“Can you not feel it? The way my soul beckons to yours?” – Immortal Rose by Alexandra Bracken

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When the romance is built around emotional yearning rather than physical spice… when the trope is so painfully and obviously enemies-to-lovers… when there is dual POV’s… when it is advertised as a duology…. It’s literally the recipe to my heart.

It’s the kind of stories that makes me carry my kindle literally everywhere until the story is done. And that is exactly what I did with Immortal Rose by Alexandra Bracken did for about the first 40%.

So, what made this perfect recipe land at four stars and not five for me?

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Immortal Rose by Alexandra Bracken Summary

In Immortal Rose, Alexandra Bracken introduces us to an original world where magic is bottled in fragrance, passed down through the Rosebourne family. When a murder threatens the kingdom of Albion, the search for the mythical Immortal Rose perfume becomes a matter of survival.

Viola Lockwood (the last living Rosebourne) and Hugh Thornton are forced into an unwanted alliance and strike a bargain to work together in hopes to find the perfume’s lost fairy ingredient.

Immortal Rose by Alexandra Bracken ARC Review

Let’s start with the best part of this story: the yearning. The yearning was top tier for me. Tell me someone’s soul is beckoning for another person’s soul and I am undoubtably invested.

There’s this very specific kind of enemies-to-lovers story that gets me every time.

I don’t necessarily need (or even want) two people to genuinely despise each other for pages on top of pages. No, no… what I want is resistance. Resistance is key!

I want them to have very strong reasons to believe they shouldn’t or couldn’t EVER be together.

And Immortal Rose understands that part of a true enemies-to-lovers beautifully. Thank you, Alexandra Bracken.

So, here is where I think the book lost a little of its magic for me…

This story could have been told in far fewer pages.

Look, I LOVE long books with a slow-burn romance. But there is a huge difference for me between a slow-burn romance and a slow-moving story.

Unfortunately, there were stretches of Immortal Rose where I felt the pacing start to drag and my momentum I had began to disappear.

And that was so difficult for me because I was so invested immediately.

Immortal Rose by Alexandra Bracken ALC Review

I listened to the audiobook alongside reading the ARC, and I truly truly loved the audio experience!

Immortal Rose features dual narration from Nicola Barber and Christian Coulson, and both did an amazing job.

I am a HUGE fan of dual narration and how the two narrators complement the story. This pairing worked beautifully for me.

The emotional tension of this overall story and the romance translated so well to audio. When the romance is built around what the characters are feeling beneath what they’re actually saying, having two distinct voices bringing those characters to life always adds to a satisfying experience.

The narration helped me stay engaged even during some of the slower stretches of the story, and I would absolutely recommend experiencing this one in audio if you enjoy dual narration!

Immortal Rose by Alexandra Bracken Final Thoughts

Immortal Rose by Alexandra Bracken gave me exactly the kind of romance I always have such a weakness for: slow-burn, complicated, emotional, full of resistance, and (most importantly) full of yearning.

I just wish the story had trusted itself enough to be a little shorter.

The romance was the star of this story. The pacing is what kept this a four star read for me!

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Thank you so much Avon and Harper Voyager and HarperAudio Adult via NetGalley for the ARC and ALC!

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