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River Wild #1
White Rose of Promise
A prophetic dream she can't remember. A shameful past she can't forget. An impossible future she dare not cherish.
Ria Fontana comes home from twenty years in exile. She is looking for reconciliation but her family refuse to acknowledge the secret that keeps them apart. They cannot accept that the lost years have changed her forever. Her hope for a new beginning fades. She turns to God in prayer, pleading for patience while she waits for the fulfilment of the promises that brought her home. In response, He sends her a vision of a white rose.
Ria is haunted by an inability to remember either the giver or the reason for the gift. As she prepares for another difficult day she stumbles from difficulty to another. Her sister's growing impatience only accentuates her clumsy anxiety. Neither of these qualities prepares Ria for another long day working in the family restaurant. Her father's talk about an important guest awakens a sense of foreboding.
Sebastian Romano has no time for women and abhors weakness. There is nothing in his character that would make him an ally for an anxious woman looking for a new future. Especially one with the religious piety that reminds him of the sinfulness of his past. He is self-sufficient and determined to maintain control of his own destiny. He has high standards for himself and those few that he allows in his life.
The wealthy businessman is uncertain why he offers Ria a way out of her dilemma, but determined to test her limitations. He predicts her response and expects to be rid of her before he has reason to regret his offer. His pride convinces him it is too late to change his mind. Only afterwards does he had understood the risk to everything he has worked so hard to establish
Ria's innocence turns his orderly world upside down. Her faith challenges his values and leads him into new territory. The risk that he will lose control of his emotions takes him to the brink of disaster. He thought he was done with his violent past, but as her destiny unfolds everything he knew about himself is tested to breaking point.
Then his enemies discover her presence and decide that she is the only weakness in his impenetrable defences. If he acknowledges how vulnerable she makes him, then everything will be lost. He must harden his heart and pretend that her troubles mean nothing to him as he watches the prophecy unfold.
This story is not the kind of romance, where the heroine finds her hero and lives happily ever after. Instead, it is a journey of discovery as two wounded souls endeavour to make peace with their past. She dreams prophetic dreams and speaks words of mystery, while he clings to the pragmatism that has always kept him safe. As the story unfolds, they both discover they have so much more to learn.
Ria Fontana comes home from twenty years in exile. She is looking for reconciliation but her family refuse to acknowledge the secret that keeps them apart. They cannot accept that the lost years have changed her forever. Her hope for a new beginning fades. She turns to God in prayer, pleading for patience while she waits for the fulfilment of the promises that brought her home. In response, He sends her a vision of a white rose.
Ria is haunted by an inability to remember either the giver or the reason for the gift. As she prepares for another difficult day she stumbles from difficulty to another. Her sister's growing impatience only accentuates her clumsy anxiety. Neither of these qualities prepares Ria for another long day working in the family restaurant. Her father's talk about an important guest awakens a sense of foreboding.
Sebastian Romano has no time for women and abhors weakness. There is nothing in his character that would make him an ally for an anxious woman looking for a new future. Especially one with the religious piety that reminds him of the sinfulness of his past. He is self-sufficient and determined to maintain control of his own destiny. He has high standards for himself and those few that he allows in his life.
The wealthy businessman is uncertain why he offers Ria a way out of her dilemma, but determined to test her limitations. He predicts her response and expects to be rid of her before he has reason to regret his offer. His pride convinces him it is too late to change his mind. Only afterwards does he had understood the risk to everything he has worked so hard to establish
Ria's innocence turns his orderly world upside down. Her faith challenges his values and leads him into new territory. The risk that he will lose control of his emotions takes him to the brink of disaster. He thought he was done with his violent past, but as her destiny unfolds everything he knew about himself is tested to breaking point.
Then his enemies discover her presence and decide that she is the only weakness in his impenetrable defences. If he acknowledges how vulnerable she makes him, then everything will be lost. He must harden his heart and pretend that her troubles mean nothing to him as he watches the prophecy unfold.
This story is not the kind of romance, where the heroine finds her hero and lives happily ever after. Instead, it is a journey of discovery as two wounded souls endeavour to make peace with their past. She dreams prophetic dreams and speaks words of mystery, while he clings to the pragmatism that has always kept him safe. As the story unfolds, they both discover they have so much more to learn.
285 pages, Paperback
First published April 29, 2019
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4 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 14, 2023
White Rose of Promise is book one by Chrissy Garwood in the River Wild series. Ria Fontana never thought she would walk through the doors of the family home, but that is what happened after twenty years of exile. However, Ria Fontana could not stay due to her sister's behaviour, and Ria needed to find somewhere else to live and work. Sebastian Romano gave Ria a way out of her dilemma. The readers of White Rose of Promise will continue to follow Ria Fontana and Sebastian Romano to discover what happens.
White Rose of Promise is the first book I have read by Chrissy Garwood. I did engage with the story and the characters from the start. I love Chrissy Garwood's portrayal of her characters and how they interact throughout this book. White Rose of Promise is well-written and researched by Chrissy Garwood. I like Chrissy Garwood's description of the settings of White Rose of Promise, which complemented the book's plot.
The readers of White Rose of Promise will learn about running a small Italian restaurant. Also, the readers of White Rose Of Promise will learn about people's problems when they suffer from eating disorders.
I recommend this book.
White Rose of Promise is the first book I have read by Chrissy Garwood. I did engage with the story and the characters from the start. I love Chrissy Garwood's portrayal of her characters and how they interact throughout this book. White Rose of Promise is well-written and researched by Chrissy Garwood. I like Chrissy Garwood's description of the settings of White Rose of Promise, which complemented the book's plot.
The readers of White Rose of Promise will learn about running a small Italian restaurant. Also, the readers of White Rose Of Promise will learn about people's problems when they suffer from eating disorders.
I recommend this book.
May 14, 2019
This is an absolutely awesome book and I highly recommend it. I am really looking forward to the next two books in the series being released.
June 8, 2019
I'm a slow reader & couldn't put this down. Had finished it the day after receiving in mail. Can't wait for book 2.
May 4, 2022
An enjoyably unexpected romance. Nothing Garwood did in this book fit the mold of the traditional Christian romances I've read in the past. Her style was fresh and her story bold. The opportunity for romantic tension was high, but she didn't follow the path of most such novels, choosing instead to tell a rather daring story about second chances. I read this book in a matter of days, finding it hard to put down because I wanted to see what unexpected thing the author would do to her characters next... and what equally unexpected way they'd respond.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews