I came very close to writing this novel off in the first few pages as it followed the typical script of unconventional princess who resists marriage. But then the stranger with the face of gold shows up after the princess issues an impossible challenge and things got very interesting.
I loved this book - it was very well written for a first novel and I was kept in suspense the entire way through. And the romance scenes were hoooooot.

I can't wait to read more books by Rowan.

This follows Cannetella, whose father is king and they’re essentially broke and they need Cannetella to marry. However, she doesn’t want to marry, especially none of the terrible suitors her Uncle Matteo has introduced her to. Her father vows then that he will find a man she specifically wants for her by her twentieth birthday or she won’t have to marry at all and her Uncle can marry someone instead. So, Cannetella asks for the impossible…a man with a face of gold.

I will leave it at that because although it’s obvious what happens based on the actual synopsis, I think that leaves a feeling of mystery 😏

What I enjoyed: I actually love the story and the idea of the story. It’s similar to Beauty and the Beast based on the style of the story, a curse and the romance. The romance I enjoyed to a point, which I’ll explain below. And I like how it ended and look forward to the next book which I think will be a stand-alone based in the same world…I think 😅 That’s the impression I’m getting.

Now the reason I gave this 3 stars: Cannetella, the female MC. She. Is. UNBEARABLE!!! So spoiled and expects everything to go her way the entire book! When I first started the book, I could tell she’s spoiled, but I thought it was kind of entertaining the way she acted and how her new husband just brushed it off, clearly he could handle her. But she wouldn’t stop! Every little moment was her thinking how to murder her husband, how to escape, how he is evil and there’s no way he’s not a monster. She just never allowed a moment to actually THINK about what’s going on and everything around her and broaden her horizons to realize not everything is about her! Oh and then when she starts getting a long with her husband, she has the audacity to ask him when HE will treat HER as an equal or when will HE listen to HER, when she never gave him the same respect! Like how did you expect him to respect you when you don’t in return!? Oh and she asks him when he’ll stop acting like a child, when she acted like a child the entire book when she’s supposed to be 20 years old and at one point even stamped her foot 🙄 She just drove me nuts through the entire book. So much contradictions with Cannetella. By the end, she seemed to finally grow up, but that was literally the last couple of chapters which means I read this entire book with an insufferable character and I still don’t understand what the male MC saw in her, but to each his own. Which is also why I only enjoyed the romance to a point. It’s an enemies to lovers to enemies to lovers romance and I would have enjoyed it more if Cannetella was more bearable and thought of others more than herself, and thought before she spoke or acted.

That’s truly the only reason why I had to give this three stars. I really did like the story idea. I hope the next book has more bearable characters. I do plan on continuing the series to see.

I received a free digital copy to read. Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Wow, I had a superb experience while reading this book and would highly recommend it to anyone looking to get out of a reading slump. Elodie Rowan does an stellar job of describing the Italian scenery, art, and magic, and I appreciated how the main character's connection to her home was portrayed, as I have Italian ancestry myself. I'm obsessed with the cover and think it is absolutely gorgeous. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me this advanced copy!

A fairytale retelling, enemies to lovers, lost magic and incredibly addicting. I liked it, I couldn’t stop reading it, but will I ever read it again? Doubtful. Mainly because Cannetella, the FMC.

Cannetella needs to marry so her kingdom won’t fall. So she makes a ridiculous demand of needing her future husband to have a gold face. Enter a Stregone (sorcerer) who pretends to have a gold face. How no one thought this could happen is beyond me. So boom, she’s married and she’s on her way to his castle when she finds out thankfully, his face isn’t actually gold - instead he may or may not be the sorcerer who violently killed her Mother. Which makes things a little tricky.

This book absolutely kept my attention and I’m glad I read it. This is adult fantasy, not YA.

I always love finding new books that have the essence of "fairytale" about them, and Cannetella definitely had this in spades. Unfortunately, while it wasn't a bad read, it ultimately was not very compelling. I'll go into the parts i like and didn't like below.

Likes:
- The setting - I really felt transported into the world and could visualize the surroundings. The author did a great job of describing the castle, the journeys they went on, and the world in general felt real to me.
- The mystery - while very predictable (the villain was immediately obvious to me), it was also engaging and fun to work through. It's very dark and fast-paced, so while reading, you feel the anxiety the characters are feeling. That is honestly the main thing that kept me reading. I wanted to see how it would all turn out.
- The steam - very nice steamy scenes. Not super spicy but with enough steam to build up the chemistry between the MCs, which was strong. Even though they were constantly battling each other, the insta-lust was alive and well.

