What a delightful surprise Of Jasmine and Roses by Jill E. Warner is! Don’t get me wrong. I had no sense that this book wouldn’t be great. I just had no idea what to expect. I’ve never heard of Jill E. Warner before and I definitely haven’t read any of her books. That’s because Of Jasmine and Roses is Warner’s debut novel, and what a debut it is. I loved this story so much. Right from page one I was hooked and tore through the pages of this story. The best part of this story is Anna. I love her character so much. She is one of the strongest heroines I’ve ever read. Many times in this story I wanted to scream at all the other characters for being so obtuse and rude and ugly. But Anna never lets the meanness take her down. Sure, she gets hurt feelings, she gets sad, she even gets frustrated, but she never lets the rudeness or the meanness of others change her. Anna is strong. She is strong on page one, and she is strong on the final page, too. I was very encouraged by her throughout this story. But I was also glad for William Thaxton to enter her life. William is a wonderful hero. He pays attention to details, he sees what others miss or take for granted, and he recognizes the value of everyone. He is also a natural problem solver and wants desperately to fix others’ problems when he can (and even when he can’t). He is the perfect hero for Anna. I love how Anna and William become friends, and then, seemingly out of nowhere, they become more than friends. But they are a tad oblivious to their true feelings, and it takes a minute or two for them to get on the same page. I found Anna and William’s journey to love rather refreshing and endearing. What I like so much about Anna and William’s relationship is how through each other they find a sense of belonging. Like God made Anna just for William and vice versa. So sweet!

Of Jasmine and Roses is a wonderful Historical Romance. This is a story I won’t soon forget. If you love a well-written, highly engaging story that will make you feel all the feels, then this is definitely the story for you.

I received a review copy of this novel in eBook form from the publisher, Covenant Communications, via NetGalley. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.