Loving Rose audiobook

As promised, after my review of The Masterful Mr. Montague: A Casebook of Barnaby Adair Novel, which I found lacking, I’m back with reviewing Loving Rose and I’m not just going to recommend it. I am going to ask you to read it. Please! It is now officially my favorite Stephanie Laurens book.When I read the title and found out that Malcolm Sinclair gets introduced in To Distraction (Bastion Club), then shows up again in The Taste of Innocence (Cynster Novels), I ran to my SL Keeper shelf and dug those two books up, so I can do the character justice and get to know why he needed this redemption. Boy was I happy to do that! Honestly, if you don’t read these two books, you’ll miss out on two great stories and on characterization of Malcolm.That said, if you can’t track those two books down, it’s okay to read this one. SL does a great job of ....thanks for jumping to b2b to finish reading the rest of my review ...http://bookworm2bookworm.wordpress.co...Melanie for b2bComplimentary copy provided by the publisher

In this book Malcolm Sinclair, the villain from The Taste of Innocence, is saved from death and takes the opportunity to become a new and better man. In that book our last sight of him is as he is falling to his death from a bridge over a waterfall. At the beginning of this one, his mangled, nearly dead self is discovered on a Somerset beach by a group of monks. They take him in and he begins the long, slow process of healing. At the end of the other book, Malcolm had realized what he had done and taken steps to right the wrongs he had committed. Now that he is not dead, he has to make a decision on what to do with is life. He decides to leave Malcolm where he was, and become Thomas Glendower, an alias he had set up many years before. As Thomas, he begins to learn how to be a better man, thinking of others rather than himself. He takes his talent for making money and uses it to help the monastery become self-sufficient. His injuries were so severe that it takes him five years to recover. At that point, it is suggested to him that he was saved because God/Fate has something in mind for him to do, and that staying in the monastery isn't going to help him discover what that is. So he sets out for the home he bought as Thomas, to finish his recovery and wait for Fate to find him.Arriving in Cornwall he discovers that the elderly couple he left in charge of his home has retired, and been replaced by a young widow with two children. He senses right away that she has secrets, but having plenty of his own he doesn't pester her for answers. He settles in to his home and continues his financial work, but feels the lack of something more meaningful. Being accustomed to doing many physical things with the monks, he starts doing work around the manor too. He also begins to get to know Rose and the two children. He develops a strong attraction to Rose, but because of his past feels that he is completely unworthy of her and tries to resist doing anything about the attraction.Rose has been in hiding with the children for the past four years. Thomas's home has been the perfect place because of its isolation and they have felt safe there. Thomas's arrival worries her at the beginning, but his acceptance of her and her story reassures her. Thomas himself intrigues her. She sees a deep sadness in him, but he doesn't talk about his past, other than to tell her he hasn't been a good man. But everything she sees in him contradicts that. She is surprised by his down to earth behavior and moved by his kindness to the children. She is also attracted to him, but because of her secrets doesn't see a future for them. However, the attraction wins out, and they begin a relationship with the intention of taking just one day at a time.When Rose's past catches up to her, she knows she needs to tell Thomas the truth before taking the children and fleeing again. What she doesn't expect is for him to take command of the problem and work to fix it. Thomas convinces her that it's time to face up to it and that with his help it will be fine. Rose gets a good look at Thomas the champion and the attraction she feels begins to turn to love. I loved the protectiveness that Thomas has toward Rose and the kids. He will do anything to keep them safe and ensure their future safety, even give himself up to pay for his crimes.I really loved Thomas and his efforts to pay for the sins of his past. He is well aware of his faults and his efforts to overcome them don't always go smoothly. He has to really work at thinking about how his actions will affect other people. When he arrives at the manor house, I really enjoyed seeing the way he fit in so easily with Rose and the children. I loved his times with the children and how wonderful he was with them. The part with Homer and the books, and with Pippin and the apple tree, showed that he had a good heart when he allowed himself to listen to it. I also loved Rose's ability to look past Thomas's scars to the man he was now. Even after he told her about his past, she still saw the good man he became. There are glimpses throughout the book of the person who is looking for Rose and the children. Thomas brings them to London, and enlists the help of Barnaby Adair and others to discover the truth. As more information is uncovered, there are some inconsistencies in the background of the suspect that throw the investigation into some confusion. As they learn more about him I suspected that there was more to the story than they thought. The final confrontation was intense, with an interesting twist on the culprit. The outcome for Thomas was not what he expected, and I loved seeing what he did with it.

