Elizabeth of Rosepath

The Book of Roses #1

by Kelly River

This is the tale of Elizabeth, servant of a noble family brought to ruin by a brutal coup; of Kaylein, last surviving daughter of the fallen household; of Isaac, son of the man who murdered Kaylein's parents, and of Edward, a troubled knight who seeks revenge on the others at any cost.

After the events of that bloody night twist their fates together for years to come, each of the four seek their own path through the hardships of feudal life. Elizabeth's leads her to the workshop of a kindly carpenter, Kaylein's to a convent, Isaac's to the open road, and Edward's to an ambitious quest of advancement through the nobility. But how long can their peace last when each has demons that threaten to drag the others down along with them?



Set in a fictional medieval kingdom, The Book of Roses tells the story of four young people searching for safety, love, and belonging in a world rife with injustice. Can a good heart still flourish in an age of darkness?

Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Historical, Fiction, Ebooks, Medieval, Romance

585 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 25, 2023

About the author

Kelly River is an author who dwells on the edge of the English countryside, forever losing themselves in rambling trails both fictional and material. An avid fan of reading, walking, games, and green teas, you might find them fondling a sheaf of freshly-picked grain or gazing at the canopy of trees beyond the garden fence while they write.

Reviews

[Tatetwo · Rating 5 out of 5]

It takes an astounding amount of patience on my part to read through some of the free offerings on Kindle. Most are just, well, not readable or I skip through them so much because of excessive cursing, excessive sexual content or just a boring storyline. I never buy any even if the writing is good because, overall, the story just doesn't draw on memorable conclusions or adventure for me. They are, without a doubt, predictable and tunnel-visioned.

I did download this free copy and, from the very beginning of the story, I was drawn into the lives of four people who meant nothing to me but turned out to be friends with me by the end of the book. I continued their journey and bought the 2nd book and pre-ordered the 3rd. Whoever edited these books did an amazing job.

I won't write any spoilers here but suffice it to say the lives of these four individuals are now part of my life and I am glad this came about because I don't have many friends in my ever-decreasing circle in real life. I do not read books to "escape" or "get lost" inside - no, I read books to prompt my sense of adventure and to allow me to give a hug to humanity. This book (and the 2nd which I am currently reading) brought/is bringing about a sense of accomplishment for me. I have made new friends in Elizabeth, Isaac, Sam and Kaylein. I have my own thoughts about Edward and will see if they are brought to life for me in the third book as I feel pretty sure they will. Could I be surprised by their inevitable conclusion? Is there true hope on the horizon or is there a veil for something unexpected? Is there justice for those who mean to destroy my new friends or will fate have a more gentle hand in guiding them to more glorious and surprising futures?

Whether they stay in the village they currently reside or take the hand of adventure once again remains to be seen. I cannot wait.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elizabeth … a servant girl with a keen mind and a dream to own her own stone house.
Kayleigh … a rich young, well-educated woman whose desire is to live in a Jade castle.
Edward … curried favour to win his way to a knighthood with Count Francis.
Isaac … the son of Count Francis. Definitely doesn’t want to get married. Prefers his horse.
Sam … Elizabeth’s ne’er-do-well brother who pops in occasionally to create mayhem in her life.

Running from Count Francis after a brutal takeover of Rosepath Castle that left all dead except for our two heroines, the girls find their lives taking separate tracks. Liz becomes servant to a carpenter, who teaches her math and she teaches him organizational skills, becoming his right-hand. Kay becomes a noviciate at the local abbey.

Isaac acquiesces to his father’s wish to marry a beautiful but condescending noble girl, although he’s despairing of his future. The night before his wedding, he takes advantage of an incident and just disappears, taking with him his beloved horse

They all end up in Tannersfield area and eventually run into each other, although they’re all keeping their secrets tightly held, except for Kaylein, who’s had to divulge her identity to the abbess. Despite being separated from, they have a friendship that is close, especially the two girls

Things would be fine, except for Sir Edward, nominally left in charge of Rosepath while Count Francis plans a coup. His self-appointed task is to find the straw-haired servant who maimed his hand (Liz) and exact his revenge upon her.

Every scene he is in is mean-spirited, choatic and tense. He’s the perfect antagonist. Well-drawn without being a caricature, he provides intense drama as he narrows in on Elizabeth’s location, uncovering Kaylein’s residence as he searches.

