Author Spotlight: Stephanie Rose; Heat & Heart, She Keeps it Real
The month before Indies Invade Philly (IIP) in 2021, I was deep into a quest to read as many attending authors as I could. I put out a call for help, looking for a standalone book by an attending author, and one name kept coming up over and over: Stephanie Rose. Stephanie had just released Safeguard the month before, and I took that as a sign. Especially when I got a few DMs from reader and author friends also recommending that particular book. So what did I do? I went straight to Amazon to grab it, of course!
Now, the average person would have looked at Safeguard and said, “Hmm… it’s part of the Speakeasy series. Should I dive in?” Well, clearly I am not the average person, and yes, I dove right in. And I was hooked immediately. Stephanie pulled together so many great tropes and created a beautiful story based around her characters. And I love character based stories. Plus, Safeguard is truly an interconnected standalone. It’s part of the Speakeasy world, but I never felt like I was missing anything when I read Matteo and Melanie’s story. It was all there, the intensity, the humor, a little bit of angst, all of the emotions, and a wonderful HEA. It was the perfect introduction to a new author. I liked her style immediately.
Still on my quest to read as many IIP authors as I could, I hopped onto another author, promising myself I would come back to Stephanie’s books after the event. And then I went to IIP and felt crappy because I had only read one of her books. I was still a mess of nerves at IIP and was terrified I would make a fool of myself in front of all of these authors by admitting I hadn’t read all of their books. And I don’t think I ever told Stephanie any of this. Confession time!
I actually had the chance to meet Stephanie the night before the event. She was at the hotel bar with Avery Maxwell and Kathryn Nolan. I will admit to watching their group chat and laugh for several minutes working up the nerve to say hi. Interestingly, it was someone sharing a meme about authors feeling excited about being recognized by fans that finally convinced me to walk over to them. Well, that and my sister reminding me that we all put our bras on one boob at a time. Humor for the win! And talk about a massive fangirl moment! I have no idea what I even said to any of them. I did just message Stephanie to ask if it actually happened. And if it did, was it Friday or Saturday night. Let’s just say I was in a complete fangirl stupor that weekend, and blame it on that and my advanced age.
And of course the next day I got to fangirl even more over Stephanie at IIP, and completely forgot to get a picture with her. Because, anxiety. * sigh *
Having read Safeguard and loving it, I was so excited to read Stephanie’s next book, Just One Favor. And when I got an email telling me there was an ARC waiting for me, I did a major happy dance. Right there in my living room. No joke. JOF resonated with me on a very personal level. Not so much because of the relationship the main character, Olivia, had with her HEA, Tyler, but because of the relationship Olivia had with her dad. Yeah, that sounds weird, right? But for me it was a testament to how those little connections in a book can mean so much to a reader. Stephanie does a fantastic job of building a beautiful family of supporting characters around her main couples, and they are as much a part of the story as those main characters. It gives her writing a wonderful amount of depth, and connection. Beyond that element, JOF was a steamy read, and I really love that, too. The story was deep on a number of levels, Olivia and Tyler had chemistry galore, and their HEA is truly amazing.
Stephanie’s most recent book, An Unexpected Turn, just released a few days ago (as of the original publication date of this post), and it is another instant 1-click worthy read. The excitement behind getting this ARC was unmistakable, and it did not disappoint. I loved this story, I love how Stephanie took a fun lateral take on the brother’s best friend trope. I love that the heroine, Peyton, in this age gap romance is not super-young, and that the hero, Jake, is a single dad to a teenager. I love that the heroine has a fantastic job and is finding her indepence, but still has vulnerabilities and concerns about a relationship. And oh, there is so much more to love about this book, but I’m trying really hard to not be too spoilery. Once again, Stephanie builds a solid community around her main characters, and those supporting characters are just as integral to the story as Peyton and Jake are.
Now, I haven’t even made a dent in Stephanie’s amazing backlist. Yet. Because, don’t get me wrong. I will read everything Stephanie has written. Her themes and characters speak to me on a deeply relatable and relevant level, and I absolutely love when I find that in an author and their books. Falling in love with a community through a book is one of my absolutely favorite things. Speaking of community, Stephanie also has a great space for her readers to hang out with her on Facebook. Check out her reader group, Stephanie’s Rose Garden for updates on her latest books, event info, fun with other readers, and book chat.
Thinking back to that meeting in the bar at IIP last year, it’s kinda funny… how many stories do we read that start with two people meeting in a bar. Lol! That night I met 3 of my literary faves right there. And even though I was a nervous chaotic mess, it was a pretty amazing experience. Do readers and authors have meet cutes? Anyway…
If you’ve been reading along the spotlight series, you may notice a trend here… romance authors are real people. We fangirl them hard for their talent, but what I fangirl even more is their realness. Their humanity. Their willingness and desire to be part of the conversation, to engage with other readers and writers, to dwell within the community. Stephanie and I communicated as author and fangirl through FB messenger for a while after, and became friends through our mutual joy of books, reading, and even fangirling other authors together. Through those conversations, I’ve gotten to know Stephanie as the passionate author, reader, and human that she is. We talk books, but also kids and families, events and excursions, and even some business stuff along the way.
I am so excited that Stephanie will be joining us as an attending author at Charm City Romanticon in March 2023. I’ll get to see her at IIP this year as well, and this time I will remember to take pictures!
Just the facts:
First book I read by Stephanie: Safeguard
What I love most about her books: Low angst with high steam, relatable and likable characters, family connections
Fave book by Stephanie: Just One Favor
Fave character: Matteo
Fave cover: An Unexpected Turn
Get all the info about Stephanie on her website: authorstephanierose.com
You can get her books on Amazon
You can find Stephanie on social media here: Facebook Instagram TikTok
Facebook reader group: Stephanie’s Rose Garden
