Got to admit, it took me a few chapters to finally understand what was happening with the families and the gems in this one. Once I got the gist though I was well and truly hooked. I also didn’t’ realise it was a take on Beauty and the Beast (only slightly). I absolutely loved it, and I loved Thorn Beathach. He really was a beast, with an extremely dark side, he was also one of the good guys, he didn’t think so, but he really was. He was violent, unforgiving, and the perfect match for Alana Beaumont, who was not the quiet, ditzy socialite that most people thought. I loved her too, she stood up for herself, she knew her limits and her abilities and she pushed through them to get what she wanted. A little on the supernatural side, a lot on the sexy side along with some violent and graphic scenes that some may not enjoy as much as I did. An addictive read that I couldn’t get enough of. I really hope we get more stories from these families. I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is my honest review.

I love everything I have ever read that was written by Rebecca Zanetti and this was no exception. This is not part of any of her previous series and goes a little more into the fantasy realm with a wonderful retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Alana and Thorn are the main characters in this tale of mystery, murder, criminals and world domination via social media. I was kept constantly guessing as to whodunit and loved the outcome, as well as the reference to the Kayrs family--have to love the cross-over! Highly recommended.

There will quite literally never be enough classic fairytale reimaginings out there- especially when ones with such unique concepts like this one exist!! You think you're in for a regular tale as old as time? A song as old as rhyme? You are certainly not going to get that with this dark romance, Silicon Valley social media mogul/mafia family, slightly fantastical take on Beauty and the Beast!

Our beauty, Alana Beaumont, is the darling of Aquarius Social and a secret vigilante with her group of best gal pals (seemingly Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty). Our beast, Thorn Beathach, is the Irish mafia leader of Malice Media with a slight (okay not so slight) obsession with our beauty and a curse freezing him from the inside out. On a night gone wrong, Thorn ends up kidnapping Alana (clasic), taking her to his home that she can't leave that just so happens to have the best library she's ever seen (and she can read in about 10 different languages so that's saying something), and Alana ends up getting Stockholm Syndrome...I mean falling in love with her beast.

This story delivered so many of the highs of the classic tale we all know and love, while mixing in other fairy tale characters and plots, while also creating a completely new and interesting set of circumstances (and upping the spice level). I may have giggled through some of alpha male commentary that comes with a mafia-style romance, but I did genuinely enjoy the story and look forward to seeing if our other mafia fairy tales come about!!

Thank you so much to Rebecca Zanetti and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review. Check this out when it comes out on June 25, 2024!

A retelling of beauty and the beast in fantasy romance. I was confused about the four families, their mystical world, crystals, and mixture of social media. It takes time to understand the workings. Characters are okay, and the pace is engaging. Chemistry and romance between Thorn and Aalana are exciting. The ending twist is great. Overall, a time pass entertaining read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an eARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy of this book.

Nope, definitely not for me. Lots of repetition but not enough info about the crystals and how they actually work. I was very confused and never could follow that thread. To me, the "romance" felt like an overblown 50 Shades. I didn't feel the chemistry between Alana and Thorn. In fact, I didn't particularly like any of the characters. Parts were so ridiculous I had to skip ahead. The violence was more than I was expecting, and the scene in the bathroom with Alana, Thorn, and the knife, was disturbing.

Kudos to Rebecca Zanetti for trying something new and different - much as I love her work, I can't see myself continuing this series.

I’d like to start by saying Rebecca Zanetti is one of my favorite authors and I own almost everything she’s ever written. With that said, this book was definitely darker and different from anything I’ve read by her before. As always, there is great chemistry between the main characters Alana and Thorn, and a lot of action and mystery. I did not see the one of the twists at the end coming, though I’d begun to suspect the other.

I struggled a little bit to understand the world building for this one—how the four families use their crystals and the tie to social media—but I did appreciate the reference to the Kayrs, indicating this is taking place in the same world as the Dark Protectors. A description I read said “set in an alternate Silicon Valley where information is power, and those who control the flow of information live like gods”, but this was not quite made clear during the actual book.

I loved how the relationship between Alana and Thorn developed. (Stalker, much?) And of course Thorn has an amazing library as you’d expect in a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. As a warning, their sexual encounters were not ever sweet and loving. It was heavily about his having control and all that entails. It’s not my favorite genre, but if you’re into spanking and light BDSM, you will probably enjoy that part of it.

I’m definitely interested to see where this series goes!

SPICE 🌶🌶🌶🌶

💫Review💫

"Thorn: You’re racking up punishments faster than a demon collects debts.
Alana: You’re the damn demon keeping score.
Thorn: Yes , I am. And baby, the house always wins. Prepare yourself".


Well damn. Where do I even start. This book surprised me, thrilled me, and utterly blew me away.

It was not what I was expecting at all. It was far superior. This has swiftly become one of my top reads for this year. I have devoured this book in roughly 6 hours because I literally could not put it down.