He isn’t perfectly evil, he manages to bumble his way through a few things that he can spin to make himself out the hero, including an uprising of the peasantry against his heavy-handedness.

The interactions between all of the characters, the happiness they find in life’s small pleasures and aspirations … and the fear of it being ripped away … makes for heady reading. The towns of Rosepath and Tannersfield come alive .. the machinations of the rich, greedy and lower-hungry play against the bucolic backdrop of the people who are ekeing their way through life.

Marvellously written.

[Chloe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, but i don't think it had to be as long as it was. So many chapters kind of felt like a filler, and I didn't know where the story was supposed to be heading.

I still enjoyed it, though, and liked the characters.

[Marilyn Burrows · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely full of danger, love, shenanigans, and love. I kearned a lot about the nobles. I also learned more than I wanted to know about men of power and with evil intentions. Glad I wasn’t living in that time period.

[Melody · Rating 1 out of 5]

Feel bad saying I didn't complete the book as it just dragged on and on with nothing much happening. sorry but not for me

[Alyssa Rusk · Rating 1 out of 5]

While I know this is historically correct in the violence mentioned - repeatedly - in the book, I didn’t expect as much blood and death and total hatred to be one of the main plots of the text. Three characters were likable, the rest were unbearable to read about at times. This had great potential, but was too longwinded for what could have been finished in a much shorter time frame … and it left us with a cliffhanger. I don’t have the energy to attempt to read any of the following ones, so will just hope the hated villain dies (literally not sure when I’ve hated a character so much) and the other characters realize that being selfish is a deferment to everyone around them.

[Pete Ffrench · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elizabeth, Kaylein, Isaac and Sam have all fallen foul of the upstart Edward a bloodthirsty commoner elevated to power by his position in the army. The story follows their progress and is well written and descriptive showing their different characters and desires but mostly they just want to be left to live their lives.

[sue hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gripping tale, well written

A dramatic, often violent but passionate story about the hardships of survival in such difficult times. Loves and loss well recounted in this page-turner.

[Malinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enthralling read. I just had to buy book number two to continue the story.

[Tom Getzinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good read! History fiction? Not sure.

[Tim Boynton · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent story well told

Great plot with lots of twists, characters you care about, a villain to hate, and lots close relationships and heartbreak too.

[J. Mary Mckee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gamut of emotions.

This book is exciting, sad, brutal and keeps you intrigued.. Can't wait to read the next one. I couldn't put it down.

[Laurie reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

So frustrating! After 585 pages, one must buy the next on the series for a resolution. No thanks. So much of the length just seemed to be filler.

[Jessica Rugg · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an entertaining read with likeable characters. The antagonist seemed somewhat lacking in depth of character. The chapters and sections from his point of view seem almost like satire or are comical because of this. He's a typical bad guy, like from a cartoon. His thoughts are delusional and immoral but not like reading from the point of view of a serial killer or a psychopath. It's not disturbing to read.

Theology:
The characters hold a range of beliefs, some of them strong Christian-like monotheists, and some of them seem to be closer to atheists or agnostics. There is mention of paganism and druids.

Violence:
It does not have gory scenes of violence although there are scenes of violence where people are killed or tortured. There is no violence towards animals in the book.

Vulgarity:
There is a scene involving lesbians but it is not explicit. The book neither confirms nor condemns homosexuality (at least among women), rather presenting it as something to be considered by the reader to judge themselves. It could be a sin. It could be an expression of love. Judgments are not made in the book. There are no explicit (heterosexual) scenes in the book. However, there is mention of rape, brothels, perverted men, and crushes.

Language:
There is no cursing or foul language in the book.

There are strong female characters in the book. There are critiques of injustice due to class and wealth along with a view of religious people being capable of both piety and corruption. There is clear right and wrong in the book but oftentimes, there is no apparent way for the underdogs to find justice or happiness. It deals with themes of grief, love, hope, and rebuilding.

The writing style was clear and easy to read without being remarkable or sprinkled with breathtaking descriptions or metaphors.

