What do you think?
Rate this book
Red Rose for Love
Love led only to heartbreak.
Eve had survived the ordeal of Carl Prentiss, but the experience left her a sadly changed woman. Her trusting young heart was now safely buried.
Never again would she love--least of all a rich man who thought his money could buy him everything, including her. So, despite his persistence, Bart Jordan didn't stand a chance with Eve.
She was allowing stubborn bitterness and fear to ruin her life, but if Bart were to treat her as Carl had done, the result would be the same anyway.
Eve had survived the ordeal of Carl Prentiss, but the experience left her a sadly changed woman. Her trusting young heart was now safely buried.
Never again would she love--least of all a rich man who thought his money could buy him everything, including her. So, despite his persistence, Bart Jordan didn't stand a chance with Eve.
She was allowing stubborn bitterness and fear to ruin her life, but if Bart were to treat her as Carl had done, the result would be the same anyway.
187 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
31 people are currently reading
119 people want to read
About the author
Carole Mortimer
1,296 books907 followersI have written almost 250 romance novels in contemporary and Regency.
I am a USA Today Bestselling Author and recipient of the 2015 RWA Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2014 I received a Pioneer of Romance Award from Romantic Times in the US and in 2012 I was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II for my 'outstanding service to literature'.
I am very happily married to Peter with six sons, and live on the Isle of Man
I am a USA Today Bestselling Author and recipient of the 2015 RWA Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2014 I received a Pioneer of Romance Award from Romantic Times in the US and in 2012 I was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II for my 'outstanding service to literature'.
I am very happily married to Peter with six sons, and live on the Isle of Man
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
June 29, 2018
This one was so disturbing. I mean, I know Carole Mortimer isn't the Queen of Subtlety and Good Taste. I enjoy her campy reads and her ridiculous, over-the-top characters and their antics for what they are: A bit of fun.
The problem with Red Rose of Love is that she seemed to have half-heartedly attempted a serious subject, a very violent, very graphic rape and consequent post-traumatic stress, and then reverted back to her campy ways for the remaining three quarters of the book, ultimately leading to an underwhelming and problematic conclusion.
The female protagonist is a relatively new, up and coming singer (who is compared favorably to Kate Bush, one of my favorite singers EVER). At the beginning of the book, we find her nearing exhaustion because herleechy pimp devoted friend and manager has been ruthlessly and callously exploiting ambitiously pushing her towards a stratospheric career.
After one of her concerts, heroine's manager tries topimp her out introduce her to one of her fans, a wealthy, good-looking man who is very eager to make her acquaintance.
The h freezes up. Mention of a "rich man" catapults her five years into the past when a disgusting brute tricked a naive, 19 year old h into an affair without telling her he was married and she was just to be a bit on the side. She thought, predictably, that he loved her and wanted to marry her. When she found out the truth, she rejected him and he brutally raped her. That scene was chilling and nauseating. The author really went there and I thought I was in for an ominous, angsty read.
Anyways, everything the H does in his high-handed pursuit of the h triggers her trauma, like in a long delayed reaction. He sends her red roses like the rapist did when he was courting her. He calls her "wildcat" like the rapist did when she scratched him bloody during the assault. And he does nothing to deny her accusations and assumptions that he wants her, in a cold and calculated manner, as just the latest in a string of kept women he has been collecting over the years, just like the rapist intended with her.
The h naturally keeps him at arms length and freezes him out. The H then does a bit of investigation and realizes that the sexy, bombastic image she projects on stage is just an illusion.
She isn't shacked up with her manager, she is staying with him and his wife. She isn't a serial dater, in fact she hasn't had a boyfriend for as long as anybody remembers. She isn't some sophisticated vamp globe-trotting and collecting affairs. When she isn't touring, she lives in a little houseboat down the path from her godparents' house in the middle of the English countryside.
The H stops his insinuations and insults almost immediately but he continues with his stalking, high handed ways to control heroine's life and somehow bind her to him.
The h finds out that herJudas manager sold her contract to the H months before, when the manager was drunk at a party. The H cancels the rest of heroine's concert tour because she is close to total collapse, and tells her that, at least for the next six months remaining on her contract, she has to do as he says.
h is fuming, not at the disgusting, poor excuse for a friend, manager who backstabbed her so coldly, but at the H. She doesn't care about the contract or her career anyway. She has realized that she is not cut out for the gruelling career of a chanteuse. All she wants to do is go back to her little houseboat and get the H out of her life.
Well, right on cue, she has an almost drowning episode at the houseboat, is rescued by the H, and when she wakes up at the hospital, she realizes she is in love with the H. Wth???
I think we skipped a few steps here, between her still suffering from PTSD stemming from rape, and distrust of men in general, to her waking up from a coma in luuurve with the H and willing to embark on an affair with him, even though she is pretty sure he doesn't love her and probably has a few other mistresses tucked away.
At that point of the story, the characters seemed to hop back into the Carole Mortimer Campy Train and pretty much any idea that she was going to treat this topic seriously and soberly went down the drain.
I was offended that the h became a spineless, leaky jellyblob. I was disgusted at the hero for flying into really volcanic rages at the heroine for offenses such as failing to show up at the airport to welcome him back from a business trip.
He actually told her on several occasions to get out of his sight and his life, only to sheepishly apologize a short while later for letting his temper get the best of him. Seriously? This entitled guy with rage issues should be the last guy the vulnerable, prone-to-exploitation, and still very traumatized h should involve herself with.
To make matters worse, we find out at the end that the H is actually a deranged fan, who "fell in love" six months earlier when he saw the h on TV performing one of her songs, then went out and bought a BED!!!, an engagement ring, and a wedding ring, before he finally found a way of insinuating himself into her life. Somebody needs to slip the h a copy of Eminem's Stan as a warning of what can happen if you involve yourself with deranged groupies i.e. check the car trunk for ropes and a gun, he probably bought them the same day he went shopping for a marital bed and rings :(
The problem with Red Rose of Love is that she seemed to have half-heartedly attempted a serious subject, a very violent, very graphic rape and consequent post-traumatic stress, and then reverted back to her campy ways for the remaining three quarters of the book, ultimately leading to an underwhelming and problematic conclusion.
The female protagonist is a relatively new, up and coming singer (who is compared favorably to Kate Bush, one of my favorite singers EVER). At the beginning of the book, we find her nearing exhaustion because her
After one of her concerts, heroine's manager tries to
The h freezes up. Mention of a "rich man" catapults her five years into the past when a disgusting brute tricked a naive, 19 year old h into an affair without telling her he was married and she was just to be a bit on the side. She thought, predictably, that he loved her and wanted to marry her. When she found out the truth, she rejected him and he brutally raped her. That scene was chilling and nauseating. The author really went there and I thought I was in for an ominous, angsty read.
Anyways, everything the H does in his high-handed pursuit of the h triggers her trauma, like in a long delayed reaction. He sends her red roses like the rapist did when he was courting her. He calls her "wildcat" like the rapist did when she scratched him bloody during the assault. And he does nothing to deny her accusations and assumptions that he wants her, in a cold and calculated manner, as just the latest in a string of kept women he has been collecting over the years, just like the rapist intended with her.
The h naturally keeps him at arms length and freezes him out. The H then does a bit of investigation and realizes that the sexy, bombastic image she projects on stage is just an illusion.
She isn't shacked up with her manager, she is staying with him and his wife. She isn't a serial dater, in fact she hasn't had a boyfriend for as long as anybody remembers. She isn't some sophisticated vamp globe-trotting and collecting affairs. When she isn't touring, she lives in a little houseboat down the path from her godparents' house in the middle of the English countryside.
The H stops his insinuations and insults almost immediately but he continues with his stalking, high handed ways to control heroine's life and somehow bind her to him.
The h finds out that her
h is fuming, not at the disgusting, poor excuse for a friend, manager who backstabbed her so coldly, but at the H. She doesn't care about the contract or her career anyway. She has realized that she is not cut out for the gruelling career of a chanteuse. All she wants to do is go back to her little houseboat and get the H out of her life.
Well, right on cue, she has an almost drowning episode at the houseboat, is rescued by the H, and when she wakes up at the hospital, she realizes she is in love with the H. Wth???
I think we skipped a few steps here, between her still suffering from PTSD stemming from rape, and distrust of men in general, to her waking up from a coma in luuurve with the H and willing to embark on an affair with him, even though she is pretty sure he doesn't love her and probably has a few other mistresses tucked away.
At that point of the story, the characters seemed to hop back into the Carole Mortimer Campy Train and pretty much any idea that she was going to treat this topic seriously and soberly went down the drain.
I was offended that the h became a spineless, leaky jellyblob. I was disgusted at the hero for flying into really volcanic rages at the heroine for offenses such as failing to show up at the airport to welcome him back from a business trip.
He actually told her on several occasions to get out of his sight and his life, only to sheepishly apologize a short while later for letting his temper get the best of him. Seriously? This entitled guy with rage issues should be the last guy the vulnerable, prone-to-exploitation, and still very traumatized h should involve herself with.
To make matters worse, we find out at the end that the H is actually a deranged fan, who "fell in love" six months earlier when he saw the h on TV performing one of her songs, then went out and bought a BED!!!, an engagement ring, and a wedding ring, before he finally found a way of insinuating himself into her life. Somebody needs to slip the h a copy of Eminem's Stan as a warning of what can happen if you involve yourself with deranged groupies i.e. check the car trunk for ropes and a gun, he probably bought them the same day he went shopping for a marital bed and rings :(
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 7, 2019
5 stars for drama and vintage ridiculousness. 1 star for red flag hero behavior and shrewish heroine behavior. *trigger warning* rape
So where to begin?
Heroine is an up and coming singer-songwriter who is being pushed by her manager to do five nights of grueling concerts in London. Hero is a billionaire who sends heroine red roses and tries to meet her after her first concert. Heroine immediately thinks he’s trying to set her up as his mistress. He takes offense at this and they part angrily.
Offense and departing angrily is their modus operandi, btw.
The reason heroine immediately thinks that the hero is trying to set her up as his mistress is that it happened to her five years before, when she was 19. She was “in love” with a handsome millionaire who helped her find a nice apartment for a low rent. Turns out he owned it and used it for his trysts away from his wife and kids. When heroine realizes he’s married, she tries to leave. He assaults and rapes her. (It’s a traumatic flashback scene for the reader)
Heroine still has PTSD from the rape and is now exhausted from her concerts and the hero stalking her. Her last concert is canceled (hero bought her contract and is willing to take the financial hit). Instead of recuperating at hero’s house or her manager’s, heroine goes to her houseboat, falls in the river and almost dies from exposure.
*sigh*
It just goes on like this for the rest of the story. Heroine refuses help/food/common sense. Hero demands/flounces/returns.
The cherry on top of the ridiculous sundae is the heroine refusing to marry the hero when she discovers his sister
So this is short on romance (Honestly, the heroine was a shrew. I don’t know what the hero saw in her.) But there is plenty of drama to keep you entertained. Heroine’s recovery from rape is very poorly handled, so if that is a trigger – don’t read.
So where to begin?
Heroine is an up and coming singer-songwriter who is being pushed by her manager to do five nights of grueling concerts in London. Hero is a billionaire who sends heroine red roses and tries to meet her after her first concert. Heroine immediately thinks he’s trying to set her up as his mistress. He takes offense at this and they part angrily.
Offense and departing angrily is their modus operandi, btw.
