One Cursed Rose

Grimm Bargains #1

by Rebecca Zanetti

Information is power, and those who control it live like gods. In my world, billionaires play deadly games of insult and influence where magic is the dirtiest weapon of all. Here, even a powerful princess can be swallowed by the darkest of shadows . . .My name is Alana Beaumont, and due to a recent tragedy, I’m the sole heir to Aquarius Social, a family business being systematically dismantled by an unseen enemy. My father’s solution is to give me in marriage and create a coalition with a competing family, so I’m torn between my thirst for revenge and my duty. Now I just have a week to finish my hunt before the wedding. There’s nothing like an assassination attempt to cut short the best of plans—even worse is my unwanted rescue by Thorn Beathach, the Beast whose social media empire is driving Aquarius under. The richest, most ruthless of them all, he protects his realm with an iron no one sees his face. When he shows himself to me, I know he’ll never let me go. Thorn may think he can lock me in his castle forever, but I’m not the docile Beauty he expects. If the Beast wants to tie me up, I’m going to take pleasure from every minute of it . . .and we’ll just see who ends up shackled.

Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Dark Romance, Romantasy, Paranormal, Retellings, Dark

368 pages, Hardcover

First published June 25, 2024

About the author

New York Times, USA Today, Publisher’s Weekly and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Rebecca Zanetti has published more than seventy novels and novellas, which have been translated into several languages, with millions of copies sold world-wide. Her books have received Publisher’s Weekly and Kirkus starred reviews, favorable Washington Post and New York Times Book Reviews, and been included in Amazon best books of the year.

Rebecca has ridden in a locked Chevy trunk, has asked the unfortunate delivery guy to release her from a set of handcuffs, and has discovered the best silver mine shafts in which to bury a body…all in the name of research. Honest.

Reviews

[Marianna Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick and fun SUPER spicy beauty and the beast retelling. I giggled and will read the next book but like it didn’t change my life but regardless I had a silly fun time!!

[Keila (speedreadstagram) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Kensington Books and Netgalley @netgalley for the e-arc. All Thoughts are my own.

Alana is the sole heir to Aquarius Social. Her fathers solution to the family business being dismanteled is to give her in marriage to create a coalition.

There’s nothing like assassination to cut short the best laid plans.


I don’t know if the dark romance I read is on the extreme end, or what, but I didn’t find this to be a dark romance. Maybe you could say it has some darker elements? But I wouldn’t go as far to say it was a dark romance. So, to say I felt misled is an understatement. I also couldn’t get into the idea of the gems powering the computers. I kept looking for an understanding of how this worked, but I felt the world building was lacking in this regard. I never could fully comprehend why they were so heavily relied on, or what their role fully was.

Now with all that being said, this book did have some elements I enjoyed. I loved the suspense elements of the story; they kept me wanting more and on the edge of my seat with anticipation. I also really enjoyed the dual points of view. Stories written this way are some of my favorite because I feel they fully allow me to be immersed in the story and get to know the characters.

This book is the first in a new series, and overall, I don’t think that it kept me invested enough to keep reading it. I do think that it was entertaining enough, just not so much that I care to continue.

[TJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is going to be a hard one to give a comprehensive review to, mainly because the dichotomies are so pronounced.

On the one hand, Rebecca Zanetti is an amazing writer. Man, she can write suspense and thrillers while weaving fabulous romance in and add intriguing side-stories like nobody’s business! Whether it’s paranormal or just straight up suspenseful and scary, her books are always page-turners. And this one is no different. It is hard to put down, for sure!

On the other hand, this is the first book of hers in memory that isn’t completely tight and understandable. There are tons of plot holes that aren’t explained and just left oddly hanging. For instance, what is up with the odd mention of child trafficking, or the Italian Mafia mention? Or all the references to the crystals, how they power computers, how they affect people to the point of being able to kill them with viruses? It’s all part of the story but the holes in understanding are huge! Also, so many small threads that are never closed. And, that is weirdly unlike this super talented author.

On a personal note - the whole “dark” romance aspect didn’t work for me at all in this instance, either. I just can’t wrap my head around (and therefore accept) shoving a knife inside a woman, or whipping a woman’s private parts (between her legs) with a belt being a turn-on or, for that matter, ANY part of making someone fall in love. Nope, nope, nope.

