Harrowing Roses By Barbara Cooper Genre: Paranormal Suspense Thriller Age category: Adult Release Date: 16 December 2021
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Barbara Cooper writes in such a beautifully unique style that perfectly romanticizes the situation and hidden secrets in this mysterious thriller.
Dana and her mother are visiting their family. Family that Dana is not close to or very happy about being around. She is in a place that isn’t familiar or comfortable for her. Her cousin Debra Lee turns up missing and that extends this really unwanted and unhappy visit. Dana’s love affair with Jonathan probably helps the visit to be a bit better.
Maybe she is bored, lonely, feels out of place with all those negative empty feelings, she begins looking for her cousin. That’s when she meets Henry. He is a bit off or strange but instead of that scaring Dana away, it sort of pulls her in. His offish ways give her reason to think he might have something to do with Debra Lee’s disappearance.
Although Dana has no love loss for her cousin Debra Lee, and Dana still is not absolutely sure about Henry, she starts to feel a connection with him and Dana’s cousin seems to be at the core of their connection.
Henry has special gifts that have made him a loner. There is a mystery, close to something magical or witchy about Henry and his visons. He is also hiding information probably out of fear due to how he has been looked at and treated by others due to his gifts, especially his neighbor Johnathan, Dana’s lover.
I love the title and how it describes so much of what Dana is feeling. She doesn’t want to be where she is, even so she sees the rose like blooms growing out of the water. The scents of the marshes can not be denied, as neither can the beauty. And all the while, she continues to feel this dismal despair.
All through the story there is a back and forth with a flirty, sensual, whodunnit vibe. Everything and everyone is to question. The end brings some closure but leaves a very creepy, questionable possibility. My review of things is just the crust of what is happening. There is so much about each of these characters, their connections and secrets. All of it grows deeper and darker as the story goes on. Then the truth, about the missing Debra Lee, is discovered.
Harrowing Roses is mysterious with a sexy, whodunnit vibe. This style of thriller is so wonderful and easy to cozy up with. I enjoyed reading this book so much! The print is easy on the eyes too. It is a short story possibly considered a novella at 174 reading pages with beautiful black and white illustrations by the author. Beautifully done and the writing is poetic, adding something exceptional to the suspense.