The reason heroine immediately thinks that the hero is trying to set her up as his mistress is that it happened to her five years before, when she was 19. She was “in love” with a handsome millionaire who helped her find a nice apartment for a low rent. Turns out he owned it and used it for his trysts away from his wife and kids. When heroine realizes he’s married, she tries to leave. He assaults and rapes her. (It’s a traumatic flashback scene for the reader)
Heroine still has PTSD from the rape and is now exhausted from her concerts and the hero stalking her. Her last concert is canceled (hero bought her contract and is willing to take the financial hit). Instead of recuperating at hero’s house or her manager’s, heroine goes to her houseboat, falls in the river and almost dies from exposure.
*sigh*
It just goes on like this for the rest of the story. Heroine refuses help/food/common sense. Hero demands/flounces/returns.
The cherry on top of the ridiculous sundae is the heroine refusing to marry the hero when she discovers his sister
So this is short on romance (Honestly, the heroine was a shrew. I don’t know what the hero saw in her.) But there is plenty of drama to keep you entertained. Heroine’s recovery from rape is very poorly handled, so if that is a trigger – don’t read.
June 24, 2017
Mini-Review:
Usually Mortimer's heroes are cruel and overbearingly alpha, but in this one the hero-in-pursuit starts out dominant and determined, then when he realizes how hurt the heroine's been in the past he changes course and woos her in a gentle and loving manner. He's a rarity in HP line: a beautiful, green-eyed blond who's not a man-ho and is a nice guy!
Without a doubt this is the best book by Carole Mortimer I've ever read. There's no love triangle, no creepy incest angle, no hateful asshat hero. Sure Bartholomew Jordan is overbearing and filthy rich, but he is one of the most decent Alpha heroes I've read in a long time. He was very understanding and caring for the obviously damaged heroine. What a great read!
My only caveat was with the heroine's wardrobe. What was up with all those slinky catsuits she wore? Sure it's the 70's, but that rock-star look was a bad choice.
5 stars
Usually Mortimer's heroes are cruel and overbearingly alpha, but in this one the hero-in-pursuit starts out dominant and determined, then when he realizes how hurt the heroine's been in the past he changes course and woos her in a gentle and loving manner. He's a rarity in HP line: a beautiful, green-eyed blond who's not a man-ho and is a nice guy!
Without a doubt this is the best book by Carole Mortimer I've ever read. There's no love triangle, no creepy incest angle, no hateful asshat hero. Sure Bartholomew Jordan is overbearing and filthy rich, but he is one of the most decent Alpha heroes I've read in a long time. He was very understanding and caring for the obviously damaged heroine. What a great read!
My only caveat was with the heroine's wardrobe. What was up with all those slinky catsuits she wore? Sure it's the 70's, but that rock-star look was a bad choice.
5 stars
December 8, 2019
"Red Rose for Love" is a very romantic love-story where the beautiful singer Eve Meredith finds herself pursued by the irresistible businessman Bartholomew "Bart" Jordan.He is a man who fell in love with her at first sight-and yearns to make her his wife...while she misunderstands his offer of only being an affair.
Bart is one of those charming,head-strong and charismatic heroes of Carole Mortimer`s...he is intelligent,blonde and green-eyed..and very very much in love with Eve.I thought his name very cool,never read about a character with the name Bartholomew. A very besotted and possessive hero,Eve frustrated me with her ignorance and in the way she misinterpreted everything he said and did.I mean just come on! He sends you red roses every evening,takes you to a doctor when you get sick,and saves you when you twice almost died,practically stalks you,takes you to his house for recovery and gets hurt when you unknowingly push him away...and can`t stand it when you are near any other man.Just..come on girl!
I guess love indeed can be blind sometimes.
His gaze was warm on her angrily flushed features. 'Have you always worn your hair loose?'
A hand instantly went up self consciously to touch her long dark tresses. 'Not always, no,' she replied awkwardly, frowning.
'I like it.'
She gave an impatient sigh. 'I'm sure my hair wasn't one of the things you wanted to discuss,' she snapped.
'Oh, but it was,' he said deeply. 'Also those deep' blue pools you have for eyes, your beautiful long dark lashes, that pert little nose that at this moment is going higher and higher in your indignation, and lastly your mouth.'