So, while I love the writing style and the suspenseful aspects were top-notch, I would probably recommend other works from this author if one is taking a gander.

[Maria Clara · Rating 3 out of 5]

¿AMANTE DE LO PERVERSO Y OSCURO🔥?

Bienvenida a esta reseña…😏

Aquí encontrarás morbo, oscuridad y si, lo has adivinado, personajes grises, muy grises, y sin ningún escrúpulo…🤫

¡Ponte cómoda, que empezamos!

Imagina que alguien te sigue desde las sombras, te espía, lo sabe todo de ti…
Hasta que, una noche, te rescata de un altercado en una discoteca.

Y te encierra en su castillo…😱

A partir de aquí,
El juego de la dominación empezará.
Fuerte
Sin control
Y…con deseos ardientes y prohibidos🔥

Una historia muy tentadora que…
a mi parecer,
ha flaqueado en dos puntos:

El asunto de las piedras preciosas es un poco lioso y
la evolución de los personajes a lo largo de la novela es muy leve…😿

Pero, como punto fuerte,
Puedo asegurarte que si te van las historias
con escenas spicy que te hacen ponerle pilas al abanico de la tía Aurora y personajes con una moralidad bastante/muy cuestionable: Enhorabuena,
has encontrado tu perdición literaria más ardiente…🔥

[Kristen Christen · Rating 4 out of 5]

SPICEYYYYYYYYYYYY! I gasped, shamelessly smiled, and shouted out loud so many times! I am not a huge contemporary romance girlie these days, but this book just hit so good. There were NO slow parts people. This is fast faced, shocking, creepy, and just a great time! Rated 3.5 Stars rounded up for Goodreads!

[Brad Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I will write a full review later, but if you pick up this book, make sure to read the trigger warnings. They weren’t kidding when they said 'dark romance.'

[Madison Warner Fairbanks · Rating 5 out of 5]

One Cursed Rose by Rebecca Zanetti
Grimm Bargains series #1. Fairy tale retelling. Dark romantic suspense with paranormal / magical elements.
Alana Beaumont works at Aquarius Social using emotions to gain followers and power the network crystals. It’s a “family” business and ratings are everything.
Thorn Besthsch owns Malice Media in direct competition with Aquarius Social. He follows Alana, not only from her postings, but he’s also in the dark shadows wherever she goes. When Thorn uncovers an assassination attempt, he intervenes and kidnaps Alana himself. He considers her his now to protect, and keep. Unfortunately someone has loaded a virus to his computer systems which is freezing the garnet that powers everything. And that freezing from the inside out is having the same impact on Thorn himself.

Stalker much? No, it’s just the current trendy dark mafia romance where Thorn must dominate and protect Alana from everything including herself.
The best part for me besides the banter is Alana spending a lot of time in Thorn’s library. It’s huge and well stocked with ladders all around and comfy couches. She finds obscure books of poems, books on gems and so much more. It’s only later that Thorn realizes she can read over a half dozen different languages including his native Gaelic.
Thorn is probably considered an anti hero. He’s demanding, authoritatively harsh and dominating. Killing, or fighting or ordering those things done is just in his nature. There are pieces of humanitarian philosophy there, but it’s certainly not the reason he has hungry man-eating fish in his moat! Or how he tortures / questions others.
Additional mysteries are interwoven in the story including the death of Alana’s brother (which occurred before this book started) as well as a serial killer that seems to be stalking Alana lookalikes. Or is it just a miss from Alana herself?
Action packed and spicy hot spankings make this book breathtaking and provocative. You won’t want to put it down until the end.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley. This is an author and book I will purchase all formats and more to share with avid reader friends.

