I loved Christina Dodd's historical romances from back in the day, so I was very excited to read an ARC of A Daughter of Fair Verona. Reimagined fairy tales are so often fun reads, so a classic story reimagined was just what I wanted. In the classic Romeo & Juliette the couple dies.....but, what if they had a plan B and lived? This is the start of a fun storyline where Romeo and Juliette not only escape death, they have a brood of children with the eldest daughter, Rosie, as the main character of the tale. She does not want to wed and has escaped six or more betrothals---but this time she may be well and truly caught.

A fun tale that reads a bit like Young adult fiction, though that could be the youth of the characters shining through. The murder mystery had some very suspenseful moments, and a twist that surprised me. The poetry came from the prospective groom, Rosie spoke in today's vernacular which added to the humor .

Thank you to NetGalley and #KensingtonBooks for an eARC to read in consideration of review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I would recommend this to readers who enjoy humor, romance, and historical mystery.
#DaughterofFairVerona #NetGalley

I like that that the start of this book started with a bang and it was interesting to contemplate that Romeo and Juliet did not die at the end of Shakespeare's tragedy. There was a back up plan! It is insane to think that a long time ago, that a 20 yr old female is considered old, and that is when the Montague eldest daughter, Rosaline, enters the picture. She enjoys math and sword playing, and four prior engagements have not worked out for her...

The story gets interesting when she too falls in love at first sight. But Romeo and Juliet have also arranged another engagment/marriage to a very unlikeable suitor. Romeo and Juliet have many family friends, and a prince is a close friend throughout their adult lives and has watched the Montague family grow. The prince is admires the famous pair and is also tired of living alone.

This book has secrets, struggles, romance, and so much more. I could not put it down once I started it. I look forward to this becoming a series and cannot wait for the next one.

Highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley, Christina Todd, and Kensington Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 6/25/2024

"I'm the eldest daughter of Romeo and Juliet. Yes, that Romeo and Juliet. No, they didn't die in the tomb. They're alive and well and living in fair Verona with their six wildly impetuous children and me, their nineteen-year-old daughter Rosaline...

Knives Out meets Bridgerton in Fair Verona, as New York Times bestselling author Christina Dodd kicks off a frothy, irreverent, witty new series with an irresistible premise - told from the delightfully engaging point of view of Romeo and Juliet's clever, rebellious, fiercely independent daughter, Rosie Montague.

Once upon a time a young couple met and fell in love. You probably know that story, and how it ended (hint: badly). Only here's the thing: That's not how it ended at all.

Romeo and Juliet are alive and well and the parents of seven kids. I'm the oldest, with the emphasis on 'old' - a certified spinster at twenty, and happy to stay that way. It's not easy to keep your taste for romance with parents like mine. Picture it - constant monologues, passionate declarations, fighting, making up, making out...it's exhausting.

Each time they've presented me with a betrothal, I've set out to find the groom-to-be a more suitable bride. After all, someone sensible needs to stay home and manage this household. But their latest match, Duke Stephano, isn't so easy to palm off on anyone else. The debaucher has had three previous wives - all of whom met unfortunate ends. Conscience forbids me from consigning another woman to that fate. As it turns out, I don't have to...

At our betrothal ball - where, quite by accident, I meet a beautiful young man who makes me wonder if perhaps there is something to love at first sight - I stumble upon Duke Stephano with a dagger in his chest. But who killed him? His late wives' families, his relatives, his mistress, his servants - half of Verona had motive. And when everyone around the Duke begins dying, disappearing, or descending into madness, I know I must uncover the killer...before death lies on me like an untimely frost."

Oh my, this is just my level of delightful, murder and mayhem with a classical romance!

This book follows the oldest daughter of Romeo and Juliet as she gets caught up in a murder mystery.

This was a good book and I liked it! There was a lot of humor and I liked the setting of this one. Since it’s during Romeo and Juliet time, it happens a long time ago and that was interesting. There were a lot of interesting twists throughout this one.

I loved the characters and it was a fun read. I like the audiobook for this one too! I liked the narrator and the pacing.

Thanks so much to netgally and Kensington and RB media for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

This was a cute book with a lot of goofy and melodramatic moments. It worked for the story, but threw me off at first! It was still a fun read, but I wasn’t really a fan of how it ended, since it was more of a “we’ll see what happens…” instead of just writing it lol. Some funny commentary on Romeo and Juliet in there, so probably a 3.5 rounded down.