Ties Up Many Story ThreadsLOVING ROSE: THE REDEMPTION OF MALCOLM SINCLAIR is the third book in the Barnaby Adair series which deals with the investigations of Barnaby Adair and his wife Penelope. They have been joined by several friends who now investigate as a team. While placed in this series, this book is actually a sequel to the Cynster series book, THE TASTE OF INNOCENCE. In that book, the villain Malcolm Sinclair falls to his apparent death at the end of the book. In LOVING ROSE Sinclair has barely survived and comes through the five years of recuperation a changed man. He has taken up his alter ego Thomas Glendower and goes out to discover what penance he must satisfy for his prior misdeeds. When Thomas arrives at his home, he discovers that a widow and her two children. Rose is his new housekeeper but Thomas soon realizes that she has some dark secret that she is hiding. That secret brings the two together, brings them to London and to the attention of Adair and his investigative group and ultimately requires Thomas to confront his past.I loved this story of Malcolm Sinclair's redemption. The story does not rush the transformation of Malcolm into Thomas. It also clearly demonstrates that Thomas feels remorse for his past. I believe this book works better after reading THE TASTE OF INNOCENCE because in truth the transformation begins in that book. In this book Thomas is really the star. While Rose has a plant character, she is really more of a catalyst for Thomas and I felt the real drama of the book was Thomas's journey. Rose's secret provides the mystery that Adair and his cohorts investigate. While it was nice to see these characters again, once again, they seemed to really serve to demonstrate the transformation of Thomas. I was much more interested in that then the mystery.For fans of Laurens this book is a great treat. Malcolm Sinclair had been present in several novels and it was satisfying to have the loose ends of Malcolm Sinclair's life so well resolved.I'd rate this one a 4.25 on the strength of the redemption story.

Loving Rose can be termed an original work for Ms. Laurens. This is the first time that she’s taken a villain, Malcolm Sinclair initially from A Taste of Innocence, and transformed him into a hero – Thomas Glendower. And it wasn’t a rapid transformation, but rather well done as most of this novel seems to be about Thomas. This is a romance where the hero is front and centre, which makes it different from the norm. As a reader, we are taken in a journey of transformation and redemption along with Thomas. Rose, who is an important character in this novel, serves as a reason for that change, but it is nonetheless Thomas who carries the weight of this story.That isn’t to say that the mystery and romance aspects of Loving Rose are not explored or well-portrayed, they are but they are not as important to the story as Thomas/Malcolm’s journey. This novel is a romantic tribute to the hero’s journey of old.And of course, we get cameos from some old friends and new!My only quibbles with this novel were that I wanted a more dastardly villain, especially since Malcolm had been such a good villain in his own novel, but a true evil mastermind was sadly lacking in this novel and I also wanted to see Malcolm’s new identity as Thomas Glendower challenged in some way, but it never was to my satisfaction.Yet, overall this novel was fun enough to make me dread the wait until 2018 for the next one! :(For those of you lucky enough to just be starting the Casebook of Barnaby Adair series, you have three amazing novels to tide your over for the next three years. But, of course, Ms. Laurens never sits idle so, while we may not be getting another installment in this particular series any time soon, she is returning to her beloved Cynsters for the next batch of novels.

