The Wild Rose

One more book to go for this trilogy.

The Wild Rose focuses on Seamie, Fiona’s little brother, who isn’t little anymore. Time has passed since [Spoiler] Seamie and Willa have climbed Kilimanjaro, leaving their love shattered… like Willa’s leg. Back in London, time becomes a precious thing. World War I is approaching fast, leaving politics in disarray. Joe continues to fight for funding of public services, his daughter begins her journey in journalism and politics, women’s rights and access to voting is coming to a head, and in the middle of it, Seamie is lost. He wants to be free, out exploring the world with Ernest Shackleton again; instead he’s being pressured by family to stay home in London and pursue a serious career with the skills he has gained from his previous adventures. After meeting Jennie, he does out of duty.

Out of the three books, The Wild Rose takes the cake for being the most outrageously dramatic. The love trope is two people who are incredibly toxic to each other and when they come apart they’re destructive to others and themselves. Willa loves adventure and climbing above all else, and Seamie is the bonus; whereas with Seamie it became Willa above all else and the fact that they both love climbing and adventure, and do this together is the bonus. Even though Seamie was plot A, I was more interested in the other things that were happening. Seamie and Willa spent years punishing themselves for what happened on the Killi. It made a Seamie a coward and dishonest, especially when he encounters Willa for the first time since the accident; and it made Willa depressed. Only when life circumstances happen to Seamie and the Great War forces Will and Seamie together do we see them finally realize that if they want their love to work, they have to fight for it.

There is war intrigue and desert fights. That was where my interest perked up. When Thomas Lawrence appeared and went to the Middle East, it reminded me of reading Empires of Sand. I even attempted to watch Lawrence of Arabia, ha-ha.

This was a “wild” ending to this series. I would say if you want the satisfaction of finishing the series, I would recommend reading The Wild Rose. If you are interested, you can find it here.

7/10