[꧁ Brutally Honest ꧂ · Rating 1 out of 5]

First off I got confused because this books was being sold as a fantasy. It is not. It’s a “dark” (aka I Hate Women And Love To Abuse Them Disguised As A Kink) and a “mafia” romance to boot. I HATE mafia books. I already know the “men” (boys) are toxic and abusive and the “women” (girls/females) are Not Like Other Girls. I have never wanted to have kids, but god damn am I glad I don’t have to raise one in today’s society. What today’s girls and women have to deal with while growing up and listening to books like THIS is honestly concerning. Not to mention boys read this shit to learn what girls “like” and thus an incel was born. But incel is quickly losing its toxicity and becoming normal it seems. Sorry (not really) but I’m gonna kink shame here, especially when I was NOT warned about it to begin with. But a knife? Shoved up your vagina? Really? How on earth is that enjoyable or sexy? Boys growing up to become sadistic and women growing up thinking that their behavior is ok. Whoever enjoys this needs a bit of therapy. 🤦‍♀️

I’ll be staying clear of this author going forward and getting a refund.

[Maddie Fisher]

This dark romance retelling of Beauty and the Beast was a wild, spicy, and entertaining ride.

The biggest surprise for me was the magic system. Because this is an urban fantasy, and the magic deals with technology, it almost felt like a sci-fi/fantasy crossover, which can definitely be my jam. In this story, social equity given through social media engagement, can be stored in crystals. Four families own the four social media assets, and so those four families power everything. The political and economic structures are well-imagined and creative using this concept. It also provided interesting ideas thematically. One being that social interaction could be a positive and practical resource. It's easy to think of online social interaction as intangible, but it's intriguing and potentially wise to consider it as an energetic transfer. This book illustrates that by making online social engagement a tangible economic resource.

The character work in this story relies fairly heavily on the trope of innocent beauty and dark beast, but the characters do have interesting altruistic tendencies. Thorn's possessive and violent proclivities are channeled, and Alana's desire for a private and hidden life that isn't perfectly PC for her followers, allows her to experience some self-actualization with Thorn.

The plot is fairly predictable, ala this is a trope-y dark romance, but there was political intrigue and family politics that made the ride interesting.

Readers should check trigger warnings, and go in with appropriate expectations. But overall, this is a well-done and entertaining modern fairytale retelling, for adults who like some kink and spice with their romance.

[Carvanz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whoa! I was not expecting this wonderfully dark read when I started.





Thorn definitely lived on the dark side. He had all the fierce attributes that I crave in a hero including a bit of stalking and the “mine” mentality. He was a scary dude even to a reader like myself that enjoys mixing in a bit of darkness every now and then. Alana intrigued me as much as Thorn did. She was the complete opposite of him, bright and shiny hiding her intellect and true purpose behind her smile.







While I loved both Alana and Thorn as separate characters, when they were together they were explosive. Their interactions lit my Kindle on fire. They were white hot and went places that i never expected to see them go. I swear I had to turn the a/c down! This is not your vanilla retelling of Beauty and the Beast.





With all that was amazing with the main characters, it would have meant nothing to me without the wonderfully orchestrated storyline that went with them. This feels like a different world. One based on our current addiction with social media. I was definitely intrigued by the connection these characters had with their program servers and my interest continued to grow as the story progressed.





With the addition of suspenseful twists and turns, as well as amazing characters that I hope will receive their own stories, there is no denying that this book has superseded any that I’ve read by this author previously. Bring on the darkness Ms. Zanetti!

Dual POV
Safe no ow/om drama; h a virgin; H not a manwhore
Triggers stalking; while there was initially some reluctance on the h’s part the first time she gets physical with the H, after a few moments she is all in; violence; childhood emotional abuse/neglect
Steam 10 /5; EXPLICIT; birth control

[Erin Hunt · Rating 1 out of 5]

I....hated this book so much. I only finished it out of spite and because the actual plot was just compelling enough that I wanted to find out who the real villain(s) was/were. Here is an exhaustive list of the things I liked or that didn't bother me:

-The actual writing style
-Interesting side characters
-Ingenuity of the setting, and by extension the plot
-FMC was not a Plain Jane But Somehow Everyone Is Obsessed With Me

That's it. That's all that made the book tolerable.

