Her Lovely Curse

by Dakota Monroe

They call it a curse, but it's been my only companion through the centuries. Its hunger is my hunger; its loneliness, my shadow. I am Arabella, once a woman of flesh and dreams, now a creature lurking in the margins of moonlight and myth. I didn’t choose this half-life, this craving for hearts that beat with the dark rhythm of sin. Each new moon, I feed the curse, and it grants me another month of tortured existence.

Eldritch was supposed to be another stop on my endless journey, a place teeming with shadows to hide my sins. But then he came, Gabriel, with eyes that saw through the veil of my allure. For the first time in nearly three hundred years, someone looked at me and saw more than the curse. He saw...me.

As the final grains of my centuries old hourglass slip away, I find myself yearning for something impossible—his love, unforced and real. But Gabriel is a man of integrity, not easily swayed by shadows or lies. How can I bare my truth, when truth itself could be my undoing?

They say love conquers all. But with time against me, and a heart that has never known true love, will it be enough to break the chains of eternity?

Genres: Fantasy

193 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 29, 2025

About the author

Dakota Monroe lives in a dark world and dreams of even darker fantasies. She has been a fantasy-obsessed reader since she was a child and now brings hers to life through her writing. As a neurodivergent woman, Dakota has always felt out of place with her thoughts and ideas; but books have been her savior, and a nonjudgmental place for her to escape the colorless world we call reality. She hopes her characters, and stories, provide an outlet for others, even if just for a little while.

Reviews

[Dakota Monroe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cutesy gothic, paranormal novella, but I need to meet the author and ask her why all her fmcs are always traumatized & tortured in some way☠️

[Sydney Victorson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Her Lovely Curse is a cute little novella. I guess cute might not be the best description because there’s definitely a touch of gore and it can be dark, but I don’t care; Gabriel and Bella were cute! I adore the imagery of this gothic little city that is almost frozen in time in some ways. The atmosphere Dakota created in Her Lovely Curse is so cozy, and it only made me fall in love with Bella and Gabriel all the more. I really enjoyed the plot itself as well. The world building was super well done, especially for such a short novella. We got to learn enough about Bella’s past without it feeling too dense or info-dumpy, while also keeping her a little mysterious. I had a great time reading this one! It was a quick and interesting read, so I highly recommend checking it out.


Thank you Dakota Monroe for the early copy of Her Lovely Curse. All opinions are my own!

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐
1🌶

This dark, paranormal novella was such a fun read. It follows our wrongfully cursed FMC Arabella who can only break her curse by finding the one person she is fated to love and who is immune to her curse. The story follows Gabriel, a detective who is hired to find the killer and Arabella who is the killer. I loved reading this with the twists and addicting plot. The slow burn between Bella & Gabe was written very well as per usual Ms. Monroe!!!! My heart was solely rooting for Bella and breaking her curse and finding true love. I will read anything Dakota writes 😍

“You have the turn of three centuries to find the one soul not affected by your beauty and convince them to fall in love with you. When you fail and three hundred years have passed, you will live as a demon forever.”

"The irony of the situation burns the skin along my chest. Unending interactions of people falling for me instantly, only to fucking finally find the one person who could truly love me… and he already hates me."

"If soul mates were a real concept, she would undoubtedly be mine."

[Femke Lens · Rating 5 out of 5]

She’s the beauty, but she’s also the beast. Her Lovely Curse is a twist on the classic beauty and the beast that follows Bella, a young woman trying to break her curse. Running out of time, she’s just about ready to give up -that is- until she meets Gabriel. Handsome and broody, and most of all, not that easy to win over. This gothic paranormal novella was the perfect mix of mystery, dark elements, and coziness.

Her Lovely Curse was such a pleasure to read, from beginning to end. I absolutely loved the characters of this story, Bella and Gabriel, and of course my girl Eve. I rooted for Bella to break her curse throughout the whole book and loved to see her and Gabriel’s development. Overall, this was a fun, quick and exciting read, while still intriguing and complex. I’m excited to read more of this style from Dakota.

