If you’ve started the Bargain With The Shadow Prince series, you will have noticed I use roses as a symbol in these stories A LOT. Admittedly, we were liberal with our inclusion of them on the cover as well. Using a rose as a metaphor for love isn’t anything new, after all, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” (Thank you William Shakespeare!) But today I’d like to share a little about why I’ve invoked the rose where I have in this series.
Perhaps there is no other symbol as evocative of falling in love as the rose. New love buds with potential and promise, then opens into passion and intense desire. The heady aroma and soft, flawless petals draw us in with timeless allure.
But every bloom fades, and—as 80's hairband Poison crooned—every rose has its thorn. Roses wilt. Thorns hurt. Some roses crawl and choke and tangle. Rose vines can trap you. They can work their way into the side of your home and chip the paint or damage the siding. Thorn bushes can tear your skin.
Love hurts.
But also, the bulbous portion of the rose flower that develops after the petals fall off is called the rose hip, and it is a potent source of vitamin C. Roses, in their deaths, nourish us, not only with the memory of their beauty but with the substance that remains after the bloom is gone. If the rose bush survives, there will be more roses.
Love heals.
Each of my covers features roses of various colors tangled with thorns, and each color choice tells a story. The symbolic use of flower colors has a rich history spanning centuries and cultures. Although it reached its height of popularity in the Victorian era, there are records of flowers carrying secret messages in their hues dating back to the Middle Ages.
The roses on the cover of book 1 are fuchsia, a color traditionally used to convey appreciation and gratitude. Of course, in book 1, Eloise asks Damien for help to free her from Tony, but ends up helping him in return in a way neither of them expects. An important subplot revolves around the gifts Eloise’s grandmother and ancestors leave her. Those gifts contribute to her attaining the freedom she so desires and to her remaining open to love over the course of the story. Although there are plenty of thorns along the way, Eloise faces them head-on for the promise of the rose—love. And through all of this, she remains grateful.
In Battle, our roses turn red, symbolizing blood and passion. Blood, of course, because Eloise travels to Night Haven, the world of the vampires, but also blood referring to her family blood, the tight bond with her ancestors that becomes necessary to wield her magic. Red for passion because blood exchange is a way she demonstrates intimacy with Damien. And also red for desire and attraction, which Eloise and Damien have in spades.
But did you know red roses can also symbolize martyrdom? It's true! And, OMG, both Eloise and Damien play the martyr in this story. You might actually want to shake them at times, but I stand behind the idea that love makes us do crazy things. And true love makes us do truly crazy things! If it didn’t, there would be no crimes of passion, right?
Which brings us to the purple roses referenced both in the story and on the cover of book 3, coming August 12th.
I used purple roses to denote otherworldliness in this book because it's the first book in the series that takes place entirely off-world. Although you can find purple roses on Earth, they are relatively rare and a product of hybridization. Still, purple roses are enchanting, magical, and unexpected, just like Damien’s world of Tenebris!
But purple roses are symbolic of one very specific thing in the context of this story: ROYALTY! Damien’s royalty comes into question in this book in a big way, a way that threatens the citizens of Stygarde and challenges the fabric of his relationship with Eloise.
No matter the color, there is one other thing about roses that applies to this series. In order to propagate a new rosebush, you must cut a branch off an old one. Severing a beautiful thing like a rose from its roots and planting it in the dirt or grafting it onto a new set of roots is an act of violence. It feels deadly. To the rose, it is a severing from everything it knows and loves. But it is absolutely necessary to grow something new. And in the end, the change is worth it.
There you have it! Now you know the secret symbolism behind the roses in my stories and on my covers. I hope you’re enjoying the A Bargain With The Shadow Prince series, now available in special edition hardcover! Get your copy of Bartered By The Shadow Prince on August 12th, wherever you buy books!
