I was entertained, I was enjoying my time with this retelling of Beauty and the Beast from the very beginning. It was dreamy with such a dark romance theme.

I would defined look forward to the next books in the series. I really enjoyed this spicy fantasy love story. The twists throughout the book made it hard to put it down.

I enjoyed that this was a Beauty and the Beast retelling. I did find that it had some similarities of another popular dark romance I had read, but I enjoyed the spin that was put on it. Overall a great read!

ARC Review - Thanks NetGalley
One Cursed Rose
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was intrigued with this book because some of my favorite books are Beauty and the Beast retellings. I enjoyed the magic system with the crystals and a technology twist. She merges fairy tale with science and technology. I enjoyed the characters as they are opposites but they work. I love the banter. I also enjoyed the side characters. I’m interested to see where the story goes.

If you love retellings, dark Romantasy, forced proximity, rivals to lovers, suspense and romance (a little BDSM) give this book a chance.

There are dark themes and potential triggers so read the trigger warnings.

This book is definitely different from this author's previous books. As it's advertised it is a dark romance and has intimate scenes that are certainly 'darker' than her other series. This story is a retelling/modernizing of Beauty and the Beast. I found the plot of having four main families that use crystals to power everyone's social media intriguing. I hope as the series continues we learn even more about how that works because I really loved that idea. The main characters Thorn and Alana written extremely well. I admit I enjoyed Thorn's alpha male/possessive traits but the sweetness he had with Alana (at times) was wonderful. I felt Alana was a complex character and that most people underestimated her. I think the two of them make a very strong and interesting couple. I really loved the 'supporting' characters and can't wait to learn more about them in future books. The storyline/plot was good. I liked how Zanetti threw in things to show that Thorn wasn't as 'evil' as people thought (trying to clear up problems with child trafficking, etc), but he still kills and would probably be considered an anti-hero. I also love how Alana is so knowledgeable and spends lots of time in Thorn's library. There are great story twists with a serial killer possibly stalking Alana, her trying to remember/figure out who killed a few family members, Thorn's curse, etc. And wow, that ending... LOVED IT!! I have the ebook, audiobook, and the special edition hardcover (which is absolutely gorgeous). I read the book & then listened to the audiobook and whichever your preferred reading method is you should enjoy this book! The narrators did a phenomenal job and I was hooked the moment I started listening to the book!! I thoroughly enjoyed the book and can't wait for the next one in the series!!

I couldn’t put this book down! It’s described as a beauty and the beast retelling but I hadn’t remembered that or seen that when I picked it up as I’m not generally a fan of the retelling stories.

4 families aiming to get the most exposure/followers on their social media platforms to help charge the energies of their family crystals.

Alana is part of Aquarius (her crystals are aquamarine and rose quartz) and is the obsession of Thorn who is part of Malice (his crystals are garnets). When Alana’s dad arranges for her to marry Cal Sokolov of Hologrid Thorn takes matters into his own hands and kidnaps Alana.

Thorn is a social recluse and his health is deteriorating due to the health of his garnets due to an infection. He suspects the Rendale family (diamonds and Citrine) but has no real proof. Thorn, his brother and other members of his team are working to find a cure to save Thorn and the family.

A love story filled with murder and vengeance, powered by the energy of crystals and social media. Part fantasy with hints of Mafia, there is a lot to like in the first book of this series. I can’t wait to read book 2.

I love Rebecca Zanetti’s books but when I first started reading this one, a new Grimms Brothers take on Beauty and the Beast, I admit I wasn’t sure how I felt. It is dark and at times I cringed a little, BUT I loved Thorn and Alana. I loved her personality and how she didn’t put up with a lot from Thorn. It took me awhile to catch feels for him, but boy I sure did. Exciting plot with some fantasy involved (another genre I don’t often read) but anything coming from this author I will read. A fun, exciting albeit dark romance.

I have major issues with this book. It has nothing to do with how it was written, or the storyline itself. It's more of a me, issue. I cannot, for the life of me get into books where influerncers are the main characters. Maybe I don't follow any influencers really, and the thought of glitz and glammor brought on by social media just gives me the ick. Again, this is totally a me problem and nothing to do with the writer, and story itself. In the right hands this book will clearly be a 5 star.

