Return of the Rose

By: Theresa Ragan

Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren

Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

Morgan Hayes grows up in the 20th century with a mysterious attraction to a hollow suit of armor that stands in the window of her mother’s antique store. She is 24 years old when she becomes entangled within the armor’s metal plates and is whisked back in time, where she is mistaken for a twin sister she knows nothing about. Morgan is forced to marry King Henry’s favored knight, Derek Vanguard, Lord of Braddock Hall.

Abandoned by his mother and having failed as a child to gain his father’s love, Derek’s heart is as cold as the stone walls of his castle. In the end, will Morgan discover the true power of love?

©2011 Theresa Ragan (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"The ending was so well written it gave me chills, and I purposely read it slowly because I didn't want the story to end. I hope there's a sequel in the not too distant future." (Caroline Fyffe, award-winning author of Where the Wind Blows and Montana Dawn)

Loved it..

Would you consider the audio edition of Return of the Rose to be better than the print version?

No.. I thought they were both equal. I read this book in 2011 and couldn't forget it then bought the audio the other day and listened to it again as I read along. Simple awesome.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Derek.. He had a lot of demons to overcome.

Which character – as performed by Katherine Kellgren – was your favorite?

Morgan.. She was happy, sad, excited, etc, and the narrator did a perfect job.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

This is probably the best time travel book I've ever read or listened to. I loved all the characters, with the exception of Otgar and Leonie, of course. If all the books I listen to could be done by Katherine Kellgren I'd be happy. She puts so much emotion in her readings instead of just reading the book. She's wonderful.

This one is worth the credit/$$$

Would you listen to Return of the Rose again? Why?

Sure the narrator did a great job and the story was well written.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Return of the Rose?

There were a couple of times when I had to stop listening because I was so invested in the characters I could not make it through the cringe worthy moments. I think that is a sign of a great listen.

Have you listened to any of Katherine Kellgren’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not listened to her before that I know of but she was completely involved in the characters. She does like a good crescendo.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I did. (with the exception of life/ cringe breaks.

Any additional comments?

Please don't pay attention to the naysayers. This was a really good listen and I would hate for you to miss out because someone else was in a bad mood when they heard the book. Enjoy.

Great Entertainment!

"Return of the Rose" is captivating--an enjoyable diversion from every-day life, as we travel back in time to England 1444.

Earlier in 1420 twin girls are born to Richard Forester, Lord of Silverwood, one hale and hearty, the other sickly and not expected to live, but Lord Silverwood will not accept the death of his infant daughter. He takes his ailing babe to the Witch of Devonshire who can use her powers to transport her to the future where she can get the medical attention she needs to survive.

Morgan Hayes (AKA: Morgana Forester) came into the modern world of 1986 as a day-old infant left on the doorstep of a widow who owns an antique shop with an authentic hollow suit of armor that stands in her shop window. Morgan has always been fascinated with the armor, feeling an unexplainable familiarity with it...and on her 24th birthday she becomes entangled with the armor and is transported back to England,1444 where she is mistaken for Amanda Forrester, a twin sister she knows nothing about. Amanda has been ordered by King Henry to wed Lord Derek Vanguard, of Braddock Hall, but runs away. Neither want the marriage, but Lord Derek will comply with his King's demands. Derek mistakes Morgan for her twin sister Amanda.

If you are looking for historical accuracy, this is not the book for you. Several bits were rather implausible--the women of Braddock Hall willing to wear 'bikinis' when they played in the lake, Morgan saving a Village child's life by applying CPR without being cast out (or burned at the stake) as a witch, and her designing a backless/sleeveless dress to meet the King...but it is a funny, sweet, well written novel. I would not have guessed it to be Ms Ragan's debut novel.

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to "Return of the Rose" and Katherine Kellgren's performance. In my opinion, regardless of the story, the narrator makes the difference between enjoyment and dissatisfaction.

I highly recommend Return of the Rose.

Loved the Novel - where is the sequel?

If you could sum up Return of the Rose in three words, what would they be?

Entertaining, Upbeat and Addictive

What other book might you compare Return of the Rose to and why?

I rarely read nonfiction and bought this book in error. What a nice surprise and journey back in time. As a teenager of 16, one of the memorable books I read was "Below the Salt" by Thomas Costain. The book introduced me to the wonder and magic of historical novels. As an Army Brat, I checked the book out from the Fort Sill, Oklahoma military library on the recommendation of a beau - and was hooked on historical novels. Thankfully the military library was well stocked with Thomas Costain books and I returned to check out and read many of Costain's novels. What an unexpected joy to get that same old feeling of my youth with Return of the Rose. I bought the kindle and audible books and enjoyed whisper sync on my new Kindle Fire. Now, my challenge is to find similar novels. I also want kindle and audible versions of Thomas Costain's books. At 64, it is time for me to re-read the books with the advantage of enlarged text and sound to enhance the pleasure.

OMG 10 STARS!!!! LOVED THIS BOOK!

I absolutely loved, loved, loved this book. I couldn't put it down. The H and H were fantastic the hot and steamy sex was fantastic, the story line, the witty dialogue, there was always so much happening. One of the most fun and best time travel books I have ever read!!

I totally 100% recommend this book the narrator made the book even better. Love Love Loved the narration too!!

A lovely story hyped up in voice

I quite like this story, and found myself bothered by the narrators propensity for intensity... I got through it, tho tempted at times to give up to listen.

Timeless Love Story

What a great time-traveling love story! The author brings all the pieces together and ties them neatly at the end. Great listen.

Get it

A comedy of errors and a cute love story. Stay with the story I'm glad I bought it thank you.yy

IDON'TKNOW!! CAN'TGETPAST THE FAST, CRAZYNARRATOR!

Good God -- this poor narrator blurted out the entire first chapter in literally one breath. SHE TALKS SO FAST AND WITH SO MUCH EMPHASIS THAT I COULDN'T ACTUALLYHEARANYOFTHESTORY!

Sorry to make fun of it, but I'm kind of irritated that I wasted a credit. I guess I didn't really pick up on that with the listening sample, but by three chapters in, I was so distracted by her super, overcharged, excited mile-a-minute narration that I just could not keep up. I'm a big audiobook listener, so I'm pretty flexible with narrators. But I several times I found myself saying out loud, "SLOW DOWN. Take a breath! Please!" and then I'd get all distracted and have to replay what I had just heard. I finally gave up. It's a shame, because this book seems like it would be a fun, lighthearted time travel novel, which I love. I might borrow it from my library or something. But otherwise, I just can't finish it. Needless to say, I won't be listening to this narrator again. Credit down the drain...

Wrong Catergory

Got thid book in young adults definitely not appropriate for this genre. It is a romance for adults.