Showing The Sign of the Rose by John Morey

Ideally you may wish to read this saga before you progress to 'The Missing Years' and 'Finding Rose'. However, if you have already enjoyed the first two, you will certainly find this a delightful read - adding depth and further understanding to the mysteries and revelations that unfold throughout the Series - 'Love should never be this hard'. At last! The love story of how it all started between Rose and Sean - the ANCESTORS of the Romani characters from 'Rose: The Missing Years' and 'Finding Rose'. (If you have not read these already, they MUST be on your list after this magnificent romantic adventure.

We begin in Southern Ireland just after the Potato Famine before tracing the journey of our young couple along the banks of The Shannon as they escape to North Devon across treacherous seas, searching for their lost family. From the mining town of Tavistock we are then taken to the thriving city of Leicester at the height of the expansion of the railways, but not before encountering the dangers and mysteries of Dartmoor in yet another dramatic event.

On the way they are joined by a bold Hanoverian stallion who shapes the destiny of Sean and Rosalee - as their guardian? protector? faithful companion? or mystical conduit to the fortunes of future generations? Here lies the link - but decades later - to the lives, loves and continuing heritage seated in their gypsy ancestry.

Previous readers of the first two novels say they enjoy the nostalgia and description of the locations built into the thread of each story - portrayals of real places forming the backdrop for each story line. 'The Sign of the Rose' is no different, with strong references to the Leicestershire village of Blaby, Mill Lane and Crow Mills, as well as Charnwood Forest. The setting of Aylestone - as a rural village community before its integration as a suburb of the city - adds additional charm and is where much of the concluding drama takes place.