Rose Brighton is a Birmingham police officer. Her days begins normally but ends with her shooting an armed suspect to save her partners life. This starts a chain reaction as Rose realizes she is a witch and is the last member of House of Rose. The rest of the house has been killed off. Rose is forced to search for and stop the assassin who is trying to kill her all while trying to master her powers.

The novel was a slower paced novel. The middle dragged on a little too much as it felt like Rose was running around in circles trying to find who is trying to kill her and why. I loved reading about her experimenting and mastering her powers. The history behind the different families was interesting but not detailed enough. I understand Alice didn’t know much but still I wanted to learn more.

The characters were great, I really liked Rose and Becca. The interaction and friendship between Rose and Becca was amazing, you could really see the friendship budding between the two. The male characters weren’t written as well but since they were secondary characters I was okay with that.

Thank you to Netgalley and Camel Press for this ARC. I would recommend this novel to anyone who likes YA fantasy novels.

This book wasn’t quite what I expected to be, but that isn’t exactly a bad thing. First, I did enjoy the book. I found it written well, the details (especially the police angle) were exceptional, some of the twists were unexpected, and the plot was very interesting. The book kept my interest in part because I was enthralled with the rose necklace. However, I do admit that I had a hard time connecting to the characters. They seemed a little distant, and I never really felt like I knew them, with the exception of Rose’s friend Becca who I really liked more than the others. I was intrigued enough, though, that I will definitely read the next book in the series. Recommend. I was provided the e-book which I voluntarily reviewed.

House of Rise by T.K. Thorne is a first in a new series. I’ve read lots of books about magic and witches and it is always refreshing to find a new approach.

Rose is a loner. Her family died in a fire when she was just a child. So she finds it really hard to connect with people. She is a rookie cop in Birmingham, Alabama. She is patroling with her training officer when they get a call about a burglary. They answer the call and that is when Rose’s life changes. When she is chasing the suspect something happens. She sees two of him. How is that even possible? That is one of the questions she tries to find out. The story is slow paced, sometimes too slow for my taste.

But I am very curious what will happen next, how will Rose’s power develop so I’m waiting for the next book.

Thank you NetGalley for this advance copy.

If you like witches and warlocks, then you'll enjoy this book. I did finish it, but it's not my cup of tea.

Rose is the rookie cop with a great partner teaching her the ropes. Having lost her whole family in a fire when she was 5, she gravitated to police work with the thought of finding the man in black who killed them. Her life is upended when a mysterious premonition saves her partner. A life she has been protected from since the fire brings life threatening consequences when revealed. Laced with police procedurals and a gut wrenching twist, this thriller is a must read. I heartily recommend this book . I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book from Netgalley.

Thank you NetGalley and Epicenter Press / Camel Press for this arc.

I was initially drawn to this story by it's subtitle "A Magic City Story"... I've lived in Birmingham, AL for the past 50 plus years and that really was the "draw" for me as I'd never heard of this author before.

I really enjoyed this book. I like police procedurals and that portion of the book was great. I also love the Harry Potter stories, so the magic and witchcraft portions were a bonus for me. But it was the authentic details of the book --- The Pita Stop, Taj India, Highlands Bar & Grill and the magic of Reed's Books that were a real treat for me. T. K. Thorne perfectly captured the stuffiness of "The Club" (where one of my sisters got married) and the creepiness of the Simpson home (I went to high school with the son) not to mention the whimsey of Fred Nall's sculptures in the fountain in Five Points South.

I thought the female characters were much better developed than the male characters, but that was okay -- it was Rose's story. The mystery wasn't much of a challenge, either. I did find the accuracy of the details of place to be wonderfully enchanting.

I love this book. Excellent story, fast paced and entertaining. It has great, believable characters and the writing flowed beautifully. It has an excellent story line. It is fast paced and very, very entertaining. There’s a lot going on in this book. It’s about a rookie police officer, Rose, who saw a strange vision of a crook about to shoot her partner before it actually happened. It also has lots of twists and turns. For example Rose finds a long lost aunt who tells her she is actually a witch from a long line of witches in the House of Rose. She has to learn to use her witch powers to try to figure out who is trying to kill her before it's too late. Great novel. I’ll be looking for more from his author. I highly recommend this book.

This story of a cop by a former cop is rich in detail. I really enjoyed the descriptions that drew on real places.

Rose enjoys her job as a patrol officer for the city of Birmingham, AL. A strange incident occurs that results in Rose being forced to shoot a man who is about to fire at her training officer and partner. The shooting may threaten her career, but what really concerns Rose is the odd vision she had just before she fired. That vision showed Rose that the criminal was about to fire at her partner before it actually happened. If Rose had not had the vision she would never have been able to save her partner in time. Her investigation into incidents surrounding the shooting lead her to discover things that she never knew about herself. Rose knows that she was adopted shortly after her parents and younger sister were killed supposedly in a fire. She did not know that the adoption was actually a way for her identity to be hidden from a group who wanted her dead. What follows requires Rose to fight not only for her own life but for the lives of everyone close to her.

Interesting... I wasn't expecting several of the plot twists and I felt a real connection with the heroine; her character was well-developed and it was easy to empathize with her. Plenty of drama and magic, and the story moved along briskly so you don't get bored. A thoroughly enjoyable read!

5 stars
Review by Leah
Late Night Reviewer
Up All Night w/ Books Blog

House of Rose by T.K. Thorne brought the art of magic back without all the black magic, spells and potions. She brings the power of Mother Earth, the grounding and I thank you for that, so refreshing. The bonus is, IT'S A CRIME NOVEL WITH WITCHES AND WARLOCKS!

A beat cop patrolling the streets, Rose and her partner Paul respond to a burglary call in her neighborhood. During that call, another comes in a couple of blocks over and they are in pursuit. As Rose turns the corner sees something she cannot explain. A vision, a premonition, all she knows is she has to save her partner.

Adopted as a child after a tragedy that took her family from her, Rose thought she was it, she had no blood family left. So it was quite a shock when she stumbles upon her Great Aunt Alice and it took quite a bit of convincing that they were related. Then finding out she is the firstborn heir of the House of Rose throws her for another loop. Oh yeah, Rose, there is a House of Iron who is trying to kill you. Perfect! Gotta love family drama. Rose took to her abilities like a deer to a frozen pond. Thank you T.K. Thorne for that, it drives me insane when I am reading about someone coming into their powers and *poof* they know how to use them.

Aunt Alice and her "kitties" (you will giggle when you get to that part of the book) is a character that everyone wants as an aunt and then there is Paul, ohhh Paul, you sir are a tricky little thing.

The book does not say it but the House of Rose reminds me of Green Witches (not the book, the actual Green Witches). They pull from the earth’s energy, stones, gems, elements, etc. which is near and dear to me. I am all for reading about the black/dark magic but it’s refreshing to read about the other side that many people do not think about. This was one read I did not know how it would end. I was not able to predict the ending in chapter 5, which was awesome! It kept me on my toes and up past 2 am. Ready for book 2 😀

** ARC provided for an honest review **

This was way better than I expected. It's narrated from a police perspective, and given that the author works in the force, it's a pretty accurate portrayal of the work they do. (Not that I would know either way, but it felt real) Given all the bad press police have been getting lately, it was eye opening to read it from their perspective - the internal dilemma of determining if the situation requires the officer to shoot, and how they have to deal with the emotional and political repercussions afterwards.

Since this was a fantasy book, mixing the real life of a police officer together with magic made this a unique read. It felt more real than most urban fantasy, especially since everyone's human. No hot werewolves or vampires running around naked here.

The characters were well done, the writing flowed nicely and easily, and the plot had several interesting twists. I really enjoyed reading it (it kept me up till 5am, and I had to be in work a few hours later). I'm looking forward to the sequel.

I received a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rose's family was murdered when she was a child and and she was raised in an adoptive military family that moved often so she has trouble with personal relationships. She has recently graduated from college and is training to become a police officer in Birmingham, Alabama. She is on patrol with her training partner and in pursuit of a burglar when she gets a vision of the immediate future in which her partner is shot and killed. She changes the future by shooting and killing the perpetrator before he can kill her partner. After that, she has more visions and discovers a long lost aunt who tells her she is actually a witch from a long line of witches in the House of Rose. There are other Houses and since she has come into her magic, someone is trying to kill her. Rose must learn to use her powers and figure out who is trying to kill her before it's too late. I liked the story but I didn't really like Rose. I found it hard to believe that so many people wanted to befriend her, she wasn't really personable or likeable and her standoffish attitude about allowing people into her house was strange. The writing style was very detached and the action was few and far between. Everything seemed to move slowly. I liked the story but I think the writing style seemed very passive and detached. I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Excellent story, fast paced and entertaining. A different take on paranormal abilities. Looking forward to the next one.

Actual rating 3.5 stars.

I quite enjoyed this. It was better than I expected it to be that's for sure.

Rose Brighton is a rookie cop coming to the end of working the training car with her mentor Paul, she's both excited and nervous as to where she'll be moved to once training is over. After they get a routine burglary call, Rose's life turns upside down. While chasing a suspect down an alleyway something strange happens, the person splits into two people, one shoots Paul and kills him, the other just stands there. When she comes back to herself, she realises that Paul hasn't even arrived yet, when he does, she shoots the suspect before he has a chance to act out the grisly scene that she witnessed moments before. With a young man dead, the general public calling for her execution, the life of her new career in jeopardy of being cut short, and the fact that she saw the future, Rose's life gets turned upside down, inside out and turned completely around. What is this terrifying thing, how did it happen, and why did it happen to her? This opens up the story of warring magical houses, witches and warlocks, houses of Iron, Rose and Steel, and in the middle a poor young woman who has no friends, doesn't know how to make friends and with no family to turn to. She is soon thrown into complete chaos as she tries to understand her "house" and her new powers while learning the history of the family that was killed when she was five.

I found this to be a pretty slow paced novel, there wasn't a whole lot happening at times, but the story was still plodding along. I enjoyed the writer's voice in this, it was polished and very easy to follow. The story was interesting, I've read a lot of stories about witches, warlocks, cabals and their wars, this was a refreshing take on the paranormal world of these kinds of beings, and I thoroughly enjoyed what I read. I'm a little confused at the relationship Rose has with one character, but I guess, when i think about it, it did make sense once everything was tied up at the end.

I actually had no idea who Mr.Black was until it was revealed which was great, it's never too fun when you can see what's happening WAAAAYYYYY before the character even gets an inkling.

The author actually used to be a policewoman, so this definitely gave the characters and the story an air of reality, especially when so much of it is centered around the police force, their different departments, as well as the lingo and the procedures.

I'm looking forward to seeing where this world goes, and I definitely hope that the author revisits this world and its characters sometime soon.

"House of Rose" starts out strong - A cop is a natural-born witch who has powers of essentially time travel with the help of a rose necklace.
I stopped reading this book after Chapter Ten, and then skimmed through the rest up until Chapter Thirteen before I closed the book altogether.
It just didn't keep my attention. The premise was beautiful, I really liked the idea of where this book was going, but the writing just lagged.
There was nothing keeping me entertained besides the witchy rose necklace and the magic, but after awhile with nothing even happening in regards to those pieces, I just couldn't read it anymore.
This book just wasn't what I was hoping for but maybe it will be for someone else.