In every way as wonderful as "The Tea Rose".....
I usually lower my expectations when reading a sequel, especially when it comes to a book where I LOVED the original. However, "The Winter Rose" not only exceeded my expectations in every way, but I liked it even more than "The Tea Rose" - if that's possible.
Jennifer Donnelly has quickly become one of my all-time favorite authors with these two epic sagas set in London in the late 1800's and early 1900's. The characters are so lifelike and well-developed, you can't help but feel like you understand their motives and feelings and actually know them. In particular, I am eternlly thankful to the author for having written such strong female characters: Fiona Finnegan and India Selwyn Jones are such remarkable, intriguing and multifaceted characters, and certainly as interesting as their male counterparts.
The streets of London literally come to life in both novels and I certainly felt like I could see, hear, touch, taste and smell their every square inch and hidden passages. Ms. Donnelly is a master story-teller so the plot seemlessly moves forward in unpredictable yet completely satisfying ways.
I can not recommend this book highly enough to all readers and am eagerly awaiting the third installment hopefully coming out in the next year or two.