I might read the rest of the series but I don't know that I would recommend this book to others as there's nothing really to set it apart from other books in this genre. There's nothing in it that would cause me to not want to recommend it.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story started out really exciting, filled with some pretty heart pumping chaotic scenes. But once Elizabeth and Kaelin got settled somewhat away from the attackers of Rospath and Sir Edward, it was a rather uneventful read. I almost did not finish because the story line did not grab me enough want to spend hours reading. I finished 2 other kindle books before deciding to try to finish. The end of the story was much more exciting. It just took too long, and of course there is a book 2 to continue the life adventures of Elizabeth and Kaelin and other character that are all interconnected. I loved Joseph the Carpenter and his wife Rose, and that they helped Elizabeth. I admired Elizabeth for her strength, fearlessness, and boldness during a very difficult time.
The story was well written, but I think too much focus was on all the other characters and what they were doing. It did not keep my interest. There are definitely Christian overtones, belief in God and prayer. Could be a YA focus group. The violence could be a turn off to some folks. No romance or sexuality, except a couple implied lustful thinking, unless I missed something. Very tame read except for some of the violence.
I did want someone to stab Sir Edward all throughout the book. Author did a good job of making him a villain. One reviewer said it was a "Fantasy"?? No, not in my opinion. There was no magic, or dragons or fae leaders etc. Just folks trying to live their life in a town with a castle nearby with the appointed sheriff and religious leaders handing out justice when necessary. Castle life and hard scrabble town life was well described.
I am not planning on reading the rest of the series.

[Baby Snakes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written as if it was a YA novel, so it will be genial reading for most adults.

Given the subject matter, genial might seem a strange choice of words, but I chose it because the reading was not troubling in terms of the structure of language, minimal editorial errors, and absolute lack of any significantly descriptive scenes to turn a violent incident in the story into something disturbing to the reader. You know, sometimes that is okay. There are certainly reviews in my library where I complain about authors devoting chapters to every gory blow in a battle, and I am still in a place with my willingness to read heavy-duty stuff is pretty minimal.

So, go into this as an adult-length novel with a competent YA voice and you will have a decent reading experience. I enjoyed the plot, but there was not a lot of growth in the characters. Maybe there will be bigger gains (or losses) in the characters as the series progresses, but for now, it is pretty minimal.

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Received a complementary copy of the book from the author through Voracious Readers)

What an incredibly thrilling read. I must admit that the size of the book did intimidate me and I was worried that it would take me much longer to read it but every second I spent reading this novel was so so worth it. There are multiple POV’s in this book and each character had their own tale that eventually merged together in such a fantastic way! The book starts off with a devastating event for main characters Elizabeth and Kaylein which pushes them to seek new lives and new people and as I read their path to growth I couldn’t help but feel so attached to them especially when tragedy struck. If you love books with great hooks, characters you’ll love (and despise), and incredibly well paced and talented writing this book is absolutely for you. I can’t wait to jump into the next book and I implore all lovers of great stories and medieval historical fiction to pick up this book immediately!!!

[Savannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw the book was free and bought it a while back. I was determined to start 2026 with it.
I can't say what it is or how, but this book had me in an absolute chokehold. I kept thinking about it, I kept wanting to know more, to read more. I kept wondering what would happen to the characters next. How would the book end? Would they all get happy endings, or not? There were even a few moments where I had my hand in front of my mouth in horror, amazement and worry, which isn't something that happens to me very often when I'm reading. I was really hooked.

The chapters are relatively short, which I also enjoyed even though the book is a bit long.
I really liked the characters. Reading about their growth and their lives was so fascinating to me. And sometimes also honestly heartbreaking and bittersweet. What a roller coaster this was. I'm glad I read it and I'm very excited to be reading the next book in the series very soon.

[PAMpublish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-written, true to the Medieval era about the survival of Kaylein, daughter within the keep and her maid who escaped the invasion of a neighboring force for a take-over. Hiding in a nearby city, Elizabeth finds work with a carpenter and his wife while Kaylein chooses to enter a nearby convent. A young, cruel but insecure knight, Edward, is left in charge of the keep who seeks to find and kill the daughter. This is the ongoing theme when Isaac, the runaway son of the takeover duke befriends the ladies and eventually Elizabeth's brother rejoin forces to counteract Edward's cruel acts. Very long first volume, but with detailed character development makes for an interesting read for historic buffs.

