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Return of the Rose

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Twin sisters are born in Medieval England. One of the infants is dying and is taken to the Witch of Devonshire, an old hag who uses supernatural powers to transport the ailing babe to the future. It is the year 1986 when Cathy Hayes, a woman who has lost her child and husband in a car accident, finds the baby at her doorstep, gets her the medical attention she needs, and raises the baby as her own. Morgan grows up in the twentieth century with a mysterious attraction to a hollow suit of armor that stands in the window of her mother’s antique store. Morgan is twenty-four years old when she becomes entangled within the armor’s metal plates and is whisked back in time.

Morgan awakens in England. The year is 1444 and she is mistaken for Amanda Forrester, a twin sister she knows nothing about. In Amanda’s place, Morgan is forced to marry King Henry’s favored knight, Derek Vanguard, Lord of Braddock Hall. Abandoned by his mother and having failed as a child to gain his father’s love, Derek’s heart is as cold as the stone walls of his castle.

Lord Vanguard’s new bride insists she is not Amanda and shares incredible stories that make it difficult for him to trust her. But her humor and good cheer slowly cause the walls surrounding his heart to crumble.

In the end, Morgan discovers the true power of love and for the first time in her life she knows where she belongs.

311 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2011

109 people are currently reading
1432 people want to read

About the author

Theresa Ragan

20 books410 followers
T.R. Ragan (Theresa Ragan) is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling mystery and thriller author. She has sold more than four million books.

Readers interested in signing up for a monthly newsletter or getting their name in a TR RAGAN book should check out her website at www.trragan.com

Facebook • Twitter • Instagram: @trraganauthor

LIZZY GARDNER SERIES
Abducted
Dead Weight
A Dark Mind
Obsessed
Almost Dead
Evil Never Dies

FAITH MCMANN TRILOGY
Furious
Outrage
Wrath

JESSIE COLE SERIES
Her Last Day
Deadly Recall
Deranged
Buried Deep

SAWYER BROOKS TRILOGY
Don't Make a Sound
Out of Her Mind
No Going Back

STANDALONE
Count to Three
Such a Beautiful Family
Best House on the Block







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5 stars
445 (28%)
4 stars
525 (33%)
3 stars
399 (25%)
2 stars
122 (7%)
1 star
58 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 141 reviews
Profile Image for Sue.
769 reviews
March 25, 2011
I like time travel stories, so that was a plus in this. Several bits were rather implausible though (the women willing to wear 'bikinis' when they played in the lake, or Amanda/Morgan pulling on her jeans and walking around, and other similiar bits). In 1444, she'd have been ostracized and warded against, not taken amusingly into their hearts.

That aside, this was well written and sweet. But just sweet. It's not bad, but it wasn't special.

My biggest issue is that it was the same old miscommunication, "I truly love you but I can't/won't tell you because of all my emotional baggage" story. Can't we have interesting and exciting romances where people actually talk to one another? *sigh* Perhaps I aim too high.
Profile Image for Kris43.
122 reviews54 followers
April 6, 2014
This book happens in middle ages. But you see this only because it is mentioned that the year is 1444.
Other than that, there is absolutely nothing medieval about it.

All the characters have modern way of speaking and watered down very politically correct quasi medieval mindset. Also all of the characters are surprisingly adept at modern analysis of amateur psychology. And especially big 'gruff' seasoned male warriors are shockingly prone to discussing their feelings. Especially tender, sugary ones...

The setting it self say this is a castle, but if you replaced a word 'castle' with something else, like 'mansion' all the action would still fit right in. Historical accuracy falls out of the window. I know this is time travel, but still, at least some accuracy would be nice.

This heroine is always saying stuff like:
'im not gonna fall for it',
'im not gonna fall for it',
'im not gonna fall for it'!!!
And then she falls for it, again...

And then she stands with her mouth open wondering 'now how did this happen'?
If she had a favorite phrase, it would be DAH! Or that thing Homer Simpson always says.

