One Perfect Rose

Rating:
Summary: The last book, the worst book
Review: I think this will be the last book of the Fallen Angels Series, and is the worst of them, if you compare this book with the others, you will understand me that I only wanted to finish it because I wanted to know the end of the story, if this were the first book of the series that I read, I would not finish it.

Rating:
Summary: Great book!
Review: I was bawling like baby at the end of this book. This was the second of her books that I've read and I'm very impressed so far. I read "The Rake" first which is also very good, but I think I like this one better.

Rating:
Summary: poignantly wonderful
Review: I've had this books for only two weeks and I have read it at least three times - It's one of the best reads ever - brings tears in your eyes each time ... even though you know that it's a romance and can only end well. Beware: do not give in to the temptation to read the end - you'll regret it!!!

Rating:
Summary: Better than your average romance fare
Review: Mary Jo Putney achieved a blend of romance and plot that I have never before encountered in a romance novel. She also escapes the tedium of historical slang often used by writers of Regency period romances. While this book suffered from the same illness that so many romance books do--too much sex--it provided an interestng plot line, well developed characters, and a happy ending that every true romantic will sigh over. The realistic emotions experienced by the characters when facing such weighty life issues as the possiblity of an untimely death and whether or not there exists a life after death will keep a reader's mind stimulated and interested. This book is worth reading for any adult reader who is looking for a better than average historical romance.

Rating:
Summary: One of My Favorites
Review: Mary Jo Putney has a gift for storytelling. It is difficult to say what I enjoyed most about this story--the depth and quality of the characterization, the deft plotting, or the well-written prose. Rosalind is refreshingly mature, a realistic character who is both strong and vulnerable. With Stephen, Putney achieves just the right balance of integrity, responsibility, and mischief to charm the reader. I cared about these people, as well as the secondary characters, and simply couldn't put down the book.

One Perfect Rose also gives a moving portrayal of two people facing the inescapable reality of human mortality. Putney achieves an effective blend here of insight, emotion, and philosophy. Too much in one direction and the story could have become melodramatic; too much in the other and it could have lost its heart. It takes a talented writer to make this subject matter work so well--and Putney is that writer.

One Perfect Rose is romance at its best. In fact, it transcends genre. At times I have been asked by people who don't normally read romance to recommend one they might enjoy. This book is always on my list.

Rating:
Summary: Bland! ** Grade: C **
Review: Mary Jo Putney has taken on a serious subject in ONE PERFECT ROSE - death. Stephen Kenyon, the Duke of Ashburton, learns he has only three months to live and decides to enjoy his remaining days minus responsibility. Stephen chooses to escape the strict enclosure of his title, to experience life as an ordinary man. So he simply disappears into the world of commonplace.

Spontaneously, he attends an amateur theater presentation, where the Duke of Ashburton encounters the lovely actress, Rosalind Jordan. His aristocratic title is cast further aside when Rosalind misunderstands his introduction. Refreshingly, for the first time in his life, Stephen Kenyon, the Duke of Ashburton is merely a man.

Rosalind Jordan is the gentle core of the theater's well being. She is in charge of the wardrobe, serves as stage manager, and when necessary becomes a skillful actress. A skillful actress yes, but Rosalind acts without passion. Rosalind accepts the make-believe world of drama but longs for the real world of certainty.

Their growing attraction captivates Stephen and Rosalind, he with her beauty and character, she with his charm and kindness. They struggle against this growing attraction, he because his time is limited, she because he is not of her vagabond world.

In ONE PERFECT ROSE, the author provides a good storyline and presents good secondary characters. Rosalind's parents are delightful; they fuel a potential somber story. Yes, Putney's story idea is inventive and moving, yet somehow it lacks substance. Yes, it is a pleasant read, but it is bland. It needs more fire and thrust to be a real page turner. Grade: C

Grace Atkinson, Ontario - Canada.

Rating:
Summary: Historical romance with New Age sensibility
Review: Mary Jo Putney never disappoints. Her latest combines romance, mystery, New Age concepts, and a rousing story of a troupe of travelling actors who meet up with a desperate nobleman who's running away from a sentence of death. Truly uplifting, with a strong spiritual tone. A tour de force from the pen of one of America's most popular, bestselling writers of historical romance. Jo Manning ([e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: One of the Best!!
Review: Of all of the books in "The Fallen Angels" series, this is the sweetest. The hero is wonderful, it makes me wish I had a Stephen of my own! The heroine, Rosalind, truly is a perfect rose...she's sweet. The 5 stars are well deserved Ms.Putney!

Rating:
Summary: One Perfect Book
Review: Stephen Kenyon escapes his empty life as a Duke when he finds out that he has little time left to live. He runs into an acting troupe, the Fitzgeralds, and falls in love with adopted daughter Rosalind, whose past is as mysterious as the illness about to claim his life. Rosalind, who already carries the memory of a bland marriage, agrees to marry this man she hardly knows even though he begins to sink, his health deteriorating in front of her. Even though we know Stephen will not die (he's the hero!) it is Putney's brilliant writing that has us biting our fingernails as we see that the number of pages in the book are less and less. Wonderful.

Rating:
Summary: A lovely romance, with great characters.
Review: Stephen Kenyon is Michael's brother in Shattered Rainbows and is deffinetly in need of loosening up. I loved this book and all who love Mary Jo Putney's previous books will certainly love this one.