One Cursed Rose is a new ‘dark romance’ release from Rebecca Zanetti. This was my first time reading one of her books.
Alana is the daughter and heir of tech giant Aquarius Social. After her brother’s death responsibility falls on her to maintain the success of the company. Alana is huge on social media and is a successful influencer surrounded by a team of her friends that keep the cogs of the machine running. In her downtime she helps victims of violence and diverts much of her money to helping others, something no one really knows about. Under the control of her father, Alana is told she is to marry the son of another successful tech/media company and she is not enthusiastic about this development.
Thorn Beathach is the mysterious boss of the direct competition for Aquarius Social. He is obsessed with Alana and tracks her every move. He is an enigma and known to be brutal and cunning.
After an assassination attempt on Alana’s life, Thorn kidnaps her. It appears this was the plan all along but this major step was brought forward due to the attempted murder.
This book was slightly strange and had the odd plot hole where I was left scratching my head trying to understand. So it appears than different crystals are used to power technology. Alana is charged with ‘recharging’ the crystals and Thorn is suffering from some new illness that he and his crystals have been infected with, making things difficult for his company. I found this so confusing. It felt really out of place and unexplained. It appeared out of nowhere at the beginning and didn’t really make much sense throughout.
It was corny in places and it felt like a challenge of ‘let’s fit every popular microtrope into this book’. I understand it is labelled as ‘dark romance’ but apart from the gang activity and the slight stalking, it didn’t feel that dark but that might be because I have developed some sort of immunity to it now after reading some intense books.
It definitely had beauty and the beast vibes but I just didn’t feel a connection to the characters or the plot. It didn’t excite me or keep me wanting to read more.
I love that so many enjoyed this book though. Maybe this wasn’t the one for me.
Thanks for the eARC!

I was looking forward to this Beauty and the Beast story and I was quickly sucked in! Thorn has been watching Alana from afar, but things quickly happen that make him rush in to her aid. While they were opposites, they’re very much drawn to one another. Thorn is protective of what’s his. And he has claimed Alana. And she calms him in a way no one else can. I enjoyed the danger that was surrounding them while things heated up between them. Their world was fascinating and I was hoping for a cure to be found. Couldn’t put this book down and definitely recommend!

The magic system is really unique and I really enjoyed that this fantasy takes place in our time. Usually fantasies are in a medieval type setting. Very quickly, this book turned into a dark, stalker, 50 shades of gray type book that is not something that interests me. I think if you’re into dark romance, this might be a good one to pick up, but it’s just not for me.

I DNFd this 1/3 of the way through.

Not really my thing, but I have loved tons of Zanetti’s books, so I wanted to give it a try. Also, I like stories that play with the whole Beauty and the Beast dynamic. The story does have some entertainment value; some fun danger, but ultimately, I didn’t love this one. The social media stuff just doesn’t draw me; can’t stand the whole influencer thing, but I do like the hacking aspect. I didn’t fully love the romance either. This one has heavy kink, which I have been over most types of kink for quite sometime; I never really loved it, but put up with it in the past since it was in so many romances, but by this point, I really am just not into it. The kink is extra extra too; it was too much like she was being degraded, so I’m not into the bruising, humiliation kink aspect. I do love the passion and intense pull, but I needed more than lust pulling Alana and Thorn together. As for the Beauty and the Beast aspect, I was missing out on the heart of the beast character. Yes, he can be fierce and dangerous, but he also has that tenderness for the beauty that really makes you feel their connection; Thorn does have some of that, but I just wanted it to shine through a bit more. I do like the stalker angle, and the you’re mine and I’ll kill any who try to harm you scenario, so I did find some pluses. There can be some sweetness there between Alana and Thorn too. There is some weird mystical gems thing going on too that could be something interesting at times. There’s also some interesting things involving some mystery around an assassin, a curse, and the deceptions of those involved in the media companies. I don’t know; in the end, I was entertained and do like some aspects to this story, so I’m going to go with a 3 rating. Liked it but not loved.

Do you have a favorite fairy tale?

One of my favorite fairy tales is Beauty and the Beast. I was excited to see that One Cursed Rose was a dark romance rewrite of the Beauty and the Beast Fairy Tale.

Alana Beaumont is a young twenty something social media influencer. She is the heir to Aquarius Social, which is one of the four major social medial companies. The four families that own the four main social medial companies have been rivals for centuries. They gain power from different gems or crystals that are specific to a family, and they use this power to run their social media networks. Thron Beathach is the owner of the current number one company, Mafia Media. He is obsessed with Alana and he saves/kidnaps her during an assassination attempt. Why is someone trying to murder to Alana and is it related to her brother’s mysterious death? Who is working against Thorne and freezing his gems?