LOVING ROSE: The Redemption of Malcolm Sinclair by Stephanie Laurens is an interesting Historical Romance. #3 in the "Casebook of Barnaby Adair, but can be read as a stand alone. What a thrilling and somewhat intriguing story from the Casebook of Barnaby Adair!This Malcolm Sinclair's story. Believed to be dead, he re-invents himself as, Thomas Glendower. In his previous life he was a notorious man spared from death. He is on a mission to meet his fate, and make amends. Enter...Rose,living in his secluded manor with her two children. Thomas is instantly attracted to her, as she is to him. Thomas, is a tortured soul and scarred terribly. But is he lovable? Oh, but Rose has on own secrets to tell or not tell as the case may be. And determined to tame the wild beast within Thomas. Filled with a bit of intrigue, lots of passion, two delightful young children, redemption, healing, forgiveness,the power of true love and friendship. An enjoyable read! I was mesmerized by the rightness of wrongs done, and the determination to protect those weaker. Well done! Received for an honest review from the publisher.Rating: 4Heat Rating: hotReviewed by: AprilR, courtesy of My Book Addiction and More

Recensione a cura di Lucia63 per Romanticamente Fantasy Sitohttp://www.romanticamentefantasy.it/r...“Non aveva più controllo, né sembrava capace di riprenderlo. Non era più l’uomo di prima e non sapeva cos’era diventato. Neppure in quell’arena, a quanto pareva. Ma una certezza restava: doveva ancora espiare i suoi peccati. E fino a quando non fosse arrivata la chiamata del destino, la sua vita non gli apparteneva.”Un uomo in fin di vita viene ritrovato su una spiaggia da alcuni monaci benedettini, e portato al convento. Le sue ferite sono atroci, le sue ossa spezzate, e sembra essere caduto da una grande altezza per finire poi in mare. Le sue condizioni appaiono disperate, ma  padre Roland è conosciuto per le sue doti di guaritore e la forte tempra dell’uomo gli permette di sopravvivere. Al risveglio, dice di chiamarsi Thomas Glendower (ma il lettore sa che questo è uno dei tanti nomi che ha usato nella sua vita di non specchiata onestà). Il Thomas che si risveglia però, è un uomo in cerca di espiazione, e i successivi anni passati in convento mentre le sue ossa si rinforzano sempre più anche aiutando i monaci nelle loro incombenze, permettono all’uomo di imparare da padre Roland e dal Priore del convento un nuovo modo di vivere. Per ricompensarli del loro aiuto si occupa delle loro finanze, e quando finalmente si appresta a lasciare il convento i monaci hanno una situazione finanziaria florida e sicura. La sua vita di prima non esiste più, ma con il nome di Thomas Glendower possiede una proprietà in cui non ha mai vissuto, che viene gestita da una vecchia coppia di custodi. Ed è grande la sorpresa quando, al posto della vecchia governante, si trova di fronte una giovane donna e due bambini sconosciuti che vivono nella sua casa. Rose è una giovane donna molto attraente, e i suoi due bambini sono adorabili, eppure fin dai primi giorni della loro convivenza, Thomas intuisce che c’è un mistero che li circonda. L’attrazione che prova per Rose è innegabile, ma l’uomo è convinto che la sua anima peccatrice non sia degna di sperare nell’amore, nonostante sappia  che anche la giovane prova qualcosa per lui. Solo quando due investigatori si presentano alla sua porta, cercando una giovane Lady sparita da 4 anni con una bambina e l’erede di una grande fortuna, capisce di essere di fronte alla sua possibilità di espiare. Per aiutare la donna che ormai ama e quei due bambini che gli sono entrati nel cuore, è disposto a chiedere l’aiuto all’uomo che potrebbe mandarlo in prigione, l’unico che sicuramente non può aver dimenticato il suo vero nome, Barnaby Adair.Se come me amate la serie Cynster, il nome Malcolm Sinclair vi darà subito una sensazione di dejà – vu: infatti, la caduta che lo ha portato sulla spiaggia in fin di vita, si trova nel libro della serie Cynster dal titolo “Il sapore dell’innocenza”. Qui conosciamo com’era il Malcolm originale, avido, disposto a fare qualunque cosa per denaro, e seppur non materialmente, il suo agire ha portato alla morte di tanti innocenti. Ma già allora il suo pentimento era in atto, e l’ultima azione compiuta aveva posto rimedio a molte delle sue malefatte. Ora, grazie al suo innato talento per gli affari, gestisce grandi associazioni filantropiche, sovvenziona ospedali e ricoveri, e con l’aiuto dei due monaci che lo hanno salvato è diventato un uomo gentile, premuroso, disposto a sacrificarsi, e grato di avere avuto una seconda possibilità, nonostante sia rimasto leggermente claudicante, sia pieno di cicatrici e parte del suo volto sia sfregiato. Rose del resto non vede niente di tutto questo: vede solo l’uomo che prontamente ha mentito per salvarli, che è sempre disposto a consolare una bambina triste, e che si è fatto carico di istruire in matematica un ragazzino pieno di talento, mentre di notte si trasforma in un amante gentile e passionale. Come tutte le donne della Laurens, Rose non è una timida damina, ma una donna ben cosciente di ciò che vuole, e disposta a fare qualsiasi cosa per questi due bambini, e l’uomo che desidera nella sua vita è Thomas con tutti i suoi rimorsi e le sue ferite. Dopo una  prima parte più  dolce e romantica, la seconda è più dinamica imperniata sulla ricerca del colpevole che vuole a tutti i costi mettere le mani su un ragazzino che si trova fra lui e un titolo dal grande patrimonio, facendo entrare in scena i coniugi Adair e l’ispettore Stoker con consorte.La serie “I casi di Barnaby Adair” di cui questo libro fa parte, nasce come spin-off della serie Cynster. Più volte durante la lettura dei vari titoli della serie abbiamo incontrato Barnaby e l’ispettore Stoker, chiamati a indagare sui delitti del ton, un ambiente in cui gli agenti di Scotland Yard non sono ben accetti. Ma Adair fa parte del loro mondo, sia perché è di nobili natali, sia perché ha sposato Penelope Ashoford, imparentata con la potente famiglia del Duca di S. Ives. L’impronta delle loro indagini è quella del giallo più classico in cui, indizio dopo indizio, si arriva al colpevole. Tutto questo mentre assistiamo alla vita quotidiana e amorosa di queste due coppie molto affiatate in cui le consorti, in piacevole cene fra amici, aiutano i loro mariti con inaspettate deduzioni femminili a trovare il vero colpevole. Ogni indagine è autoconclusiva e racconta una storia d’amore fra due protagonisti che cambiano di volta in volta, ma che poi ritroviamo nei libri successivi,  collaborando alle nuove indagini e dando un senso di continuità.Una piacevole esperienza di lettura che regala scene passionali ben scritte e intense, e indagini dall’esito sorprendente, raccontate con grande maestria da un’autrice che io amo moltissimo.VOTO 4,5 STELLE

Like I said Stephanie Laurens is one of a kind. I have love everyone of her books. 💖💞💖Despite the crowd, Thomas had only had eyes for Rose, and she for him. He’d spoken his vows clearly and had meant every word—to love, honor, and cherish. Forever. Until death finally and truly parted them. And even after that. The day had been a golden one; the celebrations had lasted for days. The warmth with which so many had embraced him remained with Thomas, a potent reminder that, indeed, he was no longer the man he once had been. Autumn spiced the air on the day they returned to London over two months later, and, at Thomas’s insistence, he, Rose, William, and Alice went walking up South Audley Street, then turned off to stroll past the Audley chapel and into the graveyard beyond. Her hand tucked into the crook of Thomas’s arm, Rose walked beside him along the paved path that led through the graveyard. He had recovered from the injuries sustained in his fall from the Seddington House roof, and, once again, carried his cane more for safety’s sake than any constant need. William and Alice ranged ahead, one on either side of the path, reading the names on the gravestones and calling out the more remarkable for each other’s amusement. Rose—now Rosalind once more, but to Thomas she would always be his Rose—hugged his arm and looked up at him. Caught his eye when he looked down at her. “Why are we here?” Rose hadn’t pressed for a specific destination when they’d left Seddington House, now fully staffed and functioning again; when she’d asked where they were going, Thomas had said that there was one place he needed to visit before they headed off to Cornwall, to claim the belongings they’d left at the manor, hire new caretakers, and put all in order for their return to Seddington Grange for Christmas. Now, surrounded by the graves of the fashionable, Rose wondered what particular piece of his complex past he’d come there to put to rest. Glancing around, she asked, “Have we come to visit a grave?” “Yes, we have. Or”—he looked ahead—“I have, at least.” After a moment—his usual moment of considering how much to reveal—he looked down at her. “Her name most likely will mean nothing to you—she was an old lady when I knew her, and that was twenty and more years ago. But I wanted to pay my respects . . . before moving on.” Raising his head, he faced forward. Intrigued, Rose looked around as they walked on. He pointed with his cane. “Her grave should be somewhere around there, I think.” They detoured into that section, taking the narrower paths between the sets of graves. “There it is.” He waved his cane at a neat, elegant, but not ostentatious marble-topped grave. The headstone, surmounted by a lute-playing angel, was clean, the plot well-cared for. Settling her arm snugly in his, Rose halted by his side at the foot of the grave. “Edith Balmain.”

