner before but I would definitely love to read more of her work. I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It really makes you stop and think about how we sometimes might judge others based solely off of their outward appearance or background without truly getting to know someone. I loved watching how the characters developed and I really felt like I got to know them. Well done!

3.25 stars
There really were a lot of lovely things happening within this book. The story is thought provoking and interesting, however I wanted more romance and a plot that was more focused and compelling.
I had a hard time feeling a connection to the characters, almost as if something was missing to really pull me into their story.
Some of the writing made me stumble. There were run-ons and grammatical errors. Also, some phrases felt abrupt, out of place or awkward.
For example, "She really should have been used to these kind of slights, but being used to something didn't make it hurt less." So by that logic it wouldn't matter if she were used to it or not.
There are more, but I am not an editor, just a reader, so I'm not sure how much my feedback matters.
Still, I thought there were a lot of endearing moments and I like the characters the author created, but I would have liked to have felt more along with them.
Due to these issues, I stopped reading the book at 46%. I wish the author the best in her journey of writing. I see a lot of potential here and a lot of great ideas.

Warner brings readers to 1837 England in this fascinating and enjoyable historical fiction novel. Following governess Anna Beasley at her latest position with the Spencer family, readers are one of many unexpected guests at the house party -- unexpected guests being Anna’s aunt and cousins and Anna herself, roped in by the hostess to keep her aunt happy. Anna, as the governess, feels under attack from all sides (guests, including her cousin Charlotte, and staff), and she has no expectations of making friends or falling in love during this awkward situation. Of course, not even practical, sensible Anna can predict what will happen over the course of this house party. Warner weaves in the complicated colonial relationship between India and Great Britain, as both Anna and Miss Hansen are half-British, half-Indian, and live in England, which adds further complexities to their relationships and interactions with others. Warner’s settings and background characters are fascinating, detailed, immersive, and charming, and she successfully brings several unique personalities to life over the course of the novel. Readers will enjoy this romantic, fun, and heartwarming historical fiction novel set in the idyllic countryside of England and in the vibrant country of India in Of Jasmine and Roses.

With her mixed Indian and English heritage, Anna Beasley has never fit in with Society. As a governess, she is neither a servant, nor part of the family she works for. Now the impending marriage of her English cousin introduces her to the groom's brother William Thaxton. Unlike most people, he treats her with the same respect and dignity as he treats everyone else, but his political aspirations would make her a politically incorrect match for him. Meanwhile, a catastrophic event in the house sends Anna's life in a tailspin.
I love William so much. With Anna's determination to always be polite, dignified, and responsible beyond reproach, his humor and social faux pas stand out in the best way and make him look colorful. I love how Anna treats the girls in her care, especially Diane. She does bring up Indian deities sometimes, which is a slippery slope with her Christianity. Lucy is hilarious, and as a blunt person, I appreciate her directness. There is an unruly horse who, as a horse person, seems unrealistically batpoop crazy. If a horse like that does exist somewhere, I doubt it could even be kept in a barn. I do wish we learned more about what the lasting effects were of the aforementioned catastrophe. Lastly, I say this a lot, but I don't like phrases about a romantic partner being the other's "whole world." That's just not healthy.

What a debut!

Starting at the cover, it’s stunning, and pulls you in immediately!

Moving into the story itself, I love that this is a slightly different take on your typical regency novel. The characters are unique and your typically “overlooked” individuals. The author did a great job of giving them the lime light!
The bad guys are really good bad guys. (Aka, people you’ll love to boo and hiss! 😂)
This is a very slow burn in the romance department.
Some heavy topics are approached in a well done way.

All in all a very well done tale!

This was such a unique book. The main character was part Indian part English. It was not like anything I have ever read.
I felt bad for how she was treated by people and worried that the book would have an unhappy ending.
Luckily there were several people who were good to her. Anna was an upbeat, kind and sweet character. I loved hearing about her memories of India and her parents.
This was beautifully written- I can’t wait for more from this author..

I loved the diverse representation of characters, especially within historical romance where most of the heroines and heroes are as white as they come. I appreciate that author did not shy away from the real attitudes of that period and that the heroine finally learned to accept herself and to first love who she is before she could accept the love of someone else.

ARC provided by NetGalley via Covenant Communications, and I have given my honest and voluntary review.

I enjoyed this book. I liked how the author showed what life would have been like for someone who was a mix of Indian and English blood and how hard that would have been to find where you fit in especially at this time. I liked how the romance between William and Anna developed and that he accepted her for who she was regardless of her heritage. I liked how this story showed how Anna needed to accept herself instead of being so worried about what others thought. I liked that she found that the world is more beautiful for our differences.

I received a complimentary book from publishers, publicists, and or authors.  A review was not required and all opinions and ideas expressed are my own.

I received a free copy of the ebook from NetGalley. This is my honest review.
What a lovely story with a complex heroine. Anna is so stoic and admirably strong in the face of prejudice and racism towards her heritage. The added complexities from her employment, family relations, intricacies from her romantic feelings, and tragedies make Anna's story more layered and compelling. I enjoyed the character of William her suitor, he's a wonderful hero although a bit misguided in the beginning.
Overall, a wonderful debut and looking forward to read more of Jill E. Warner's works in the future.

I enjoyed this story overall for the first three quarters. I thought the characters were a bit inconsistent and the circumstances and reactions a bit exaggerated and over dramatic but overall a pleasant story for a debut book. But then it got to the final quarter and there were so many things happening, so many changes, I was so lost and the story stopped making sense to me. Even though it had a nice enough ending I felt it still left a lot of things unresolved and unexplained. A very unsatisfactory ending overall.

