Insolent

by Cynthia A. Rodriguez

Releasing as part of the 2019 Sinister Fairy Tales Collection!

There’s a girl screaming at the top of a hill,
Burdened by a duty she was born to fulfill.
There’s a quiet killer lurking nearby,
Watching as she wishes only to die.
She’s tasked by her mother to marry a man,
Until the demon from hell puts a wrench in the plan.
Their fates will twine in inconceivable ways.
But where one goes, the other cannot stay.
How could she fall for such a man, you ask?
For the girl with no heart, it was the easiest task.

Genres: Dark Romance, Dark, Retellings, Romance, Fantasy, Contemporary, Fairy Tales

167 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 9, 2019

About the author

Cynthia hates writing her own bio. In her down-time, you can find her watching movies, ranging anywhere from classic to action flicks (she has a weakness for Marvel adaptations), and reading any novel she can get her hands on.

She loves hearing from her readers! You can reach Cynthia at cynthia.a.rodriguez6@gmail.com. Both her Twitter and Instagram handles are @thecynrodriguez.

Reviews

[Natalie ~ The Biblioholic · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm in love with this series and every single story is a magical treat! Moira was an abused girl, tortured by her family, tormented by her wants and desires. Sol was a man, tortured by his past, bound to a vendetta, tormented by his wants and desires. When these two meet, worlds collide, hearts ache, darkness finds a welcome home, and dreams that they didn't even know to dream really could come true.

She is both his tribulation and his triumph.
But he would only ever be her ruin.

I'll be honest here and tell you that I had absolutely no idea what fairy tale this was supposed to be retelling and yet... I found in the end it didn't really matter. Who cares what story inspired this one? Who cares when something so beautiful grew out of something so twisted? Two lovers, obsessed with death and each other. Isn't that the case for every great romance? The author's writing is what really captivated me. It was almost poetic and a bit gothic and wove its way through my mind like a tangled vine. So while I couldn't connect with the characters and found myself disinterested in the plot, I couldn't stop reading.

If you're a fan of brilliant writing, lyrical language, falling in love 'just cuz', then you'll enjoy the heck out of this story.

[NiCoLeTa E. {Addicted To Books} · Rating 3 out of 5]

***3,25 "Unsatisfying in a way!!!" stars***



You know by now, how much obsessed I've become with these dark and sinister fairytales...
As a child, i was loving fairytales and as an adult, i still love these stories and even more in their dark and twisted form!!!
The beginning with Venom by Dee Garcia was really impressive and i loved the way she twisted the known story into something dark but sooo beautiful!!!
So, when i heard that "Insolent" was the retelling of Brave, i run to read it!!!!

Unfortunately, the story wasn't as good as i was imagining it!!!
Yes, the author wrote in the beginning that her story has nothing to do with the original and to be totally honest with you, i was expecting that!!!
But hell, there were many potentions here that the author didn't took advantage of...
There weren't any leads that this story was actually Brave except her wild red hair and her triplets siblings!!!! Oh, and Scotland and her love about her bow...
These story didn't have anything magical inside... Nothing!!! Even though in the original story were plenty inside and i think that this thing had to be a part of this retelling!!!



Phew... Well, this wasn't a bad story, but it could be a much better story...
Honestly, i don't know what more to say... I just feel a little bit cheated!!!!
But hell, i love the idea of this project and i can't wait for the rest of the books and which retellings they represent!!!!

[Louise H's Book Thoughts · Rating 1 out of 5]

A barely OK for me read that I'm sure others will love.

I wish I could give this more stars, I truly do, but for me this was scraping at being an OK read. Some of that, maybe a fair sized chunk, is due to personal preferences, so please don't let the 1.5 stars put you off. I'd also argue that the film it is based on is not a fairy tale, but - semantics!

Insolent is a very atmospheric, mysterious and intriguing read. It took my a little while to realise it was set in the present day, and not some mythical, in the past, fantasy setting. It was twisty with some wonderful dark elements to the story, but for me it was far too much tell and not enough show. At 37% I still had no real idea what was going on, other than Moira was sort of Sol's captive, and I also hadn't really connected to either character. That won't be an issue, or even noticed, by some readers, since we all look for, and enjoy, different things in our books.

