Review: The Raven and the Rose by Virginia Henley

by 8/24/2019 0 comments
This novel was historical romance to the letter. Fiery, strong willed heroine. Dark, passionate and commanding hero. A marriage with a couple at odds, it made for easy reading. I've read a couple of novels by this author before, and enjoy them and The Raven and the Rose was another I really thought devastating.


Genre: Historical Romance
My Rating: 4/5 
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I really liked this novel, as the heroine Rosanna so thoroughly dislikes her husband. She never thought. to marry her betrothed, but despite her efforts to avoid the marriage, she ends up the bride of a man she dislikes, and promises to make him wretched. And for a time, she does. What interested me in this novel as well was that Rosanna was the illegitimate child of Edward IV, and as I've been learning more about the War of the Roses, and the Plantageants, it was certainly interesting to read about people who lived during those times, even if they were fictional. I also liked that there was a bit of intrigue woven into the story as well surrounding Rosanna during the time the Earl of Warwick was moving against King Edward.

I've mentioned before when reviewing older romance novels, that I sometimes fear as I delve into them that the love scenes might not align with more modern conceptions of romance and healthy relationships. I do find that that the roles of men and women are portrayed very traditionally, and as a modern reader they do sometimes irk me, even though they are appropriate for the times, I find them sometimes overtly sexist. This I can overlook given the age of the novel, so I try not to fault older romances for this as thirty to forty years ago, the world was more sexist. However, given that I did feel this way reading this novel at times, I was very glad that the hero did not force his wife to be his wife. He waited for a time instead of forcing her in the bedchamber. I can respect that in his character, and as a modern reader, appreciate it. I also appreciated the build up as it made everything sizzle. Like, really sizzle.

I am so glad to be once again reading amazing romance novels and this novel is one that has helped me out of a long reading rut. I can absolutely recommend this is if you enjoy historical romance and if you need something that is just fun and allows you to escape to another world.

Happy Reading, 
Jewels

Jewels E

Author

I'm a thirty something girl who loves to read, write and dream. Because I'm so addicted to the written word in all its forms, I created this blog to share the books that devastate me with you.

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