Rose in Bloom (26 page)
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading
Rose in Bloom
. If you want to find out about my current backlist and future releases, please like my Facebook page:
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I wish you all the best!
Helen
Also by Helen Hardt
Daughters of the Prairie Trilogy:
The Cougar Club:
Destination Pleasure:
As B.J. Hayes:
As. Myke Hunt:
Coming Soon:
The Bakersville Saga:
Cowboy Heat
Cowboy Lust
Cowboy Passion
Discussion Questions
1. The theme of a story is its central idea or ideas. To put it simply, it’s what the story
means
. How would you characterize the theme of
Rose in Bloom?
2. Rose starts out as the traditional “good girl.” Is she still a “good girl” at the end of the story? Why or why not?
3. Cameron and Evan are both obsessed with Rose’s station. Compare and contrast the two characters. How are they alike, and how are they different?
4. How might Cameron’s life have been different if his father hadn’t died after Kat was born?
5. Discuss the character of Mrs. Price. What kind of woman is she? What kind of relationship does she have with each of her children? What kind of relationship do you think she had with her late husband?
6. We learn a little more about Rose’s father, the Earl of Ashford, in this book—he’s a devout Christian, and he’s obsessed with his rank in society. Like a lot of nobility of the time period, he seems to see things in black and white. What do these things say about him? About his relationship with his wife and children? About his reaction when Cameron asked for Rose’s hand?
7. How did you feel when Rose decided not to sleep with Cameron on the night of Lily’s wedding? What do you suppose made her change her mind?
8. If Cameron’s father hadn’t been beaten and brain damaged, what do you think his life would have been like? How would Mrs. Price’s and the children’s lives have differed, if at all?
9. Discuss the scene with Melina, the gypsy crone. She seems to be dead on with her predictions, yet we learn later that she knew who Rose and Lily were. Do you think any of her predictions were accurate? Which ones and why? How do you feel about fortune telling? Did Melina have any real ability, or was she simply drawing on what she knew to be true?
10. Evan behaves quite out of character at the end of the book. What do you suppose motivates this?
11. The subplot of Iris and David is a beautiful story of love later in life. What do you think the future holds for them?
12. What do you think the future holds for Cam’s sisters, Tricia and Kat?
13. Cameron’s father, Colton, clearly had a difficult life. What do you think his life was like before his mother, Joy, died? How did they make ends meet?
14. This book is full of colorful supporting characters: Zachary Newland, the dowager Marchioness of Denbigh, Dorrance Adams, and Lady Myerson, to name a few. Discuss the roles of these characters. What is their purpose in the story?
15. Who do you think Alexandra’s hero will be? Or have we yet to meet him?
Acknowledgements
Like
Lily and the Duke, Rose in Bloom
was originally written in 2007. After many revisions, here it is! Alexandra and Sophie’s stories are not yet written, so I have my work cut out for me.
Thank you again to the amazing Meredith Wild for the beautiful cover art and for your help with promotion, and to my talented editor, Michele Hamner Moore, for your diligent work.
And thanks to all of you who read
Lily and the Duke
and who looked forward to Rose and Cam’s story. I hope you enjoyed it. Ally is up next…and it’s going to be a
hot
one!
About the Author
Helen Hardt is an attorney and stay-at-home mom turned award-winning romance author and freelance fiction editor. She writes contemporary, historical, paranormal, and erotic romance from her home in Colorado. She’s a mother, a black belt in Taekwondo, a grammar geek, and a lover of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. Visit Helen at: