Violet Rose: The Encroaching Sea

The Rose Trilogy #1

by Elizabeth Cooke

Violet Rose is the first book in The Rose Trilogy, which is set on the East End of Long Island in a resort town on the East End. The palpable animosity between summer visitor and local resident is vividly depicted.

The ocean itself is a metaphor for the love/hate turbulence in the lives of the characters. They encounter danger and lust. Malevolent storms beset them, both in tempests of weather and anguish of heart as the encroaching sea sweeps across their world.

154 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2017

About the author

Elizabeth Cooke, a New Yorker, in addition to the hotel series, "There's a Small Hotel" Secrets of a Small Hotel" and "The Hotel Next Door" is also author of a memoir, "Life Savors" "Eye of the Beholder" a book celebrating the muses of six artists, and "A Shadow Romance" a love story of an older couple. She currently resides in Georgia.

Her book, There's A Small Hotel won 1st place in the 2015 Paris Book Festival for General Fiction.

Reviews

[Coleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Violet Rose is the main character in this fantastic book which I would deem more of a novella than an epic, as it is somewhat short. Nevertheless, it reads smoothly and better than most other epics I have read. The reader is prevented early on from being discouraged by the short length, knowing that this is a trilogy and there are two more books to come.

Violet's family is well described, as is her to-be husband, Bud Rose. The 'sea' plays a huge part - which I totally enjoyed - with the storms and yes, hurricanes, coming and over the years, leaving their damage, more or less each time. Violet's brother is the Cad pretty much from the git-go, but there is of course, a feminine counterpart for him.

Cooke has written other books, and I have already sought them at our local library to no avail. This has not lessened my desire to read her other books at all. I will look at other sources!

I won this book is a Goodreads giveaway.

[S Newton · Rating 2 out of 5]

The chapters were short, 38 chapters for 144 pages. It made it easy to find stopping places. The writing was fine. It just didn't hit my excited about it spot. I will pass it on to someone wanting a quick summer read.

[Aristotle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why the 2 stars? 144 pages 21 were blank, yes i counted. $30.95 for this?
Book 2 135 pages, book 3 106 pages. Why not put them together and sell it as one book?

Shame on the publisher Abbott Press and the author for ripping off the consumer.

As for the book it was fine. The writing was good but the way the chapters jumped from year to year i didn't get a good feel for the characters, especially Sasha and the anger he had towards his sister Violet. The high price car theft ring was interesting but again not enough time was spent on it.
I was raised on Long Island so i looked forward to this trilogy but book one was a disappointing read.


P.S. Go to the library don't pay for it. I won this on Goodreads giveaways.

[Avid Series Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Violet Rose: The Encroaching Sea by Elizabeth Cooke is the first book of the Rose Trilogy set on the east end of Long Island. A short, quick read; a melodramatic family saga set against an interesting historical background of the Long Island peninsula's fierce storms. Violet's earliest memory is of a baby crying as it drowned in a storm. She was always safe in her childhood home, a small cottage on stilts that her father is proud to own, even as it came to be dwarfed by surrounding McMansions.

Violet is a sweet and happy person. She falls in love, gets married. Her new husband Bud's jealous ex-girlfriend (a nasty piece of work) is a serious threat to Violet's happiness. Violet's brother Sasha always resented Violet. As an adult, he's dishonest and deceitful, just as he was in childhood. The nasty ex-girlfriend and Sasha team up, choose trickery and crime, deriving pleasure only by harming others. They eventually get the fate they deserve, during a whopper of a storm.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was fortunate enough to win this book on a giveaway platform so here is my honest review.

The first 2 chapters were rather boring. The author wrote a lot of detail and back story within the first couple of pages. So I really didn't think it was something I was going to enjoy but then it got really good!! I ended up reading the entire book within 2 hours! One sitting!

I love the way the author pieced the characters together and how each character also had just a tad of crazy in them. The perfect amount to make you love them and hate them at the same time.

This book would be a great beach read! You should definitely pick it up!

[G · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this book as part of a giveaway.
Violet Rose is a romance mystery novel with a large focus on the setting rather than the characters. The mystery elements are highly predictable, but there is plenty of relationship drama of all kinds (not just romantic and sexual). I would have liked more substance in elements other than the setting, but the book makes a quick and easy read for those looking to pass the time without much investment. However, luckily for those who enjoy the story, Violet Rose is the first book in a trilogy, so readers can find out about what happens to the characters after the drama and tragedy that befalls them.

[AJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Overall, pretty bad storyline. Given that the book is based in Westhampton Beach, I wanted to read it and little details about the town, although often times inaccurate, were interesting. Not sure I’m going to be able to make it through book #2 to find out what happens with “Rose Bud” 🤦🏼‍♀️
*spoilers*
The one with the young girl and the cop who fall in love in whb. The cop is cheating on her with his ex, gets ex pregnant, but cop doesn’t know. Cop marries the young girl, a few months into the marriage the ex surprises them with the news of the baby.

[Jenee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute, short story. There sure is a lot of drama going on in a short amount of pages. I am curious to see how the rest of the trilogy continues....

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Won this in a giveaway.