Review: A Bed of Thorns and Roses by Sondra Allen Carr

January 17, 2014 by J.E. 2 Comments

One of the aspects of the e-book experience that I enjoy most is the ability to sample a book before you buy it. Sampling serves two very valuable purposes for me as a reader — first, it prevents buyer’s remorse, and second, it gives me something to do while I wait.

So there I am, sitting at the gas station waiting in line to pump gas, and I go to the Kindle app on my phone to find a sample to read. Unfortunately, the one I chose this particular time was A Bed of Thorns and Roses by Sondra Allan Carr.

I say “unfortunately” because I somehow ended up sitting parked at a Speedway for an hour before I could tear myself away long enough to drive the hour or so home. And then I was tempted at least twice to pull over on the side of the road just to read.  Needless to say, it’s a good thing I didn’t have to work the next day, because I was up all night reading.

Now that you’re hooked, here’s the book’s synopsis, courtesy of Amazon:

Heir to a wealthy robber baron, Jonathan Nashe had every advantage money could buy until a tragic fire left him horribly disfigured. Now he lives secluded in his isolated country mansion, his scientific research his only solace. When declining health threatens to rob him of even this small comfort, Jonathan is forced to choose between his work and his privacy. Reluctantly, he hires a secretary. Though distasteful, sacrificing his privacy soon proves the least of his concerns; he never expected to sacrifice his heart as well.

But Isabelle Tate guards the secrets of her past as vigilantly as Jonathan hides the scars beneath his mask. Can they confess their growing love for one another knowing that to bare their deepest feelings, they must also bare their deepest shame?

There was no way I wasn’t going to be intrigued at the very least by this book. Although it’s not marketed as such, it’s clearly got that Gothic vibe I love so much. And blame it on a children’s book version I had as a girl, but I’ve always been a sucker for a Beauty and the Beast story. A Bed of Thorns and Roses delivers on that score. And as one Amazon reviewer points out, this isn’t a one-single-rakish-scar-on-the-hero’s-otherwise-gorgeous-face kind of story, either.  In this respect, the book almost hews more closely to Phantom of the Opera territory, mask included. But A Bed of Thorns and Roses is much more than a fairy-tale rehash. It’s an excellently written, intelligent and emotional.

Happily-ever-after doesn’t come easily for Jonathan and Isabelle. These two don’t spend the first half of the book veering between bickering and mental lusting, nor is there a lot of created drama. Their interactions move believably from painfully uncomfortable to guardedly pleasant to frank enjoyment, and their reasons for being suspicious of each other and of doubting that they can have a future together are both reasonable and believable.

I keep repeating the word “believable” for a reason. Despite the book’s fairy tale origins, both characters are so believable, Isabelle especially. Unlike many historical (or contemporary) heroines who, despite their ever-so-humble upbringings, are always well-educated and know just what to do in any situation, Isabelle’s ignorance is both refreshing and incorporated into the plot. And for once, we have a “beast” who is not also a worldly, experienced rake. Jonathan is educated, but socially and emotionally inexperienced. The best scenes in the book are when the two are learning together, such as my favorite scene, a picnic that I refuse to say anything more about for fear of spoiling it.

My quibbles with A Bed of Thorns and Roses are small but pronounced. The first, one mentioned in several Amazon reviews, is a secondary relationship between Jonathan’s doctor/friend/mentor Richard and Isabelle’s sister which just seems extraneous. Another is that we only get bits and pieces of these experiments that are so important to Jonathan — I really expected that to be an integral part of his and Isabelle’s development. The third, which I can’t get into without revealing too much, concerns Isabelle’s secret. Suffice to say there is the Big Secret, and a smaller secret that goes along with it. For me, the Big Secret was enough; the smaller secret just seemed to gild the lily. But again, these are quibbles.

I give A Bed of Thorns and Roses 3 out of 5 clever disguises. Go ahead — download the sample and try to resist A Bed of Thorns and Roses. If you find yourself sitting at the gas station for hours, I’ll take the blame.

Buy the book:
A Bed of Thorns and Roses: A Gilded Age Beauty and the Beast Romance

Is a great big Gothic-y romance right up your alley? Try these:

Sea of Secrets by Amanda DeWees

Classic Gothic Romance