🌈Queer rep: none

I've never read a retelling of a classic quite like this. Here Romeo and Juliet do not die but live and have lots of babies. Rosie is the eldest and is now considered a spinster who has successfully thwarted several betrothals. She is happy until she falls in love at first sight and everything around her seems to be going wrong. This story is a rom-com with an air of mystery and it kept me guessing throughout. I loved the play on a classic but from a different viewpoint. The writing is well done and the story reads fast. The story is written for the reader and addresses the reader throughout.

This is an interesting "sequel" to Romeo and Juliet. This is the story of Rosie, the eldest of their seven children. She's getting pretty old and her parents would like to marry her off. However, the man they arranged for her has already lost 3 wives under perhaps suspicious circumstances. Rosie does not want to marry him so she's not terribly upset when he dies.

Rosie is a modern girl. And I mean modern by today's standards, not of the time when Romeo and Juliet's offspring might have lived. The book seems like it's for a younger audience, perhaps teenager. I listened to the audio and the narrator had a young voice, which is appropriate for the character.

A Daughter of Fair Verona was an engrossing novel but left me feeling a little empty. I wanted a better resolution. I felt like a lot of the loose ends weren't quite tied and that's why I gave 3 stars.

Thank you Kensington/John Scognamiglio for my free ARC of A Daughter of Fair Verona by Christina Dodd — available now!

Read this if you:
🎭 enjoy contemporary retellings of classic stories
💃 love a feisty and fierce female lead character
🧗‍♀️ don't mind cliffhangers because...!!!

Rosie is a veritable spinster at age twenty, but her parents Romeo and Juliet (yes, THAT Romeo and Juliet) have arranged for her to wed a local Duke, despite the fact that his previous three wives have all died under mysterious circumstances. Scheming to get out of the marriage, Rosie is surprised to stumble upon her betrothed in the gardens. With a knife in his chest. Now the prime suspect, Rosie will race to uncover the real murderer before more people end up six feet under.

I absolutely loved this story! It's told in an irreverent, contemporary tone, and I know this irritates some readers of historical fiction, so be forewarned if that's you. Personally, I loooove this kind of variation, so I had a fantastic time with this book. Rosie is GREAT and I really enjoyed the revamped version of the classic Romeo and Juliet story. The love interest situation is definitely interesting — and on that note, there is a pretty massive cliffhanger so I am completely stoked to get news of the second book in this series!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Daughter Of Fair Verona
By: Christina Dodd

5 Stars

First off, I want to say this is a cute story that brings a new perspective to an old classic. Or maybe, a sequel to it. It also brought action, mystery, humor, and romance. Of course, why wouldn't it bring romance?

Rosie, the Daughter of THE Romeo and Juliet, is well and good, being not married and staying that way. Even with her parents being who they are, she has never been one to believe in love. Until she does. Verona, Casa Montague, to be exact, is her home, and when she finds herself in danger, she must defend herself and figure out who is trying to harm her before it too late.

This story is one that I am so glad I came across. It had me giggling and loving it the whole time. It was a story that was meant to be told and one that I am sure many others will find amusing. especially if you know the story of Romeo and Juliet. It provided a riveting mystery and drama and so many other things. It was just as easy to love this story as the great classic that came before.


*I want to thank Netgalley and the author for this book in return for my honest review*

Stormi Ellis
Boundless Book Review

A Daughter of Fair Verona by Christina Dodd is a fun, fast moving story with a light tone. Rosalind, the daughter of Romeo and Juliet and the practical foil to their dramatic tendencies, is the main character. She is intelligent, fiercely loyal, sure of her own self worth and defintely courageous. Where she is filled with light, humor and warmth, the Prince of Verona is a survivor with a dark past and scars both visible and invisible. But there's a killer loose in Verona, one who seems determined to frame Rosalind. Rosalind insists on protecting her family and the prince is determined to protect Rosalind. Christina Dodd has crafted a book that engages both the reader's heart and mind. That surprise ending really threw me for a curve but I loved this book.

4.25 stars

“Oh no. Here we go again. I scoffed, ‘Poetry! How it bores me. What’s the theme? What’s the plot? Get to the point!’”


Scene 1: Casa Montague. Roseline’s Betrothal Ball.
Enter Duke Stephano, Roseline’s betrothed.

Spinster Roseline Montague (yes, Romeo and Juliet survived and has a rather large family!) has been betrothed four times and has successfully escaped all previous entrapments by matching her future husbands to their true mates. This time around, she’s been promised to Duke Stephano. The problem? He has three dead wives and poor Rosie is feared to be the fourth.

Scene 2: Casa Montague. Roseline’s Betrothal Ball.
Enter Lysandro, of House Marcketti, enemies to House Montague.

But! Love at first sight! Dear Rosie has finally encountered her true love by a chance meeting with Lysandro Marcketti and it’s every bit as lovely and preposterous as her own parents’. The problem? He’s from House Marcketti, mortal enemies of House Montague.

