Title: ⟫ A Ruin of Roses (Deliciously Dark Fairytales #1)Author: ⟫ K.F. Breene
Blurb: ⟫ A spicy new twist on an old classic - a deliciously dark Beauty and the Beast reimagining.
I could save him, but he would ruin me.
The beast.
The creature that stalks the forbidden wood.
The dragon prince.
He has suffered a fate worse than death. We all have. A curse put upon us by the mad king.
We are a kingdom locked in time. Shifters unable to feel our animals. Stuck here by a deal between the late king and a demon who seeks our destruction.
The only one keeping this kingdom alive is Nyfain, the golden prince to a stolen throne. The last dragon shifter.
He’s our hope.
He’s my nightmare.
When he catches me trespassing in the forbidden wood, he doesn’t punish me with death, as he’s entitled.
He takes me, instead. Forces me back to the castle as his prisoner. Seeks to use me.
Apparently, I can save him. I can save the whole forgotten kingdom, locked away by the demon king’s power.
But it would mean taming the monster beneath his skin. It would mean giving myself to him.
It would mean my ruin.
_ _ _ _ _ _
This is a dark and sexy Beauty and the Beast retelling, featuring a strong heroine, a dangerous anti-hero, and a humorous supporting cast. It is a full-length novel at 80k words and suitable for 18+. This is the beginning of a trilogy and ends on a cliffhanger. Buckle up. The author was let off her leash.
Review: ⟫ I don’t tend to read M/F any more – basically from the time I found M/M, I didn’t turn back. But a friend read this and I was intrigued by her review so I thought I would give it a go.
I don’t really know how to express my feelings about this book. I persevered in reading it because I was positive that at some point it would get better. It was so meandering, rinse and repeat. I found the heroine annoying as heck, and the hero was aggravating but not in a way that intrigued me – I just wanted to slap him.
I expected dark and sexy – instead I found myself wondering about the books I have been reading because all of the so-called shocking acts just struck me as pedestrian. And I had flashbacks when the heroine was ‘talking to herself’ because it reminded me so much of the little that I read of Fifty Shades – Anastasia and Finley would get on so well with their inner Goddess. And as for the soft cliffhanger, I found that I really just didn’t care. Which I guess is the kiss of death for a story – if the cliffhanger ending just makes you glad that you’ve made it to the end, there’s not much hope left.
I can see why some people have enjoyed it – it’s different from the normal romance and has what could be an intriguing plot, with fascinating demons and shifters. But this was most definitely not for me. I’ve given it 2 stars because of the world building and the potential, but I won’t be moving on to the next story.
