Queen B’s Decree: Where the Old Roses Grow is the story of Rose and Jahi, a slow progression from teacher and parent, to friends, and eventually to romantic partners. The book itself is actually a collection of seven novella size stories, kind of like a serial.
I found the dialogue to be a little stilted at the beginning, but that did improve as the story continued. I enjoyed the friendship between Rose and Jahi, and Jahi’s little girl Lily. So many of the side characters bloomed from the page and I wanted more of their stories too. In fact, I liked them a little more than Rose and Jahi some of the time, to be honest, as their back and forth was almost too angsty for me at times.
I felt like some parts were repetitive and dragged on at times, but that is likely due to the serial/novella nature of the book sections. Overall, I enjoyed the main storyline and I really appreciated how well researched this story was. So many of the technical details—that may seem minor—are correct and you know how much I love accuracy.
Thank you to the author for the gifted copy!
Book: Where the Old Roses Grow by Gracie Gable
Series: standalone
Genre: Contemporary
Hotness: no salsa
Plot Devices/Tropes: second chance