I did dislike that Sol frequently used Spanish phrases that the author made no attempt to translate. OK my kindle allowed me to highlight and find out what it meant - but it totally interrupted the flow of the book.

Whilst I enjoyed what I was reading, and would definitely suggest giving the book (or sample) a try, I was never totally caught up by it. When I put it down, I wasn't thinking about the book and desperate to pick it back up. But that's me and there's no saying you won't love the book like so many others have.

[Birjis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Insolent is the story of an abused girl tortured by her family. She unknowingly became a victim when little, leading to her mother's wrath from then on.

I didn't understand which story is this retelling of. The story background was not clear at first. I thought it was regency era period until later I figured the story was set in mordern era. Excessive use of Spanish language and not explaining it's meaning is frustating.

The story was great. It had a mysterious and dark atmosphere. Lots of revelations and secrets are revealed. I enjoyed the book. The book could use a little bit more editing on explanation of the story. As for dark themed, the story stood up to it. Definitely worth a read.

[Steph's Romance Book Talk · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars / 3 Steam Fans

This is part of the sinister fairytale collection of well-known fairytales being reimagined and retold in dark and twisted ways. This one starts off having a Brave feeling; however, for me, it ended up not blowing me away. The opening prologue is FANTASTIC and I was blown away and dragging into the story. By the end, I really didn't feel like I was taken on any sort of journey. In some ways I think the author was being overly cautious with the journey of Moira so that it was not similar to the story it is inspired from. I think it could have been so much more.

Video review available in Week 49 Dec 1 – 7 weekly book reviews.

For other video book reviews check out my YouTube Channel: Steph's Romance Book Talk

[Kay's Blushing Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great addition to the Sinister Fairy Tales. This is the vey dark and twisted retelling of Brave. The author did a brilliant job of this story weaving her creativeness throughout. Cynthia is a new author for me and I really enjoyed her writing style. I will be looking up her other titles and checking them out for sure.

Moira and Sol’s story is of two broken souls, brought together on a journey through death, darkness and destiny. There are no princes or white knights in this story only lovers of the dark should dare.

ARC received for an honest review.

[SimplyƝì₭ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my favorite book. The writing style is riddled with errors and syntax issues. I could not get involved with the MC character. The sexy villain was doable tho.

[Lover of Romance · Rating 3 out of 5]

Insolent is part of the Sinister Fairy Tale Collection and I was really excited to pick this one up. The blurb just sounded so interesting and even though I haven't seen the movie "brave" I know this is a sorta retelling of it, dark romance style. I think I had my hopes too high on this one because even though so far the books I have read in this collection so far have been amazing reads, this one just didn't do it for me at all and I was so sad about it. I just wanted so much more from this story and it felt so mediocre in many ways. I really was hoping that this would be delivered in a different way than it was. It just felt so off even for a dark romance. Normally I can connect with dark romance but in this one, I just wanted the book to be over, I wasn't invested in the story much and I think much of that had to do with the character growth in the story. When you can't connect with the characters, it really affects the enjoyment overall and I did feel like the chemistry between these two could have had more focus. I didn't really understand the hero in this book, he wasn't intriguing or mystery but just a cold hard man that we never got a deeper perspective into, So while I recommend the series as a whole, this book I can't honestly recommend even if you are a fan of dark romance. It might work for some readers, but it just wasn't my cup of tea. So while the premise of the story was quite fascinating, it just didn't quite deliver in the ways that I was hoping for.

[TheSassyNerdBlog · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cynthia is a new author to me, so I went into this not knowing what to expect and from page one I was completely consumed by this dark retelling fairytale. I am loving these retellings in Sinister Fairy Tales series, and this one blew me away. It's certainly on the darker side. It's full of secrets, obsession, revenge, passion, and love.

Moria, the heroine of the story was extraordinary. With each scene in this book, she grew inbounds, she fights the darkness that lives within her and her strength shines through... She will take risks and doesn't really fear death. The author played her character perfectly in my opinion.

S0l, the Hero of the tale is dark, someone to fear but throughout the book, I saw glimpses of other sides to him and at first, I wasn't a massive fan but as the story progressed, I found myself completely smitten with him.

All in all, this was a one of a kind romance, I haven't really read anything like it and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The author made it easy to follow the storyline and created some amazing characters, and it was so well written.