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨ Dark Paranormal Romance
✨ Novella
✨ Fated Mates
✨ Cursed FMC

A short and sweet novella but make it dark. Arabella is cursed and the only thing that can save her is finding the one person she’s fated to love. This story is a take on beauty and the beast where the fmc is both the beauty and the beast. Forced to live a double life she tries to find a way to save herself. It is very easy to devour this very short story. Dakota loves to give us the dark and tortured female characters. I enjoyed the storyline of them working together to solve the mystery of the attacks, all the while knowing Arabella is the one responsible. It was interesting to see how the story unfolded.

“The man right here is broken, and he uses the shattered pieces as weapons against anyone that could ever want to get close to him.”

“I don’t risk my heart on beautiful mysteries with too many questions and not enough answers.”

[Gabrielle Elise · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first 5⭐️ of the year! Wow this was incredible. A paranormal romance where she is the beauty AND the beast.

Arabella is cursed, and soon the curse will be permanent… but a glimmer of hope comes along as Gabriel enters the city of Eldritch. But his job doesn’t make things that easy.

This was extremely unputdownable. I simply could not stop. I enjoyed every second of this, and that’s coming from someone who’s never read a paranormal romance before. I would recommend this to anyone and everyone! If you liked the MindF*ck series- I say pick this up! I just love Dakota Monroe’s writing and characters so much.

[Britney ☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those stories that's short, sweet, to the point and you read it in one sitting.

The plot was super interesting. I don't really remember ever reading a story like this before and my heart constantly broke for Bella. She just wanted love 😭.

I didn't really feel all that connected to Gabe. I understood who he was and why he did the things he did but I just didn't feel it.

[Heather Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a Dakota fan for life.. the way this woman writes just amazes me!!!!

This was such a great beauty and the beast retelling.. FMC was both the beauty and the beast.. chefs kiss!!! The slow burn of Bella and Gabe..ugh.. my heart. I was pulling for Bella so fiercely and for one second I thought her curse might last forever, but Dakota does it again with the plot twists!

I would give this book 10 stars if I could, and if you have never read anything by Dakota, I highly recommend you do!

[Megan Moser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely devoured this short but incredibly inspired story!! Almost a Beauty and the Beast retelling but SHE is the cursed one.

Everything about this was creative, suspenseful, and so romantic. The characters and plot were so well developed for a book under 200 pages!!

A woman cursed from a lie and a truth refused to be heard is bound to three centuries of a silent kind of torture. On the new moon it turns beastly. Her only way to break the spell is to find the one who is not affected by the curse’s effects on her. Should be easy right? 😂

Dakota always creates masterpieces so I expected nothing less and this was truly a beautiful read.

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the first chapter I was hooked. The story is incredibly intriguing and drew me in right away. I loved every single second of this novella! It’s fast paced, easy to follow and the story is amazing! It’s beauty and the beast inspired but with a twist. The FMC is witty, down to earth despite her circumstances and honestly her tale is a little heartbreaking.

“She’s the beauty and the beast”

Arabella is accused of doing something she never did and the consequence of that accusation causes a witch to curse her. Arabella will have three hundred years to find the one person who can see past her beauty and fall in love with her, failure means she is destined to be a heart hungry demon for all eternity. With only two months left will she finally find love after a long and lonely 3 centuries?

Gabriel is all work no play. Every second of every day is spent on work. He’s been betrayed by someone he loved dearly so now he sees the world through a critical eye. He and his sister, Eve work together as private investigators. When their work takes them to Eldritch and they run into the same woman a few times, Gabriel starts to realize something may be off about this job.

The slow burn and tension between these two is perfection! She’s possessive and he’s fighting his feelings ugghhh i just love it. I absolutely adored Eve and really hope she gets her own little novella.

10/10 recommend if your looking for a great quick read!
🌶️1/5

[Anais (atrailofpages) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bella was falsely accused and then cursed by someone she called a friend to always have to eat a human heart and one day succumb to the monster inside her and be that monster forever.