2 stars for entertaining value:)

Profile Image for Katrina Passick Lumsden.
1,782 reviews12.9k followers
July 7, 2013
The pacing is terrible, the atmosphere is almost non-existent, and the characters are unnatural. Several facets of the story are completely unrealistic. Yes, I know it's about time travel, but time travel can be done with at least a modicum of believability. When Morgan ends up in the 15th century wearing jeans and a t-shirt, there's only passing mention about her "strange breeches". People comment on her strange speech, but think she's affecting it as some sort of ruse to get out of marrying. It just...wasn't done well at all. Morgan is an idiot of truly astounding magnitude. She keeps trying to convince everyone around her that she's not really Amanda Forrester, but no one will listen. Then, when she runs into the Devonshire Witch, she runs away while the witch is screaming things like, "The spell worked! You came back!"

And as Morgan is running away from her? - "Did the witch know something about her travel through time?"

Then, later in the story when Morgan returns to the witch so she can go back to the present, the witch tells her that she is the twin sister of Amanda Forrester, and daughter of the Earl of Silverwood. Morgan's reaction is...overwhelming; "Twin sister to Amanda Forrester? Daughter of the Earl of Silverwood? The woman was insane, Morgan realized."

Not surprisingly, my kindle notes for each of these instances were "fuckin' duh" and "are you fucking serious?"

Then there was the "Hero". Yeah. A shrew with testicles. He was so thoroughly stupid and annoying, I found myself the opposite of turned on by his presence. To me, he didn't have a single redeeming factor. He was just an asswad.

I can put up with a lot of shit. Trying to cheer for a complete moron and a slab of beef jerky parading as a man, however, is not something I find myself capable of doing.
Profile Image for Suzanne.
30 reviews2 followers
September 5, 2012
To be perfectly honest I downloaded this book because it was cheap and I have a soft spot for time travel stories. I was very new to the Kindle World and I figured I had nothing to lose as I experimented with my new found technology. Whilst sick with the flu and confined to bed I began 'Return of the Rose' with low expectations. What a pleasant surprise to find that I actually really enjoyed the story. Yes there were glaring historical errors and the characters were frustrating sometimes but I found myself enveloped in their World and welcomed the characters as new friends. It was a nice easy read and left me with a 'feel good' sensation that many more expensive books have failed to deliver. If you're after historically accurate fiction with a strong story line and complex characters turn away now but if you just want a light hearted read with a mix of time travel and romance then I recommend you take this trip into the past. You won't be disappointed
Profile Image for Kaylee.
279 reviews3 followers
June 16, 2011
I absolutely hated this book. I actually couldn't finish it bc it was so horrible! The main character starts out in 21st century California and a page after the book begins, with no character development whatsoever or background, she goes back in time to the 1300s England and then acts like it's completely normal that she is there. She then is supposedly betrothed to this arrogant lord who is against marriage and they make out in their first meeting together and although he claims to hate her the whole time, he can't seem to keep his hands off her. I stopped reading after she began getting horseback riding lessons from the king of England. What the heck?? Really? The king of England is taking the time out of his very busy medieval schedule to show this girl how to ride a horse??? And although some parts were exciting, I felt the author focused more on the main characters touching each other and saying extremely corny things to each other instead of an actual plot. The characters, whether they were the main ones or the minor ones, were unrealistic and boring and were not always consistent. I only rip on this book so badly because all of the reviews were 5 stars with one saying it was "beautifully written" and I'm trying to figure out why.
Profile Image for Caroline Fyffe.
Author 30 books628 followers
March 24, 2011
I LOVED this debut by Theresa Ragan. RETURN OF THE ROSE, a Medieval Time Travel Romance, had me laughing, smiling and cheering with the heroine Morgan Hayes—A.K.A. Lady Amanda (wink wink). And I’ll admit openly, I fell really hard for Derek Vanguard, Lord of Braddock Hall, too. If you enjoy fast paced humor that will melt your heart, you will enjoy this book. It also has one of the best endings I've ever read. Gave me chills....Highly Recommended!

Profile Image for Trish R..
1,772 reviews58 followers
February 16, 2016
Awesome time travel..

I was in a book-funk for a couple of days so I decided to read and listen to this book for the 3rd time. I loved Derek and Morgan/Amanda/Morgeanna. He was so grumpy and she was just the opposite, he didn’t believe in anything he couldn’t see or prove and here she was a time traveler. She loved her “mother” more than anything and he hated his. So different, but so filled with lust for one another.

