The first time I read it, I didn’t really understand that Kearsley does not write genre romance and I approached the book in much the same way I approach any historical, PNR or contemporary romance expecting the major focus to be on the romantic relationship. The Rose Garden was my very first Kearsley. Certainly, the historical aspects of the books are more prominently featured. Her full-length novels are written in the first person from the perspective of the female lead or lead characters and the heroine’s journey is often a bigger part of the story than the romance. It’s that book I most want to talk about.įor those who don’t know, Kearsley writes historical fiction, often with a contemporary timeline as well, sometimes involving the supernatural (telemetry, ESP, time travel, reincarnation) with romantic elements complete with a HEA (often more than one in fact). I started with A Desperate Fortune and then went on to re-read The Rose Garden. It sent me down a Kearsley re-read rabbit hole. The story itself is a self-contained little mystery (all the novellas in the anthology are linked together by a cursed watch – La Sirene) and some fabulous development of the romance between Hugh and Mary. Hugh and Mary are most prominently featured but there are 2 other couples who appear to one degree or another as well – Anna and Edmund from The Firebird and Daniel and Eva from The Rose Garden (reviewed here by Sunita). The POV character is Hugh, who was the male lead in A Desperate Fortune.

Earlier this year, I read The Deadly Hours – well 2 of the stories in it anyway – which featured Weapon of Choice by Susanna Kearsley.

The Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley