Where Roses Fall (A Winter Rose Story)

Publisher: Wild Rumpus

Year: 2024

Order Now

Bestselling and award-winning author Jennifer Donnelly continues her Rose Petals series – novella-length stories set within the world of her beloved Tea Rose saga — with Where Roses Fall (A Winter Rose Story).

The Story

It’s the summer of 1900 in London’s gritty East End. The ruthless, complicated gangster Sid Malone rules the streets of Whitechapel with an iron fist, but cannot rule his own heart.

A forbidden love for India Selwyn Jones, an idealistic young doctor, torments Sid. He’s certain the violence of his underworld life will only lead to tragedy for a soul whose kindness and decency are like nothing he’s ever known.  

When India’s new hospital is robbed in a stealthy nighttime raid, Sid’s worst fears are confirmed. Convinced a powerful rival is closing in, he distances himself from India to keep her safe. But what he doesn’t see is that the one who needs saving might just be himself.

Where Roses Fall is set between parts one and two of The Winter Rose, the second book of The Tea Rose saga. 

Here’s a little video about the book:

You may order Where Roses Fall from your favorite retailer (if it’s not available there yet, it will be soon!) — or order a signed paperback or hardcover directly from Jennifer!

Buy Where Roses Fall in hardcover, paperback or ebook from these retailers, or a signed copy direct from Jennifer!

The Inspiration

To all of you who have joined me on my new journey into an old story, thank you from the bottom of my heart! I have loved spending time with my beloved Rose saga characters again: Fiona and Nick in Molly’s Letter, and, now, Sid and India – the forbidden lovers from The Winter Rose – in Where Roses Fall.

But what I really love is sharing this world with you, my dearest readers. Your enthusiasm, encouragement and engagement with the Rose saga – the original books and now these follow-up “Rose Petals” – sustains me, and I’m so happy that you’re with me to discover the new stories and unexplored threads within The Tea RoseThe Winter Rose, and The Wild Rose!

Where Roses Fall FAQ

Q: You called Where Roses Fall a “Rose Petal” – is it a new Tea Rose saga book?

A: It is, but like Molly’s Letter, the first of my Rose Petal stories set within the world of the Rose saga, it’s a novella, not a massive 700-page Tea Rose-style novel. A novella is longer than a short story but shorter than a full novel … though Where Roses Fall is quite long for a novella – the hardcover edition is almost 200 pages!

Each Rose Petal story centers on an episode in the lives of characters from the original Rose saga books — some major characters, some who might’ve been just a quick mention in the original. Or they might be entirely new characters that none of us have met before – like young Jimmy Evans in Where Roses Fall. He’s brand new, but I think you’ll love him – I do!

Q: Where Roses Fall is set within The Winter Rose. Can we assume that Sid Malone and India Selwyn Jones are in it?

A: And how! It’s all about the difficult, dangerous early days of Sid and India’s relationship, and how close it all came to ending before it even began. But you’ll recognize other characters, too. The villains in Sid’s crime gang. Police Sergeant Roddy O’Meara. The boisterous Moskowitz family, whom I particularly love – this story allowed me to develop them more than I could in The Winter Rose, and it was wonderful to get to know them a little better this time around.

Q: Where and when is Where Roses Fall set?

A: It’s set in London in 1900. Between parts one and two of The Winter Rose.

Q: Do I need to read The Winter Rose before I read Where Roses Fall?

A: You don’t have to – the story stands on its own if you don’t know any of the characters or the backstory – but you’ll have a lot more context if you read at least part one of The Winter Rose (and The Tea Rose, for that matter) first.

Q: Where and when can I buy Where Roses Fall?

A: It’s available now in hardcover, paperback and ebook wherever you buy books — online or brick-and-mortar (if you don’t see it on your local bookstore’s shelf, they can order it for you! You can also get a signed copy on my website shop. The audiobook (read by the amazing Jill Tanner, who read all the Rose saga books, including Molly’s Letter), will be out later this year.

Q: Where can I learn more?

A: I have quite a bit about Where Roses Fall on my website and social media channels (I’m @jenwritesbooks on most platforms). And for more about the Rose Petals project, you can check out the Q&A in my Molly’s Letter book page.

Q: What’s next for the Rose Petals project?

A: I’m definitely doing a third Rose Petal story. I think I know what it’s going to be … but I’m still ironing out the plot. Stay tuned!! ❤️🌹❤️

Buy Where Roses Fall in hardcover, paperback or ebook from these retailers, or a signed copy direct from Jennifer!