[Alicia Van · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another DNF, sadly. It started strong and I was quite invested in the characters who were developing well. But the interest petered out as it became apparent that the only goal these characters had was to simply survive. Isaac's appearance brought a glimmer of hope and renewed interest. Up until he found himself at a dead end where he needed to work just to buy his horse back. It lacked a point. There was no tangible motivation to hold onto other than survival. And that is just not enough to keep me interested. I might have been willing to at least finish the book, but I checked the reviews and realized that it just continues on like this into the next books in the series. I'm sure there is a satisfying resolution somewhere. But it is far too drawn out for me.

[Deborah Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never a dull moment

A well written tale. The twists in the plot keep the reader on their toes.
Author Kelly River has the gift to transport her readers back in time, to see the country towns and ramshackle buildings, to sense the fear behind each hoof fall, we're it to be capture, run through with a sword or freedom for another day.
Elizabeth's life, har and grueling,and yet her head and heart yearn to believe in a better life.
Through the dangers, she is a loyal friend who finds loss and tragedy but still prevails --- in to book two i follow these strong, brave characters.
Great read, highly recommend.

[Dean Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was absolutely enchanted reading this book..the characters were so well cast to the story and can not wait to read the next book in this series..I can honestly say this is the best book I have read in a very long time and I am an avid reader..If like me you read for pure escapism this is one not to be overlooked..so well written to the point where you are urging the author to stay true to the story lines without being predictable and it never was..every chapter of this book was a pure joy to read and loved the ending allowing for a continuation which will definitely be my next read...wonderful story so well researched and believable plot that I never wanted to put down..

[Samantha Benton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book sucked me in by page 18. I fell in love with four of the characters and have a deep hatred for a fifth. Edward is one of the most insufferable characters I’ve read but he is absolutely needed for the plot. I was swept in hoping each of the main events would be the event that did him in. This book covers sex work to being a nun and everything in between. There is a good amount of violence, but it’s written in a way that won’t leave you too squeamish. The book left me heartbroken and enthralled in finding out what happens next. This book is a little long but I can see why as its setting up the base for the series. I’ll be reading book 2.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tale of friendship, and sacrifice

Elizabeth was but a servant, when the night she bought her small house became a nightmare.
Going back to Count Leo's castle, she is faced with the horror of betrayal. Trying to comfort her dying Mistress, she heeds her final words, and leaps into action, bravely saving their daughter, the Lady Kaylein.
Deep in the woods their paths cross with the young knight, Ser Edward, and Elizabeth's quick actions save them once more.
But Ser Edward's ego is bruised and he grows bitter and through the years never forgets Elizabeth, and goes on to seek revenge..

[Annette Summerfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved these guys

It starts off with heartbreak and fear, which leads the survivors to their new lives.
The evil man truly has a rotten mind. He enjoys hurting others and he has a sick way of justifying the evil he does to boost his own ego.
There are so many great characters in this story and I lived right along with them.
This was a free book, thank you. I really enjoyed it. I am unable to buy books so I'm moving on now. I enjoyed my time with Elizabeth, Kayleigh, Sam , Issac and Blueberry.

[Constance Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Provocative!

The four main characters, Elizabeth, Kaylein, Isaac, and Edward develop slowly with the turn of each page. The discovery of their distinct yet diverse traits materializes as the storyline unfolds. Kelly River is a masterful storyteller and is keenly perceptive of human nature. For me, this novel deserves all five stars, tempting me to purchase the next book in this series. I think Kelly Rivers has me hooked!

[Elaine Markey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a lot of free books and most of them are meh. I read because I love to read and have a lot of time as I’m retired. So when a book makes me want to purchase the sequel it’s a big deal. Elizabeth of Rosepath was a great read. I loved each main character, did some crying and was left needing to read the second book. That happens rarely. I’m reading the sequel now.

[Diane Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this first book in the series. The characters were well described, engaging and I would imagine that they were reflective of the era. Their struggles were heartbreaking.

I particularly enjoyed the feeling of being transformed into those times of early England. A well written book. Thank you.

[Annette Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

a jolly good yarn

I can’t afford to purchase the next two books, but I sure would love to as this story runs like the wind, taking hostage any reader.
It’s descriptive writing let you visualise the events unfolding, the people and horses and conditions
It skirts being clean, is very violent at desperate times, as I said a jolly good yarn.

[Joe Anshien · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but way too long and sort of frustrating. All the times the "bad guy" could have either changed or been killed but not was a pain to get through. I would like to see where the story goes because it is a good one but don't want to have to slog through another long drawn out book to get there.
If you like long books about medieval times this may be for you.