My thoughts on this novel:
• I loved that this was a Beauty and the Beast retelling and that is what first caught my attention.

• One Cursed Rose was an engaging and very readable story.

• This is a dark mafia romantic suspense fantasy novel.

• I really enjoyed the mysteries and the suspense in this novel and that is what kept me reading and unable to put the book down.

• I enjoyed that this was a dual narrative novel with Alana and Thorne telling the story in alternate chapters.

• One Cursed Rose is the first in a new series.

• I liked the secondary characters. Alana’s friends, Thorne’s brother, etc. were all great. I wanted to know all their background stories and I’m hoping that they will get their stories as the series progresses.

• Alana came off as a spoiled rich kid at first, but she is smart and has depth. I liked her. Thorn is morally gray. He is sexy, knows his own mind, and does like to help people. But he also kills people and stalks Alana. There is great banter between the two.

• I would have liked more description of how exactly the crystals worked.

• This was the first dark romance that I’ve read, and I am not sure about the “dark” elements. Are all dark romances all like this novel and very spicy and violent? Or is this extreme kink? I didn’t like that the heroine was an inexperienced virgin with the families talking about her virginity and her getting tested before an arranged marriage to ensure her purity. This did not seem like something that would be happening in 2024. The sexually experienced hero basically rapes her, beats her, threatens her, and does whatever he wants. But it’s okay because she eventually enjoys it? SPOILER ALERT: Thorne puts a knife in Alana’s vagina and also beats her with a belt on her clitoris while she cries and begs him to stop. This was too far for me and quite frankly, horrifying. SPOILER END. It reminded me of the 1970s and 1980s romances with this type of thing. I was not a fan of the very graphic and long descriptions in the violent sex scenes as the novel went on. I ended up skimming these chapters.

Overall, The Cursed Rose was a very engaging story, but I had to skim through the graphic sex scenes.

This story is a modern take on Beauty and the Beast that captivated me. It's set in a world where social media empires clash using magical crystals. The story follows Alana Beaumont, heiress to a failing media giant who is forced into an arranged marriage for survival. She's rescued by Thorn Beathach, enigmatic head of a rival company, and their chemistry is as intense as their rivalry. I loved the blend of suspense and romance, especially how Zanetti weaves in fairy tale elements with a gritty, high-tech twist. It's a compelling exploration of power dynamics and forbidden desire that kept me hooked until the very end.

A dark romantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Yes, please. One Cursed Rose by Rebecca Zanetti is the first in the Grimm Bargains series. This dark romance offered suspense, mystery, and blended magic and technology, delivering a refreshing take on a favorite classic.

As you know, I am always game for a Beauty and the Beast retelling and was excited to dive into Rebecca Zanetti’s dark romantic fantasy. From the world that blends magic and technology by utilizing social media, I quickly found myself caught up in this story of power, danger and romance.

In this world, five families control the magic and gain power and wealth through social media and the powering of gemstones used to run their servers. It was a unique setup. We meet Alana Beaumont, who by outwards appearance is a wealthy socialite who parties, wears designer clothes and posts it all on social media. Her family, the Beaumonts, own Aquarius. They’ve recently suffered a tragic loss. Alana’s brother died in a tragic car accident, only she suspects foul play. Now stocks are slipping and her father wants to merge families through marriage; with Alana as the bride.

Alana is not just a pretty face. She is smart, can wield stones and has no intention of marrying. Someone else things Alana is smart, sexy and his….. when her life is in peril he swoops in and saves her. Some might call in kidnapping. Thorn Beathach, the Beast whose social media empire is driving Aquarius under and who has a dark reputation as a killer, brings Alana to his lair.

The tale that unfolds was sexy, suspenseful and full of twists as we learn Thorn has been cursed. I loved their back-and-forth banter, his neanderthal ways and her fire. A little BDSM, sweet gestures, and chemistry kept me vested in the romance even as I thrilled to learn who cursed Thorn, if Alana’s brother was murdered and who tried to kidnap Alana.

An interesting cast of side characters, including a Gaston, made for an intriguing tale. Zanetti’s story was well paced and the world solidly developed, allowing me to become completely lost in the story.

There are triggers to be found for some and some grey areas involving consent, but I had no issue with it. If you love rivals to lovers, sparks, suspense, mystery and romance weaved into your fantasy retellings, you’ll want to add this one to your summer reading list. I look forward to the next novel in the Grimm Bargains series.

