I first read Rosetti’s work because she is a local author.  Her first works were romances and while that is not my genre, I really enjoy her books.  This story does have a romance in it, but it is so much more. It is not a romance novel, but an engaging, powerful immersion into sixteenth century England.

Rowan Sontheil grows up in a harsh time, made more difficult by her powers of second sight. The story is about mystical powers, but mostly its about survival in a time where woman are at the mercy of the whims of men.  I was drawn to Rowan and into her world. It has been a long time since a story has affected my mood the way this one did.  I was drawn into the dangers and the heart aches of the main character.  When small town, orphan Rowan enters the large city, I could feel the dangers around me.

Rosetti weaves fiction with historical facts and I could easily be convinced she studied this time period for years. Her world of this time period felt complete.  She did not shy away from the smells and sights of the time.

This story reminds me of the TV series, Outlander (I have not read the books). Perhaps it is more powerful because the main character is not a 20^th century woman immersed into the world of a few hundred years ago, but of a woman of the time. She has no skills learned from the future. Rowan only has her determination.

In the word choice and the exact (gritty) details Rosetti has created a novel that will linger after you read the last page.