*Warning Contains Spoilers*
The last section of the Rosemary series so far… consists of “You Were Mine”, “Kiro’s Emily”, “When I’m Gone”, and “When You’re Back”. “You Were Mine is the story of Tripp who we met in “Twisted Perfection” and Bethy who we met during the “Too Far” section of the series. “Kiro’s Emily” is the story of Harlow’s parents. We learn about Emily when we read Grant and Harlow’s story. “When I’m Gone” is about Mase Manning who is the son of Kiro(the dad of Nan and Harlow). He doesn’t come around often which is why many readers were surprised that Mrs. Glines was giving him 2 full books. “When You’re Back” is about Mase and Reese which is his counterpart in both his stories.
I was especially excited for Tripp’s story because he was just so mysterious to a lot of readers including myself. I mean he was supposed to be a lawyer then one day he decides he doesn’t want that then leaves Rosemary to almost never coming back again. His only contact with people in Rosemary was with Woods and Jace. Jace who was Bethy’s boyfriend until something catastrophic happens and will cover her in guilt forever. Bethy was always a wild child as we have seen in previous stories but when Tripp comes to town you can’t help but notice all the tension between them. We learn just how close the two of them were and how they will ever be able to get back to how they used to be.
“Kiro’s Emily” is a novella within the series and is not crucial to read to understand the story. I myself did not read it just because of the fact that I liked not knowing what exactly was wrong with Emily. I understood that Kiro was different with her because for one she is the love of his life and is the mother of his children. You get the sense that he loves her more than his children because he didn’t allow them coming to see her because if they upset her he would go off. I found this to be a bit abnormal but caring in a strange way. I almost feel bad for Harlow because it was always hard for her to see her mother in the condition she was in and then having to walk on eggshells so that she didn’t upset her.
Mase Manning is a character that I wholeheartedly loved.In his first story, “When I’m Gone” he is a down to earth country man and didn’t like drama that came with his family so he isolated himself. He comes to visit every now and then but dreads having to stay at Nan’s house. He comes anyway but while there he meet her maid named Reese. He comes to be her knight in shining cowboy boots when he comes to her rescue after she causes a huge mess at Nan’s house. Reese has a past just like we all do but her past is a little more colorful than most and I don’t mean that in a good way. He wants to know more about her but he reluctance only makes him like her more.
Reese and Mase are finally in the happy princess-like relationship we all hoped for. When Reese goes to visit her family in Chicago, Mase spends his time with his “cousin” Aida. They grew up together and are practically family. When Reese comes home she begins to see that Aida loves Mase in more than a cousin-friendly type way. Mase doesn’t see this and thinks she is just being paranoid. This issue causes a riff between the two and they begin to drift apart. Reese must fight for her relationship if she wants it to survive.
Life of a Teenage Girl and Her Books 