Meet the Moores, my newest favorite fictional family.

In The Widow of Rose House, Diana Biller’s vivid prose takes readers on a magical and romantic journey to New York City in the Gilded Age.

After the sudden death of her abusive husband, Alva Webster has returned to New York City searching for a fresh start and a way to restore her reputation. She has plans to renovate an abandoned mansion. Falling in love along the way is simply out of the question. However, her new home is haunted, so she must accept the help of charming and eccentric Professor Samuel Moore. Reluctantly, Alva gets pulled into Sam’s sunshine, and together, they discover the secrets surrounding Alva’s new house.

The Widow of Rose House is easily one of my favorite novels of the year. Biller's beautifully crafted story and characters had me engrossed. Alva is such a strong and resilient heroine. She had a heartbreaking past but is determined to move forward. And Sam is just so adorable and completely swoonworthy. It’s no wonder Alva and I both fell for him. He has this magic about him that shines on every page. I loved that even though Sam makes his feelings for Alva clear early on, he never pushes her and lets her trust and love him at her own pace. And the chemistry between them is as explosive as Maggie’s experiments.

Speaking of Maggie, the Moores are my newest favorite fictional family. They are the kind of family everyone needs. I’d love to be a Moore.

Content Warnings:
- Discussion and flashbacks of past spousal abuse
- Neglect and emotional abuse by parents
- Discussion of suicide and murder
- Discussion of abuse of mental health patients