I was delighted to come across this paperback collection of four rose themed short stories, not least because the first story is the wonderful Winter Rose by Nora Roberts that I have on my Kindle and reviewed here on my blog back in December. It means I now have it in hard copy too, along with three other stories that I have greatly enjoyed reading.
Once Upon A Rose is a collection of romantic, magical fairytales. The stories are quite different, but there is a running theme of feisty princesses, errant knights, wounded warriors and all kinds of magic. Each tale takes the reader to a different place but to me they all felt very Celtic in the imagery and landscape described. These stories have all the charm of the old Celtic myths.
Each story is penned by a different author, but for some reason Nora Roberts gets top billing - this is probably a marketing ploy, and bears no negative reflection on the quality of the other three stories which are all beautifully written and imaginative.
This collection has everything you would find in classic fairytales, from wicked queens and evil sorcerers to mythical beasts such as the phoenix, unicorn and basilisk. There are wounded knights, daring quests, seemingly impossible tasks, healing magic, spells, enchantments and the ghosts of star-crossed lovers waiting to be reunited in an enchanted garden.
If you are looking for courtly love and errant knights, then look no further than this fabulous collection of fairytale romance. This is one of those books that I know I will read again and again.
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