Review: Rose Blooms & Grows in Seattle
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 31, 2013
Right off the heels of an extremely successful mail order bride romance series, Kristen Osbourne satisfies her fans with her latest book Rose, the first in the Suitors of Seattle Series.Rose is the first of eight daughters, all named after flowers, to a successful Seattle banker. When their Aunt Harriett arrived to marry their uncle Max after running a successful mail order bride service in Beckham, Massachusetts, she asked her new brother and sister-in-law, Fred and Mary, if she could help them provide good husbands for her nieces. In a town where the men outnumber women three to one, and her nieces come from a wealthy family, she has deep concerns, especially because Harriett had a horribly abusive first marriage. When the girls turn eighteen they are to provide Harriett with a list of prospective suitors so that Higgins, her former butler and business partner, could investigate their backgrounds.As the oldest of the garden, Rose Sullivan has been a bit spoiled and has just about every man in town at her feet since she began blooming. That is, until she lays eyes on the new handsome town dentist, Dr. Shawn Henry. One month before her eighteenth birthday she demands her Aunt Harriett put him and only him at the top of her list. She was going to marry Dr. Henry! Shawn Henry, who has arrived after just completing college, is from a prominent family back east. He has just set up shop in Seattle and has everything, but a wife. He is lonely. So when the lovely, poised Rose sets her sights on him, he gets the permission of her family, has a short courtship, and marries Rose. Rose is swept off her feet. She feels she finally has found her prince charming who will love her all her life. After all, every man in Seattle wants to marry her! Why not her Dr. Shawn?! Her entire family is grounded in the fact that they know why Shawn is marrying Rose, but feel now is the time for Rose to grow up and be a mature married lady. After a storybook wedding day and night, when Rose declares her love for Shawn and he declares he did not marry her for love, she is shocked and outraged! How could someone not love her?! After some stern talks from her supportive family, Rose decides it is time to grow up. She is going to work at being the best wife ever so that Shawn will fall in love with her. Shawn, feeling disappointed he cannot be what Rose expected, decides he is going to try as well. Will love bloom for this particular Rose?There are times the reader wants to knock some sense into Rose, but somehow you just can't not like her and cheer her on. All of the lovely characters readers have grown to love are back in the story and the other little flowers are growing up with potential suitors already lined up for the next books in the series. The Seattle Suitors is a series that is guaranteed to make you smile, chuckle, and even laugh out loud at these blossom's antics. I highly recommend this new series and the Beckham Brides Mail Order Brides series, if you haven't had the pleasure.