Finding the words to describe how perfect this book was to me is going to be pretty much impossible. Then I will end up writing too much, as always. I honestly loved this book with all of my heart. Just like I had hoped to. As I very much adore Alexandra and all her books, with Silver in the Bone being my most favorite book.
And this one ended up being a favorite too. Which makes me so very happy. Five stars, of course. The writing was perfection, no issues. The book was all kinds of long and took time to read. Yet not nearly long enough. It had such a rude ending. Desperately in need of the sequel right now. But oh, how good this story was.
There is honestly so very much I wish to say about this book. Yet unsure how to put it all into words. Will try to remember all I wish to say. There was just so much going on. At all times. It thrilled me so much. And made me all kinds of anxious as well. I loved this book to pieces. I even stayed up past four am reading, as I could not stop for such a long time. It was too exiting. Which is the best thing ever. I'm not sure where to begin with this book. It takes place in the past, very much like Bridgerton, in a way. Which I loved. I think the setting was all kinds of wonderful. It made it all more exciting. There is also a bit of magic. But a different kind, one made with perfume. Which was also done very well. And so interesting to read about. There were so many details.
This book begins with Viola selling her perfumes at the night market with her friend. We get to know her a little. Then she ends up being arrested and thrown in the worst of the jails. The book then skips two days. I'm not fully sure if I am glad for the skip or not. As she was whipped during that time. And we did not get to read about it. Okay, I am glad it was not on page. It was bad enough to read about her getting it healed later. It was heartbreaking to read about her being in prison. As this could have ended up so much worse.
But it did not. As she was sent for by an unknown man. I very much loved their first meeting. Considering he was the one who captured her so she got put in jail. And he is now the one getting her out of it. Viola hates him so much at first. This story is very much an enemies to lovers type. I am just glad the enemies part did not last very long. As it did not take too long for her to realize that he was not that bad. Anyway. He could get her out of prison, if she would make him a perfume. She agrees, not knowing all the details.
Just me, realizing I lied. The book did not begin with Viola. It began with Hugh. Before he got her thrown in jail. We get to know him a little. We get to see him witness an explosion, killing the man he needed to make a special perfume. Which is how he ends up tracking down Viola. She is the last living Rosebourne left. Her family all had magic. Being able to make perfumes with magic that could do so many things. I so loved getting to learn it all. Hugh needs her to make Immortal Rose, to save the king from dying brutally.
Okay. I am truly not sure what I wish to share about the plot. So I think I'm stopping there and just sharing all of my different thoughts about this story. As I have a whole lot of them to share. First, Viola Lockwood. I'm pretty sure she was around twenty-five years old. With Hugh being a few years older, possibly. Viola lives in the poorer parts of this city. Trying her best to live her life alone after her mother died. Which was not easy for a woman during this time. But oh, Viola was amazing. I loved how fierce she was. And smart.
I very much loved her magical perfume gift. As it also came with smell. And it was very exciting to read about. As she could smell pretty much everything about a person. Their lives. Their feelings. It was so good to read about. I loved her gift. It was a little much for her, of course. Yet so awesome. Her past was also so sad. I loved learning a little bit more about it during the book. Viola was special to me. She was such a great main character. I simply adored her to pieces. Loved all the parts we got to know about her.
Then there was Hugh. He gets Viola out of the prison, and takes her back to his home. As he is the Lord Foxcourt. For a long time that is what she calls him. Which I loved. But loved it more when she switched to Hugh. Sigh. And oh, his home was the best part. I loved how she spends so much time there. And the moments between her and Hugh were truly the best parts. They start out as enemies. She is not forgiving him for putting her in prison, even though he felt like he had to, as to be able to save the king from dying.
But she slowly gets to know him. And starts hating him less. And oh, this book just meant so much to me. I loved reading about Hugh and Viola together so very much. And they do spend a whole lot of time being together in this book. That made me even more happy. I'm a little nervous for book two, though. But fully excited. Anyway. The staff in Hugh's home was the very best. Loved how they made Viola feel like home. She was not used to this kind of life at all. And I loved how she got to experience all of it, and loving it too.
I could truly talk about this book forever and ever. And I know I'm writing too much. Yet I cannot seem to stop myself. Of course, there is a chance no one ever reads these long reviews of mine. But that's okay. As these reviews are also for me, for me to write down my thoughts about books. And this book made me feel way too much. And I loved every moment of it. It is full of danger. Viola needs to make a perfume to save the king. It is pretty much impossible. While she searches for items she need, people try to kill her.
And those scenes were all kinds of thrilling to read about. And made me so very anxious as well. It made me so very nervous. It all felt real and dangerous. I loved it to pieces. This book also had several deaths included. Some of them a little brutal. And oh so good. This book was truly all kinds of exciting. I loved all the danger. I loved all the banter between Viola and Hugh. There was a whole lot of it. It so hurt my heart when she hurt his feelings, though. But it did not happen often, thankfully. Most of the time it was just fun.
There was so much going on in this book. It takes place in about a week. They do not have much time to try to save the king. There is a villain in this story as well. And he was the actual worst. Okay, there were so many bad people, but he was the biggest of them. I so loved all the twists that came from it. We got to know the daughter of the king, Eleanor. And she was such a sweet person. I hope to see more of her in book two. I loved how Hugh wanted to protect her. There is also Reddy, whom was such a fun character.
Okay, I really need to stop writing about this book. Yet I cannot. I just loved it so much. It was so long. With so much happening. And so much that I want to talk about. Even though I have written so much, I feel like I have barely mentioned anything. Hugh and Viola were my most favorite to read about. How he very much adored her early on. How he grew to love her so fiercely. And would do anything for her. I so loved his small ways of making amends for putting her in prison. He was the sweetest man. I loved him.
She took a little longer to realize that she cared for him too. As she was too busy hating on him. But she started to care the more she got to know the real him. Learning about what type of person he was. Which was the best kind. He was just so sweet and loving. Okay, also kind of a brutal killer as well. But I did not fault him for that, ha. I loved that he was huge and she was small. I loved how well they fit together. Just loved them to pieces. Sigh. I loved learning more about his past as well. This man deserved all the love.
There is a wedding in this book. Which was one of my favorite parts. Yet it was oh so rude as well. There is some poison as well. And it was all kinds of dramatic and wonderful to read about. It hurt my heart. Yet some parts of it were beautiful. Viola never wants to get married, because of her mother. But she has no choice. And she definitely does not want to marry Hugh, whom she is not fully sure yet that she likes. She had a lot of rules for this marrige. I love how they slowly get broken after. Anyway. It was all very lovely.
I loved the outfits in this book. There are a few scenes where Viola has to dress up. It was so beautiful to read about. There is a moment when they are going to a party club of some sort. Which was such a spicy moment yet also a little bit disturbing, with how it ended. Yet I loved every moment of it. There is spice in this romance. But there should definitely have been more, haha. Small spoiler. As it does not go all the way. I needed it to happen. I yearned for it. This book was too rude. Fingers crossed for the sequel, eee.
There are so many secrets in this book. And I did not guess most of them. How rude. Yet they were all fully exciting to read about. There is a mystery about Viola and her past, who her true father was. That one I figured out early, but it was fun to be right about it. There was a secret about one being revealed at the end of the book. I did not see it coming at all. And it was the saddest secret of them all. It truly hurt my heart. Yet it was oh so good. I honestly loved all the twists in this book. And there were so many of them.
I have not mentioned the other characters that much, and I'm not going to name them. But the found family in this book was so very well done. Hugh lives in a house with a staff. And his staff was the most wonderful people. All of them full of secrets. All of them so kind and loving and loyal. He had the best people around him. And I so loved how they cared for Viola as well. They were perfect for her. There is also a small dog. Which was the cutest little devil. There is a scene of Hugh singing to her. So perfect.
I cannot help but talk a little about the ending of the book too. Because it absolutely destroyed me. I am not sure how I'm going to survive the wait for book two. I need it in my life right now. I simply must know what happens next. Gosh. It was such a rude ending. Yet it set up the second book so well. There is still so much that needs to happen. And I am so worried about all of it. But it was fully exciting too. So much heartbreak at the end. Yet so thrilling to read about. Many secrets revealed. All done so well. I loved it.
Immortal Rose was everything I had wanted it to be and so much more. It was truly perfection. I loved every moment of it. It was such a thrilling story. Filled with romance and yearning. Full of darkness and death. It had all of the best banter. It had the best found family. The romance between Viola and Hugh actually killed me. It was truly so very wonderful. The setting was amazing and fit so well for this story. The perfume magic was done so well and I so loved learning about it all. This story made my heart race.
Just because I cannot stop myself from writing even more about this book. It is my longest review ever written. And I still feel like I have so much to say. I just truly loved Immortal Rose with all of my body. It was such a thrilling story. And the romance simply meant everything to me. It is slow at first. But then it is everything. And I so very much need more of it in book two. This book just had everything that I wanted it to. It made me so very happy. Even when it ruined my heart too. So happy that I got to read it right now.
The biggest thank you to the wonderful Avon Books for sending me a print ARC of this precious book to read and review. It means the entire world to me. And I am so, so thankful. I shall treasure it always. So happy to add it to my Alexandra collection. And thank you so much to my wonderful friend, Becky, whom then sent me the ARC to Norway. I am the luckiest. Now I cannot wait to get all the finished copies of this perfect story. You all need this book in your life too. It will be out in August, and it is going to be so huge.