Dislikes:
- The FMC/MMC dynamic - it felt like a much younger read than I was expecting. The FMC is 20, the MMC is a little older (I can't recall the exact age difference), but it read like a YA novel. The FMC was immature, to the point where I wanted to reach in and shake her. She may only be 20, but the maturity level should have been a little higher. She was constantly throwing tantrums, attacking the MMC, and generally behaving like a spoiled brat. I found her quite unlikable and hard to relate to.
- The extra villain - the author gave us an additional villain, which seemed to be randomly thrown into the story. Maybe so that the MMC would have a chance to save the FMC from attempted r*pe? It felt oddly placed and almost forced into the overall plot. It didn't read well at all.
- The 3rd act conflict - this made absolutely no sense, and it felt again like it was forced into the story. There were several instances of this in the book, so perhaps it's just this author's writing style. But the reaction of the MMC was so wildly out of proportion and didn't make a whole lot of sense. At all. And then they got back together in the end with minimal fuss, everything wrapped up in a neat bow. Didn't fit.

Ultimately, I'm not sure this author's writing style is for me. However, I think it could still be an enjoyable read for the right audience.

Cannetella:
Pro's
Beautiful Scenery
Fun spunky Main characters.
WHO HURT YOU trope
Touch her and die vibes.
Chapter lengths were good.


Con's
Hate the almost Love triangle
Not a fan of the cover. It's ok, but a little to0 cartoony.
Main female character can come off as bratty at times.- This could be a deal breaker for some readers.

Overextended plot, poorly executed and forced at times, with a female character that is alternately capricious and TSTL (although she does improve some as the story goes), a love triangle that appears too conveniently to cause drama between the heroine and her love interest, and a rape attempt that is there just so the heroine can be saved nigh on time by the hero and reward him for it with kisses (a sexist trope I particularly detest). And a hero that is the typical overprotective and controlling Alphahole that somehow many find compelling but that I see no likability in.

I also don't see the "steeped in Italian folklore" part in the promotional blurb as quite representative of the content. Italian folklore is a whole extensive corpus of tales, myths, and legends, plus a time and a historical context, and this is just one tale (there's a fairy tale with this name by Giambattista Basile that this book is retelling) that hardly has some sprinkling of Italian flavour. It doesn't feel like Italy, it's all a fantasy world imagined by a non-Italian that's not even well-developed as to feel genuine.

** spoiler alert **

⊰ 4 stars

First of all, I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Cannetella is the only princess of the bankrupted kingdom of High-Hill, meaning she is doomed to marry to save her kingdom. Cannetella decides to set an impossible standard; her husband has to have a face of pure gold. She thinks this will guarantee her the unburdened life she so desires, free to chase adventure. However, a strange man with a face of pure gold appears and she is forced to wed him.
Cannetella learns her new husband is Enzo Fioravante, a feared Stregone and her father’s nemesis. She learns she is a pawn in a game of revenge between the two families, but uncovers a devious plot burrowed in both of their kingdoms. Stolen magic, murder and lust uncover. Cannetella has to work together with Fioravante to break a curse, or become the next victims.

This book gives major “touch her, you die” and “who did this to you” vibes. This is an enemies to lovers trope, which I love. The plot of the book is very good, but I didn’t like how the villain stood out from pretty much chapter the first 50 pages. I either would’ve liked for the endgame villain to be someone else than her uncle (her father being the mastermind behind everything for example) or it not being so foreshaded that her uncle is such a cruel man.
The story building is really good, especially for this being a debut. Some scenes felt really rushed and kind of came out of nowhere. The spicy scenes for example, even though very well written and good spicy scenes, had kind of random timing.
I wouldn’t describe this as Elise Kova/Sarah J. Maas vibes, but more Jennifer L. Armentrout (think From Blood and Ash).

Our MC’s, Cannetella and Enzo, have some decent character growth; both on their own and the relationship between them. I could’ve gone without all the back and forth between them trusting and not trusting each other. It kind of read like slow burn, but all the back and forth was just too much.
Cannetella reads like a spoiled brat in the first few chapters, her not wanting to marry even though it will save her kingdom and family was kind of weird, especially since she seems to only long to go back to her family and kingdom after she leaves. Thankfully, we get character growth and Cannetella starts to think of more than just herself.
Enzo is a dark, brooding book boyfriend. He has the typical character growth that comes with a dark, brooding book boyfriend. He doesn’t trust anyone, but learns to trust Cannetella.
I liked the side characters, they got some decent reading time. I liked the author introducing a second villain, even if it was for growing the relationship between Cannetella and Enzo.

