The Widow of Rose House by Diana Biller
352 pages | published by St. Martin’s Griffin
⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Set Up: Alva Webster has been attacked by the press ever since she left her husband. After his sudden death, she’s returned to New York, reputation shattered, to publish a book about her plan to renovate a dilapidated mansion. But construction stops after the crew claims the home is haunted and refuses to return. Eccentric and brilliant professor Samuel Moore is desperate to study the house; he’s a pioneer in electric lighting and fascinated by the supernatural. Over time, Alva and Sam learn the tragic history of the house and who they believe is haunting it.
I had such a great time with this book, and it’s one I ended up reading almost entirely in a single day. I’m honestly surprised I hadn’t heard more about Diana Biller before picking it up. This was one I heard about first through the Currently Reading Podcast - always a great source of recommendations for me.
The characters were definitely the highlight for me. Alva is one of the strongest female characters I’ve read in historical romance in a long time. Considering everything she’s been through and the way society views her, it was really inspiring to watch her rebuild her life on her own terms. And of course there’s Sam, who is a Dandelion Boy if there every was one! Their grumpy-sunshine dynamic worked really well for me. Sam is endlessly supportive and willing to stand up for Alva when she needs it, while Alva gives him the space to follow his constantly whirring mind wherever it wants to go.
“I’ve paid the price, but I haven’t done the crime. I haven’t even considered doing the crime. Until I met you.”
The atmosphere of the book was really interesting as well. It touches on some darker themes and there’s definitely a thread of spookiness running through the story, but the tone never felt overly dark or heavy. It manages to stay surprisingly light.
At first I wasn’t sure how I felt about the ghost story element of the plot, but I ended up liking it quite a bit. It never felt over the top, and for a long time I couldn’t tell if the strange happenings in the house are actually supernatural or just superstition.
Of course, this is a Gilded Age romance with a ghost story, so you do have to let logic take a bit of a back seat and just enjoy the ride. Have a little fun!!
All in all, I really loved this one. The characters, the romance, and the intrigue all worked so well for me. I finished it wanting more immediately and ended up adding more of Diana Biller’s books to my TBR right away. I’ll definitely be picking up another one of her stories soon.
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