The Sign of the Rose: Love should never be this hard

Quote from one reader: "So nice to read about positives in a world of so many negatives."
Author's answer: "Absolutely. That's why. I aim to be a good storyteller; not just a novelist."

* A dramatic escape from tyranny, a romance, a rags-to-riches feel-good adventure story
* Entertaining - but ensuring we never forget Britain's treatment of the Irish in the 19th Century
* Truth, fiction and tragedy woven into a mythical and historical romantic drama - a heart-warming coming of age story.
* A great beginning (to the read); and what a brilliant ending.

Life was working out fine for Sean - before the English burn down his house and kill his parents.

He escapes Ireland with soon-to-be sweetheart Rosalee to the Westcountry - England of all places - in search of family, and where they find a lost family, tragedy and fortune
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It's a time when wreckers and highwaymen still flourish, but they fight back to find reward, companionship in a surprising form - and each other.

Opportunity and adventure await pioneering spirits such as Sean, Rosalee and the new-found Sercombe family. What was it really like for an Irish Romani gypsy to live during the new age of technology and industrial revolution? Immerse yourself in this gypsy romance where traditional culture struggles with a changing world.

It's an easy-to-read yet powerful account with foundations and connections to real-life characters, events and locations, but fictionalized for an entertaining and feel-good read.

As one reader put it: "So nice to read about positives in a world of so many negatives."

The Sign of the Rose is Book 1 in the 'Love should never be this hard' series by author J S Morey. Later, a large part of Books 2 to 4 also feature rural Cornwall, Devon and Leicester and, later, Plymouth and Teignmouth.

Enjoy classic fiction embracing hope and laced with a touch of mysticism, from this new romantic novelist who can be relied upon to deliver a wholesome story - from a wholesome storyteller.

Author's NoteLeicestershire Floods - History comes to lifeThe Soar Valley has a long-standing record of serious flooding, with regular occurrence - even as I write, from Mountsorrel to Whetstone - to Blaby and Broughton Astley
Low-lying land in and around Blaby - such as under the railway bridge and Northfield Park, Cross Street into Sycamore Street, and further afield on Hospital Lane towards Countesthorpe, where the low point in the road at the point where the railway bridge used to cross still causes road closures.The River Sence - from gentle stream to raging torrentAn off-shoot of the Soar, it overflows regularly with dire consequences and disruption to travel.
I have taken this local phenomenon as a location for one of the most compelling scenes in 'The Sign of the Rose'. It's a fictional account of what might have happened back in the day, potentially life-threatening in the absence of modern-day weather warnings and emergency services we take for granted today.Local history comes alive in this fictional romantic dramaIt's the kind of realistic context I build into all my stories, enabling history and yesterdays to 'come alive', to be relived by you, the reader.
Enjoy.
JSM - Author