My rating: 4 stars.This book is well-written, because Stephanie Laurens is a talented writer. I read it several years ago, but recently decided to re-read several of Laurens' books, since I had enjoyed them all. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I still like this book -- maybe not quite as much as the first read, but I still liked it a lot.I liked Thomas, and liked that the book dealt with his redemption. He had done some bad things, with terrible consequences, in the past. He was now a changed man, a good man, but he still felt like he needed to pay for his crimes. He had even tried to commit suicide, thinking he deserved to die for his crimes, but had survived with terrible injuries and scars. I also liked that he realized the reason he survived his injuries was so that he could help Rose and her stepsiblings.I liked Rose, and how she had sacrificed so much to protect her stepsiblings. I also liked that she accepted Thomas as he was, and wasn't repulsed by his past or his scars. She realized that he had paid for his crimes, and loved the good man he currently was. One thing I really liked, which is typical of this author's work -- the strong women characters, and how their men didn't try to change them into submissive women. For that time period, it would have been unusual for women to be actively involved in any criminal investigations. I thought it was refreshing that Penelope, Griselda, and Violet all helped in this one.I also liked that couples from the other books in this series were heavily included in this book (Penelope and Barnaby; Griselda and Stokes; Violet and Heathcote). The reader was able to see how their relationships had matured in the months since they got married.My rating system is below.1 star -- Hated it, or did not finish. I usually only give this rating if some of the content is truly objectionable to me, like if one of the main characters does something really awful, and gets away with it.2 stars -- Didn't like it. This rating usually means that I thought the writing wasn't very good, the editing was terrible, I didn't like the characters, or it had other major flaws.3 stars -- I liked it, but had some minor issues with it. This rating means that there were minor editing issues, the story needed more character development, it was just too unrealistic, or had some other fairly minor issue. The majority of books I read get this rating – I do not consider it a bad rating.4 stars -- I liked it a lot. This is a high rating for me, and I rarely give a higher one.5 stars -- I loved it, and will probably read it again. Very few books are good enough to get this rating from me. The ones that do are usually classics.

Malcolm Sinclair, who was introduced in two of Stéphanie Laurens ‘ previous books, gets his own story told in this novel. The story ist fast paced and intriguing . I liked the main characters as well as the others ( Barnaby and Penelope, Heathcote and Violet, Inspector Stokes and Griselda) . I like to identify with the story of a book, and here I felt part of a group of smart people. The love story itself was good (sexual attraction followed by true love for the right reasons).The redemption of the former villain was told credibly.

This was a good one. I never knew why the author had mentioned him in the bastion club novels and aftet in Charles' one and didn't elaborate. He had a wonderful development. After reading Montague's book (which I didn't enjoy at all) this is a well deserved reward. Fell in love with Thomas and Rose almost immediately. The only thing missing I THINK was that Charle didn't know of it. I think that would have been perfect.

Excellent tale This tale had it all, the transition of Malcolm to Thomas. Malcolm I’d observed from the Bastion books to the Cynster books and mostly he gave me the creeps, although the conscience was visible. Thomas we soon find empathy with him and are happy with the journey he travels together with Rose. The only thing quandary is how did they marry legally?

There are not enough stars for me to rate this book. I read it in one day and found it to be different than most of Stephanie's books (which I have read over 45 of) This one had a great story of redemption, kindness, and caring. Malcolm is a great character with heart even though there is a past of not caring for others. It is a perfect end for the 4 books I have found Malcolm in.