I liked Morgan’s maid, Odelia, the voice Katherine Kellgren gave her in the narration was pretty funny, it made her a great secondary character. And so was Matti and Hugo, always with the matchmaking, and Emmon, the man/boy and Robert (nicknamed Robin Hood). Leonie was a biotch and Otgar and his men were awfully disgusting, from the way they were described they really needed a bath. You could almost smell their stink while you were listening/reading. I like to read along while someone else reads to me and turns the pages for me. Pretty lazy, huh?

I did think the bikinis were a unnecessary, and it made Morgan seem silly too, to have come up with that in 1444. If I had been thrown back to 1444 I would have had soooo many other things on my mind. I could have done without that part but it wasn’t so bad as to ruin the story.

This is my favorite time travel. It had everything going for it: Knights, tournaments, a castle siege, a traitorous female, some serious hatred, and some serious love. There was some of the best angst I’ve ever read and I HATE angst, and misunderstandings. It was just a wonderful story. AND there some excellent sex, too.

As for the narrator: Simply phenomenal. Katherine Kellgren is one of the BEST narrators in the business. One reviewer was complaining that Ms. Kellgren, when given a 1 (low) through 10 (high) for the excitement in reading this book, never reached a 1. Why on earth would you want someone whose reading an exciting book to ever reach down to a 1? That’s like saying, “just read the book with no emotion.” Just stupid.

Profile Image for Kari.
889 reviews84 followers
June 12, 2013
Entertaining story with a time travel twist. A woman is sent back in time to the time period when she was actually born. It felt more like fantasy than historical, but it was romantic and the ending was good.
Profile Image for Jennifer Rayment.
1,460 reviews78 followers
July 8, 2018
I'm a sucker for time travel romances (though they drive me crazy at the same time, cuz I am such a practical person and it makes my brain hurt because things don't add up) and this one was delightful. The main characters are damaged and interesting and well I think we know I love the setting of England so it hits all my spots. I did get frustrated with the characters not owning up to their feelings and sweetheart -- its ancient England, men were not enlightened towards woman, you cannot expect him to act like a modern man. Its just a nice story to lose yourself in for a couple of hours and Katherine Kelgren is the narrator so that makes it even better.
Profile Image for Billie Jo.
213 reviews1 follower
January 23, 2014
Audiobook narrated by Katherine Kellgren.

Oh what a joy this one was!! I loved... Loved this book. It's a happy good feeling book - a romance book that just sweeps you away. If you want a book to be historically accurate and plausible then this one may not be for you. It's more of a fun fantasy book.

Morgan is transported back in time. She is wearing clothes and talks like someone from 2011. A few are skeptical but she is accepted and mistaken for her twin Amanda. I had no problem with this but it may be difficult for some to accept. I loved the humor and the exciting journey of Morgan and Derek. It's not steamy hot but rather flirtatious and sexy! I fell in love with all the secondary characters who contribute greatly to the story.

I came upon this one by accident after listening to The Firebird also narrated by Katherine Kellgren. I've never had great success with choosing a new author so I had low expectations. I'm glad I gave it a try! Ms Kellgren did an excellent job performing the narration and all the voices were distinct.

The author, Theresa Ragan, is more of a contemporary writer so she'll probably never be on my top ten (I'm a historical romance junky!) but this one... I would highly recommend. It's cheap (Kindle $2.99 + Audible $1.99) and Audible makes returning books so easy that it's worth giving it a try!


