Alan Titchmarsh - Rose

Review written by   Brian Lowen and read live on the bookshow 8th May 2014:

AT  is keeping up the standard with this latest book. What I would call Mills & Boon with more depth.

The subject of the title is the Grandmother of Nick Robertson, who is a free lance artist who lives and paints on the Isle of Wight. He is getting over a recent coming apart from his long term live in lover who has gone off to America with a younger man. Nick is approaching his 39^th birthday and so he throws himself into his work to try and stop himself getting too morbid.

He is content to live in seclusion in his little cottage overlooking the sea, but all that is about to change.

Nick’s Mum is worried about her Mother at the grand old age of 89 and thinks it is time she moved into a rest home. Rosie does not agree, so she arrives on Nick’s doorstep to stay for a short time while she sorts herself out. Then Nick’s sister, Sophie arrives back from trekking around South America.

Meanwhile Nick has met another artist while out painting and she is a young, attractive blond, recently separated, with a 10 year old daughter. And so we have the classic situation where boy meets girl, boy falls out with girl, boy makes it up with girl, but this time there are lots of complications involving diamonds, Nick’s wayward Father, Rosie and her new friend, Henry who owns the gallery where Nick sells his pictures. Also Rosie is

certain that she has royal blood in her veins and thinks she is related to the Russian Romanov family.

AT tells a lovely heart warming story that takes you in and keeps the interest going throughout. Very enjoyable – a good read that does not require a lot of concentration.