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Rosemary Gard was born and raised in Gary, Indiana when it was a cultural melting pot of nationalities. She now lives in Crown Point, IN, married to Bob Gard, an Antiques appraiser. Daughter Kristina Gard Brown is the model on the cover of the book and son, Michael Gard, designed the dust jacket of the book.
The dress pictured on the cover of the book, was part of the author’s own Dowry. The author spent three months in a Croatian Village not realizing she was gathering stories and details to someday put down in writing. This is Rosemary’s first novel, part of a planned trilogy.
Reviewed by Anne Boling for Readers' Favorite
Rosemary Gard's Destiny's Dowry begins on the country side of Croatia in the later 1800s with a birth and a death. Mila was dying, and her last desire was to hold her unborn son in her arms. Her husband Mato rushes out and retrieves an infant, but by the time he returns his wife is dead. Distraught, Mato runs off and leaves his ten year old daughter Anka to raise the new baby girl and his neighbors to bury his wife. The midwife wonders where the baby came from, had Mato bought it or stolen it? So was the beginning of Katya's life. She always knew she was different with her flaming red hair and green eyes. Her life would not be easy, and was only fifteen when her brother tried to sell her to a Turk. The search for her true heritage took her on a journey filled with danger and love.
Destiny's Dowry is Rosemary Gard's first novel, but I am sure it will not be her last. Gard offers readers a story that flows like it was written by a seasoned author. The plot is character driven and Katya is a lead character you won't soon forget. Mato was very unlikable. He was a man that wanted more out of life but cared little about his responsibilities. Even when he brought the infant to his wife it was to satisfy his own motives. Gard successfully brought the Croatian culture of the era to life. I suspect we will be hearing a lot more from Rosemary Gard and I plan to put her at the top of my list of authors to watch.
