Final Rose

Book excerpt: A small-town funeral director/embalmer goes on The Bachelor TV show competing for the affection of a Southern gentleman. Shawntel describes her search for love, working with the deceased, personal relationships, and what inspires her. She is a sought-after speaker who enjoys sharing her feelings openly. The autobiography starts with Shawntel Newton being crowned high school basketball princess but faces criticism. Her boyfriend dumps her after three years. She looks for love while anguishing the decision to follow her father's professional footsteps and does become a funeral director and embalmer. She meets a bachelor on the national reality show, falls in love with the Southern gentleman, but has to compete for his attention with twenty-nine women. Shawntel shares stories about death, compassion, and the relationships she tried developing while working as a funeral director. She takes the reader behind the scenes of the reality show, gives a look at her tight-knit family, and tells what's happened to her.