Review by Jennifer Baker
Edda Taylor is living in Austria working as an au pair when she starts dating a man she knows only as " Preston
". Edda begins to fall in love with Preston, but all she knows about him is that he's an American art
student and that Preston is not his real name. The two of them have agreed to enjoy their time together without
discussing their pasts or true identities. The day before Preston is to leave, thus ending the relationship, he
takes Edda out on the lake for one last date. Unfortunately, a speeding boat hits their boat and Edda
wakes up on the shore alone with Preston nowhere to be found.
Coincidentally, the wife of Edda's late godfather passes away right after the accident happens and
she wills Edda a cottage in Carmel , California named Ruby Rest. Edda finds it strange that the cottage would be
left to her because she had only ever met the woman one time and that was when she was a small child. Edda decides
to move to Ruby Rest anyway so that she can get a fresh start away from her painful memories of love and loss.
From the outside, Ruby Rest looks horribly run down when Edda arrives. The porch is falling through
and the yard and gardens are overrun with weeds and full of debris. To Edda's surprise however, the inside of the
cottage is pristine. Edda has never seen anything quite like it.
Edda, after moving into Ruby Rest, begins being pursued by two men: Shay, her boss at the art gallery
and Trace, the man she has hired to do her landscaping and gardens. The two men obviously can't stand each
other and it makes Edda uncomfortable and curious. The more Edda investigates and learns about their situation, the
more she realizes it's all tied to Ruby Rest. Will Edda be able to figure out the secrets behind Ruby
Rest before it's too late?
Ruby Rest is a story that will keep you guessing until the very end. Tyler Oaks has done a wonderful
job at weaving a tale that is both romantic and full of suspense. The descriptions in this book, particularly
concerning the paintings, are beautifully poetic. Love, murder, and mystery. What more can you
ask for in a book?
Questions for the author:
1. What or who inspired you to write this book?
Ruby Rest
began with the question Preston asks Edda and Edda then later asks herself:
“The caterpillar in the cocoon, how do you think she feels? Is she cozy
and snug, with a fat belly, knowing she’ll soon emerge transformed into a new creature of unsurpassed beauty?
Or is she claustrophobic and scared, not really understanding what is happening to her, only hoping deep down that
somehow, someday she’ll break through and see the light again?”
That
was the question I asked myself and Edda’s journey led me toward the answers.
2. I loved the fact that the rose was used symbolically so often throughout the book
and that the color red was everywhere. What made you choose red and what made you choose the rose? Is this
how the title of the book came about or was it the other way around?
Red: strength, passion, energy, rage… I am an intensely visual
person so different colors represent my characters to me in my mind’s eye. Edda is red with all of
the strengths and weaknesses of the complex color. She is passionate but also vulnerable in her utter visibility,
intense in her depth while susceptible to her powerful emotions. The rose is the same. A
rose is alluring in its beauty, but that intense power also makes it defenseless at times. What I love
about the Altissimo rose used throughout the story is the contrast of its yellow core. The yellow stamens
really represent a strong light in Edda that she herself does not even recognize.
The title Ruby Rest is another link to the red woven
throughout the story and Ruby Rest itself. The rose and rubies are all interconnected and hail back to
the opulent remnants of a beautiful world unseen to the current day residents of Carmel . The title also
becomes somewhat ironic in the fact that rest can actually be found in the remains of tragedy.
3. I expected more of a story to come about concerning the rubies that Edda found. What was their
actual significance? Were they only there to show how the cottage got it's name?
The rubies essentially are introduced like spoils
in a tomb but come to lead Edda to a greater understanding about life itself. They reflect a former life
of rapture in Mrs. Bunyard that isn’t apparent from Ruby Rest’s decaying outer shell. The rubies
are what connect Edda to Mrs. Bunyard’s unseen world of pleasure and pain. Perhaps the most important
rubies are those found on the ring. It is when Edda wears the ring that she is most connected to Mrs. Bunyard’s
world and the beauty and sense of loss found there.
4. In what genre would you as the author classify this book? Romance? Suspense?
Why? I see elements of both and am curious.
Suspense. Romance is definitely integral to Ruby Rest just as romance is integral to
a woman’s life. That is where I see the delineation however. The story is about
Edda’s life, not necessarily focused on her romantic life as significant as that may be. The core
of Ruby Rest is Edda’s journey and search to understand life, to survive and then to thrive in the face of tremendous
loss and danger. Romance is a huge part of her life, but I think the suspense outweighs the romance
in the heart of the story. You’re right though. It’s undeniable that suspense
and romance are so interconnected throughout Ruby Rest that a case for romance could easily be made.
5. Are you planning another novel anytime soon?
I am currently in the final editing stages of a mystery set in Sonoma Valley which will go to my agent soon.
I also just started writing a new novel set in Barcelona which I’m really looking forward to
getting into.
To find out more about Tyler Oaks, you can stop by her website at
http://www.tyleroaks.com or at the Author Review Chat. If you aren't a member,
then stop by the group and join.
As an added bonus, a copy of "Ruby Rest" is to be raffled off to
a reader. Enter by commenting below.
When you leave a comment below, please fill out all parts of the
form or you won't be entered in the raffle.
The drawing will be held on the 15th of November and winner
announced here and on the discussion group.