His voice lowered huskily. 'Your mouth is beautiful, Eve. Every time I look at it I want to kiss it,You're the most exciting woman I've ever met, both visually and mentally.'
Bart is one of those charming,head-strong and charismatic heroes of Carole Mortimer`s...he is intelligent,blonde and green-eyed..and very very much in love with Eve.I thought his name very cool,never read about a character with the name Bartholomew. A very besotted and possessive hero,Eve frustrated me with her ignorance and in the way she misinterpreted everything he said and did.I mean just come on! He sends you red roses every evening,takes you to a doctor when you get sick,and saves you when you twice almost died,practically stalks you,takes you to his house for recovery and gets hurt when you unknowingly push him away...and can`t stand it when you are near any other man.Just..come on girl!
I guess love indeed can be blind sometimes.
His gaze was warm on her angrily flushed features. 'Have you always worn your hair loose?'
A hand instantly went up self consciously to touch her long dark tresses. 'Not always, no,' she replied awkwardly, frowning.
'I like it.'
She gave an impatient sigh. 'I'm sure my hair wasn't one of the things you wanted to discuss,' she snapped.
'Oh, but it was,' he said deeply. 'Also those deep' blue pools you have for eyes, your beautiful long dark lashes, that pert little nose that at this moment is going higher and higher in your indignation, and lastly your mouth.'
His voice lowered huskily. 'Your mouth is beautiful, Eve. Every time I look at it I want to kiss it,You're the most exciting woman I've ever met, both visually and mentally.'
July 11, 2019
Lovvveeed this one! Can’t believe I have t read this sooner. Highly recommend!
December 2, 2017
O clichê de quase sempre dos romances antigos: homem mais velho rico, mocinha mais nova e pobre... Eve, a nossa mocinha, desprezava homens ricos por conta do passado.
A princípio Bart era arrogante e impositivo. Fazendo com que ela o desprezasse ainda mais.
Palavras mal interpretadas e mal colocadas complicavam ainda mais o romance dos dois.
Um boa leitura para passar o tempo.
A princípio Bart era arrogante e impositivo. Fazendo com que ela o desprezasse ainda mais.
Palavras mal interpretadas e mal colocadas complicavam ainda mais o romance dos dois.
Um boa leitura para passar o tempo.
June 28, 2011
This was a good well written romance. Some angst not too much, plenty of obstacles to overcome.
January 7, 2018
Even though I probably read this about 20 years ago, I still remember it vividly, so I obviously liked it!
August 24, 2016
Meh. The heroine was a prize bitch and the hero a controlling bully.
September 22, 2011
Silly by modern standards, though I've liked other Carole Mortimer books. So much dramatic back and forth and lame dialogue in the space of a few paragraphs. Not the worst I've ever read, but not great.
October 22, 2023
Eve had been seduced and betrayed by a rich man when she was 19 and she no longer trusts rich men.
Enter Bart Johnson a rich man who falls in love with her when he sees her sing.
Enter Bart Johnson a rich man who falls in love with her when he sees her sing.
January 26, 2018
she constantly runs from him, wallows in self pity...she so stupid. and he...well he loses his temper so often, comes to wrong conclusion about situations like some kid...hideous book.
August 19, 2018
I read this book several decades ago (yes, decades). I loved it so much I still remember it. Well done, Carole Mortimer.
October 15, 2012
Loved it!!
June 21, 2023
4.75 Stars
I think the only thing that I didn't like it was the old cover, that guy in the suit it's supposed to be Bart, the H? I hope not.
I loved the H in this book, he is a truly alpha that loved his mate. Unike other Hs that when they see the hs from afar or from the cover of the magazines, while they wait for months or years to meet the hs, they sleep around with many OW, Bart the H of this book since seeing the first time Eve, he fell so hard and deep for her, that I gather that he was celibate in the six months that he waited for her.
I don't think he was a stalker, maybe a little manipulative because he loved her, he was planning how to woo her, in the meantime he tried to do things for her, he sensed that she wasn't cut for the spotlight. Unlike others Hs that had the hs sleep in the same beds that were used byt their former paramours, this H brought her to his family home that no OW ever set foot on, bought a new bed and a engagement ring after seeing her the first time.