5 Stars!

[Tyi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think it is funny because just the other day, I spoke to a friend about the different kinds of heroines. You see the ones that are wishy washy. You see the ones that fall over themselves to get the guy. These heroines usually don't have any thoughts of their own. I want more from a heroine. I want them to look into flames and see what can be, especially when everything else is no more. I loved reading this story, Insolent. It brought so much to the table. The characters were flawed physically but their flaws didn't define them. They were more than just their flaws.

Sol and Moira were everything when it comes to characters. They were steadfast. They knew at the end of the day what they wanted. There was blood, some betrayal, but at the end of the day.... There was more love in the land that held some much cold and very little light.


Those scars you have accumulated are the markings of a warrior. - Darla Evans

[Daniele · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are only a few books that leave me breathless, this is one of them. Cynthia's retelling of this tale will take you on such a journey, where the Heroine becomes stronger with each turn of the page, where the Villain becomes a man you could fall for (or at least if you are me or like me) and where the strength of their own convictions create this amazing chemistry that you have no idea what the reaction of that will lead them too.

It's a brilliant, action-packed, keep you guessing until the very end tale that when I finished I wanted more.

[💜VGreedyReader🖤 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Valeen Robertson (Live Thru Books Blog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moira has had a terrible life thanks to her mother. So when she comes into contact with Sol, an assassin with her family in his cross hairs, she'd rather he kills her than leave her to her mother. Thus starts their journey that is actually quite beautiful in its own terribly twisted, dark way.



I have to confess that I've never seen the movie this is based on, which is probably good, because I was able to appreciate this story on its own. And I gotta say, I really liked it. It's dark yes, but thoroughly entertaining, mysterious and entirely engaging reading. I've been loving The Sinister Fairy Tales Collection, and Insolent is a great addition to it.



ARC via Enticing Journey Book Promotions for an honst review.

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[Kahea · Rating 5 out of 5]

***5 'Violence and Infatuation' Stars***

I devoured this baby.

DE-VOU-RED.

Once I started, I couldn’t (wouldn’t) put it down (which meant that I totally extended my lunch break and ignored that whole #workthing ~ but it was sooo worth it) It was everything that my dark romance loving heart loves and then some.

Sol and Moira. I adored these two. They’ve been through so much in their lives that the darkness that lives in them isn’t hard to believe. They are strong, stubborn and though their hearts have been battered, they still have that sliver of compassion that leaks out. Their journey is all kinds of twisty, turny dark goodness. From the moment they collided there was a connection and watching as they became more to each other ~ despite all the chaos going on around them ~ was a lot of fun.

I went into this book absolutely blind: Never read the author before, didn’t know what the book would be about and I haven’t watched the fairytale in which this one is based on and I loved everything about it. The flow, the twists and turns, the fact that even though this is not a paranormal story, it had an otherworldly feel to it that just grabbed a hold of me, and the characters which were all complex and well written. Every aspect of this book worked for me and I will definitely be getting my hands on more of this author’s books

~ Copy provided by EJBP & voluntarily reviewed ~

[Nerdy Dirty & Flirty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jess~
This is the latest installment of the Sinister Fairytales. It was another dark and twisted tale. Where the others have had a fantastical/paranormal feel this one does not. This was a straight-up twisted retelling and very loosely based on Brave.

Moira, the sunflower with fiery red hair, has had a terrible existence at the hands of her mother and bothers. She has been sheltered from any caring contact and is about to be married off to a suitor of her mother's selection. That is until Sol and his men show up.

Sol is on a mission, one that has been in the making way longer than I anticipated. His true intentions don't become clear until fairly far into this story with each piece a bit more twisted than the last. What he doesn't expect is the draw to Moira. He is death and she is light but is she really.

Moira played an interesting part in the story, she was strong and brave. She did not scare easily and too has a taste for blood. Sol doesn't quite know what to do with all of that wrapped into one package. And while he starts off as a stonecold killer, he thaws a bit.

The story kept me intrigued and the twisted I did not see coming. It was bit tame in some aspects and some things went almost too fast but I did enjoy it all the same.