One cursed rose is a dark, delicious, steamy re-telling of beauty and the beast. And by god, was it done well. The author writes in such a way that grips you from the first few pages. I was hooked. Thorn entered the scene and i was a woman obsessed. The stalker elements in this storyline and both Thorn and Alanas characters and the way they interacted with each other were giving me strong haunting adeline vibes. It was delicious.

The pacing was perfect, the plot twists I did not see coming and I absolutely loved the magical system and use of crystals within this story. It is not something I have seen done before and was therefore unique and intriguing. The complexities of how it worked with coding and tech gave it a modern element and kept it complex and exciting.

The plot was perfection, the pacing was spot on, the character depth and development was brilliant. The spice!!! Sexy, smouldering, give me more!!. I really enjoyed the moral battle alana was having in her head because I was having it right alongside her. 'This is wrong' yes, yes it was, but did I want it too? Damn right I did!!

I could honestly rave about this book forever it was a masterpiece but im avoiding spoilers. I cannot wait for more and believe this is part of a series.

1000% must read.
.

5 star read. Twisted tale full of intrigue with lots and lots of steam. This is marketed as a take off of Beauty and the Beast. The outline is there but it is so much more. Mystical, social media, bad things happen and both Alana (Beauty) and Thorn (Beast) are doing things behind the scenes for good. That being said, Thorn has no problem showing dark. Killing, sure thing. A little dismember here and there, sure, why not. Again it is so much more than that. The enemies to lover trope is a little more like innocent and Dom. More erotica which will make steam lovers happy. The 5 star rating is because I was intrigued and captivated with the plot. The twists, the knowledge that people can be good and bad. The icing is if every steamy scene was removed the book still deserves a 5 stars and stayed with me after the read. Thank you for the arc. I freely volunteer my thoughts and opinions. #OneCursedRose #RebeccaZanetti #KensingtonBooks #NetGalley

When an author takes on a beloved classic, you tend to think you know what you are going to get. Rebecca Zanetti delivers a Beauty and the Beast retelling but with a completely different, new, unique and unexpected world set in social media empires and mystical components. This book surprised me and really brought something new to the story. The characters are fierce: a sassy heroine with a heart of gold, an alpha male with a twisted past and an obsessive love that has all the best intentions. This book takes you on an adventure, lots of action and heat, plus a plot twist you never saw coming.

A new take on the Beauty and the Beast tale, set in an alternate Silicon Valley. The intrigue of the story revolves around a “curse” sent via virus into the male protagonist’s network and how to stop it before it kills him. I found many of the decisions made by the leads to be dumb but once I settled in to read for just the steamy sections I found myself reading quickly. Overall I wasn’t super excited by the storyline and felt that the romance was ridiculous but it was still fun.

My. God. I just finished One Cursed Rose and I’m just sitting here gobsmacked. Rebecca Zanetti has outdone herself with this one! It took a few chapters for me to understand what is going on and then I didn’t want to put it down. It’s such a unique interpretation of the twisted tech world we live in. Thorn is one of her best redeemable bad boys ever and I love him and Alana together. Y’all will never guess who really done it and I’m still a little shook. By the time the last few chapters roll around you’ll be so invested in the high stakes outcome you won’t be able to put it down. Congratulations Rebecca! You knocked this one out of the park. I can’t wait to delve more into this world.

This is touted as a dark romance with echoes of the Beauty and the Beast story. I found it less a dark romance and more a romantic suspense with some kink . I think this is because the author at heart is a hopeless romantic herself so incapable it seems of truly wanting her characters to suffer. Yes Thorn is without a doubt controlling and dominant but from his first meeting ( ahem kidnapping ) with Alana he tells her he loves not likes her. Yes that's a bit of a crazy stalker vibe but as much as he feels she is his so too does he know that he belongs to her !
Alana is seen as a pampered Princess but in reality she is a clever woman who is heartily underestimated. I loved that about her and it made her choices so much more believable. There is mystery here as Alana has recently lost her brother and is now expected to fill his role but there's also a subplot as Alana lookalikes are turning up dead ! Its a good thing Thorn is determined to protect her even if he cannot save her from himself !
This story revolves loosely around social media but not powered by electronic devices as we are used to but by certain individuals who can interact with crystals and although the metaphysical science is explained I think the reader has to just go with the flow and sink into this idea to get the best out of this new series. It certainly made it unique and I'm obviously all for that. A good start to what I'm sure will be an entertaining series and I look forward to continuing this journey.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

Holy rose fucking fuck. I never in my wildest dreams thought crystals would make me horny 🤪. I loathe crystal culture and mom crystals etc but this took it to a whole other level. This is marked as a fantasy, but better classified as a romance.

