Love is a Rose
Beth ShriverInspirational romance
Available from Desert Breeze Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-61252-051-3
June 2011
| Rose Fontane is a case worker employed at the Down But Not Out shelter in Denver where she cares for men and women needing food and shelter. She rescues a man contemplating jumping from the bridge, Hawk, and brings him to the shelter where he becomes a part of it. There is something unusual about him, but she can't quite figure out what it is. Then, a tall, well-dressed man stops in, saying he might be lost. But Jeremy Wheeler is an architect working for the Nelson Corporation, and he's involved in the plans for a mall that will occupy the real estate where Down But Not Out is located. Unfortunately, building the mall necessitates tearing down the shelter, along with other old buildings in the area. Drawn to the shelter and to Rose, Jeremy begins helping out, and soon learns from a co-worker at Nelson that the shelter may not pass inspection. When the shelter and Rose become important to him, Jeremy works toward a solution, that of another location for the mall and funding for the shelter. But he has kept his job a secret and Rose might not forgive him.
This was a truly enjoyable and lovely book. The characters are so good, well thought out and presented. Jeremy, who realizes he's not really happy with his job, begins to lean in another direction, that of helping people. The author does an excellent job of showing his feelings for Rose and the shelter, as well as the reason for his unhappiness at work. The author creates Rose as a very caring person who loves her work and the people at the shelter. The residents are varied and quite interesting, and present a realistic picture of life for the downtrodden. The author's description of the settings put the reader right into the scenes. The love that gradually grows between the two Christians is beautiful. Rose's shock at what she believes to be his betrayal is heart wrenching. I was delighted with Rose's dog, Butch, the bulldog so taken with Jeremy, even though he usually doesn't like men. The revelation of who Hawk really is, as well as Jeremy's plans for the future, makes for an interesting ending which, of course, also includes Jeremy and Rose's plans for their lives. I would love to read more by this author.
Overall rating:
Reviewer: Jaye Leyel |
