Rosewood Falls: Love in Six Parts

        I know I’ve said before that my interest in contemporary romance has waned, but I just had to try these books for two reasons. One, I actually know the author personally! Melanie Macek and I both attend the same local writer’s group, and I was excited to be able to support an author I actually know (Melanie writes romance both historical and contemporary, and you can learn more about her and her books at https://featherpenstartandreams.wordpress.com/). Two, the story concept of this particular series intrigued me. Six love stories, all interwoven over the same period of a single week? How fascinating! Plus, the covers were adorable… therefore, I couldn’t resist :-D.
      In the Rosewood Falls series, six friends are gathered together to celebrate a wedding. Each woman has her own unique hang-up when it comes to falling in love; from a single mom to divorcee to being left at the altar, they all struggle when it comes to finding a happily-ever-after. Even the bride faces her own challenge, and she’s about to get married! It’s not easy, but one by one, each lady finds her match and is able to overcome the barriers keeping them from love, and by the end of the series, it’s clear there will be more weddings in the future ;-).
     Despite the fact that all six stories take place simultaneously, there is hardly any overlap between books. All the same dinners and events take place, but each time the perspective is unique to the couple featured in that book, so instead of repeating things over and over, each story adds layers and depth to what’s going on. And the love stories are realistic; these aren’t fairy tale endings, but real couples facing real problems that must be overcome to make their relationships work. Plus, the level of romance is more “sweet” and innocent (you know me, I’m not interested in couples that just jump into bed together ><).
        The only downside (if you can call it that) is that these are novellas, not full-length novels. So the stories are shorter than typical romance books. I actually very much enjoyed the fact that they were short – they were wonderful for fun summer reading! I will admit that once or twice, the end of the story felt rushed (particularly Aster’s story, but honestly, she has so much going on that hers could have really been a full-length novel had the author desired to do so). If you’re looking for something long and in-depth, this isn’t it. But for light, quick reading (say, over a weekend or on vacation) these books are perfect :-).
       As much as I enjoyed taking a break from the novels I typically read and treating myself to stories that I could devour within an hour or so, I don’t think it’s a form of storytelling that I myself will really engage in. For my own books, I just want to add so much to the story that I don’t think I could ever be satisfied with writing a novella. Or, if I were to write something so short, it would probably be more of a “bonus” story that follows characters from an established novel. But it was still fun to branch out and try something new!
         What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments section!
         Until the next time, keep reading!
P.S. – If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends! Here’s a link:
https://www.lynnwallaceauthor.com/blog-on-books-and-writing/rosewood-falls-love-in-six-parts
P.P.S. – Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook/ Twitter/ Instagram, and sign up for my email list!