[Carmen Aquino]

DNF @ 66%

Purtroppo dopo dieci giorni rinuncio a non terminare questa lettura. Oltre che la trama ciò che più mi ha incuriosito di questo libro è stata la bacheca Pinterest, contente imagini davvero suggestive.
Soprattutto a causa dello stile utilizzato non sono riuscita ad appassionarmi alla storia e ai personaggi, dopo poche righe perdevo interesse e chiudevo Kindle.

[Alison Sea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m struggling with what to rate this. I think somewhere between 1 and 2 stars, like a 1.5 or 1.75. I skimmed the last half.

What I liked:
-The heroine, Moira. She leans into her darker urges, and I like that.
-The beginning of the book, which was the strongest part for sure.


What I’m on the fence about:
-I have mixed feelings about the writing. There were so many sentences that I highlighted because I loved the prose. But I feel like the majority was awkward and clunky, and just sounded off.


What I disliked:
-The hero, Sol. His POV spends a lot of time telling us that he’s dangerous without showing us dangerous things that he does. We get Sol describing how much he will corrupt Moira without backing it up with his actions. We don’t see him or know what he does during the day enough to feel any type of way about him.

-The setting could have used some work too. It reads like it’s in the past to the point where it’s jarring whenever someone has modern day guns and cell phones. We need a reason that the heroine is basically trained to kill with archery in the 21st century, but basically lives her life under lock and key because of her family.

-For some reason, a whole lot of romance novels describe women to be these innocent, pure, naive beings. The description of the Moira by the Sol was like this, and it makes no goddamn sense. This woman has murdered members of her family that she’s hated in front of him, doesn’t seem afraid to die, and he’s still describing her as this person who seems like she has no idea of the horrors of the world. She was abused for years by her family, her only purpose to them was to be pawned off for marriage, and she fucking killed a lot of them. She seems pretty familiar with all the bad shit that goes on in the world.

All in all, I think this could have used better editing, to make it more cohesive and clean up the setting and plot.

[Greta · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sinceramente non ho una recensione da scrivere perchè non ho capito niente di quello che ho letto. È stata strutturata malissimo, tutti parlano in modo incomprensibile (un mix di scozzese e spagnolo, che accoppiata demoniaca) e i comportamenti dei personaggi lasciano molto a desiderare - è stato tutto buttato a casaccio. Poi, sarà che io sono abituata ad un altro tipo di dark, ma in questo non ci ho visto niente di tutto ció.
Peccato perchè Cynthia mi è sempre piaciuta, ma scrivere una storiella così io avrei proprio evitato.

*ARC provided in exchange of an honest review*

[✨Mel✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not good yall. This was bad. I cant seem to form a coherent sentence explaining how bad this is.
I couldn’t connect with the characters. The conflict seemed stupid and petty. The ending was predictable. And the way it was written made me feel as if the author believed she created something profound.

[Tiffany S · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was everything I wanted it to be. Atmospheric and haunting. Was like a fever dream in its intensity.

[Joyffree · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite how I remembered Brave - Quite like this version a bit better
The story almost has a dream-like feel to it
Some of the scenes are so vivid others feel raw barley tangible
Love 💘the main characters
Fast-paced and oh so colorful- the crimson kind just to clarify
Moira's is a fiery red-haired whirlwind rising from the horrors that were once her home
and delving straight into the chaos that is Sol.
Sol's attention is captured by the vexing little thing that is Moira
she should be fearing him, pleading for his mercy
instead she is taunting him with her lack of emotion.
Not one to turn down a challenge
he is going to keep her - just for a bit -
just to break her -
it's not like he is going to keep her forever
or is suffering from those pesky things called emotions.
Oh the lies we spin

I enjoyed that our heroine was just as touched as our hero.
Heck, she might even be a tad more twisted IMO.
These two are explosive together. The tension between them bleeds off the pages.
I am a bit curious about his 'best friend' and his past -
I always want more when it comes to the tortured hero and their sidekick.
Another great addition to the Sinister collection.
I read a comp copy

[Lager Lefse Book Blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, there are a few things you should know going into this book. It’s supposed to be a dark re-telling of Merida, but the heroine here is Moira and it’s actually placed in present time. Now, knowing these two things, let’s begin.