He was a caring and protective H, a caretaker and giver that cherished Eve, unlike other Hs that only take, abuse and use the hs, I can see all the love he felt for her, awaiting patiently most of the time, even if she disliked him at the beginning until he saved her from drowning in the cold water. I had the impression that she wanted to sleep in the water forever, after she got rescued by him, she changed her mind to want to live again, maybe the main reasons is that she was tired and depressed, I have the impression that after being raped by the OM in the past that shattered her romantic dreams she was living in a half-life. She had reasons to be wary of the H, because of what happened with the evil OM. I am glad that the OM died but I wish that he had suffered before the death. It was such a coincidence that the H's sister was married to that cheater.
I think he would live with her and still love her if she wanted a platonic relationship, but I'm glad that she returned his love, he is one of the H's that is worth having and his love is bigger than the h's love for him, it is a rarity not only in HP but in other genres of books too.
I reread the book in OpenLibrabry but I will buy the book at Amazon for my kindle, it's rare to find a book that has a so besotted Hero with his heroine. Before I sent the review I just bought the e-book copy.
I think the only thing that I didn't like it was the old cover, that guy in the suit it's supposed to be Bart, the H? I hope not.
I loved the H in this book, he is a truly alpha that loved his mate. Unike other Hs that when they see the hs from afar or from the cover of the magazines, while they wait for months or years to meet the hs, they sleep around with many OW, Bart the H of this book since seeing the first time Eve, he fell so hard and deep for her, that I gather that he was celibate in the six months that he waited for her.
I don't think he was a stalker, maybe a little manipulative because he loved her, he was planning how to woo her, in the meantime he tried to do things for her, he sensed that she wasn't cut for the spotlight. Unlike others Hs that had the hs sleep in the same beds that were used byt their former paramours, this H brought her to his family home that no OW ever set foot on, bought a new bed and a engagement ring after seeing her the first time.
He was a caring and protective H, a caretaker and giver that cherished Eve, unlike other Hs that only take, abuse and use the hs, I can see all the love he felt for her, awaiting patiently most of the time, even if she disliked him at the beginning until he saved her from drowning in the cold water. I had the impression that she wanted to sleep in the water forever, after she got rescued by him, she changed her mind to want to live again, maybe the main reasons is that she was tired and depressed, I have the impression that after being raped by the OM in the past that shattered her romantic dreams she was living in a half-life. She had reasons to be wary of the H, because of what happened with the evil OM. I am glad that the OM died but I wish that he had suffered before the death. It was such a coincidence that the H's sister was married to that cheater.
I think he would live with her and still love her if she wanted a platonic relationship, but I'm glad that she returned his love, he is one of the H's that is worth having and his love is bigger than the h's love for him, it is a rarity not only in HP but in other genres of books too.
I reread the book in OpenLibrabry but I will buy the book at Amazon for my kindle, it's rare to find a book that has a so besotted Hero with his heroine. Before I sent the review I just bought the e-book copy.
August 20, 2023
Carole Mortimer is one of those authors who I both love or hate - sometimes I'll pick up one of her books and despise it, and other times I'll read one and think 'wow this is good'.
Red Roses for Love was a love/hate read for me, which ended up getting 5 stars because it really put my head and heart through the wringer. I really struggled to understand Eve's response to the violent rape she suffered five years before the story began. Not that she was repulsed by men and sex, but that she refused to really acknowledge that her rape had been a rape. She called it 'making love' and she seemed to cast herself as equal participant rather than victim. I was so disturbed by this, and kept wondering if this attitude was in keeping with the cultural and sexual attitudes of the day it was written; that Carole Mortimer and her female readers at the time would have grouped violet rape with robust lovemaking. (I know it's a stupid thing to think, but in the moment of reading I was struggling to figure out the heroine's way of thinking)
It's not until other characters become aware of her story that things start falling into place. The housekeeper, the other women, and the male lead are all horrified by what happened to her. It's the male lead who first uses the word 'rape' to describe what happened to her, it's the wife who opens up the heroines eyes and releases her from her feelings of guilt and shame. The rape was terrible, and its significance in the story was only diminished because the h was unable to face up to it. When she was able to speak about it, and really acknowledge what happened to her, it was finally brought out of the darkness and exposed for the awful thing it really was.
