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The Winter Murders #4
Winter's Rose
A queen and prince abducted. Can Bronwyn save them?
Kitchen maid Bronwyn Blakenhale has earned Empress Maud’s displeasure. She has been found in a passionate embrace with Theobold Durville, the squire of the empress’s main military commander, who currently sits in prison. And with members of the royal family on their way to Bristol for a hostage exchange, tensions are high. Nothing must go wrong. It’s certainly not the time for squires to go messing about with kitchen maids in full view of the empress.
But when word comes that the queen and prince have been abducted, the empress sets Bronwyn on a thankless task. For earning her displeasure, Bronwyn is bidden to find and return the missing pair—or never return to court. Her search leads her to track a treacherous noblewoman to find them, then hiding the royal pair under the empress’s nose in order to save their lives.
But there’s another problem happening at court. Maidservants are dying, found with roses in their hands. And the prime suspect is Rupert Bothwell, Bronwyn’s close friend and crush. Can she prove his innocence and find the killer? In a world of courtly intrigue, false friends, accusations of spying, and the threat of losing her closest friend hanging over her head, Bronwyn needs all the help she can get.
Tropes You'll Love:
Courtly Breakups
Lovers Reunited
Fair-weather Friends
Amateur Detectives
Bodies in the Cemetery
Medieval Halloween
Judgments and Jousting
Read in Kindle Unlimited!
Kitchen maid Bronwyn Blakenhale has earned Empress Maud’s displeasure. She has been found in a passionate embrace with Theobold Durville, the squire of the empress’s main military commander, who currently sits in prison. And with members of the royal family on their way to Bristol for a hostage exchange, tensions are high. Nothing must go wrong. It’s certainly not the time for squires to go messing about with kitchen maids in full view of the empress.
But when word comes that the queen and prince have been abducted, the empress sets Bronwyn on a thankless task. For earning her displeasure, Bronwyn is bidden to find and return the missing pair—or never return to court. Her search leads her to track a treacherous noblewoman to find them, then hiding the royal pair under the empress’s nose in order to save their lives.
But there’s another problem happening at court. Maidservants are dying, found with roses in their hands. And the prime suspect is Rupert Bothwell, Bronwyn’s close friend and crush. Can she prove his innocence and find the killer? In a world of courtly intrigue, false friends, accusations of spying, and the threat of losing her closest friend hanging over her head, Bronwyn needs all the help she can get.
Tropes You'll Love:
Courtly Breakups
Lovers Reunited
Fair-weather Friends
Amateur Detectives
Bodies in the Cemetery
Medieval Halloween
Judgments and Jousting
Read in Kindle Unlimited!
380 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 19, 2026
2 people are currently reading
3 people want to read
About the author
E.L. Johnson
17 books37 followersI write novels. I'm a member of the Hertford Writers’ Circle and won the Sci-Fi London Film Festival’s 2014 48 hour Flash Fiction challenge.
When not penning stories I'm an avid reader, a decent epeé fencer, and live with my husband and cat Arya, named after the Game of Thrones character.
I also run a chatty book club in London and sometimes sing in metal bands in London.
Want fun updates from me on writing, fav tweets, lotsa books and mini mysteries?
Sign up to my newsletter: https://eljohnsonstories.weebly.com/c...
When not penning stories I'm an avid reader, a decent epeé fencer, and live with my husband and cat Arya, named after the Game of Thrones character.
I also run a chatty book club in London and sometimes sing in metal bands in London.
Want fun updates from me on writing, fav tweets, lotsa books and mini mysteries?
Sign up to my newsletter: https://eljohnsonstories.weebly.com/c...
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
ARC review from NetGalley
This is a historical mystery book, not a romance book. Bronwyn is a kitchen maid living at the mercy of the nobility. When Queen Mathilda and Prince Eustace are kidnapped, she is tasked to find them as a form of punishment. When maids are found dead, she is again tasked to solving the murders and proving Rupert’s innocence. Throughout all of this, Bronwyn deals with heartbreak as well as being caught in the middle between Queen Mathilda and Empress Maud.
The two guys Brownyn are interested in are both terrible. Theobold says some incredibly cruel things to Brownyn and Rupert flirts with every woman. I found Brownyn’s feelings to be weird as well. They switch easily from Theobold to Rupert depending on their proximity. She doesn’t end the book in a clear relationship. I suspect Brownyn’s love won’t be resolved until the end of this book series.
