I tried, really tried, to get through this doorstop. I didn't make it past 40 pages, but maybe that's just me. I was simply not drawn in. If you have a lot of patience and love historical romance, it might work for you.

Another one I received from the Early Readers program and started but never finished. Although this is the exception: I should have read The Tea Rose first. I'm going to give this another shot though because what I was able to get through without being confused I loved.

The Winter Rose is a very good tale of the plight of women and children in both the rich and poor of 1900 London. Even though this novel is a sequel to The Tea Rose, it was very readable without having read the first novel. I do wish that I had read them in the order they were written.

Taking off two years after The Tea Rose ended, The Winter Rose follows India Selwyn Jones and Sid Malone. I have to say, I loved India a bit more than Fiona. She had a good head on her shoulders and was very intelligent.

The Winter Rose is even more an epic a book than it's predecessor. It contains the same characters from the previous installment and adds a new cast of characters to the mix. And, again, we're not stuck in one spot for too long. The Winter Rose takes us from London's East End all the way to Africa to adventures that will blow you away.

Taking place in the early 1900s, The Winter Rose includes real-life events and people into the mix by showing how women were fighting for respect in the work force, and for the right to vote.

I love this series - even if the books are a bit longer than they need to be; some parts are unnecessary - but nevertheless, LOVE them. The final installment can't come soon enough ( )

I was so disappointed with this book. I had obtained it through the LibraryThing Early Reviews Program, but it never lived up to my expectations. I started reading it several times, but I couldn't ever get past the first few chapters.

The Winter Rose is a sequel to Donnelly's earlier book, The Tea Rose, and as such was probably never intended as a stand-alone novel. Still, the small bits that I've read of The Winter Rose have not at all encouraged me to seek out the prequel and see if that helps to settle the plot.

If you happen to be uncommonly fond of fiction set in the Victorian period – this book was rather lush in dressing its plot, even if the basic bones were lacking – you may wish to look into this title. Otherwise, I'd recommend you pass. ( )