Cynthia is a new to me author. Her writing is fantastic, despite not really getting any Moira vibes (which is ok with me). She can suck you into this mystical present time world that is full of darkness and mysteries and give you a dark mythical feeling story.

Moira is a heroine that has not been raised in a loving home. Her horrible family has done some unspeakable things to her. She is practicing her archery, when she comes across a dark and mysterious man. Sol and Moira despite the atrocities that life has thrown them, find comfort in each other. I loved that as the story progressed, Moira became stronger individual.

Insolent is full of twists and turns. It is best to go into Insolent with no pre-determined thoughts or ideas and just let Cynthia take you on this incredible, ethereal-like journey.

[SCBookAddict · Rating 3 out of 5]

Insolent is part of the Sinister Fairy Tales Collection and is a spin on Merida in Brave. But don't go in thinking it's going to be a retelling. The author changed it, twisted it and gave it a whole different storyline that kept me lured with the mysteries and the darkness.

I loved the direction the author took with this story. How the outside world only sees what's being shown to them and how Moira's life isn't everything people think it is.

I REALLY wanted this book to be a five star read but I felt like the author put more effort in the mysteriousness of the story and not enough in the explanations and the reasons behind everything.

It also took me a bit before I realized that the story is told in present day and even then I still felt I was flip flopping in time. It was almost as if Moira's side of the story had somewhat of a historical feeling and Sol had a present day feeling. But given the way Moira was brought up, it could very well have been because of that.

All in all it was a great read that kept me reading and I never lost interest.

Just remember, if you like your fairy tales sweet, this isn't for you. This is gritty and raw and, well, sinister.

[Sally Mieske · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m really loving the Sinister Fairytales Series. This author is new to me, and although the writing is very good, I couldn’t connect with the characters. Insolent is told in the third person, and from several characters POV.

Insolent is a dark retelling of Brave. I’ve never personally seen it, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. It’s definitely dark and twisted. Neither character is afraid of death. Sol is out for vengeance and Moira is out to escape her life.

I felt that this story was missing something. Maybe a little more back story? There are a few scenes that felt rushed. It’s told in present day but has a historical feel to it. All in all it’s a good read that kept me reading until the end. I can’t wait for the next one!

I voluntarily read an arc and this is my honest review

[Lost Within The Pages · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going to be totally honest here I have loved every book in this series so far and I really wanted to love this one too but it just wasn't for me. I think this book is a retelling of Brave but I can't be sure the book felt rushed to be and at times I felt like pieces of the story were missing. Moria lived in a world of captivity were her mother would beat her, and so would her brothers enters Sol. Sol has been alone for a long time and wants revenge only when the time comes he can't bring himself to kill Moria. The writing was good.

[Tai Nelson-Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

*First time reading this author

Insolent is not a typical love story. It is a slow burn with many levels of deceit, twists, and mayhem. I had little idea what I was getting into when I started this retelling since I had never watched Brave, so I went in blind. I am sure it had some liking to it with the red hair and bow/arrow, but this story is no childhood story. There are blood and death, darkness, and maybe some love. Moira is a beautiful character that you will root for throughout the whole story.

Insolent is an excellent addition to The Sinister Fairy Tales!

[The Aqua Pisces · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sinister retelling of the fairytale Brave

This was a 3 🌟🌟🌟read for me. I liked it and then I kind of didn't. The relationship between the two MC’s we're very underdeveloped, unfortunately, there was no chemistry found between the two. The story was a bit confusing during periods of time. If you like the fairytale Brave, give it a chance a read it! 🤓

[Ashley Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book apart of the Sinister Fairy Tales Collection. This book pulled me in at the very beginning but than lost me a bit. To me the story did get better and I enjoyed where the story lead. A dark and twisted Version of the fairytale Brave.

Vext’s Vixens Book Blog

[Jenn (The Book Refuge) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh?

Not sure how I feel. This was the weakest concept so far, in my opinion. Needed much more fleshing out.

[Sophie Ruthven · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 archery stars to the heart.
God I love it when this author goes dark, you never know what to expect and this book was no different.
Every book from her gets better and better.
There is so much I could say about this book but I won't as it needs to be read to be believed.
The characters in this book will rip your heart out and leave you bleeding on the floor.
Definitely a must read and the perfect addition to this collection.