Brilliant World-building!!

It is a time where there are four major families/companies. Power is derived from crystals/gems and social media. Unique, complex, and thoroughly enjoyable.

Malice Media is under attack, and the computer virus has spilled over to the human who charges the crystals, Thorn. Thorn is stalking Alana from the Beaumont family. She just lost her brother, and it looks like she may be targeted next. She has been asked by her father to marry into the Solokov family, but she does not like either possible son there.

It is a fascinating chain of events in a complex world. Relationships are super important, and the responsibilities of those in power are tenuous and demanding.

Pure entertainment, fast-paced, gritty and wonderful.

This is NOT your average Rebecca Zanetti read.

**Check your trigger warnings**

Abuse
BDSM
Knife play
Graphic violence
Childhood trauma

Wow….

I’ve been a Rebecca Zanetti fan for YEARS, almost since the beginning of her career. She is a versatile author, can write just about any genre. Rebecca’s character development is top notch and her storytelling is best of the best. And now she’s dipped her proverbial toe into the dark romance genre with One Cursed Rose.

After I finished One Cursed Rose, I feel I have to side-eye Rebecca and wonder where she pulled THAT out of her bag of author tricks. There were some parts of the book that did make me uncomfortable so I’ll say again, check your trigger warnings before reading.

One Cursed Rose is a dark and twisted retelling of Beauty and the Beast. In this world, depravity and immorality run rampant, vengeance is just, and power is the ultimate prize and the greatest equalizer. If you’re looking for a Disney prince to save you, you’ve come to the wrong place.

Alana is a multifaceted woman with so much strength and passion. I really like her. Thorn is sinfully decadent and a mystery the readers need to unravel for themselves. The secondary characters are complex and mysterious and absolutely kept me engaged in the story until the very end. The book left me wanting to know ALL their stories.

I do have mixed feelings about One Cursed Rose. The story is solid and entertaining. But the relationship that develops between Alana and Thorn is a dark and twisty mess, leaving me with confused and uncomfortable feelings I’m still trying to process.

I would recommend the book to those that truly enjoy reading dark romances. Check your trigger warnings and be prepared. I’m looking forward–hesitantly–to the next Grimm Bargains tale.

ONE CURSED ROSE is the first instalment in Rebecca Zanetti’s contemporary, adult GRIMM BARGAINS dark, erotic, urban fantasy, sci-fi series focusing on four powerful families with affinities to gemstones. This is Malice Media owner Thorn Beathach, and Aquarius Social media head Alana Rose Beaumont’s story line.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise including violence and questionable consent, there WILL BE triggers for more sensitive readers.

If you have not read ONE CURSED ROSE, there may be spoilers in my review.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Thorn and Alana) ONE CURSED ROSE follows in the wake of the abduction of our story line heroine. There are four powerful families with affinities to gemstones, vying for control of social media. The more followers and likes, the more power and life force is gained by those in charge. Along with the social media and influencers, the lives of the four families are ‘powered’ by the gemstones, gemstones that are the life-force of the families and their heirs. Alana’s father Maurice has offered his daughter to one of the other social media families in an effort to prop up their numbers and gemstone powers but someone else is watching from the shadows, someone who is determined to claim Alana as his own. Enter Thorn Beathach, the scarred and dangerous owner of Malice Media, and the man with whom Alana will fall in love. What ensues is the building but tempestuous relationship between Alana and Thorn, and the fall-out as Thorn is targeted, and Alana must find a way to save the man that she loves.

The world building is complex and complicated. A Mafia-style control of power between the four ruling families, families with affinities to gemstones, families that are willing to bargain with the lives of their own in an effort to secure more influence, more potential, more likes and more gems…but…there is a large disconnect between the premise and a lack of information regarding the big six-who, what, where, when, why and how -as to the connection between the gemstones and social media- and the life force held within both. With a number of instalments planned for the future, some background information and history is needed to unravel the confusion. The premise focuses on priori knowledge-knowledge that is acquired independently of experience or prior knowledge to the reader and in that, there are too many unanswered questions.

The relationship between Alana and Thorn begins as an abduction. Alana will be kept a virtual prisoner as Thorn struggles to uncover who or what has targeted Malice Media. There are a number of theories in play but Thorn needs to take control of our story line heroine as she is the one who can melt the ice that is taking hold. The $ex scenes are erotic and provocative with some issues of questionable consent..

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful, powerful and energetic secondary and supporting characters including several members of competing media power houses. Everyone becomes suspect when Thorn’s life hangs in the balance but it is our heroine who will face the biggest challenge when the truth is revealed.

ONE CURSED ROSE is a dark, intricate and entangled Beauty and the Beast style story of power and control, secrets and lies, betrayal and vengeance, obsession and madness, acceptance and love. The premise is haunting and raw; the romance is twisted and edgy; the characters are animated, determined and tragic.



