09/03/2024
Reposted from Rosewood Manor. It called to me, beckoned me. I knew I had to have it, despite its condition. But it also haunts me, and has many secrets-secrets that keep me up at night. What do the bottles I keep finding means? And why do I feel hostility from this town? I must find out about Rosewood’s history, before I become apart of it.
Bottled Secrets of Rosewood, by Mary Kendall, is a suspenseful, and mysterious, novel with a gothic flare. Miranda, the protagonist, is a likable no-nonsense, no-roots, kind of gal who suddenly decides Rosewood, near Williamsburg, Virginia, is her home. But as an archaeological dig on her property discovers unsettling things, she starts to realize she needs to know why she loves her house as much as she does. Familial histories, rumors of curses and witchcraft, secrets, wolves in sheep’s clothing, they all come together seamlessly in this story and create an atmosphere of tension and intrigue for the reader. And I was not able to guess the ending and how it would play out. The complex storyline and multiple secrets lead me to guess that something nefarious was on the horizon, but not exactly what it was. That kept me engrossed and unable to put down the book.
Small-town suspicion, hidden family histories, unscrupulous characters, found families…it all comes together in this story that leaves you hooked from start to finish. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
A big thank you to Bittersweet book tours for my ARC.