I really enjoyed this book, it is a great enemies to lovers trope book. The “touch her, you die” and “who did this to you” vibes were amazing. I would’ve loved some more plot twists in who the endgame villain is in this book, but it was still very exciting to read.

*I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

It’s after 2am, and despite being tired, I stayed up to finish reading this book. So why only 3 stars? I could have loved it—in fact, sometimes I did. But my enjoyment was frequently interrupted by content (see the Note section at the bottom). Aside from that, the story was great. It was kind of Beauty & the Beast-ish but much more than just a retelling of the fairy tale. I easily found myself engrossed in the characters and the story, right from the beginning.

Cannetella (20) matured significantly throughout the seven months this book spans. Her worst traits didn’t disappear; instead, they shifted and changed into strengths. She was stubborn and fiery. I generally liked Enzo (best guess: 25-30), who was fiercely protective and, overall, a gentle man. Except when he’d morph into a weird, controlling, alpha male—I’m guessing I’m supposed to believe it was for Cannetella’s benefit, but it just made me cringe. It’s not something I find attractive. Aside from that, their enemies-to-lovers relationship played out pretty well. Though I must say Cannetella forgives far more quickly than I’d have anticipated.

Note: Language, mostly consisting of f words (many). Awkward, somewhat graphic sex scenes.

I enjoyed reading this book, it was a good time, but it didn't totally feel like a finished product.
Likes:
- Both main characters were likable. I understood their motivations and priorities.
- Most side characters were well written and added fun color and interactions.
- The world building was fun and engaging. Could do with some more descriptions of clothes and food and other setting information to pull in an immerse the reader.
- The general plot was a fun mix of familiar concepts/tropes and new parameters/details
- Randomly the sex scenes were really well done. To a point where they almost felt out of place? We have a ~3/5 YA level fantasy novel interspersed with ~4.5/5 smut scenes. I guess I wouldn't change them, there was explicit consent and generosity as well as some roughness and not cringey dirty talk. I just think if the rest of the book was elevated a little it wouldn't be so odd.
Issues:
- It was obvious in the first 5 pages who the real villain was, which takes some momentum out of reading it for the overarching plot. The uncle did not have to be so overtly evil from page 1.
- It wasn't 100% clear why the two main characters liked each other. There wasn't a ton of relationship building. She went from being a means to an end and he went from her enemy and captor to distinct love interests then to the love of each others lives pretty quickly. It would have been good to see more scenes of them working together and getting to know each other before they were even romantically interested.
- The magical issue and resolution on the granular level was hard to follow at best. It was clear what the big picture issue and desired outcome was, but the details of the hiccups and solutions were unclear. This made that specific plot line hard to be invested in.
- Lucia the minor villain lacked dimension. Her story line could have been totally removed and it hardly would have changed a thing.

I liked this way more than I thought I would.

What I liked:

The relationship between Cannetella and Enzo. This might be one of a few books that is marketed as "enemies-to-lovers" and actually is.

Cannetella is feral, Throwing, screaming, crying, and attempting to murder. And while sometimes she can be super childish, I found it most endearing.

I read Enzo as cruel, lazy, and powerful. This was excellent.

What I didn't like:

Enzo, at times, would swear that he's "not a monster," etc. Which I found has a wild thing for him to suggest since he constantly tells Cannetella what to do and literally keeps her locked up. He's manipulative and a liar. Gaslight, girlboss, gatekeep.

This book did not pass the Bechdel test.

The mystery element. This was very undeveloped. We literally only ever met one other person that could be viewed as "evil". So, of course, the big reveal was them.


Overall thoughts:

This is a very character-reliant book. Despite it being a fantasy book, there is very little world-building or any mention of the magic system. Most of the focus is on Cannetella and Enzo's developing relationship. This will check many boxes for people, a nice fast and hard romantasy book with a satisfying ending.

No thoughts, just "touch her and you die" vibes

Summary: I saw someone else describe this is as a "no thoughts, all vibes" books which I think is pretty accurate. I read it in one day so I obviously liked it but it was not without flaw and I wavered between a 3 and 4 stars. Pros include good world buildings, pretty writing (with some grammar and punctuation mistakes expected in an ARC), and overall a good premise with good pacing that kept me turning pages until 2 am. Cons include somewhat random spice scenes (the spice was good but didn't always fit), a pretty 1 dimension villain, and the plot twist was lacking. This was less SJM and more From Blood and Ash.

Plot:
I think this plot needed just one more round of developmental edits. It felt like a lot of moving pieces that pretty much lined up. Things felt forced at times, revelations seemed to jump out at them, and I'm still not completely sure what Cannetella's grand plan was at the end. Usually I want books to be shorter but I think this could've benefited from another 50 pages. There was a good amount of others explaining to Cannetella what was happened but it didn't take me out of the story.

Characters
Cannetella was hard to love at first, but I understood her plight and actions. She drove the story though. So much agency, didn't let anyone protect her or drag her along.
Enzo is "touch her and you die" and "who did this to you?" vibes, which I'm here for! I wish we would've gotten a bit more of his backstory and how he "thinks like a soldier" to really really understand him. Cannetella and Enzo's back and forth love story was a bit too back and forth from both of them. It wasn't slow burn, it was whiplash.
The villain (no spoilers) was very obvious. If I can guess the big bad guy within the first few chapters, it's no good and I did here unfortunately.

Writing
It was good, nothing amazing but I have a few highlighted lines that I really liked. The pacing is good, the writing is clear.

Spice was great if I just wanted spice. It felt out of place a few times, and a bit unnecessary, but that's a personal preference to have smut in specific places so if you like a good dose of smut in your books, this does that! Some of the movements were odd and it's definitely drawn out, but good if you're looking for "who

Overall yes I would recommend this to someone who enjoys fantasy romance and isn't looking for a mind puzzle to solve.

2.5/5.

Let’s start with some things I liked about this. The writing was actually very pretty. I enjoyed the descriptions of the setting. It was pretty and felt very immersive. Sadly, we only venture to two true places, and don’t get to explore the world beyond the two castellos.

The plot was pretty interesting. It’s based off of Italian fairytales, and I haven’t read much of anything Italian inspired.

Okay onto some issues I had.

1. This definitely needed some more editing. There were several typos and grammatical errors made. If there were only a few, I would not have let it affect my rating. However, there were more than just a few, and each time it took me out of the story.
2. The plot twist is pretty predictable. I predicted it within the first few chapters, which saddens me because I spent the whole time waiting to see how the character came to that revelation.
3. There are no positive female relationships in this story. There are two women beyond the mc, one being a maid that was not developed much, and the other an antagonistic character.
4. The pacing of the plot felt rushed. The beginning was very promising. The author took their time exploring the character and the setting at first, establishing a great foundation. However, once the main problem was introduced, it felt as though the author was rushing to come to the conclusion.

Overall, I think this story has a lot of potential. With a little more editing I think this would be great.

I really loved the premise of the book and the gorgeous cover. The writing is definitely middle grade to young adult. Cannetella is set up as an overly selfish young woman, pandered to by her father, who only wants to paint and be an artist. She doesn't care about her kingdom, and this makes her a pretty awful princess, but she doesn't want to be one anyway. I wasn't a fan of hers, but the premise makes it seem like she will have a decent arc.

Plot hole? If Cannetella doesn't marry, her uncle will inherit (or the king can just decide the uncle inherits anyway). Why doesn't the uncle just marry a wealthy woman? Literally any man would throw their daughter and their wealth at him to have their seed be the future king, and then the uncle can be king. His actions and tone imply he values the kingdom and would value this.

I was pulled out of the story and extremely startled by the following:
Leonardo De Luca is the seventh duke I have met this week, and the fourteenth suitor. Three local lords, the sons of absurdly wealthy merchants, visited the day before. And at the beginning of the week, four far-flung barons made their bid for my hand. (Location 13/299 so ~4%)

This is set up as an Italian fantasy. Therefore, even though it is a fantasy, the basic expectation is it is grounded in Italian history. There were ~30 men total who held the title of Duke in Italy out of Italy's population of ~2 million, so 0.0015%, or as good as zero. (And historically this was not even 30 at the same time, as Dukes were often branches of the royal family and titles were added and taken away, so the numbers fluctuated.) Now, assuming these Dukes come from greater Europe, the number is plausible, yet seven manage to be unmarried and able to travel to meet Cannetella within the span of a week in historical southern Italy? Not likely unless there are airplanes, but it's carriages circling the drive so unsure of this. Also, they are in competition with local lords and barons? The lords and barons would KNOW the Dukes had come (as well as the entire city because Dukes were basically on par with a king and that many of them would not go unnoticed) and the lords would know they don't stand a chance, as would the marquesses, the earls, and the viscounts who all rank higher than barons. Also, she's turning down a Duke because he doesn't have good eating manners and smells bad? Dukes were literally bred to have the best of manners and were always the cleanest members of society and could afford cologne along with the valet to help him apply it. Really, the only believable thing would be to make the Duke cruel, one who wants a wife who knows her place, and that's what makes her father (a penniless desperate king) hesitate.

2/3 of historical romances published revolve around Dukes. They're sexy, wealthy, bold, and unique. Using seven of them to talk up our protagonist as a larger-than-life desirable woman (especially when she's a dowry-less daughter of a penniless king who offers next to nothing and who could very well say to the suitor "you only get to be a queen consort") is perpetuating the problem of "lack of diversity within literature." Young adults will read this, and young adults will unconsciously internalize that Dukes are no big deal, and we will continue to see 2/3 of historical romance literature as a story surrounding a Duke.

https://www.npr.org/2013/07/11/201184280/put-up-your-dukes-romances-favorite-rank

Elodie, if it's not too late, please please fix this, and please help be the positive change in literature, one that helps to raise diverse voices.

<i> "Forever is a very long time, Cannetella." </i>

I enjoyed the book a lot! It has this new adult fantasy vibes going, with "who hurt you" and "touch her and you die" trope. It's fast-paced and yes, perfect for fans of ToG or FBaA who wants quick read instead of a whole long series. Cannetella is a good lead because she got that fire-y determination going, but I was struggling to follow her first few chapter because she came out a little too bratty at times, but I enjoyed her adventure! Enzo is amazing, no notes.

I think it's a perfect casual romance-NA book! It should be book 1 of a series but I think it's okay to be read as a standalone too.

I´m surprised this is a debut novel, it was super adictive i just couldn´t put it down.

It´s a retelling of an italian storybut i don´t know anything about it and honestly the only thing italian in this book are the names of the characters.
The pace is good, you never get bored and there are some of my favourite tropes such as enemies to lovers, arranged marraige, forced proximity, touch her and die. In some parts of the book I felt that some situations didn´t come naturally and were only there to fullfil one trope or another.

The characters were likeable but the worldbuilding is nonexistent.

Overall I enyojed this a lot, is far from perfect but it´s super adictive and I will read the next book this author writes for sure.

Thank you netgalley and the author for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was so good! I highly enjoyed this and it was highly entertaining.
I just reviewed Cannetella by Elodie Rowan. #Cannetella #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

Cannetella is a princess that does not wish to marry - she wants to remain free and travel on her own, explore, and live a good life on her own. Unfortunately, her uncle is shit and her father is kind of spineless and her kingdom is broke, she cant do that. She is able to make a stipulation: she will only marry someone with golden face and hair. Not blond, golden. If this person isn’t found by her 21st birthday, she will not marry. Of course, some fuckery comes about and someone is found - if at the last minute. Now she’s forced into solving a mystery with a man she does not want to be married to.

This is a ‘dark’ romance and a fairly fun time. It’s a ‘no thoughts, head empty’ kind of book. If you liked From Blood and Ash or others like that, you’ll likely enjoy this one. This love interest is kinda attractive and there’s the ‘who did this to you’ trope, which everyone loves. He also has a ‘touch her and you’ll die’ vibe going on, which I wasn’t complaining about. Unfortunately, the writing wasn’t quite it for me. I had an okay time. I can see people having a phenomenal time. It’s okay.

Thank you NetGalley & publisher for this eARC.

Finished in less than 24 hours - it makes you keep going and going and could not put it down because you need to know what's next. I love the pace of this book - not too draggy, slow or not too fast. The storyline was predictable and I really wish to see more of Aurelia and more magic in this premise.

Okay, I was annoyed at the female MC at first because of her stubbornness, she's 20 but still acts like a child sometimes. But Enzo? Definitely a keeper - your protector, your healer, your husband. I wish there were more stories about his family background and their abilities or what was his childhood like.

But the spicyness? S-P-I-C-Y yums.
The cover? 11/10

To Elodie Rowan, congrats on your debut and I will definitely read more books from you in the future! Cannetella was a fun read for me.

I received a free arc from Netgalley, this is my honest opinion about this book.

Wonderful fairytale romance! It's got just enough adventure to romance. I am not familiar with the story this book is based off but it's got a strong, independent mc that trying to break away from a controlling life of being a princess. It's like attitude of Merida and the story beauty and the beast but magic is the main focus. I love the interaction of the characters there is the tension of the love interest. Great romance novel. If you love fantasy romance and Italian setting this is a wonderful book.