Set in a slightly futuristic world where people can channel energy and life through crystals and with strong connections to certain crystals they can bring out certain attributes etc. the powerful people use the crystals to power social media companies (although they kind of lost me in this part and it low key was kind of unimaginative in my opinion). More follower and likes then the more money and power and extended life they had. ANYWAY, that’s not the important part! The real juice of the story is the enemies to lovers and smoldering hot duo. This book almost reads similar to a mob/mafia romance book. A tortured hard edged male and a cut throat female. She gets kidnapped and they fall in love etc etc. what you need to know is that this book was red hot, ride or die kind of love and although the crystal part was kind of stupid, this read was still 100% worth it. It will leave you drooling…and maybe wanting to purchase a few crystals of your own? 🤨

Alana is one cool chick in the future. Thorn is one badass soul with a tiny sliver of hope within his makeup. There is an edge of darkness, but I would call it deliciousness. Obsessed is one word to also describe it, and it would entail the universe to burn down, such with Thorn's actions regarding Alana. There's a bit of humor and sarcasm in this book and it makes me smile just thinking about it and all the characters. You can see all kinds of possibilities of other books to come. Great "discussions" between Thorn and Alana also make this book perfect, "the absolute center of that world."

I voluntarily reviewed this book.

My favorite author is Rebecca Zanetti, hands down. All her books are incredible. This is a little different from all her other books. It is spicy, mildly dark and filled with intrigue. It kept me wondering who the guilty party was. I really liked Thorn. He is mysterious,doesn’t take crap from anyone and is possessive and loyal. The first few pages had me confused but I quickly understood what was going on. Alana turned out to be a strong woman who fought for her man’s life, even if she didn’t want to admit she belonged with him.
I cannot wait to read more about Justice, Quinlan and Ella. I enjoyed One Cursed Rose even though it is not as addictive as The Dark Protectors Series.

This story as a whole did not work for me.

I don't think the modern day Beauty and the beast, social media, magical storyline went together. There was so much going on throughout the whole book that I felt lost and confused at what the author was trying to really say.

I also don't think the dark romance aspect was done well. Dark romance is more than just whips and chains. It's still a connection, and that connection was just not there.

This book was a little off the beaten path for Rebecca but it was a fantastic book! Thorn was an interesting character...dark and maybe just a bit crazy due to his illness. He is the driving force behind the media company trying to drive Aquarius under. Alana is the face behind Aquarius.

After a failed assassination attempt and a successful kidnapping, Alana finds herself at the mercy of Thorn. He loves her, in his own twisted way, and he believes that Alana is his. Over the course of time she finds herself having feelings for Thorn, and not all bad feelings. Is she falling in love with this man? Does she enjoy his brand of love? These are questions that will be answered when you read this amazing story.

There are many twists and turns in this book and there is a big surprise that unfolds as the book comes to an end. I promise you, this book will grab you and not let go until the very end.

If you enjoy reading darker romance, you are going to love this book! I sure did! I'm ready for book 2 now!

Thank you Kensington for gifting me with an ARC to read and review!

Absolutely loved this modern retelling of beauty and the beast. If you are looking for a fantasy, dark romance, murder mystery, with a dash of magical elements, this is for you! The chemistry between Alana and Thorn is beautiful and so so spicy. Thorn has the protective “mine” vibe to Alana, but treats her like a princess when taking care of her. Alana is spunky and bratty and challenges Thorn when he orders her to do something. Absolutely loved this!

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the copy of this arc!

There was a LOT going on in this book. Essentially, it a a beauty & the beast retelling, but I say that some what loosely & in a good way.I don't like going into a book knowing that its based on a specific fairytale.

I think I would have enjoyed more in learning about the way that the crystals played such a crucial part in the book. I feel like there needed to be more information on why they were so important & what they actually did.

The plot twist was one I did not expect at all though & I thought it was wild.

Overall, the book did hold my attention, but I felt like it was a bit choppy in places & I just wanted more from it.

Thank you to Netgalley & Kensington Books for this e-ARC copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way.

One Cursed Rose is a dark romance with hints of fantasy that will probably trigger certain readers. With a spice level rivaling a ghost pepper, Thorn and Alana’s story ventures into some submission and punishment territory. The top four social media platforms are run by gems ( the history is a little light on this in the story). Alana’s job is to bring in viewers and charge the gems that the platform needs to run. Trailing the other three platforms, Alana’s father has plans to join with one of the other families with Alana as the unwilling sacrificial bride to a womanizing playboy. Thorn obsesses over Alana from afar. The bad boy from Malice Media tries to stay out of the limelight, charge his crystals, and run the mafia while secretly protecting Alana until the day he can claim her. A botched murder attempt later, Alana finds herself kidnapped and held at Thorn’s home. The heat between the two sky rockets as the captive becomes a willing lover but time is short for Thorn. A virus has infected Thorn and his garnets, now Alana nana Thorn are in a race against the clock and the bad guys to win their HEA. This story is a very different kind of story for this author but still a compelling read. Very steamy and pretty dark, the story is not for the faint of heart and is definitely a page turning, new take on Beauty and the Beast. My voluntary, unbiased and non mandatory review is based upon a free review copy from NetGalley.