300 years later, Bella has two more months before she’s a monster forever when she meets Gabe, a private investigator looking into the string of murders that have been occurring locally in her town. While everyone else fawns over her because of her curse, Gabe does not. In fact, he seems to dislike like her…a lot. Bella then realizes he is the key to breaking her curse and now has to convince him to fall in love with her in two months.

I love Beauty and the Beast and so I was all for reading this and to read another unique take on this classic story.

This was a darker and more intense take on the story, a bit gruesome at times, but also has that lightheartedness between the characters and that hope you feel through Bella to finally break the curse.

The romance was really fast, and I know it’s a novella, but when it’s a novella, I think that needs to be taken into account that the romance needs to be believable. While I enjoyed the two together, I wasn’t fully convinced they loved each other.

I actually enjoyed the relationship and banter between Gabe and his sister Evelyn. They were basically my sister and I with me being grumpy Gabe and my sister being cheerful Evelyn 😆

It was an enjoyable read and of course loves reading another rendition of Beauty and the Beast.

Thank you to the author for the e-ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Julles Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've ever thought "why can't SHE be the beauty AND the beast?" then this is the book for you. Bella was cursed to live centuries without real, genuine connections and the only thing that can save her? You've guessed it! True love. But who would love a demon who eats people?

I'm apart of Dakota's ARC team and I can honestly say that every book she writes slams me down into the gutter but picks me right back up before the rain can carry me away. I absolutely devoured this book in one sitting. On the edge of my seat. I couldn't put it down and I sobbed more than once, which I let everyone know while reading. Bella is the epitome of self-doubt which is understandable in her situation. Imagine being cursed to never find real love and have everyone like you only because they have no choice but to. Imagine being cursed to live forever and watch anyone and everyone you ever loved die, over and over again. Imagine the one person who could actually love you look at you in disgust. You're sick, right? Well, that's Bella's life. And the worst part of all? She was innocent.

Side note: If you're a fan of Haunting Adeline, I recommend this book. This is definitely not anywhere near dark and Bella has nothing on Zade, but you'll know what I mean when you read it. ;)

[Valerie Hardy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will read literally ANYTHING Dakota writes!!
This Novella was such a quick, refreshing read; with a hint of dark paranormal and hints of gore for spice.
Bella is the Beauty and the Beast, our cursed fmc is wrongly accused and forced to live centuries, trying to find that one person who isn’t affected by her curse. And she finds Gabriel, our broody P.I mmc. Sooo much good tension between the two the entire time. Gotta love the ‘will they? won’t they’ plot. And then there’s Eve, Gab’s little sister who is trying to push him into living life again, after his heartbreak. I literally love her and wanted more of Eve!!! Maybe we’ll get more of Eve???
As Bella and Gabriel work together to solve a case, Bella definitely starts cracking Gab’s tough exterior; which makes the heartbreak that much more intense!
And there were some good funny moments throughout the book, especially in the epilogue that had me laughing a bit!
I absolutely love, love the ending! Such a good bow on top!
The entire time I was reading this novella, I was thinking that this would be such a great movie!!! And I would definitely watch!!!

[KT · Rating 5 out of 5]

ℌ𝔢𝔯 𝔏𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩𝔶 ℭ𝔲𝔯𝔰𝔢 🫀🖤
By Dakota Munroe


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

What to expect:

🫀 beauty and the beast inspired
🫀she’s the villain
🫀love is the answer
🫀cursed FMC
🫀paranormal
🫀dark gothic
🫀fated mates
🫀trauma

Oh my gosh I loved this novella!!! It was spooky and cute and suspenseful. Perfection!

I’m not a huge fan of insta love and I find novellas are often that, obvioisky because so much gets packed into such a short story. THIS WAS NOT THAT and I ate it up! It was done so perfectly! Somehow there was slow burn in a quick read. I loved it!