Now the things I hated. There's a lot of them. I don't know who decided dark romance had to center around romanticizing the most abusive, controlling behaviors, but it needs to stop being a thing. If your love interest fully admits to being obsessed with someone, that is a pretty big indication that there shouldn't be a romantic relationship happening. And before anyone says, "Oh, but it's a D/s situation, that's just how they are," no it isn't and no they aren't. This girl doesn't get a choice about how their relationship will work. She gets subjected to punishments she didn't consent to for breaking rules she never agreed to. They weren't even IN a relationship when it started. He said "these are the rules and these will be your punishments" and then he actively assaulted her. And it's supposed to be fine because "she likes it?" Y'all, this shit isn't romantic or sexy. It will never be sexy. The only difference between this book and any Criminal Minds or SVU episode is that the guy is super hot. That's it. This book is worse than 50 Shades of Gray. At least in that book, it began as her choice. And there's no wish fulfillment either, who would want to be forced into full time D/s relationship with a stranger who is also a serial killer?? Like literally murders someone directly in front of you as they are actively kidnapping you and this is the first time you've ever looked at each other, spoken, or met.

The other big thing that didn't allow me to get into the story was how little the author like, understands female anatomy? Like if I didn't know the name, I'd have assumed this belonged in the Men Writing Women subreddit. It's so bad. That's not how the clitoris works. I don't understand why someone who supposedly has one doesn't understand that this isn't how any of it works. It's so bad I literally never want to be touched anywhere ever again whenever I think about it.

And this is more of an annoyance and if it was the worst thing in the book I probably would still have given it 5 stars but, the main mechanic is so complicated there's multiple times throughout the book that the MCs have to stop the story and exposition a while to explain pieces of it. It didn't seem as thought out as it was complicated (or maybe it was made more complicated than it needed to be).

Anyway that's my first 1 star review, I think.

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an entertaining, well-written, steamy, contemporary dark romance novel. It has paranormal elements, suspense, murder, and intrigue, and contains scenes of torture and male dominance. The female protagonist is intelligent and likable, and the world building is intricate and fascinating. There are twists and turns and a satisfying conclusion. I am looking forward to reading the next entry in Ms. Zanetti's new series with great anticipation.

[Esther · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC provided by Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating 3.25

Rebecca Zanetti is an author I enjoy and have been reading for years. So when I hear she's written a dark romance I thought I would give it a try.

I enjoy dark romances, but I am picky on which ones I decide to read. Not all are to my taste.

The hypothesis of this story is based on four families who run large/popular social media programs. The catch is that these programs run on gems, crystals and diamonds. It is also generated or strengthened by their fans and people responding to their posts.

We have our hero, Thorn who is head of one of the social platforms and he's become obsessed with Alana. Alana is a popular influencer of a rival platform and family.

This is a retelling of beauty and the beast. LOVED that part.

Thorn- loved him. If you like alpha, strong, I mean STRONG hero's he's your man. But can also be very sweet too.
Alana-loved her as well. She is a beautiful, smart (but hides it) and sweet heroine.

I don't want to give away too much of the story, the synopsis does a good job of that. But I will say it had a little bit of everything in this story line.

Now why only a 3.25 rating, even though I loved the MC.

Here are the negatives.

It was hard to follow the basis of the gems and crystal and how they relate to the running of the media platforms and the power they generate to the hero and heroine. I think there needed to be a more detailed laying of ground work on explaining all the workings of how they all interconnected and worked. I think it would have made the story smoother and more enjoyable. I would have been even more invested.

This is a personal preference here, butttt a bit much on the kinky sex. I would have perfered more love making. I did skim scenes as it became a bit much.

And warning there is some graphic violence.

And the ending was a little confusing and long on the gems and how they resolved Thorn's curse.

Epilogue was way too short.

Things I enjoyed.

The banter and chemistry are off the charts. That absolutely had me hooked. Loved these two together.

The secondary characters. Had me intrigued and wishing for their stories.

Liked that I had no clue who the villain in the story was.

Action and mystery.


I probably will read the next book. But am hoping that some things are made more clear and the kinky stuff is toned down....or will do some skimming again if not. 😬

[Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everything out of Thorns mouth, I was obsessed with 💀

[Christina · Rating 1 out of 5]

⭐️ very disappointing star. 😕

Rebecca Zanetti is one of my favorite authors, many of her stories I’ve read multiple times. But I couldn’t get through the first quarter of this one. Aside from the convoluted world of gems and social media which I did not understand, I don’t know that I have disliked two main characters as much as I do these two.

Thorn is abhorrent and Alana is not much better.He brutally murders an innocent waiter when he kidnapped Alana and then she finds herself turned on by him and they both have the waiters blood on them. What did I just read?! Mind you she just met the guy if you can call kidnapping a meet. Then again, Thorn is going to kill one of his guards because Alana stole his phone, she gets on her knees to beg for the guys life and then gets a whooping while getting turned on.

Nope. No. Nu-uh. Not reading any more of this.

I appreciate the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Anita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fantasy/Paranormal is not my genre of choice. I love Rebecca Zanetti, but I've never gotten into her series where there is extensive world building and I had a tough time getting into this book. The set up of crystal's energy running the world and four families that run the social media of the world just didn't grab me. I am so not the audience for anything social media related. Facebook and Goodreads are the extent of my social media universe. An influencer, to me, is just an egocentric narcissist. People who are that easily influenced are just sheep, really dumb.

Alana is the daughter of the founder of a social media site, Aquarius Social. She is their major influencer, but she tries to use her power for good, charities and saving the abused, one case at a time.

Thorn Beathach is mysterious, violent and the head of a rivel, Malice Media, to Alana's company. He also is stalking Alana and has major thing for her.

Based on the fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast". But make no mistake, this is no Disney version.

My thanks to the Publisher and the Author for providing a complimentary digital Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this novel via NetGalley. This is my fair, honest and personal review. All opinions are mine alone and were not biased in any way.

[Courtney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to Kensington and BiblioLifestyle for the free copy in advance of publication. I was really excited for this one but really wasn’t sold on it being succession meets dark mirror—there were similarities for sure, but it was not nearly at their level.

I read this on the beach and it was a perfect beach read, but also one that I was mostly hate-finishing by the end. The concept of crystals powering the internet and getting powered by social media exploding hearts, which in kind granted power and longevity to the owners of the internet companies was absurd and full of plot holes, as was the rest of the book (in my opinion). So much happened in it, but none of it really mattered. I thought the spice was mostly written well, but also that the book was extremely rapey and I just couldn’t get behind that. Like there were legitimately points where the FMC said no and the MMC was all “you know you want it, baby,” not even taking into consideration the whole context of her having been kidnapped/the power dynamics. There were honestly just lots of choices made with this story that didn’t make any sense nor serve the narrative.

All that being said, I do think there is an audience for this book. But woaaaah, bear, I am not it.

[Mindy Lou's Book Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, I'm totally intrigued! I don't think I've read anything like this before. This is a beauty and the beast retelling with a very unique twist to it. It's a bit mysterious with the crystals and why some families have an affinity to certain stones. It seems there is great power with the stones, but a lot is unknown in this first book. I enjoyed the main characters. Thorne was obsessed and I like that he took what he wanted. He's dark but I a good kind of dark. Alana is more than what she shows to others. She strong and smart. I liked them together. I'm very interested to see where this series will go. This was a great first in the series!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Spice Rating: 🌶🌶🌶🌶/🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶
Book Rating: 4.5/5

I have to admit, I did not see Beauty and the Beast in One Cursed Rose by Rebecca Zanetti until I read other reviews but now, of course, the similarities are easy to detect. This is the first time I have read a dark romance retelling, and the spice is SPICING. This was a very steamy read that takes off from the very beginning after Thorn kidnaps Alana. I was completely lost in this world of social media takeover, the families that run it, and the crystals that power it, and would have been fine if the book had never ended. Romance, family drama, violence, and intrigue take center stage, and I would definitely check triggers prior to reading.

I loved the audiobook so much, and James McAdams & Felicity Munroe were fabulous as the voices of Thorn and Alana. I seriously cannot think of a better combo of narrators for this deliciously dark and devious read. One Cursed Rose was extremely close to being a full 5 stars for me, but I did end up taking a half star off for world-building. It was there, but there was no intro to the intricacies of what Aquarius Social was or the world itself which left me feeling confused and a bit lost in the beginning. I did catch on, so it wasn’t a huge deal, but it was a slight bummer for me since I just wanted to know more. I loved the ending and the virtually nonstop action, and the physical book is gorgeous! I can’t wait to read more from this author and more of the Grimm Bargains series.