Everyone treats Brownyn terribly. Class difference themes and casual sexism plays a large role in the book. Since Brownyn spends time with the upper class, they treat her poorly whenever it suits their needs.
I didn’t realize this book was part of a series. Each book seems to be its own mystery so there’s no need to read the previous books. However, I was very confused about the relationship between Mathilda and Maude. I googled and it showed Mathilda and Maud were in a civil war against each other. But then I was so confused as to why Rupert, who is on Mathilda’s side, could easily go to Maud’s castle. Or why Mathilda and Eustace willingly went to Mabel’s castle. What was the point? Mathilda knows Mabel is on Maud’s side and can easily send the them to Maude. I’m also confused as to what Mathilda and Eustace’s roles were in the hostage exchange.
This is a historical mystery book, not a romance book. Bronwyn is a kitchen maid living at the mercy of the nobility. When Queen Mathilda and Prince Eustace are kidnapped, she is tasked to find them as a form of punishment. When maids are found dead, she is again tasked to solving the murders and proving Rupert’s innocence. Throughout all of this, Bronwyn deals with heartbreak as well as being caught in the middle between Queen Mathilda and Empress Maud.
The two guys Brownyn are interested in are both terrible. Theobold says some incredibly cruel things to Brownyn and Rupert flirts with every woman. I found Brownyn’s feelings to be weird as well. They switch easily from Theobold to Rupert depending on their proximity. She doesn’t end the book in a clear relationship. I suspect Brownyn’s love won’t be resolved until the end of this book series.
Everyone treats Brownyn terribly. Class difference themes and casual sexism plays a large role in the book. Since Brownyn spends time with the upper class, they treat her poorly whenever it suits their needs.
I didn’t realize this book was part of a series. Each book seems to be its own mystery so there’s no need to read the previous books. However, I was very confused about the relationship between Mathilda and Maude. I googled and it showed Mathilda and Maud were in a civil war against each other. But then I was so confused as to why Rupert, who is on Mathilda’s side, could easily go to Maud’s castle. Or why Mathilda and Eustace willingly went to Mabel’s castle. What was the point? Mathilda knows Mabel is on Maud’s side and can easily send the them to Maude. I’m also confused as to what Mathilda and Eustace’s roles were in the hostage exchange.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Poor Bronwyn, both Theo and Rupert do not deserve her and that Lady Alice just needs to die, I hate her, her petty jealousies and her harshness. Bronwyn is tasked with finding the killer who has been going on a spree with maids. Torn between the Queen and the Empress and pressed to do things that she does not want to, Bronwyn, has to use her pluck and smarts to stay alive and please all the nobility who treat her like dirt. I feel bad for her, she's moved around like a pawn, her romantic interests are both idiots and her situation is always precarious. All she wants to do is make bread.
This series is steeped in historical details and it does take some patience to read as the time period is very different, but the mystery and characters always keep the pages turning.
#netgalley #WintersRose
This series is steeped in historical details and it does take some patience to read as the time period is very different, but the mystery and characters always keep the pages turning.
#netgalley #WintersRose
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This is more like a serial than a series, as we follow one young woman from her father's bakery to the courts of warring royals.
In this part of the story her life gets even more complicated.
As a female commoner, whoever rules England doesn't make much difference to her life. Unfortunately, she must spend time with the highest in the land. She has a talent for investigating mysteries, and they use her for that.
All the characters have secrets or motives for mischief.
I must admit to not knowing enough English history to know who the ultimate winner is for the Crown. That does keep me interested in reading.
I hope our heroine will eventually get a happy ever after.
Good fun.
In this part of the story her life gets even more complicated.
As a female commoner, whoever rules England doesn't make much difference to her life. Unfortunately, she must spend time with the highest in the land. She has a talent for investigating mysteries, and they use her for that.
All the characters have secrets or motives for mischief.
I must admit to not knowing enough English history to know who the ultimate winner is for the Crown. That does keep me interested in reading.
I hope our heroine will eventually get a happy ever after.
Good fun.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Book Review
Winter's Rose by E.L. Johnson
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you Dragonblade Publishing for providing this book for review purposes via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
This was really good but I would have classes it more as a historical mystery instead of a romance but I really enjoyed it and hope to read more by this author!!
#WintersRose #NetGalley
Winter's Rose by E.L. Johnson
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you Dragonblade Publishing for providing this book for review purposes via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
This was really good but I would have classes it more as a historical mystery instead of a romance but I really enjoyed it and hope to read more by this author!!
#WintersRose #NetGalley
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews