THE SILVER ROSE

Author: Susan Carroll ISBN: 0345482514 3/2006 HISTORICAL/PARANORMAL Publisher: BALLANTINE
Time Period: Latter 1500's

France, 1585. She is the youngest and most powerful of the "Sisters of Faire Isle," women known far and wide for their extraordinary mystical abilities. Skilled in healing and able to foretell the future of those around her, Miri Cheney has returned to her ancestral home to take refuge from a land devastated by civil war—and to grieve for her family, driven to exile. But she cannot hide from the formidable new power threatening to seize control of France from Catherine de Medici, the dreaded Dark Queen—a diabolical woman known only as the Silver Rose. Miri has no choice but to turn to the one man she distrusts much as she desires: Simon Aristide, the charismatic witch hunter who is now himself the hunted, and who has reluctantly made an unholy pact with Catherine. Miri must defy throne and family to save all that she loves most—and command a future greater than she could ever imagine.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

I can only say that THE SILVER ROSE left me just a bit disappointed. I had so looked forward to Miri's and Simon's story, especially after the last confrontation that took place between the two in THE COURTESAN, the second book of this trilogy. Unfortunately, in THE SILVER ROSE, it seemed more time was spent on going over events that had occurred in the previous two books than was spent on Miri and Simon's relationship and their hunt for the Silver Rose.

When writing series books, I understand authors wanting to be sure each one can stand alone for readers who perhaps missed one or more of the previous works. But in this case, it seemed to go into overkill, and for those of us who had been devoted to this particular trilogy, it all seemed rather redundant reading, especially since the THE DARK QUEEN and THE COURTESAN were both such memorable books, featuring events and characters that weren't that easily forgotten.

Still, Susan Carroll should be very proud of her efforts with all three of these stories. She has a gift for storytelling and her easy style of wordplay make everything she writes always a worthy read. And, somehow I don't think we've heard the last from the Cheney sisters or the Silver Rose from Ms. Carroll—there's too many open ends at the conclusion of THE SILVER ROSE, which leaves the way clear for another sequel or set of stories to follow up after this trilogy. I certainly do hope so!

Nancy Davis