This is the first in Warner’s Blood Rose trilogy, named
after the roses that surround the RosaRoja ranch owned by the three Wilkins
brothers in New Mexico Territory. Set in 1869, this is the story of Jessica
Thornton, on the run from her home in England and the brother-in-law who raped
her and left her pregnant with his child. She is trying to get to the only man
she trusts—her brother.
At a stagecoach stop, Jessica encounters Brady Wilkins,
the eldest of the Wilkins brothers. He’s just taken a spill from his horse and
looks beat up, and to Jessica, talks rough. But she does love his blue eyes, which
appear to her like pieces of sky. Brady finds the Englishwoman’s strange ways
funny (their exchange and Jessica’s thinking are very funny)—and he hasn’t laughed in years. And then came the
stagecoach crash…
Both Jessica and Brady have scars; and each has sacrificed
their own happiness for others. Both are bound by duty, and though from
different worlds, inexplicably drawn to each other. I loved their exchanges,
her dry wit, his suggestive banter. Warner writes beautifully, expressively
(“Like a blind foal on a short lead, Brady knew he would stumble along wherever
he was led—as long as she was on the other end of the rope.”)
In this and the two stories that follow, there’s lots of
action, a despicable nasty villain and a fair amount of violence (sometimes
told through flashbacks that bring the horrible to mind). There’s the budding
romance between two unlikely people to add sweetness, but this is no sweet love
story. It’s a tale of vengeance.
Warner’s style is unusual, complex and detailed. She gives
you the gory details when it comes naturally to the story. She slowly develops
her characters like a stew simmering all day on the stove. The three brothers
and their interactions are priceless and very well written. This first book also
has some great humor early on as Jessica, a very proper British lady,
encounters Brady, the rough American rancher and domineering older brother.
Most of the three stories take place on the sprawling
RosaRoja ranch. Warner paints vivid word pictures of the historic setting and
the environs that give you a sense of the rugged, open West and make you feel
like you’ve lived there.
You’ll have to be patient as each story unfolds, but I think
you’ll find the wait is worth it. All the stories are related with several
common characters, including the brothers. Warner does a great job of tying up all
the loose ends in the last book, Chasing
The Sun.
Here’s the Blood Rose
trilogy—do read them in order:
Pieces of Sky –
Jessica and Brady
Open Country – Molly and Hank
Chasing the Sun – Daisy
and Jack
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