My review of Rose House by Tina Ann Forkner

About the book:

A vivid story of a private grief, a secret painting, and one woman’s search for hope Still mourning the loss of her family in a tragic accident, Lillian Diamon finds herself drawn back to the Rose House, a quiet cottage where four years earlier she had poured out her anguish among its fragrant blossoms. She returns to the rolling hills and lush vineyards of the Sonoma Valley in search of something she can’t quite name. But then Lillian stumbles onto an unexpected discovery: displayed in the La Rosaleda Gallery is a painting that captures every detail of her most private moment of misery, from the sorrow etched across her face to the sandals on her feet. As the mystery surrounding the portrait becomes entangled with the accident that claimed the lives of her husband and children, Lillian is forced to rethink her assumptions about what really happened that day.

My review :

Rose House was a compelling story about a widow's grief and healing journey. Lillian is living every woman's worst nightmare. Having her family wiped out and then finding out how and why it happened would send anyone over the edge. This well-written portrayal of her pain pulled me because she had many legitimate reasons to be sad. I found this very believable and the writing very passionate. The whole scenario with her sister was also realistic as I personally have known several people in the same situation - betrayed by their own sister. That's tough to deal with. But my favorite part of the story was actually the romance. Truman was one of the hottest heroes I've gotten to know in 2009. He was amazing and I can see why Lillian found him hard to resist. The air literally crackled when they were near each other. This author knows how to write romantic tension like few authors have mastered. That alone makes this story a treat for me. So often in Christian fiction the attraction is toned down. Not so in Rose House. I sensed their longing and it was incredibly well done. I was just sorry the story had to end. I hope there is a sequel in the works.

Rose House was published by Waterbrook and releases in May 2009.