[☕️Kimberly (Caffeinated Reviewer) · Rating 4 out of 5]

As you know I am always game for a Beauty and the Beast retelling and was excited to dive into Rebecca Zanetti’s dark romantic fantasy. From the world that blends magic and technology by utilizing social media I quickly found myself caught up in this story of power, danger and romance.

In this world, five families control the magic and gain power and wealth through social media and the powering of gemstones used to run their servers. It was a unique setup. We meet Alana Beaumont, who by outwards appearance is a wealthy socialite who parties, wears designer clothes and posts it all on social media. Her family, the Beaumonts, run Aquarius. They’ve recently suffered a tragic loss. Alana’s brother died in a tragic car accident, only she suspects foul play. Now stocks are slipping and her father wants to merge families through marriage; with Alana as the bride.

Alana is not just a pretty face. She is smart, can wield stones and has no intention of marrying. Someone else things Alana is smart, sexy and his….. when her life is in peril he swoops in and saves her. Some might call in kidnapping. Thorn Beathach, the Beast whose social media empire is driving Aquarius under and who has a dark reputation as a killer, brings Alana to his lair.

The tale that unfolds was sexy, suspenseful and full of twists as we learn Thorn has been cursed. I loved their back-and-forth banter, his neanderthal ways and her fire. A little BDSM, sweet gestures, and chemistry kept me vested in the romance even as I thrilled to learn who cursed Thorn, if Alana’s brother was murdered and who tried to kidnap Alana.

An interesting cast of side characters, including a Gaston, made for an intriguing tale. Zanetti’s story was well paced and the world solidly developed, allowing me to become completely lost in the story.

There are triggers to be found for some and some grey areas involving consent, but I had no issue with it. If you love rivals to lovers, sparks, suspense, mystery and romance weaved into your fantasy retellings, you’ll want to add this one to your summer reading list. I look forward to the next novel in the Grimm Bargains series.

This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer

[Debra Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mystery Aspects Lacking

3.5 Stars.

Gotta Have Romance with a Kick
July 2024 Group Reads
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

This started out great. Moving quickly with fast action.
But around one third of the way in the pace started slowing down. It's started having trouble keeping my attention. I thought maybe it was my mood. And that was a small part of my problem. But by two thirds in I realized what the problem was.

The MC's are often described as The Best in intelligence etc. Yet every time either one of them got close to what was going on and who was behind the attacks on both of them they just let other things distract them or ignored the information.
The other problem was when the main culprit finally makes a big move where Alana is in danger & she and Thorne know who it is, the action wasn't smooth. It was a definitely lacking.

Also the ending with Alana figuring out the solution to Thorne's Curse and who was involved was discombobulated and way too forgiving.

There were way to many words used that went nowhere. The mystery/suspense just wasn't conveyed properly. It really felt like the author was going for word and page count and not paying attention to WHAT she was writing.

The romance was great for the most part. Thorne really shines. The sex scenes were very hot Hot hot.

As much as I live this author, I'm not sure I want to read the next book in this series.

[amarachireads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was good, I didn't think I would like it because of the rocky start but I was interested till the end of the book. This is a dark romance so please check the tw's before you read it cause there are a lot. It's a dual POV that follows the fmc Alana, a social media influencer, and the heir to a family business after her brother dies. The mmc who is some sort of mafia villain is obsessed with her and kidnaps her bit and as they get to know each other she realizes that she is attracted to his dark side despite his villain ways. There's also a fantasy element to the book because the mmc is infected by a bug that's killing him by freezing his insides and the crystal energy part. The romance worked for a dark romance, there's some non-consent, knife and razor play, light BDSM and it's quite spicy. There's also a mystery element as they try to figure out what happened to the fmc's brother. My biggest issue was the virgin fmc trope, it's icky especially when its a point that the characters discuss. Overall I liked it and if you like dark romance that's also loosely inspired by The Beauty and the Beast you should check this out.

[Georgia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could’ve sworn this was supposed to be a fantasy?? Not sure where I went wrong with that one! Instead, it’s a strange mix of Irish mafia (in California!), social media, crystals (but not magic!), and AI?! Did not make any sense and quite frankly I almost dnf by chapter 3. Gutted it out with a combo of skimming and skipping in the hopes I’d finally get to something that would engage me but alas that did not happen. The dialogue was flat and plodding, zero connection between the mc’s…just an overall mess of a book! Greatly appreciate my local library so that I didn’t spend any money in purchasing.
Foil on the cover and sprayed edges may make a pretty collectible book but there needs to be actual substance on the pages.

