Book Review: The Scent of Roses by Charlene Raddon

Title: The Scent of Roses

Author: Charlene Raddon

Genre: Western historical romance

Age Group: Adult (18+)

Rating: 5 stars

Purchase: Amazon

Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

A woman’s smile . . .

Rosalyn Delaney’s husband, Josiah, vanished six years ago. Following a private detective’s lead, Rosalyn leaves Salt Lake City and boards a train heading to the mining town of Whiskey Ridge, Arizona. She arrives at Rose House, an old mansion reputed to be haunted, only to discover that her missing husband has been killed, and his business partner, Whip Kincaid, is wanted for his murder. Determined to uncover the secrets surrounding Josiah and his death, Rosalyn decides to stay–even though she begins to receive nightly visits from a charming “ghost” . . .

A ghost’s siss . . .

Escaping a troubled past, Whip Kincaid had hoped he could make a fresh start in Whiskey Ridge and open a saloon with his friend Josiah. Now, as a murder suspect hiding in his own house, Whip’s future looks bleak indeed . . . unless he can find the real culprit. But the unexpected intrusion of Rosalyn ruins his plan to sneak out at night to investigate. Scaring her away is his first step in clearing his name, but Rosalyn doesn’t rattle easily. And Whip isn’t sure he wants the lovely widow to walk out of his life — especially when she’ll take his heart with her.

Rosalyn Delaney moves to Whiskey Ridge, an old mining town to find her missing husband. She arrives at Rose House, a majestic old mansion with the reputation of being haunted. In Whiskey Ridge, she finds out the entire story of how her husband was killed by his business partner Whip Kincaid, and how the last is still listed as a wanted fugitive. But Rosalyn has the feeling more is going on than she realizes at first glance. What she doesn’t know however, is that Whip Kincaid has been hiding in his own house, Rose House, the mansion she just moved into. At night he sneaks out to investigate, and when he finds out his mansion is occupied by this strange but elusive woman, the first thing he wants to do is scare her away. But Rose doesn’t scare easily, and when she’s not phased by his continuous attempts to scare her, Whip is intrigued. The more he learns about her, the more he realizes he may not want her out of his life after all.

This was a delightful, interesting, well-written book. I’ve always been a fan of gothic novels, and with Rosalyn moving into the large, supposedly “haunted” mansion reminded me of the many gothic novels I devoured as a kid. The novel keeps on this vibe for some time, but it’s primarily a western historical romance. What I loved the most however was the mystery behind the murder, who was responsible, the long-kept secrets, and of course, the haunting. This all added up to an amazing story, and the romance was almost unnecessary – the book had already a lot of potential. The romance was really the top of the cake though.

Lots of tension, nail-biting moments and some spoilers I didn’t see coming. The Scent of Roses is a delightful mix of romance, mystery, historical fiction and suspense.