Scene 3: Casa Montague Garden. Roseline’s Betrothal Ball.
Enter Prince Escalus, Prince of Verona.

Off to meet her betrothed, Rosie happens upon Prince Escalus in the garden. The problem? Duke Stephano is there too. With a fatal knife wound to the heart. Who is responsible for the Duke’s timely death (I mean, let’s be real, Rosie had no desire to marry this man)? Why is the Prince there? Is Roseline next? Rosie makes it her mission to find out who is behind the subsequent killings in Verona before she meets the same fate.


This book is a work of fiction based off a work of fiction based off a work of fiction. There are so many layers of fiction, it only makes sense to create it as a satire! Especially given the absurdity that is the story of Romeo and Juliet (look, I love the story, but Roseline agrees - it’s absurd).

Roseline is deeply feminist but forced to mask because well, it’s 14th/15th century Verona and women have a role to play. Her logic, quick wit, and willingness to portray the easily influenced young woman (well, spinster at 20 years old) makes this a rather enjoyable read.

If you go into this thinking it’s a historical fiction or alternate retelling of a beloved story, you will likely become rather frustrated with how the story progresses. There are wild and outlandish scenarios that really can only be viewed through the lens of this book being a complete satire of more serious historical fiction works and dramas, such as Shakespeare. Through this lens, this is a rather hilarious and lovely read.


Thank you so much to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the advance copy!

Loved every bit of this book. Cannot wait for the next one. What a clever idea handled perfectly! More please!

Daughter of Fair Verona is a swashbuckling adventure that leaves you wanting more. I hope there is more books coming for this series as it is great!

What would happen if Romeo and Juliet did not die? Obviously they’d have a big, raucous family, and a decidedly practical eldest daughter who is happy to forgo romance in favor of spinsterhood - until she has her own jolt of love at first sight! Filled with murder, intrigue, potions, and passion-this story is a page turner - mostly because of the clever, wry, and thoroughly likable Rosie. Will she solve the murder, save her reputation, and pursue true love? A delightful, fun read!!

A definite case of it's not you, it's me. The writing style was not my cup of tea and the humor was not hitting for me.

As told by the clever and fiesty eldest of Romeo and Juliet’s seven children. What—you thought they’d died as teenagers? Not in this version. They not only lived, they thrived. Now if they could only marry off their first born, but Rosie is dead set against that idea. Unfortunately, while she’s forced into a betrothal with one man, she falls for another. Worse, her intended is murdered at their betrothal celebration and she’s looking guilty. (remember the dead set against marriage part) As she tries to uncover the true villain, more people die, and more fingers point to Rosie. A witty, romantic mystery.

More! Just more. Please. I loved it. Rosaline is a smart snarky woman and I need to know what happens to her. Who does she marry? Willingly or dutifully? Her new romantic life is mixed with murder. For someone who doesn't believe in love at first sight she jumped down that hole! Now what happens?

3.5 ⭐️

What if Romeo & Juliet survived, lived happily ever after, had a ton of kids and their eldest daughter is a smart, witty and interesting young woman that has to casually solve a murder mystery while also trying to find a husband?

Excuse me, that was such a fun concept for a book and combined so many elements that I love in a story!
I would describe this book as "Bridgerton meets Belladonna" with the charme of a historical story and the fast paced thrill of a murder mystery.
I loved our main character Rosie and how she tried to find her own place in the world while simultaneously being the daughter of THE blueprint of a couple for over the top romance and dramatic love confessions, which can be as exhausting as it sounds.
Despite her parents being a little dramatic at times (what else could you really expect from Romeo & Juliet?), the family dynamics overall where really wholesome and made me smile quite a few times.

The murder mystery also kept me invested, even though it might have been a bit predictable at times and the "big reveal" fell a little bit flat for me personally.
I was also sometimes confused by the language used in the book as i felt like it was switching up between the language they would have used back in their day and the language we use today. It felt a bit inconsistent at times and threw me off at some points.
I won't be getting into too much detail about the love interest(s), because of spoilers but let's say this: The obvious choice is not always the best, my sweet summer child.

Overall I can definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a fun historical book with great characters, a solid murder mystery and a sprinkle of romance!

I liked this story well enought, the writing is funny and original, and the plot was entertaining. I did feel like the ending was rushed and a bit confusing, and even though I liked the characters in the beginning the last few chapters made me question them, and not in a good way. Unfortunately this made me change my perception of the book as a whole.

I would love to read mote of Christinas work though as her writing is remarkable and for me the thing that saved this story from a 3 star rating from me.