A Rose in Winter

By: Kathleen E. Woodiwiss

Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor

Length: 21 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

The fairest flower in Mawbry is Erienne Fleming, the enchanting, raven-haired daughter of the village mayor. Charming, spirited, and exquisitely lovely, she is beset on all sides by suitors, any one of whom would pay a king's fortune for a place in her heart. But Erienne has eyes for only one: the dashing and witty young Yankee, Christopher Seton.

But marriage for love is not to be, for her irresponsible and unscrupulous father, crippled by gambling debts, is intent on auctioning off his beautiful daughter to the highest bidder. And in the end, Erienne is devastated to find it is the strange and secretive Lord Saxton who has purchased her—a mysterious, tragic figure who wears a mask and a cloak at all times to hide disfiguring scars gained in a terrible fire some years back.

But in the passing days, Saxton's true nature is revealed to her. A gentle and adoring soul, he treats his new bride with warmth and abiding tenderness, yet appears to her only by daylight. She, in turn, vows to be a good and loyal wife to him. And then Christopher Seton reenters Erienne's world.

Conflicted by emotions she cannot suppress, Erienne valiantly attempts to remain honorable to her elusive, enigmatic husband but feels herself irresistibly drawn to Seton's passion, his fire, and his secrets. Entangled in intrigues she doesn't yet understand, Erienne Fleming will soon have to make a devastating choice: between love and honor...between her duty and her heart.

©2009 Kathleen E. Woodiwiss (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers

The titles says it all...beautiful

I loved Erienne and Christopher‘s story when I read oh so many years ago, and I still do. Beautifully written. An excellent Beauty and the Beast retelling. Landor reads it near perfect!

Just as wonderful as I remember

my only complaint is that the actor speaking for the hero wasn't masculine enough to make Christopher believable... but the story can't be beat!

I adored this book!

If this book had been written more recently, I think Erienne would have explicitly enjoyed verbally sparring with Christopher instead of seeming to actually hate him for the first half or more of the book. And she would have been drawn toward Stuart in spite of herself rather than continually rebuffing him because she's so genuinely horrified at the mere thought of his scars. Beyond those critiques, there are very few issues in this book that are common in its contemporaries. And, of course, Rosalyn Landor gives a flawless performance! I found this book incredibly enjoyable, and stayed up listening until 5am because I just wanted to listen to "one more chapter."

One of my favorite books from past years.

The story is great, I've always enjoyed. I'm not a fan of this reader. her voice is too... mature sounding. And she's a bit melodramatic in her reading. I would have preferred a younger voice with better skill at making men sound like men without sounding all pompous and weird.

Narrator not good

I read this book years ago and loved it as I love all of this authors books. I was thrilled to see it in audio but severely disappointed. After 3 attempts I still haven't finished it. This narrator's voice is difficult to listen to, drawn out, course, lacking emotion. I just saw that this same narrator performed Saving Grace. I loved that book but will not purchase the audio with this narrator.

Loved it.

At first it was a little frustrating because of Erienne’s passive behavior and I had to keep reminding myself of the time period the story was set. Yet I found myself thoroughly intrigued as the story progressed. I hadn’t enjoyed a story such as this one in a long while. Look forward to reading more stories by Kathleen Woodwiss

Great read—great reader !

Worth every bit of the long wait to get this book on audible. What a great story and as always Rosalyn Landor is superb.
Definitely worth the credit. Totally awesome ,,

long time favorite

I've read all of Ms. woodiwiss' books over and over again through the years, but this stood out as my favorite. I was excited to see it finally in audible... but VERY disappointed in the narration, most particularly the male voices and especially the hero's. I also could have done ENTIRELY without the new "forward". you know exactly what you are getting in this book: a historical view of male and female relationships and we don't need a "modern" diatribe about how "out of date" these historical fiction novels are. Skip the forward and lose yourself in enjoying this sensual classic!!!

Beauty and the Beast meets Princess Bride

Delightful. Satisfying. Entertaining. I adored this love story and as always, the talented Rosalyn Landor brings the characters to life. I’d recommend this as a must read for HR fans.

WOW! WOW! WOW!!!

I have read all of Kathleen Woodiwiss‘s books in years past. But to hear them come to life on Audible is a treat beyond belief. The narrator was wonderful! The story was wonderful! Thank you Audible for making these magnificent books available.