This has been marketed as a twist on Beauty and the Beast. Other than the fact Thorn lives in a castle that has a big library, there's little similarity to it.

The whole world involving the gems and social media was confusing at best. I kept waiting for it to make sense, but by the end of the book, I still didn't really understand it. This is also a much darker romance than readers are used to by this author. There's nothing wrong with that; I enjoy a dark romance on occasion, especially when the main characters are likeable and have good chemistry. Sadly, that is missing from this book.

I normally enjoy books by this author, but this one, unfortunately, wasn't for me.

Although the story has some possibilities. This is the second book that I’ve read from this writer that i have struggled with as far as gaining my attention with the book. I’m not sure if some of the characters personalities are to forceful or not some may not be explained enough. The story maybe to timid or meh.

3/5 Stars

I really wanted to like this one but it fell fairly flat for me.
The romance started with him saving her and kidnapping her and her immediately being turned on by him and interested in him and was very insta love-y on her side. I mean he was obsessed with her so not for him. I'm all for dark romance, but this just went from her not knowing him to loving him on the drop of a dime.
The mystery was actually pretty interesting to read. And I really liked the ideas of the crystals and technology. Just wish the actual romance was something I liked.

Rivals to a social media empire powered by gemstones and clicks hook up to take down a killer and find a cure for a virus that is spread to people via a social application. This book was interesting and different. I loved that Alana was smart and self assured even as the MMC and his brother are speaking Gaelic thinking she can't understand but she had taught herself the language so that she could read more books. That is my kinda gal. My only complaint is the ending seemed a bit rushed. I look forward to more stories from Alana's friends finding their mates.

As someone who has read their fair share of Dark Romance (DR), this didn’t feel ‘that’ DR to me. However, as the saying goes with any mention of Dark Romance - Read. Your. Trigger. Warnings.

I was really excited to read this because I’ve heard so many good things about Zanetti’s other works, I think this one just wasn’t a homerun for me. My mixed feelings about this book are centred around how this is supposed to be a Dark Romance. However, it didn’t feel at all that dark? Whilst I do believe trigger warnings are important, this felt more BDSM and Dom x Brat play dynamic than anything else for me (which wasn’t an issue at all! Just be transparent you’ve got a bratty MFC because she was defiant more than anything!) Kudos to the sex scenes being well written, especially around this type of play.



I liked this book, there were several elements that I really enjoyed and that KEPT me reading. The pacing was a little fast, but I felt like that was the approach the author was going for. I really loved the dynamic between Thorn and Alana - the banter, the drama, and also how they grew together. I liked that we had a MMC that was focused around BEING TRUTHFUL (that’s one thing I can really get behind!) he never lied about who he was. Also I appreciated the reflectiveness in the POV’s that both Thorn and Alana had regarding their thoughts towards each other - that was a really nice touch! We also got some side characters that were genuinely really likeable (I personally loved thorns brother).



That being said, The plot just felt a little bit neither here, nor there. I worked out early on who the culprit was because it felt a little too obvious halfway through the book. I don’t think enough suspicion was built towards other characters for us to be misguided towards someone else. We didn’t have enough depth about the Social Media families to really pick it apart, and I wish we had! I didn’t really grasp a great understanding of Thorn’s mafia background, all we know that he rescues children from child trafficking and that he had a rough childhood. This is woven in between chapters, and it doesn’t feel like it plays much relevance. It was the same feeling that I had towards these flashbacks and nightmares Alana kept having but in her POV chapters we never really deep dive into them. I also always find the virginity fetishes really icky like I think we could’ve lived without these references in the book. 



The magic system was such an interesting idea. However, at times it was a little hard to follow. We just didn’t know enough about it! We have this whole gem system that essentially powers the social media outlets of the most powerful and popular social media companies. We are told there is a battle between these houses to become the top shot social media company and we don’t learn much else about it? We aren’t really told anything about why they are all rivals, there’s just not enough background. We had a moment in the library where Alana was reading up on the gem histories BUT that was never shared with us! Which meant we never got a full picture of their purpose and what the different type of gems do, or why some people can amplify gems and why others can’t. All it seemed like was that those who couldn’t amplify gems, just became coders?



Overall the world building fell a bit short, it just wasn’t fully developed as I’d have liked. There were so many interesting elements within this book, I just didn’t feel they were as fully fleshed out as they could’ve been.