Profile Image for Norah Wilson.
Author 33 books415 followers
March 23, 2011
I adore time travels, and I adore Medieval settings. This one had a lot of action/adventure and quite an intricate plot. I love how all the loose ends were tied up. Morgan Hayes (mistaken for Lady Amanda) was an excellent match for Derek Vanguard. BTW, this was my first experience with my Kindle reading me the story (I just added 45 minutes of books to my day by multi-tasking during my dog walks!), and the Kindle voice is kind of hard to separate from the "reading" experience now.
215 reviews2 followers
June 15, 2012
Very good time travel book. A woman in medival times gives birth to twin daughters and one is very ill. The father takes the sick one to the witch and she sends the child into the future for a time. However the girl does not find her way back for many years and everyone thinks she is her sister. Very interesting and keeps you wondering what will happen next. I loved it.
Profile Image for Allyson  McGill.
322 reviews19 followers
October 4, 2015
I am a sucker for time-travel romance, and this one filled the bill. Engaging characters--and I especially appreciated the ending, which took care of everyone, even family left behind. That's often a dangling thread in time travel, and I liked the way this one got resolved.
Profile Image for Katrina.
151 reviews3 followers
January 11, 2017
This was a delightful and charming time travel romance. You have a strong heroine with a lovely soul and a tormented hero who nearly looses all from the blindness caused by his past. It's a classic plot and story for a reason and worth the time.
Profile Image for Michelle.
94 reviews
Read
August 11, 2011
Nothing serious, just a quick little time travel romance.
Profile Image for Marina Marchese.
31 reviews2 followers
December 20, 2016
This was such an entertaining read (audiobook)...well written, fun, with plenty of humour to liven a somewhat usual storyline. I loved the development of the various characters. The author showed her talent in expertly keeping characters distinct and individually recognizable. Excellent dialogues with witty bantering back and forth also spiced up the plot and contretemps.
I must admit there were observations made by a few previous detractors that could have put me off the book initially, but, in retrospect, I thought, perhaps they were taking the book a bit too seriously. Not to unfairly single any one detractor specifically, but, just as an example, one questioned the believability of the 'medieval mindset' when characters were speaking in "a modern day language and were adept in modern day analysis of amateur psychology". True, there is merit in that observation. But really that is not taking into consideration the intent and lighthearted spirit of the narrative. In my estimation, it is a light parody poking fun at a historical, dramatical genre with the use of deliberate exaggeration of style of dialogue and prose and excessive dramatics for the sake of a comical effect. Nothing more.
Others mention a lack of historical content, or, the actual 'feasibility of being whisked back in time', and so on. Well, what can I say? I believe these reviewers were disappointed because they came to the book with preconceived notions about literature, science fiction, historical accounts, etc. allowing these to set up expectations. In deference of Ms. Ragan's oeuvre, it's just a fun story.
Im glad I did not allow myself to be totally influenced in my decision to read the book.
So, like many others, I found it to be quite enjoyable, so much so, that I join their enthusiasm in recommending it.
Great work, Theresa Ragan. I look forward to enjoying more of your work!
I must also applaud Katherine Kellgren! She performed brilliantly! She infused such a life force into each character, complete with accents and voice variations that there were moments I felt there were others there performing with her. Kudos to you, my Lady.
Profile Image for Stacy Sabala.
1,056 reviews4 followers
August 26, 2018
Book Review-Return of the Rose by Theresa Ragan

Morgan Hayes lives with her adoptive mother and helps in the antique shop she owns. She has an obsession with the medieval armor in the shop. She is determined to find out everything she can. The latest information she found was it belonged to the Earl of Kensington and he died in an ambush looking for his love.
Her life changes when she somehow gets sent back in time. She ends up right in the medieval time the armor came from. She is also mistaken for Lady Amanda. The Lady Amanda who is the betrothed of Derek Vanguard, Lord of Braddock. He is not happy to have a betrothed and doesn’t trust women at all. He refuses to believe her story and expects the worst of her. Even when she saves the castle, he can’t believe who she truly is.
I like time traveling books and this didn’t disappoint. Morgan is a great character from 2011 sent to 1444. Culture shock but she seemed to settle in quickly. I like the twist the author added with the true story of her parents. It hadn’t been a one way trip. I also liked how she won over all those in Castle Braddock. The author made her seem like a breath of fresh air. She played with the children. She was smart and witty. She put up with a lot of mixed messages from Derek and animosity from others. Her determination to win them over was fun to watch.
Of course Derek was a character I wanted to shake. I understand how he got that way but come on enough is enough. His stubbornness was over the top and he refused to listen to anyone else. It drove me crazy. Morgan was a stronger woman than me. I think I would have given up before she did. It was a great read though. I give it a 4 out of 5.
Profile Image for Julie.
756 reviews
July 24, 2021
I listened to this earlier this year and forgot to add it to my books then, which is too bad cause I really don't remember much about it. I selected it because Katherine Kellegan narrates it. I'm sure I was looking for an easy read and once I saw KK as narrator, that was it. She was, in my opinion, one of the absolute best audio performers/narrators, and since she's no longer with us and her catalogue of audiobooks is complete, I always jump at the chance to listen to her tell me a story. There was some time travel, some romance, and a feisty heroine. I do remember that. And I finished it. Always a good sign.
Profile Image for Reco Humphrey.
13 reviews1 follower
October 6, 2021
This was my least favorite by this author. I am so used to colorful ,flawed, yet strong female leads that it was a chore getting through this book. The main character’s infatuation with a verbally and mentally abusive lord was painful to read. How many times can someone call a person a wench without being put in their place? How am I supposed to have empathy for a character that treats people this way all because he thinks his mother abandoned him? Aside from this relationship the absence of a main character “twin” until the end was annoying. It would have been nice to see what she was up to as apposed to the lead swooning over the lead male.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Debarati Mishra.
571 reviews
April 21, 2022
The book Started out very good and I was very excited but by the middle all excitement fizzled out as it started to feel like a fan fiction more and more. By the end everything was so easy, straightforward and sweet that my teeth started to rot. I was in two mind to DNF the book ,it took so long to finish. There was no challenge for anyone, not for the characters as well as me, given it’s premise . Everything was so easy. I expected so much more from this time travel book.
Profile Image for Linda Elliott.
1,569 reviews9 followers
December 29, 2023
I really enjoyed this story to the very end

