White Roses of Brambledene

by Joyce C. Ware

"DRAW THE CURTAINS, MISS GRAYSON. SHE'S STILL HERE, YOU KNOW." — Yearning for a few days' respite from her work as assistant to an austere New York physician, delicate Violet Grayson accepted the invitation to a weekend houseparty at Brambledene. But even as her carriage rumbled up the long drive to the looming Tudor mansion high in the snowy Berkshires, Violet's heart grew cold with dread. Just two years ago, a similar weekend party had ended in the unexplained death of her dearest friend.

Despite the warm welcome of her old companions and the flattering attentions of a newcomer, darkly handsome architect Rafael Taliaferro, Violet's apprehension grew. Tension throbbed the air, and the housekeeper's whispered warnings of danger fueled Violet's mounting terror. A game of charades, a masked ball, a moonlight walk under a cold February sky -- each time, some small accident befell Violet...and then was quickly explained away. And when the door of the dark conservatory locked behind her, Violet knew she was not alone...and that she was in deadly peril.

Genres: Gothic, Gothic Romance

288 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1992

About the author

Hello! My name is Joyce Ware aka Joyce C. Ware.

I just published my first Middle Grades novel as a Kindle eBook. The Dragon Whisperer is a here-and-now story about a boy, a girl and a dragon known as Gwork. The cover is amazing! Take a look at the creepiest little dragon you ever saw, and email me at jware8424@charter.net for the artist's name.

I've been writing for as long as I can remember. The first pieces I had published were articles on travel and camping for a variety of magazines and newspapers, including The New York Times. I made my first foray into book length fiction with, a Gothic novel titled The Lost Heiress of Hawkscliffe. It was accepted by Kensington-Zebra, which published five more of my genre novels, four of which are available as Kindle ebooks by Joyce C. Ware

My interest in oriental rugs inspired me to do research about their care and repair, which I incorporated in a proposal for a book aimed at beginning collectors. To my pleased surprise, this guide, published by Random House, was well received by oriental rug collectors, dealers and scholars and led to contracts for two more updated editions, the last of which was published in 2004.

The publishing business, which has changed enormously in the last ten years, has seen many well-established writers come and go. Writing for commercial publication is an unwise choice for the thin-skinned: the first rejections brought tears, but now I greet them with a shrug and wry smile. Fortunately, the advent of ebooks keeps my fingers tapping and the brain cells percolating. I hope to publish a sequel to The Dragon Whisperer--The Dragon Seekers--in 2012.

Reviews

[Niko · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one so much. Even thought the mystery of it was kind of easy for me to figure out I do believe it's mostly because I know what to expect from the genre itself.

[MV · Rating 2 out of 5]

This Zebra Gothic suspense novel was certainly interesting, but overall I found it silly and tiresome. Our heroine is Violet Grayson, who's reunited with her old circle of friends at the Brambledene estate of the Thornbush family, ancestors of Violet's friend Rose. One year earlier, Violet found her best friend Lily murdered at the group's previous gathering. (Yes, there are a ton of flower names in this book ... I was reminded of cartoons I grew up with where everybody and everything had themed names. A little goofy, but I wouldn't care if the story was better.) The book started off by introducing way too many characters, history, and details and continued in that vein with all sorts of random stuff going on. The villain and most plot twists were very obvious. Violet was an aggravating narrator - looking down at the friends she supposedly loves with great disdain, holding dumb grudges and flying off the handle in inconsistent ways.

Honestly, none of the characters were all that likable, and they all seemed to hate each other, too - not buying that they are supposed to be such great old friends. Some characters were clearly just there to be window dressing. As for Lily, Violet idolizes her, but flashbacks make her out to be not that great. I would've appreciated more showing and less telling in general.

By the time I got to story's last 1/3 or so, I was really struggling to finish - the story dragged me through Violet's slowwwwwly figuring out the obvious.

Some pros: I enjoyed the little historical details that the author put into the story, such as discussions around the invention of the car, periodicals of the time, etc.

Note: The cover blurb isn't entirely accurate. Violet's friend's death happened one year ago, not two, and no one is targeting Violet with little accidents throughout the book.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Violet Grayson, in need of a break from her demanding job as an assistant to a stern New York physician, accepted an invitation to a weekend houseparty at Brambledene. However, as she approached the imposing Tudor mansion in the snowy Berkshires, she couldn't shake the sense of dread that had settled in her heart. Two years prior, a similar gathering had ended in the mysterious death of her closest friend.

Upon her arrival, Violet received a warm welcome from her old acquaintances and found herself captivated by the attention of a new guest, the darkly handsome architect Rafael Taliaferro. Despite these distractions, her apprehension continued to grow. Tensions simmered beneath the surface, and unsettling warnings from the housekeeper about impending danger only fueled Violet's mounting fear.

Throughout the weekend, strange accidents occurred in Violet's presence, but each incident was quickly explained away. As the events unfolded—a game of charades, a masked ball, a moonlit stroll under the chilly February sky—Violet couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss. Her unease reached its peak when she found herself locked inside the dark conservatory, realizing she was not alone and that her life was in grave danger.

I absolutely love gothic romances with all of the mystery and the strong female characters. Joyce C. Ware is an amazing author incorporating an unforgettable story with amazing characters.

[Abby Pechin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was fairly predictable and my head was spinning from all of the characters. Although some characters were more in the spotlight than others, the villain was fairly obvious as was the impending romance at the conclusion of the novel. This would be a great starter book for anyone interested in Gothic Romances, but aficionados such as myself prefer more depth and mystery.