Finding Rose

by Stephanie Humphreys

On his deathbed, Rose Sterling's father asks her to consider Miles Crandall as a suitor. Then Rose is sent to live with an uncle in Spring Creek, Montana, far from her carefree life with her family in Utah. Miles is returning to his hometown of Spring Creek to set up a medical practice, so Rose is certain her being sent there is a setup. Yet Miles doesn't seem interested in her, and after Rose falls ill in Montana, he seems content to act as her physician and friend. When Rose captures the attention of Miles's younger, flamboyant brother as well as the town sheriff, Miles retreats even further from any attempt at courtship.

How can Rose honor her father's last wish if Miles doesn't even try to court her? Will she have the courage to put her heart on the line and fight for the one she really loves?

Genres: Romance, Lds, Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Lds Fiction, Young Adult

292 pages, Paperback

First published August 9, 2010

Reviews

[Torie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lmao this review was really harsh and I wrote it as a teen, so I'm retracting it because I know how hard it is to publish a book and put yourself out there.

I didn't particularly enjoy this book and I will leave my review at that.

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

FINDING ROSE
By
Stephanie Humphreys

Stress levels are running high at the moment with deadlines and other obligations, and what I needed was a sweet bedtime read that wouldn't tax my overwrought mind but still deliver a satisfying escape. Finding Rose fit the bill nicely. From the back cover:

On his deathbed, Rose Sterling’s father asks her to consider Miles Crandall as a suitor. Then Rose is sent to live with an uncle in Spring Creek, Montana, far from her carefree life with her family in Utah. Miles is returning to his hometown of Spring Creek to set up a medical practice, so Rose is certain her being sent there is a setup. Yet Miles doesn’t seem interested in her, and after Rose falls ill in Montana, he seems content to act as her physician and friend. When Rose captures the attention of Miles’s younger, flamboyant brother as well as the town sheriff, Miles retreats even further from any attempt at courtship.
How can Rose honor her father’s last wish if Miles doesn’t even try to court her? Will she have the courage to put her heart on the line and fight for the one she really loves?

The premise is familiar and the read is sweet and lazy, providing some interesting glimpses of life on the frontier during a period of history when the Mormons were establishing settlements in Canada. I particularly enjoyed these historical aspects of the story, however the exact time frame isn't clearly revealed for quite a while, which leads the reader scratching their heads in the early chapters.

Stephanie Humphreys has created a cast of characters with plenty of room to grow, and we see that growth most clearly in Rose, Abbie, and Miles.

Rose debuts as a headstrong daughter who opts for rebellion when the family's future plans require a move from familiar surroundings. Her self-serving choices are irritating at times, making her a somewhat overpowering and undeserving counterpart to Miles, who comes across as an understandably reluctant prospect. When Rose is forced to leave the comforts of her home in Salt Lake City to bear the wilds of Montana’s frontier, she is thrust into her uncle's household with an equally stubborn woman—her uncommunicative aunt, Abbie. The new, pretty girl in a town where women are the minority, she has a host of attentive men eyeing her, including Miles' overconfident brother Zach. The ensuing love triangle and human drama are the primary elements of the story. The plotting and conflicts provide good impetus for character growth and drama, and as mentioned above, it is the personal development of this cast of awkward characters that keeps the reader engaged.

After reading the author's bio it seems Ms. Humphreys draws upon personal knowledge for settings and to flesh out Rose's domestically-gifted character, which probably accounts for the pleasing detail in Finding Rose. And while the storyline is a familiar one, Stephanie Humphreys tosses in some interesting plot twists that cause this love triangle to pleasantly satisfy an afternoon.
I'd give this book 3 1/2 stars.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this story. It had great lessons of what love is and how it happens. How change is inevitable, but home can be anywhere as long as you are with family. I really liked the endearments used by father to daughter ("my rose") and then how mile's uses them when he starts to have feelings for Rose too. During this time period girls future options were marriage or spinsterhood and little had the education means for a career. Rose Sterling was turning 21 and wasn't at all excited about the prospect of moving from her home in utah to start over in Canada. Her father received a request from the prophet to help settle in Canada and help with the building of the canal there with the saints. He was making preparations to go when his health failed and he dies. Before his death Rose thinks her only option is to find a husband to allow her to stay in Utah. She finds a candidate in Karl, the son of the town drunk, but whose mother is a member of the Church. She thinks that she can change Karl for the better after marriage, but finds that her intentions weren't all honorable and that she doesn't love Karl. When her father dies, her brother goes to Canada to prepare the way and her sister and mother live with relatives until the spring when they will head to canada. Rose is send to help with relatives that she's never met in Montana. Her only comfort is, Mile, her brother's friend and doctor who has just finished school and headed home to start his own practice. She originally doesn't take a liking to Miles quiet, somber personality, but after getting to know him she finds that he is exactly who she loves. She has many suitors, including Mile's brother, Zach that prevent Miles from expressing his desire to court her himself. They also have the random attacks on people in the town of Spring Creek that highten the danger and cause suspense. They are both kidnapped even. Through it all Mile's tries to hold his growing feelings in, but after he realizes that Rose doesn't plan on accepting his brother's proposal, he takes his turn and all ends well.

[Jennie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book, but it's slow. It has a nice,sweet, innocent style, but it is terribly predictable and the main character is childish for a twenty-one year old. On one hand she's shy and quiet, but she faults the hero for not being more into parties and fun. The characters all seem stiff and unreal. I think the author has talent and I expect her next book will be more realistic.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finding Rose was a nice, clean romance, I loved the historical setting and details, and I would recommend it to people who enjoy the historical romance genre.

[Cindi · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I had the time I probably could have read this book in one day! Rose is a prim and proper Mormon girl living in Utah in the late 1800's. But you don't really know that at first. It took the whole first page of me trying to decide how to imagine Rose making a pie (olden times or modern day) when there were finally enough context clues to tell me what was going on. Granted I didn't read the back cover to know what the book was all about because quite frankly book covers give away too much in a book like this. Also Rose bugs me a little bit! She has a tendency to lead boys on and not know what she wants which makes her seem a little shallow and ditzy. I like good strong female characters or at least something deep going on in the plot of the story. There are murders and robbers in this story but there really wasn't enough depth to the story for me to read again and again. Very good and easy read to pass some time but not one I would revisit again and again. Ages 13+

[Gina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I kept waiting and hoping to read a few pages of dialogue. And it didn't' happen. This book kept me up until 2 am, simply because I am always hopeful. And I kept thinking that i would get to a part in the book where I felt that the Doc did love Rose and she him. And they would have a conversation, that actually was real, and not interrupted, or something.

It had the feel of the real early days of the LDS saints and wild west combined, without the romantic angst I was thinking would come to life. Without any angst, actually. Other than the several times someone was sick, dying, freezing, shot, or delivering a baby.

I ended up feeling frustrated and didn't feel the ending was very fulfilling for myself.

It pushed me to staying awake until 3 am, thinking, "If I was gonna write a book, it would have to have...."

[Diane Daniels · Rating 3 out of 5]

What did I learn from this book? That I will be eternally grateful that I didn't live in the 19th century! I won this book on Clean Romances. I've got to stop reading historical romances. I get too irritated when the characters don't communicate with each other. I think it's required that they be hit with a "stupid" stick before they can take their place in historical romances. This book was very "Little House on the Prairie." It was a nice story with some really good elements, but I felt like I was wading through molasses. I guess that was how things were back then, so maybe it was slow on purpose. The romance doesn't get resolved until the very last page. It left me wanting a lot more joy. I liked it, but it felt really long and it was only 292 pages.

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice, happy ending. A good love story that didn't develop too quickly. There was some good action and conflict that kept you intrigued. I do wish more of Miles' family had been converted, but there were some things left open that could allude to that. Not very many overly cheesy bits and not too poor of writing. Overall, I enjoyed it, I read it in a few hours, and I don't consider it to be a waste of time.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite books now. I love the characters and routed for Miles and Rose the whole way. I felt both of their emotions and was swept away in the story. Days later it still makes me think. I love how a book can capture you and sweep you in the characters emotions. I read it twice in a row before putting it down.

[Rebecca Irvine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun quick read. I enjoyed the plot (although a few too many incidents to make it completely plausible) and thought this author is talented. Both main characters are likeable, despite their flaws. I love that the main female character, Rose, acts like a 20 year old--far too often authors forget young women lack wisdom and experience.

[Melissa’s Bookshelf · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a clean LDS focused historical romance. The story was interesting with a little bit of mystery thrown in. For a first novel, I thought it was pretty good. The language at time seemed a bit too modern for the times. The heroine was annoying and seemingly childish at times. Good easy read summer book.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the characters! They were very believable. Found myself caught up in the story and the twists it included. It was well written. I found it easy to imagine myself there among the characters and their story.

[Taffy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is part of LDS history I wasn't educated on. I'm from Logan, Utah and it was interesting to read some history from this era.

I felt the characters were portrayed younger than their age. But this is a sweet, innocent, clean romance that many will enjoy.

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

My favorite sort of recipe for a good book: clean romance, 19th century, remote wilderness locations. I enjoyed it for all these ingredients, but it probably isn't a recipe everyone is going to be asking for to make again-and-again.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book very much once I got into it. It started out a little slow but I had trouble putting it down when I got caught up in the story

[Deanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book and not just because i know the author. You are so awesome Stephanie. I laughed, I cried, and I was frustrated at times. Will there be a sequel?

[Alesha Holt · Rating 5 out of 5]

i loved loved loved this book! it was sweet tender and a very good romance novel, with a little suspense! Love it!! Lol

[Tressa (Wishful Endings) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute read. I was a little disappointed because I had such high expectations, but it was still a really good LDS book.

[LINDA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fabulous--love it. Stephanie is a wonderful writer, and I enjoyed editing her book. Can't wait to receive her next manuscript!

[Emily Lund · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read and I admire Rose for all she did in this novel, she is truly an amazing young women.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book! I knew Miles and Rose would get together at the end. I'm glad everything worked out. Love the ending! I couldn't put the book down.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating 3.5
I liked this story.

[Jayne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rose's immaturity was annoying but otherwise a decent story.

[Kassi Thomson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not to be too biased but my aunt is the author and she did awesome! If you’re reading this Aunt Stephanie, 🎉 you did amazing and this deserves to be as popular as Pride and Prejudice!

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

sweet, with some unexpected twists and a good ending.

[Rebecca Dean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable book, but not memorable. Sorry.