This is such a wonderful debut novel! I loved the themes in this book and how it helped everyone gain a better understanding of each other. The characters are delightful and relatable! And I loved having a mixed race heroine that had to figure out how to overcome that prejudice! Simply splendid!

This book was very interesting as it shines a light on what it may have been like for a half-English, half-Indian woman to make her way in and out of English society. Anna’s family fears she’ll never be accepted in society so she leaves to make her way as a governess. She soon finds that she doesn’t fit well there either. I felt like another woman read her correctly but it was sad that she didn’t feel confident in her own skin.

I thought her first meeting with William Thaxton was hilarious. I enjoyed their conversations as they seemed to show Anna as she really was.

Thank you to Covenant Communications for providing me with a free e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoy reading stories about the underdog or those ostracized from society, but they always come with a lot of emotions and this book is no different. I shed quite a few tears and my daughter threatened to take it away a few times, but I had to get to the end, to the good part. Anna has so much against her and it's so frustrating because she's a wonderful person. I loved the moments when she was herself and wasn't worried about the judgement of others. William was such a good caring man, if sometimes a little misguided. I loved him from the beginning, but then I hated him for a time before he got some wake up calls and then I loved him again. This is a sweet story, though there are a lot of misinformed or pigheaded people. I was a little disappointed with the epilogue. I still had some questions I wanted answered, but I'll just make up the answers on my own.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through Netgalley and this is my honest review.

A emotional, but sweet story, Of Jasmine and Roses follows Anna and her struggles finding her place in society, family, and life.

I enjoyed Anna’s kind nature and spirit despite the distance she received from others because of her race. The author did a great job in describing the prejudice and cruel actions and comments of the people surrounding Anna, to the point that I was angered on her behalf. I loved the complex family dynamics introduced as well. I really felt for Anna and her situation, and liked the fact that William treated her like a person, with respect and a kindness that matched her own.

Their romance was sweet and grew from a place of friendship. I loved how everything was wrapped up in the end. My favorite character had to be the elderly Earl though. He had some great one liners.

An overall enjoyable read that brings to light on the darker parts of prejudice, Of Jasmine and Roses is a historical romance with a meaningful and uplifting message at its conclusion.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book. the opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

A beautifully written story of finding love, trust and belonging! Anna is a governess to two young girls. With an Indian father and a British mother, she struggles to feel like she belongs. Especially with the prejudiced attitudes of the ton. Then William enters her life making her feel seen, but others’ prejudice leaves them separated.

This sweet romance was a great read. I loved seeing the characters develop. It was interesting to see this time period through the eyes of a woman who is half English half Indian and the challenges she faced.

Anna Beasley was sent to England to be raised by her aunt when her mother died and soon after her father died too. After realizing she will not get a Season, she becomes a governess. Anna has recently become governess to a new family when her aunt and cousins come for a house party. She is then invited to join in and meets the handsome William Thaxton, the third son of a baron. Anna soon realizes that William is not like most men she has met but knowing he has political ambitions tries to keep her distance.

Such a cute story! Definitely give it a read!

This is a little bit of a unique regency romance. It is beautifully, sweet and clean, but tears at the heartstrings for the unjustness of discrimination. Anna is descendent of her English mother, and her Indian father. After her mother passes away at the young age of eight her father thinks it is best to send her to live with her aunt in England to be raised. She is given all of the opportunities of a proper young lady. Unfortunately, her circumstances change, and she leaves to become a governess. It’s a bit of a slow build going back-and-forth of Anna feeling she can be respected and loved to being ridiculed and rejected. It is sad to think how cruel people can be and after all these many years, it’s still reality. I felt like the ending was a bit rushed, and there were some holes that needed to be filled. But overall it was a good read for a debut author. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is a beautiful debut novel that weaves together threads of love, loss, and self-discovery, not only for Anna but also William as he decides what he wants to do with his life.

Anna's mother is British, her father Indian, and even though she was raised by titled relatives upon the death of her parents, she has many problems being accepted by society and finding her place in it because of her mixed heritage. She enjoys her latest position as governess to Lady Spencer's two children--an inquisitive 10 year old and a young lady about to enter society, but often worries about being dismissed as she was at previous positions. When she meets William Thaxton she's drawn to him as unlike so many others, he isn't bothered that she's biracial.

I was drawn into this gentle story of a woman trying to find her place in life when she doesn't feel like she fits in anywhere. The part I liked most was Anna's interactions with her charges. I loved the way she was with them and taught them about India. I also enjoyed the scenes with William--their first meeting had me giggling. My favorite side character was her aunt, Lady Tilney--she was quite spunky!

The way Anna was treated by others, including her cousin, made me so sad. And the way she was dismissed made me livid with Lady Spencer as I felt she, above everyone else, should have understood how Anna felt since her deceased husband had been a merchant and she wasn't always accepted by those in society. I admired Anna's grace and strength and that she never spoke badly of anyone, even those who looked down on her for no other reason than the color of her skin.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, Covenant Communications via NetGalley. All thoughts expressed in this review are my own.

Thank you Netgalley and Covenant for access to this arc.

The cover is lovely, the idea is great but the execution is far too slow. I lost interest early on, set it aside with the intention of seeing if a week break would make me want to try it again but it didn't. DNF