Our FMC is cursed by a nasty witch and the only way to break the curse is to have the only person not affected by her curse fall in love with her. Oh and he just happens to be the private investigator hunting her 👀

Read this book! You will not regret it!

Thank you Dakota for the opportunity to read and review this book 🖤

Her Lovely Curse will be available January 29th 🫀

[A Court of Stars and Sapphire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this light and sweet paranormal romance novella. That being said, there are definitely some dark elements to this story. Dakota has a fantastic way of weaving together the undeserved dark curse Bella (our FMC, Female Main Character) is burdened with and the heaviness of what her and the other characters are unraveling within a wholesome love story.

Bella's snark helps keep things on the light side and I found her incredibly fun!

I was rooting for her and our MMC (Main Male Character), Gabriel, the entire time. I also really loved Gabriel's sister, Eve, she was another shining light amongst the darker aspects of the story.

I found this to be a quick, easy, and entertaining read. The darkness is what kept it interesting for me, if it were too light and fluffy I would have gotten bored! Despite the darkness, Her Lovely Curse will leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside and that's why I loved it so much! :)

[CovetedBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Sometimes,” she breathes deeply before continuing, “the most difficult puzzles to solve are the ones closest to us. We see what we want to see, and ignore what we’re afraid to accept.”

I freaking loved this book. It showcased raw, human (er…. demon?) emotions of Bella, who is cursed to be both a beauty that stops everyone in their tracks, AND a beast every full moon. The tension in this book between Bella and Gabriel kept me on the edge of my seat. It’s marketed as a novella, but dang I feel like this was a book with how intensely the story absorbed me. It was so detailed and I swear I could see every action happen as if I was actually in the story.

Definitely recommend if you’re looking for a paranormal, modern beauty and the beast!

Tropes & vibes:
- she’s the beauty and the beast
- reluctant allies to lovers to enemies to lovers
- gothic but make it a bit modern
- only true love can break her curse

[Hannah The Awkward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay so I sobbed…

Her Lovely Curse by Dakota Monroe is set to release January 29th and oh my goodness when I say you NEED to read this I mean it. Such a well developed novella with an intriguing plot, developed characters, great banter, and a very well done ‘need to break a curse’ trope. I was hooked from page one. I found myself SOBBING at the end. I was so emotionally invested in the story and lemme tell you what I was figuratively shakin’ in my boots at some scenes. Gabriel being all broody and grumpy, Bella being mysterious while trying to survive to find a way to break her curse, and Eve being a little ray of st@bbý sunshine were the perfect characters for this book. 10/10 would recommend.

All thoughts and opinions are my own! I had the pleasure of reading an eARC. Thank you Dakota!

[Ashley (andtheniwasbookish) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book packs a punch in such a short amount of time, but holy smokes what a fun story!

I was drawn in on page 1 and obsessed by page 2. This book very much gave Beauty and the Beast + Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde vibes. The concept of Bella's curse was absolutely bonkers in the best way.

This story managed to give the reader a solid background, a really cool plot, and romance while not being very long. Which honestly, I found really impressive.

Our MCs having to overcome their own insecurities while learning to trust is a Dakota Monroe specialty and she truly delivered. I loved how this romance was handled when it came to our MMC overcoming his past and learning to let Bella in.

This would be such a fun world to continue to explore, I hope we get to see more of it!

Overall: highly recommend
Spice: Open Door

[Sarah Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

First ARC of the year, and oh my gosh, I loved it! It’s a dark paranormal Beauty and the Beast retelling, but here’s the twist—she’s both the beauty and the beast. Dakota went out of her comfort zone with this and she did not disappoint!

This isn’t your typical insta-love. It’s a slow burn with plenty of action, emotions, and a little spice. Even though it’s a short read, I felt everything—heartache, tension, and hope.

📚 If you’re into:
✨ 𝙳𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚕 𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎
✨ 𝙵𝚊𝚒𝚛𝚢𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜
✨ 𝙲𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚡, 𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜
✨ 𝚄𝚗𝚒𝚚𝚞𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚐𝚒𝚌 𝚜𝚢𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚖𝚜
…then you’ll devour this one!

