Title: Brown Roses
Author: Tope Omotosho
Series: Flower Series Book 1
Age Category: Adult
Blurb:
What if the only way to discover who you are is to look for it in your scars?
Erinma Roberts thought her life was perfect because she was the CEO of a multinational beauty corporation, had an adoring boyfriend, and amazing friends. Tragic events, on the other hand, have a way of defining who is most important and what truly matters.
Erinma picks up the pieces of her world after multiple surgeries and therapy sessions, deciding how to best move forward and appease her guilt. She realizes this is the time to ask God what He has in store for her life, but it will necessitate drastic changes that will be met with opposition.
Hurting people hurt people.
Andrew Madu knows firsthand that love stories between two different social classes rarely end happily ever after. He goes out of his comfort zone to make Erinma smile again after seeing her scars and realizing the trauma she's been through. No matter how hard he tries, he can't ignore their undeniable attraction. When history wants to play it again, it introduces a new plot twist and puts their attempts at new beginnings and God's healing power to the test.
My Review:
First of all I'd like to start by saying how much I love this cover. I am a sucker for anything with floral designs so when I saw this cover, I immediately fell in love. The idea for this series is so unique and I was so excited to read this story.
Brown Roses is the first book in the Flower Series and it follows two main characters--Erinma and Andrew as they both learn how to deal with their scars. Erinma is a burn survivor and has physical scars which also affect her emotionally and mentally. The book tackles a lot of her insecurities which she addresses as she goes about her daily life of being the CEO of a beauty company while relying on God to lead her.
Andrew on the other hand has emotional scars and after a previous heartbreak, he throws himself into his cab business and dedicates his time to looking after his daughter while putting up barriers and blocking out any chances for love. When the two characters cross paths, God's amazing plan helps them to face and overcome their fears.
I loved the character development in this book. Unlike Tope's other books which usually follow multiple characters and different love stories, this one focused more on Andrew and Erinma's story which I really loved. My favourite character was definitely Andrew. His determination to be a good father to his daughter was admirable. I also liked a secondary character called Isimeme--who I believe will be the main character of the second book. She was such a good friend to Erinma and I can't wait to read her own story.
I'm not going to lie I was a little (just a little bit) frustrated with how long it took for the romance between Andrew and Erinma to kick off. The pacing made sense because Erinma was engaged for over fifty percent of the book, but I knew the relationship with her fiance would break down. I just wished it had broken down sooner lol. That being said, Tope compensated for the wait by giving us swoon-worthy romantic scenes between Erinma and Andrew. The romance between these two is my favourite out of all the books I've read by the author.
I also loved all the Christ-centered themes explored such as forgiveness, purpose and our worth in Christ. I'm so excited for the next book and can't wait to see how Isi's story unfolds.
You can get a copy of Brown Roses on Amazon, Okada Books and Bambooks. If you've read the book or any books in the series then please let me know what you thought of it.
Thanks for reading and remember you can check out my own books here.
Lots of love
Joanny 💕