I couldn't put this book down. I enjoyed it to the very last word. The characters were fun and yet interesting at the same time. The story line I've read many Stories about traveling through time,, But this 1 really covered all the bases in my opinion. If you like Travel through time stories and regency stories you will enjoy this story no doubt
Profile Image for Tracy T..
1,023 reviews24 followers
October 26, 2016
I absolutely loved this book. My mom loaned it to me and Thank You Mom! I couldn't put it down. The H and H were fantastic the hot and steamy sex was fantastic, the story line, the witty dialogue, there was always so much happening. I totally recommend this book and if you have audible I totally recommend you listen the narrator made the book even better if that is possible. Love Love Loved it!
Profile Image for Ann Kingston.
138 reviews1 follower
May 27, 2019
Ignore the cheesy cover picture

What is inside the book is high quality!!! 😀 I was caught by the idea in the short synopsis. As I began to read, I started to feel the confusion Morgan was going through. The whole book is well written!!! It's a very interesting concept and hooks the reader from the beginning!!!😃
Profile Image for shirlene brown.
326 reviews1 follower
May 8, 2017
Going back in time

Theresa ragan has done a excellent job on this story about a woman who goes back in time and finds her family and her husband. She goes through a lot of miss trust and she met new friends. I gave this story a five star rating because of the story.
305 reviews1 follower
October 2, 2017
I finished this book in one sitting - even passing on dinner as I couldn't put it down. This book had everything - time travel, romance, action and comedy all rolled into one tiny little book! Having a hot hero is definitely a big bonus! Totally loved it! Wish it didn't have to end...
Profile Image for Debra.
426 reviews4 followers
August 4, 2019
Twin girls separated at birth, not just by distance but also time. A well written time-travel novel with interesting and well-developed characters and story line. Wishing this one was part of a series though.
372 reviews2 followers
December 18, 2020
Very good

Very enjoyable book. Just the kind of historical romance I enjoy. The characters were likeable and the story was cute. What I do know is that I like reading this kind of story but I wouldn't want to live in that time period. I hope you like it too. Happy Reading.
19 reviews
February 26, 2021
Return of the Rose

I loved this book! I hated for it to end. I have always enjoyed time travel novels but thus novel is far and above any other book I have read! Well worth the read! Hopefully Theresa Ragan will be penning another one!
Profile Image for Joy Bellotte.
201 reviews7 followers
February 14, 2023
so good!!

My daughter told me this was so good and I needed to read it. I didn’t for awhile but I finally did and she was right!! It was so good. I loved the characters and I will definitely read it again!!
Profile Image for Chanelle Nash.
Author 6 books3 followers
June 8, 2019
Very easy to read and get into and was most enjoyable.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 141 reviews

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