 

13 comments

  1. Vanessa says:

    I am currently re-reading “The Tea Rose series”, and funny thing I started The Winter Rose just a few days ago, to found out yesterday out of the blue while looking at books on Amazon, that there is a novella set in the Winter rose right between Part one and a two, and that it’s not out yet! I just finished Part one, and I am debating on waiting until tomorrow so I can get it; a few years back when I read the winter rose for the first time, I felt like I wanted more Sid/Charlie and India, so I am absorbing the book more this time, I just love them and I am just looking forward to get hopefully more of them; I absolutely love the series, you write so beautifully, that literally transport you to that time, you cheer for them and you ache for them, it’s such a rollercoaster of emotions! Thank you, and can’t wait for more of the rose saga 😉

    • Jennifer Donnelly says:

      Thanks for this lovely note, Vanessa! Readers like you are the reason I came back to this series (and, I must confess, I’m loving spending time with these characters again!). That’s so funny that you’re right where Where Roses Fall starts! I’ve always thought it would be fun to read the novellas where they fit in the timeline of the overall saga — I hope you enjoy it!! 🌹❤️

  2. Claudia D says:

    I can’t wait! The Winter Rose was my first Jennifer Donnelly novel and I loved it so much. And my daughter’s name is India, so it’s even nearer to my heart. So excited to be with Sid and India again!!

    • Jennifer Donnelly says:

      Yay!! I hope you enjoy it, Claudia! And I love that your daughter is India — such a beautiful name! 🌹❤️

  3. Paula says:

    Thank you for providing more India and Sid! Please tell me that there there won’t be a different version that is published in the UK. Years ago I ended up with the UK hard copy book and then when I ordered the audiobook, it was the US version which was different in certain chapters from the UK version. And truth to tell I prefer the UK version. And along those lines is there a UK audiobook version of Winter Rose, and if so how can I get it? Thanks for your lovely stories! Paula

    • Jennifer Donnelly says:

      Funny you should say that, Paula – I recently happened to see some old UK copies of the Winter Rose and I was reminded that there are indeed a few differences between the two. The UK edition is a little spicier, for one thing!!🤭 I do not believe there is a separate UK edition of the audiobook, though the US edition is read by Jill Tanner, who is British and reads with a British (or Irish, depending on the character) accent — confusing, I know! There is only one English edition of Where Roses Fall (and Molly’s Letter, my first Rose Petal story, which is set within the Tea Rose) — so there are no issues with different versions at this point! Both of these books are also read by Jill, which I’m thrilled about — I think she’s amazing and it’s so nice to have all the Rose saga books delivered in the same voice!

      • Anonymous says:

        Thanks for the update! I do think Jill Tanner is great and look forward to the audio book after I read and re-read and re-read again Where Roses Fall! So looking forward to getting my book!!!

  4. Amy says:

    I was just on Amazon and the print copies are not available for preorder; only the kindle and I don’t read ebooks.

    I will try ordering the hardcover from my local indie bookseller.

    😀

    • Jennifer Donnelly says:

      Yes, I’m not sure why Amazon doesn’t allow pre-orders of print books — just ebooks! I’m sure your local bookseller can help you … but it may not appear in their system quite yet (it’s just now getting set up in Ingram — the distributor your bookseller probably uses). Your bookseller may want to know the ISBN number(s) to help find the book — the hardcover ISBN is 979-8-9886471-5-7 and the paperback is 979-8-9886471-4-0. Thank you and good luck — please keep me posted!

      • Amy says:

        Thank you!

        Any hopes of more historical fiction or adult novels in the future? The “Rose” books are still by far my favorites of yours (especially “The Tea Rose”) and I can’t wait to reconnect with the Finnegans!

        • Jennifer Donnelly says:

          Well, you’re in the right place and the right time for more from the Rose saga! I assume you know about Molly’s Letter, which expands the Tea Rose story, and you obviously know about Where Roses Fall (which is almost as long as a novel, even though I set out to write a nice little novella!), which will be out in about two weeks. These are both adult historical fiction. I have a third “Rose Petal” story in the works, which will be out next year — probably the first half, though I still have to write that one!

          I will be busy with another project for a little while (I’ll announce details soon), but I have loved getting back to the Rose saga and will write more historical fiction when I can — either within the Rose universe or something completely new (or both – I wish I had time to do it all!!) 🌹❤️

  5. Nelly Gobejishvili says:

    Hello! I’m super excited for the new book! Congrats! I hope the best 🙂 I’m a huge fan since 2010 (I was 11 years old when I started reading Donelly’s books). I want to order it so badly, but you don’t ship to Georgia (Tbilisi). 🙁 Can we do something? Please… Thank you in advance!

    -Nelly xx

    • Jennifer Donnelly says:

      Hi Nelly: Yes, we can now ship to Tbilisi! We just had to add it on our website (no one from Georgia has ordered from us before!) If you go back to the order page, you should be able select Georgia as your shipping destination. Unfortunately, shipping to Georgia (and to most non-US countries) is very expensive from New York — sorry about that! If you don’t need the book signed, you might want to wait until it is available on Amazon, or perhaps your local bookseller — bookstores around the world should be able to order it. Either way, thanks for your note, and I hope you enjoy Where Roses Fall! 🌹❤️

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.