A Forgery of Roses

Written by Jessica S. Olson

Narrated by Billie Fulford-Brown

"A deliciously twisted gothic fantasy you'll want to read again and again, with characters you'll adore, prose that'll spellbind you, romance you'll swoon over, and a mystery that'll keep you guessing until the last stunning twist."
—Diana Urban, author of These Deadly Games

From the author of Sing Me Forgotten comes a lush new fantasy novel with art-based magic, romance, and murder…
 
Myra has a gift many would kidnap, blackmail, and worse to control: she’s a portrait artist whose paintings alter people’s bodies. Guarding that secret is the only way to keep her younger sister safe now that their parents are gone. But one frigid night, the governor’s wife discovers the truth and threatens to expose Myra if she does not complete a special portrait that would resurrect the governor's dead son.
 
Once she arrives at the legendary stone mansion, however, it becomes clear the boy’s death was no accident. A killer stalks these halls--one disturbingly obsessed with portrait magic. Desperate to get out of the manor as quickly as possible, Myra turns to the governor’s older son for help completing the painting before the secret she spent her life concealing makes her the killer’s next victim.

“A heady blend of the fantastical, the murderous, and the romantic.” —Kirkus Reviews, STARRED review 

“Marvelously magical and steeping with mystery.” —Adalyn Grace, author of All the Stars and Teeth 

Also by Jessica S. Olson: 
Sing Me Forgotten 
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Harlequin Audio
• Release date: Mar 29, 2022
• ISBN: 9781488212956

Jessica S. Olson

Jessica S. Olson claims New Hampshire as her home, but has somehow found herself in Texas. When she's not hiding from the heat, she's corralling her three wild, but adorable, children, dreaming up stories and eating peanut butter straight from the jar. She earned a bachelor’s in English with minors in editing and French, which means she spent all of her university time reading and eating French pastries.

Reviews for A Forgery of Roses

[Xiomy Santiago · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Overall while I think that A Forgery of Roses had a promising synopsis the middle took a dull, lackluster turn. I will admit that the villainous reveal was unforseen, one I was not expecting. Unfortunately, one clever twist lacked the strength to make me root or endear myself to the characters. While the author tackled chronic illness and anxiety some of these feelings or conditions aren't physical traits just a battle that is dealt with on a daily basis. Which is why August was presented with anxiety which has nothing to do with how much of a coward her was. Lucy was an interesting character but wasn't explored further into the story. And Myra was foolish and selfish at times. The sibling dynamics were the ones I enjoyed the most. But two tropes are seen within this book that aren't my favs such as insta-love and a love triangle. Which neither were fully developed so I cared less about either one. Overall, I'm glad I read it but it wasn't memorable.

[Leslie Kingsbury · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

3.5 star rating. This book was good the reader was great. Parts of the book were a little slow, but I would have never seen the ending coming. I thought I knew who the murder was. A big NOPE.

[Jacqueline Meyer · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was a fine book. It was like a roller coaster of interest for me. Moments, I would be wrapped up in the story, and others, I fought with myself on whether to put the book down and start a new one or try to finish the book.

I will admit that the twist at the was a good one, but my audiobook kept messing up. I felt like part of the book skipped ahead because I wasn’t following what the character was talking about and referring to. When I tried to go back, I noticed that I was skipping chapters and the audio was repeating. Very weird.

Technically, I didn’t finish the book because the audio was messing up for me. I kinda figured out the big secret enough for me to feel good about putting the book down. Go ahead and give the book a try! It was an interesting read. Almost positive that my technical difficulties weren’t due to the audiobook recordings and more, just my phone.