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This is the first book in a new series by Rebecca Zanetti. I could not put this book down. It’s a dark romance with paranormal elements. Alana will inherited a social network that runs on gems and her feelings. Thorn runs another network but a virus in that network is slowly killing him. He kidnaps Alana due to the danger she is facing. Eventually their feelings result in love for each other. Can Alana save Thorn’s life in time? I loved the suspense, it kept me on the edge of my seat. I totally recommend this book

First, I want to thank Netgalley. In exchange for an honest review, I got to read One Cursed Rose in advance.

I liked this book a lot. It was just a bit too cringy and easily predictable. The whole social media thing made me wanna die in some parts.
So much didn’t make sense. I think the world Rebecca built had so much potential, but kinda fell flat. The idea of using crystals as the magic system was very unique. I wish we had more time to expand on it.
Onto the romance. The relationship between Alana and Thorn was cute. One of the things I loved about thorn, was how honest he was the whole time. He had this rule of no lies between the two, before Alana’s feelings were at all established. We do get a good bit of Stockholm syndrome, but he did kidnap her so idk what I expected.
Overall, I did really like it and do recommend. I wouldn’t exactly call it dark romance though. Also the spice is pretty good.

This is the start to a new dark romantasy series has it all: romance, angst, suspense, and tons of spice! It is highly addictive- and such good world building. Thorn and Alana 😍 I really enjoyed the little parts that incorporated the story of Beauty and the Beast but made the story modern with the incorporation of social media. The world building was engaging. I am excited to read more from this series.

When I requested this book it thought it sounded pretty good, I'll give it a shot. I did not expect to be pulled in immediately and trapped inside! I did not want to put this book down. I just so happened to leave work early today not feeling well and decided today would be the day to start this book, not knowing today would also the the day I finished it as well!
Thorn "How dare you hide your intelligence from me?"
Alana "How dare you assume I'm not smart."
Thorn is as beastly as his scars portray him to be. But when it comes to Alana, he's outright feral. He'll do anything to protect her. On the outside, Alana appears to be nothing more than a beautiful rich girl but, she's smart and feisty as hell. Both come from one of the four families that rule the world and someone is trying to take down the competition. Thorn has been diseased and will die soon. Is Alana smart enough to save him? Does she care enough to save him?

One Cursed Rose by Rebecca Zanetti

This is a dark retelling of Beauty and the Beast. There are other storyline that may possibly be in the additional books in the series, most likely Cinderella, so keep that in mind.

The "retelling" is very very loosely tied in that our antihero Thorn has beastly qualities and our princess is beautiful and loves a good book. Oh and of course the curse, but that's kinda a given with the title.

So, if you've gotten this far in the review you are clearly intrigued, here's where we might go off the rails a bit. Do you believe in magic? You good with some seriously violent events? If you answered no to either of these questions, this is not a good fit for you, so move along.

However, if you can get behind this fictional world, I feel the author did a good job with the world building. Although my pet peeve is if you had four super powerful, possibly somewhat immortal families, wouldn't they be in different parts of the world, controlling their "perctange"? But I get it, the story and the overlaps and the social media aspect, the insightful interfighting between the families wouldn't hold up with distance. At the core this story is a power struggle, a couple of unsolved mysteries, a blossoming love story, betrayal, some pretty dark kinky times and lots of bloodshed. It's interesting and keeps you guessing.

I love this retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Thorn is very domineering and one hundred percent alpha male. Thorn is also walking the line of morally gray. Alana gets way more than she bargained for. There is a little bit of intrigue,romantic suspense and science fiction all mixed in. There are times when you wonder about Thorn and Alana totally does some unexpected things. Great story and can’t wait for more stories in this bit of dark genre from this author.

An intriguing mystery for Alana Rose Beaumont as she navigates both family and personal issues and protects her “charity” interests. When she is targeted, she is saved by Thorn Beathach, leader of Malice Media, but is he protecting her or claiming her as his own? A supernatural vibe to this slightly dark romantic suspense as four ruling families depend on the various gems to charge and protect their lives. Intrigue abounds as each family fights for the gems they need, especially Thorn who is in danger of freezing to death. Thorn has a virus, a virus that may well end his life, but can Alana find a cure that will save him? Alana has always trusted those close to her, but will she learn that her trust has been misplaced? A haunting love story, with a slightly gothic feel, as Thorn fights to stay alive while protecting her. Has her finally found the love of his life? I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

“One Cursed Rose” by Rebecca Zanett is the first book in the series Grimm Bargains. This is a physically beautiful book by the pictures and would make a great addition to the Rebecca Zanetti collection. It’s advertised as a “twist on the Beauty and the Beast” story. There are two main characters Alana, the beauty who is the sole heir to a media giant. She is intelligent and gifted. Then there is Thorn who in this story would be considered the beast. He is the head of the competing social media empire.

I had a little trouble getting into the story but then it reached a point where I couldn’t put it down. It is a good story with many twists and turns with an element of the mystical with special characteristics of gems.

Rebecca Zanetti is a very talented author. I have loved everything she has written including “One Cursed Rose”. As with all of her books, I can’t wait for the next one.

Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy for my honest review.

This was a really interesting take on Beauty and the Beast and futuristic sort of fantasy world! This first book in this new series and it was really different. Interesting characters, mystery and lots of action. I'm interested to see what happens with the rest of these characters. Thorn definitely brought a lot of personality and was probably my favorite part. I already can’t wait for more books in this series!

4/5 ✨ • 3/5 🌶

After reading the blurbs on NetGalley and Goodreads, I went into this book knowing it would be a loose telling of Beauty and the Beast with a twist. I enjoyed the added esoteric/occult spin on this retelling as well. I am excited to eventually read the 2nd book in this series to see what Zanetti can dream up next.

This is my second book by Zanetti and I enjoy her writing style. It is fast-paced and easy to read. I am glad this was one of my first dark romance reads. I will be reading more!

As always, thank you to NetGalley, Rebecca Zanetti, and Kensington Books for the digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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A good start to a new series. This is a dark romance as a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Thorn is the “beast” and Alana is “beauty”. The story relies on social media and there is some dangerous elements at play for both Thorn and Alana. The story uses magic and crystals which was interesting in how it changed these families, but I wish it was explained more because I had a lot of questions about the stones, especially considering the strength they had in impacting the end of the story. The world was interesting with the four families and accepted danger, but I wish it explained some parts more such as how they started, the power dynamics, the mafia? Connection, etc. There are explicit dark scenes, which fit with this storyline/theme, but trigger warning. I liked the dynamic of the four friends and of the two brothers. I hope this series builds on this book and has more stories to further develop the world and we see more of these characters.

2.5 surprisingly chaotic stars

The first book in Rebecca Zanetti’s Grimm Bargains series, this is a re-imagining of Beauty and the Beast as a dark romance with mystery/suspense and supernatural themes. Rebecca Zanetti is an auto-read author for me, and I was intrigued by the idea of this book, but it fell a bit flat for me. Not only was it lacking in world building, but it was fast moving with lots of different storylines – some important, some seemingly not, and the whole thing just felt a bit chaotic and confusing.

In a world where social media is everything, the four families who run the four most successful media companies rule all. Their platforms are powered by crystals which are in turn powered by a member of the family, and kept charged by social media interactions (I really only just wrapped my head around this by the end of the book). Alana is the power source and social media darling for her family’s empire, and her father is determined to marry her off to a competitor to bring their companies together. Enter Thorn, secretive head of a rival social media platform, who has been obsessing over Alana from afar and, after rescuing her from a threat, takes her to his home and declares that she now belongs to him.

“You don’t want me for an enemy.” I’m deadly serious but have no idea how I’m going to back that up.
“Call yourself whatever you want.” He takes my arm, his touch electric and firm. “I’m calling you mine.”

Thorn is dark and dangerous, and also seems to be the head of the mafia? That part of the story was glossed over and not really clear, but he’s a killer with a heart (targeting abusers, sexual predators, etc.). He’s also under some sort of curse tied to his media platform, and both of them are slowly dying. But in the meantime, he is claiming Alana.

“You’re with me as long as I’m alive.”
One of her eyebrows arches. “Why?”
There are many answers I can give to her, but I go with the simplest truth. “You’re my reason for breathing, and you were meant to be mine.”

I don’t really know what to say about the rest of the story, because it’s a complicated jumble of sex, mad declarations, threats, violence, betrayal, kidnappings, and lots of social media, and honestly, I was confused.

The main thing that struck me about this book was that it lacked world building. What was the significance of the gemstones? How and why are these families connected to them, how did it all work? What was with the AI, and why did each family have a special supernatural gift? Did people know? Why? How? Where did it come from? I just had so many questions and couldn’t wrap my head around how the world worked and how everybody got to where they are. I also found the whole social media thing really tedious. Alana’s status as an influencer was annoying and her constant click-bait-posting was obnoxious. But on the side, she and her friends are social crusaders? The brief mention of them helping out victims of domestic violence seemed thrown in just to show that she’s not as vapid as she initially appears.

The ‘dark romance’ felt more like mad lust and a bit of kink, than love. Though there are lots of epic declarations from Thorn, it’s pretty much instant and I felt no real build-up of romance between them. It’s sexy, for sure, and I enjoyed their banter, sexual chemistry and the moments where I felt their connection, but it was definitely lacking for me.

“Why are you being so nice to me?”
“Because you’re mine.”
“What if I wasn’t?”
“There isn’t a universe or reality where you’re not.”

Then there’s the mystery/suspense storyline surrounding Alana’s nightmares, her mysterious past, a serial killer on the loose, yet another rival social media company blackmailing Thorn into a business-marriage, a mysterious heir living a secret life, and an evil bad guy determined to take power at any cost. There’s a lot happening, and it all felt a bit overwhelming with very little to back it up. Given Zanetti’s phenomenal world building in her other series, this one just felt really odd.

But it’s an interesting concept, and now that I have my head wrapped around it a bit better, I’m curious to see what happens in future books and explore some more of the character dynamics.

Not a favourite, but it has its moments, and I was engaged enough to finish it. 2.5 stars.

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

I did receive an ARC from NETGALLEY. I ALSO PURCHASED.
This was a little different than my normal Rebecca Zanetti story.It was well written, but it took a little longer for me to get into it.This is a very modern take on Beauty and the Beast I liked Alana and Thorn as characters. The heat factor was ok, and the concept was interesting. I just had to get used to the world they lived in it was so technical. I did enjoy the book and will check out the next in the series.

This was my first book by this author, though I've heard great things about her other books. So I'll definitely be checking this out.

This one didn't quite hit the mark for me. I will admit though, it was a little out of my comfort zone with the more contemporary fantasy. I usually don't do a lot if contemporary and that I think is what threw me front this one.

I did enjoy the twist on Beauty and the Beast. It was unique. Though, there was also a lot lacking. There were plot holes and a magic system that was a bit confusing. It almost tried to hard and some things were lost in translation.

I do love me a good dark romance and that with the Beauty and the Beast vibe is what originally drew me to this book to begin with. This, unfortunately didn't quite hit the mark for me either. Which really makes me sad. This books was one of my most anticipated even with it being outside my normal comfort zone on the contemporary setting.

I did see that a few people had similar takes on the way I felt and were big fans of past work. So this will not deter me from checking out the author ad they did state that this was not her normal wheelhouse.

One Cursed Rose is a dark romance, suspenseful thriller with fairytale ties ins and some completely original threads.

Alana Beaumont is a socialite and heir to her family’s social media company. She is savvy, but is very careful about the face she wears in public, playing the role the public wants to see. Her father wants to arrange a marriage to help save the company, and though she wants to help the company in any way she can, she isn’t happy about the match her father has chosen.

Thorn Beathach runs a rival company and is so enigmatic that no one really knows much about him. He is an unlikely hero when he rescues Alana from a would-be assassin. He quickly follows the rescue up with a kidnapping, hiding Alana while he looks into who issued the threat against her.

These two are quite opposite. While both are brilliant, she is light and optimistic, while he is dark and broody. The attraction builds as Alana stays in his home, he works to make things safe for her, and she spends time in his vast library reading up on the crystals that power so much of their world.

The fairytale tie-in is what drew me to this book in the first place and it did not disappoint. The Beauty and the Beast connections are vast, but there are also plenty of unique aspects to the story. The crystals are one such aspect and while they added to the suspense of the story, I wish more of the lore that Alana spent her time reading about and learning was shared with readers. These crystals play a huge role in why Alana and Thorn must work together and there were pieces of the lore that I wish I understood better.

This is also a very dark romance. While some of the darker aspects were not my favorite parts of the book, they are part of these characters (particularly Thorn) and I understood their presence in the story, even if I skimmed over some parts.

This was an interesting start to the Grimm Bargains series and it was interesting to pay attention to the other fairytale tie ins from the other characters and families mentioned. I look forward to seeing what else comes from this world as the series grows.

This book is basically an updated retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I enjoy how this author writes. I enjoyed the characters and how they develop.
I don't think this is a dark romance. There are some darker elements, but the book as a whole isn't a dark romance. Some plot holes in this story are annoying like the gem and how exactly they work.
This is the first book in a new series and I'm still undecided if I will continue with this series or not.

One Cursed Rose is the first book in Rebecca Zanetti’s new Grimm Bargains series. This is a dark romantic fantasy mixed with suspense and a whole lot of steam! This modern twist of Beauty and the beast was written in third person from the point of view of both the heroine, Alana Beaumont and the hero, Thorn Beathach.

What happens when the owner of the rival media empire, Malice Media, becomes obsessed with the sole heir of Aquarius Social? Will family rivalry, an unknown serial killer and an assassination attempt keep Thorn and Alana from finding their happily ever after? Read it and find out!

This was a fantastic start to this amazingly dark new series. Zanetti is a phenomenal writer whose words draw the readers in and keep us wanting more. I can’t wait to read the next book and see what characters will be used to create new twists to other classic fairy tales.