Dearest Rose-Rowan Coleman I was eagerly awaiting Rowan Coleman’s latest novel, and when it finally arrived in the post, I was in no way disappointed! To me the novel feels very different from some of her earlier offerings, if someone had told me that this was the same author who wrote ‘The Baby Group’ (my favourite of Rowan’s novels) I might not have believed them. Nevertheless, I liked Dearest Rose just as much. The thing that stands out for me is how real the characters and the storyline seem to be. I feel as if the events that unfold could’ve been happening to someone I knew, a friend of mine, and therefore found the book very easy to relate to and equally as easy to read. The story centres around Rose and her daughter Maddie and the journey they embark upon when they find themselves suddenly removed from coastal Kent and plonked in a Cumbrian town which is both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. There are plenty of other characters thrown into the mix, each bringing their own complications, humour and joy to the storyline. The thing that I found really refreshing in the plot of this novel was the way that they relationship between the mother and daughter was explored. I can’t think of another book where this relationship has been exposed as much. It tends to be that yes the mother/daughter bond is touched upon, but generally other characters are involved, a father, or other siblings, but in the case of this novel there are lots of scenes where the two characters are alone, or else the mother is focusing entirely on her daughter, worrying about her or addressing problems in their own relationship. Whilst there is the usual light-hearted romance feature of Rowan Coleman’s writing, as well as these families ties-as expected-the book also deals with some slightly more uncomfortable issues including domestic abuse. I think it can be tempting for authors to sensationalise this kind of thing in their writing, but I really love the way that Coleman deals with the issues surrounding domestic abuse in this book. There was one passage in particular which particularly rang true for me, and I think should touch many other readers out there even if they are not already fan of this fabulous author… “The hardest part is seeing the expression on someone’s face when you try to explain to them what life was like. I can see exactly what they’re thinking, poor stupid cow. Why did she leave him at the first sign of trouble? What they don’t know is that there isn’t as first sign of trouble…Richard was slowly smothering me and I got so used to the lack of oxygen, I didn’t notice.” This is the perfect book to be reading at this time of year, it goes especially well with a nice hot chocolate on a Sunday afternoon. Even if you haven’t read anything else by this author, I think that there is something for everyone in this book so it is definitely worth a try. And if you are already a fan of Rowan Coleman’s delicious writing, you won’t be disappointed what her latest novel has in store for you!

Rose Pritchard is looking for a second chance and to escape from a deeply unhappy marriage. A few years ago a chance encounter with a kind stranger had given Rose hope and only now after all this time had Rose found the courage to make a move and take the huge step of breaking free from her life. The stranger a man called Frasier McCleod had given Rose nothing more than a picture postcard with a small village in Cumbria called Millthwaite on it, this is Roses only clue to finding the kind stranger. So along with her seven year old daughter Maddie, she arrives at a B&B in the village, putting all hope on a letter and kind words from a stranger for a chance of happiness. Is Rose just chasing a dream? Dearest Rose is a truly, touching and remarkable story. I really like it when you are reading a book and the story plays out in your minds-eye like you are watching a film and that is what is one of the things that is just great about this story. The story will draw you in from the very beginning and as the story reveals more about the leading character Rose, you just cannot put the book down. The storyline is very well written and the subject covered in this book is handled very sensitively and true to life. It is great to start of the New Year with such a brilliant book and I will look forward to reading more books by Rowan Coleman.

This was my first Rowan Coleman book but certainly won't be my last. I'm not sure why but I had always perceived her books to be light and fluffy however this book couldn't be further from that. It's well written fiction which deals with some deeper issues such as abandonment and domestic abuse. The book begins when Rose and her young daughter Maddie turn up in the middle of a rainy night at a B&B in the wilds of Cumbria. They are not made particularly welcome by the landlady, Jenny, however her husband takes pity on them and allows them to stay. Little by little we learn of the events that led them to Millthwaite and why Rose has chosen that particular place to escape to. Fate, love and forgiveness play a huge part in this book. It's an emotional read at times but it's also uplifting and there are two lessons to be learnt - one, that you should never give up on your dreams and secondly that there are times when people do deserve a second chance. There is a well written and believable cast of characters. The main one being Rose. When we first meet her, she is a shell of her real self. She is the product of a dysfunctional family and having spent many years having her spirit crushed has no self-worth. Will she find the strength she needs to protect herself and her daughter? Maddie was an absolute delight to get to know. She is an unusual child, only 7 years old but old beyond her years. She has no social graces and because of her direct manner finds herself friendless most of the time. At first I thought she was on the autistic spectrum but as the book unfolds, we understand more of the reason for her behaviour. Maddie was my favourite character and I thought she was adorable in spite of her unusual ways. Some other characters who play a big part in Rose's new life include her best friend Shona, who has her own troubled life to cope with but nevertheless brings humour to the story, the B&B landlady Jenny, whose bark seems to be worse than her bite and Jenny's son Ted, a flirty young barman with an eye for the ladies who figures in much of the story. My only one slight disappointment with the book was towards the end when I found the storyline somewhat rushed and to my mind, partly unexplained, but having said that it was a fabulous read and one that I would definitely recommend. I look forward to reading more by this author.

I've been home from the wonderful island of Paxos for just over a week, as always, after a holiday, I've found it really difficult to get back into reading. I'm not sure why it happens, but it always does. I've picked up and abandoned a couple of books since we arrived home and was beginning to despair. I was really pleased to receive a copy of Rowan Coleman's tenth novel Dearest Rose this week and hoped that this would be the book to cure my reading malaise - sure enough it did! Thank goodness! Dearest Rose was published on 27 September 2012 by Arrow Books; an imprint from the Random House publishing group. It's been quite a while since I've read anything by Rowan Coleman so I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this one. The cover picture is nice but quite ambiguous and could, quite possibly, put some readers off. "You are a remarkable woman and you deserve all the happiness, contentment and love in the world. I, for one, know that I have never met anyone quite like you." These are the words, written on the back of a well-worn postcard that Rose has cherished for many years. These are the words that were in the back of her mind when she finally, after years of unhappiness, left her husband. These are the words that Rose has based the rest of her life on, the words that have given her hope. Dearest Rose is an intelligently written, captivating story of a woman who has never felt loved. She is a daughter, a wife and a mother yet feels as though she is a nothing. Every relationship throughout her life has been difficult, starting with her dysfunctional parents; the father who left when she was nine, the mother who committed suicide, the husband who controlled her and the daughter that lives in her own world. Frasier; the man who wrote the words on the postcard is the only person who ever thought Rose was someone special. I found the first half of the novel to be quite slow-moving, Rose and her daughter Maddie are introduced to the reader quite slowly, their characters are slowly built up, with snippets of their backgrounds adding bit by bit allowing us to understand why and how they came to be where they are today. The second half the novel moves at a cracking pace, with the story unfolding and leading up to some quite traumatic and emotional scenes. It really is a quite draining and emotional read at times, but it's also a very satisfying and fulfilling story. For me, the star of the novel is Maddie. Rose's seven-year-old daughter is a strange little girl, and she knows it. Intelligent and perceptive far beyond her years, she really shines throughout the novel. Her vulnerability is exposed alongside her abrupt and quite direct manner. A remarkably well written novel that I enjoyed reading very much and would recommend highly.

Very enjoyable read.