Well shit... it was a hard read with some heavy themes, and I think CM handled it really well. It was my fault I misunderstood the heroine, just as so many other people in her life did.
Red Roses for Love was a love/hate read for me, which ended up getting 5 stars because it really put my head and heart through the wringer. I really struggled to understand Eve's response to the violent rape she suffered five years before the story began. Not that she was repulsed by men and sex, but that she refused to really acknowledge that her rape had been a rape. She called it 'making love' and she seemed to cast herself as equal participant rather than victim. I was so disturbed by this, and kept wondering if this attitude was in keeping with the cultural and sexual attitudes of the day it was written; that Carole Mortimer and her female readers at the time would have grouped violet rape with robust lovemaking. (I know it's a stupid thing to think, but in the moment of reading I was struggling to figure out the heroine's way of thinking)
It's not until other characters become aware of her story that things start falling into place. The housekeeper, the other women, and the male lead are all horrified by what happened to her. It's the male lead who first uses the word 'rape' to describe what happened to her, it's the wife who opens up the heroines eyes and releases her from her feelings of guilt and shame. The rape was terrible, and its significance in the story was only diminished because the h was unable to face up to it. When she was able to speak about it, and really acknowledge what happened to her, it was finally brought out of the darkness and exposed for the awful thing it really was.
Well shit... it was a hard read with some heavy themes, and I think CM handled it really well. It was my fault I misunderstood the heroine, just as so many other people in her life did.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 16, 2025
"Red Rose for Love" is the story of Eve and Bart.
Our heroine is a rising singer, who has her heart encased in a sheath of ice. The reason lies with an extremely traumatic and abusive experience with her ex, that ended with taunting red roses.
Hence when the hero, her new benefactor and sponsor decides to send her roses, she is furious. She thwarts his courtship, fights him on every attempt and pushes him and the people around her away.
But when her health fails, she realizes the people closest to her really do care for her, and how the hero makes her learn to love and trust forms the story. The second half has lots of honest moments between the main couple, the reveal at the end is predictable but Im glad we did not any see cruelty from the hero. Also he is very understanding of her past, and is non judgemental, which is refreshing to read.
Safe
3/5
Our heroine is a rising singer, who has her heart encased in a sheath of ice. The reason lies with an extremely traumatic and abusive experience with her ex, that ended with taunting red roses.
Hence when the hero, her new benefactor and sponsor decides to send her roses, she is furious. She thwarts his courtship, fights him on every attempt and pushes him and the people around her away.
But when her health fails, she realizes the people closest to her really do care for her, and how the hero makes her learn to love and trust forms the story. The second half has lots of honest moments between the main couple, the reveal at the end is predictable but Im glad we did not any see cruelty from the hero. Also he is very understanding of her past, and is non judgemental, which is refreshing to read.
Safe
3/5
April 26, 2022
Disturbing
The story includes sexual assault. However not knowing this doesn't excuse the behaviour of the male character . He is arrogant and entitled : ok so He turns it round but he rides over her wishes to get what he wants
The story includes sexual assault. However not knowing this doesn't excuse the behaviour of the male character . He is arrogant and entitled : ok so He turns it round but he rides over her wishes to get what he wants
August 3, 2017
Storia molto carina e dolce mi è piaciuta molto.
June 15, 2020
Implausible love story but good character building for the heroine.
June 27, 2024
H was really in love, but too nervous for my taste. A h was very worn out, I think the author didn't give her the real opportunity to grow into such a talented singer but... gave her a millionaire H so she could suffer in Paris, Greece....
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews