The Wild Rose by Jennifer Donnelly

Title/Author: The Wild Rose (The Tea Rose #3) by Jennifer Donnelly
Publisher/Date published: Hyperion, August 2nd 2011
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley

Goodreads summary: "London, 1914. World War I is looming on the horizon, women are fighting for the right to vote, and global explorers are pushing the limits of endurance at the Poles and in the deserts. Into this volatile time, Jennifer Donnelly places her vivid and memorable characters:
- Willa Alden, a passionate mountain climber who lost her leg while climbing Kilimanjaro with Seamus Finnegan, and who will never forgive him for saving her life.
- Seamus Finnegan, a polar explorer who tries to forget Willa as he marries a beautiful young woman back home in England.
- Max von Brandt, a handsome sophisticate who courts high society women, but who has a secret agenda as a German spy;
- and many others."

Ok, so I read The Tea Rose, which is the first book in the series about 8 to 9 years ago I think. Let's just say it's been awhile and that it was in the era before I discovered Goodreads. And my mind is a little fuzzy on what I thought of it exactly, except that I liked it, enjoyed reading it.

I didn't really remember much about the storyline, except that it had Jack the Ripper in it, and that was about it. So I had a bit trouble starting off, cause though the book explains all the relationships and summarizes what happened in the past, it would have been handier if I actually remembered it all. Don't let it deter you from reading this if you haven't read the other two. Everything is understandable, but there are a LOT of people in these books and I needed to get into it a bit further and then felt very comfortable there.

Because that is what this is: a very comfortable read. For most of the book anyway. That doesn't mean nothing shocking happens, cause shocking things do happen, but well, this book felt like having tea with my mother. Relaxing, fun. This book has the time to be leisure, it's pretty big. But I like my books kinda big.

Some things that bothered me: Seamus being called Seamie. He's a big, strong man. Let's just call him Seamus and not baby him. And I hope they caught this in the finished copy: somewhere along they talk about Willa's 'ankles', plural. And she lost one of her legs, so she only has the one. I know, details, but it bugged me.
And well, let's just say that some deaths were a bit too convenient for my taste.

BUT: very enjoyable story, you may want to take your time to read this, because it's big and there are many characters for you to enjoy. I did. Go read it, or the other two books in the series (I actually have #2 sitting on my shelf...).

My rating: 4 stars