Roses in December
Recommended Read|
Recuperating from the traumatic events of a bomb blast and therefore, his physical and emotional injuries, Nat Brooke is sent to stay at Partington Towers, which in the character’s own words looks more like a Victorian lunatic asylum than a place to rest and heal. This is supposed to be a quiet place in the country but here he stumbles across the mysterious figure of “Richie” in the garden. Soon, his ideas of love are about to slip the realms of belief and the question arises as to whether Nat can accept that reality may not be all that it seems. Will he be able to accept the magic of the garden and the fact that the course of love does not always run smooth?
If you’re looking for a highly erotic m/m romance then Roses in December most certainly isn’t it. I wouldn’t call it non-explicit but the love scenes are sensual rather than graphic. In some ways I’m aware that this read may not appeal to everyone so you may wonder why I’m mentioning it. The reason is simply that months after reading it, I remember the story. As always, reading is very much personal preference, but for me, where Fiona Glass excels here is in atmosphere: from the looming and sometimes ominous presence of Partington Towers, to the contrasting and ever changing mood of the garden.
Not as salacious as many romances on the market, this is not erotic romance but simply a love story with a somewhat harrowing twist, and yet the promise of love and unexpected happiness remains. I truly find it difficult to explain what it is about this tale that captures your interest and stays in your memory. What I do know is that something about the style of the writing makes you remember these characters as well as the garden long after you’ve reached the end.
Roses in December is available from Torquere Press until July 2008.