“𝘔𝘺 𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘧𝘪𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘦 𝘴𝘯𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘞𝘢𝘳𝘮, 𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯-𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘭𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘥𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘩 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳. 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘦. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘧*𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴.”

[Librosentrelazos · Rating 4 out of 5]

This dark, little novella was so entertaining to read. The main plot is briefly explained at the beginning, giving it Beauty and the Beast vibes, but the FMC is both in this story.

A witch cursed Arabella for believing she had an affair with her husband, so our FMC lives for centuries in this half-life, feeding her demon human hearts. To break the curse, she needs someone to fall in love with her real self and not for the effects of her alluring magic.

Gabriel is a hard MMC. He's damaged and doesn't trust anyone, maybe just his sister. Gabriel's personality is perfect for Arabella. He's not hypnotized by her magic—like the rest of the world—and knows she's hiding something.

I loved that she had to fight for her love. Their chemistry was amazing, and I wanted more from them. This novella was really well written, considering it was a short story.

Thank you, Dakota, for this awesome ARC!!

[Lilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 | I really enjoyed this book! It did take me a while to read it solely because I’ve been in a little (physical) reading block, but I’m so glad I was able to hunker down and finish this! I loved the relationship development of Bella and Gabriel, and Eve is my favorite side character. She’s so much fun, I loved her.

I do wish we got to understand Bella’s powers a bit more in the beginning (like being able to sometimes control it) and that she physically couldn’t talk about the curse. Maybe I missed it, but a few times I was like “just tell him!!!” not realizing the curse didn’t let her.

The last 50%, I struggled to put the book down! I loved it. The perfect amount of angst, spice, and adventure. I need more fairytale retellings now.

Thank you Dakota for the ARC! (even if I am posting this after it released…)

[Kata · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5 ⭐️

“I hate that I have to do this to survive. And I hate how fucking good it feels.”
“I’ve never felt more alone than in these moments.”
“Right now, all I see is a liar, and I’ve had enough of those to last a lifetime.”
“Do you believe that? That everyone has a monster inside them?”


An interesting and unique Beauty and the Beast retelling where the cursed FMC, Bella, is both the Beauty and the Beast.

Fast paced and easy to read. Couldn’t put the book down.

Loved the slow burn between Bella and Gabriel. Bella’s internal struggle with what she had to do because of her curse, her loneliness, and her attempts to break the curse were heartbreaking.



I received an ARC of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review. Receiving ARC didn’t affect my opinion of the book.

[Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

She has crushed it again! Y’all! You are not ready for how amazing this novella is.

This takes on the whole beauty and the beast retelling for a whole new ride! What happens if the beauty is also the beast? Well in this book we find out exactly that.

She has been cursed the last three centuries, she has to find someone to love her for her and not for what the curse entails. Can she do just that?

He doesn’t trust anyone. He comes from a bad past where his heart got broken. But when he sees her, he just sees her as a normal person, who happens to accidentally walk into his sister.

When they end up having to work together things start to get heated. Will her secret come out and could is ruin everything these two have?


Thank you again so much for this amazing arc 🥰

[Katelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Perhaps being a demon is befitting of me, after all”

You know it’s a 5 ⭐️ read when you can’t put it down, you continuously say just one more chapter and end up staying up way later than you should just so you can find out what happens next!

Dakota is an amazing writer and story teller! This version of Beauty and the Beast where Beauty IS the Beast was just pure gold-chefs 💋!

The slow burn, the fated romance and the steamy scenes all combined-perfect! I couldn’t ask for a better read, the storyline was on point and I loved how I could visualize the characters as I read them!

I honestly don’t think that there were any triggers BUT each reader is different so be sure to check the warnings/triggers just to be sure!

💯 recommend!!