[Krys · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm glad I read this via Libby rather than buying the beautiful special edition. This book was a mess.

The romance was so weird in that they'd never met but because he told her she'd want him, she did. She wasn't even at his place for very long. An undeniable crush, sure. But straight up in love?! I didn't buy that.

Also, how are you going to make these magical gems a central plot point but not explain in detail how they work? The magic in this world is never explained either. Or the four families.

I hated it. I finished it only so that I could feel justified in my hated.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. I’ll start by saying I’ve always wondered if people were truly honest when they received an ARC copy, or if they even actually read the book. I can guarantee both here, and this is the first ARC I’ve ever received. I actually considered pre-ordering this book on Amazon because it looks beautiful, and I’m a sucker for sprayed edges. But I can affirmatively say I won’t now….this book just wasn’t for me.

The crystals/charging, sci-fi piece of this was lost on me. But I could have gotten over that. And dark romances don’t bother me, but the extreme kink does. No part of me wants to read about a woman being “spanked” until she’s bruised…and even less of me wants to read about a woman being whipped with a belt in her private area repeatedly while she’s sobbing. Maybe I’m just too vanilla, but there’s absolutely nothing you can do to convince me that’s pleasurable and not abusive. I love a good “I’ll hurt everyone that’s ever wronged you and scorch this earth for you” man. But “punishing” and “controlling” a woman…so much as to implant a tracker in her when she’s unconscious…yeah, that’s not my style.

The banter was okay, the plot twists just meh (I guessed them both ahead of time), and a lot of it was too forced. It would have been a lower rating for me, but the writing style was easy, I stayed engaged for a lot of it, and it was a quick read. If you want 50 shades meets stalker/dark romance meets sci-fi…this might be for you. But it’s a hard pass for me. 2.5 rounded down.

[Karin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐️

lmao this was so ridiculous but also really funny and it doesn‘t take itself seriously.

It‘s a Beauty and the Beast retelling, but make it modern, include some social media, some very unclear magic system involving stones and their ability to be charget by humans & be connected to computers. Also, there‘s a virus that can affect people. Think trojan turns covid.

Anyway, at the centre of it we have Alana and Thorn who have the most ridiculous (Stockholm Syndrome) relationship ever. It‘s supposedly dark romance, but to me it was light grey.

So much didn‘t make sense - such as the distribution of shares, how medicine works, plot inconsistencies… etc. But I still ate it up and it was a ton of fun.

Which is why I‘m giving it 3⭐️. I can‘t give it a higher rating in good concience, but give it a try if you want to be entertained and like to switch off your brain every once in a while.

Also, this was the funniest sentence: „My clit jerks in denial“. Girl, same, I hate it when my clit has a mind of its own. 😂

The publisher sent me this book for review consideration but all opinions are my own.

[Jennifir Huston · Rating 1 out of 5]

For me it is actually a DNF. It seems like a good plot in itself, it is the need to have painful sex acts inflicted on a virgin to like it that ruined it for me. Totally ruined the plot for me. Sex and spice are one thing but this need to get on the 50 Shades of Gray bandwagon is annoying. Another book I did not read.

[Samantha (bookgramsaga reviews) · Rating 2 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️.5

This was a chore to read and finish.

[charisse ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

˗ˏˋ 5 stars ⟡ ݁₊ .

ughh thorn, the man you are... *screams in pillow*

i loved the beauty and the beast retelling with the unique crystal tech spin. i loved that it's set in the modern world with four social media empires. the murder mystery subplot kept me on my toes, literally had no idea who the culprit was until the last second.

the text banter between thorn and alana was so funny. the touch her and die vibes was chef's kiss. and i really liked seeing thorn and justice getting close by the end of the book.

[Shannon Farley]

Soft DNF at 30% ☹️

I'm not sure if it was just me, but I didn't understand the crystal and social media aspects going on in this. The character dynamic was interesting, but it was way too insta-love for me.