[Enelyae Is Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG I ATE THIS UP! It was such a good novella!! I enjoyed Every. Single. Minute! The emotions, the tensions, the pacing, absolutely perfect! Belle and Gabe had me in a chokehold that I did not want to put the book down.

Belle was so strong and beautiful and kicked ass, but her vulnerability, and the way she used her curse just made me fall in love with her! I just wanted to be her best friend and help her, and be there for her. 🥺 And Gabe, poor broken and brooding Gabe! I loved watching the relationship develop between them and the tension that continued to get thicker and thicker as time went on was just delectable!

Dakota made just an absolutely enthralling and beautiful Beauty and the Beast inspired novella!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 🌶️🌶️🌶️

[Malén · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Queen has done it again! I absolutely love @authordakotamonroe and her writing ! Thank you for sending me the eARC of your novel Her Lovely Curse 🖤

This novel was so emotional to read and on several occasions I had a lump in my throat while reading! Without spoiling anything, the gallery scene was so vivid and tense I almost cried ( I don’t normally cry while reading!).

The novel is fast paced, dark and gothic , has heaps of tension and romantic moments that make your toes curl! And yes, it has a little spice too😏 This novel is perfect for the spooky season and for you who love dark, paranormal romances! Make sure to add it to your TBR!!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Release date 📅: 29 January 2025

Tropes:

🫀 She is cursed

🫀 Inspired by Beauty and The Beast

🫀 Paranormal

🫀Dark gothic

🫀Fated mates

🫀She’s the villain

🫀 Dual POV

🫀Urban settings

[Salsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the girl is both the beauty …and the beast.

When wrongfully accused and cursed for her supposed sins, Arabella or Bella, must now spend three centuries of becoming a beast who must feed on every new moon. Only when she finds her fated person who is not drawn to her by the curse’s effects, who happens to be the PI hired to hunt her down, will her curse be broken.

I devoured this novella. It was packed full of lies, deception, suspense and tension between the two main characters, Bella(Arabella) and Gabriel. I really loved seeing their relationship develop. With Gabriel’s mistrust and Bella’s half truths, it was so good getting to see their respective POVs and all the vulnerabilities they hide inside.

For the length of this, I was amazed by how full this story felt.

[Kaylila · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

This novella follows Bella and Gabe in a Beauty in the Beast retelling. Bella is both the Beauty and the Beast but Gabe is not compelled by her Beauty. I loved this retelling! Dakota Monroe knows how to write in a way that has you connecting to the characters without even realizing it! It wasn’t until about half way through that I started to really realize how much I cared for the well being of both these characters! It made my heart break when theirs were breaking and made me feel the love through the pages! Honestly the only true downfall for this is that it’s a novella! I wanted more 😅 I would love to read more of Dakotas work in this world 😍

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ⭐️/ 5 ⭐️ Thank you Dakota for having me on your ARC team! I’ve been in a reading slump lately so it was a bit hard to start the book 😅 but pushing past that to read this novella helped me get out! This novella follows the FMC Arabella who had been cursed for 3 centuries and has to eat a human heart each new moon. In order to break this curse before those 3 centuries are up she has to find the one person who is immune to her curse or else she will be a demon forever. Then in comes our MMC Gabriel, a detective set to find the killer (Bella). This book was very well concluded in just 200 pages! Everything Dakota writes I will read and love ❤️

[Justine Miranda (Hannah) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh the love I have for this novella is unmeasurable. Going on the journey of Bella and Gabe’s love story has all the beautiful moments you’d expect and the right amount of heartbreak that you’re begging to be fixed.

Dakota, wrote this story so eloquently and it has fast become a favorite of mine. The story of a misunderstood monster with a loneliness so deep it aches the soul.

She stayed so true to Gabriel’s character with his discovery that I felt so shattered but so delighted that it wasn’t the reaction we all wanted it to be. All love stories must go through some turmoil. But boy did my heart ache for our Bella 🥺 I loved the crime story as well, giving a whole lot of justice to a group of awful people is just up my alley 😉

Overall 5/5 ⭐️ 3/5 🔥