I was really excited to read a Beauty and the Beast retelling, but I personally didn't think of Beauty and the Beast at all while reading this. Although this book was an easy read, I personally did not enjoy it. The main characters were all very unlikable. Alana and Thorn's banter was very cringey. A lot of the dialogue seemed very unnecessary. There were also just random details thrown in that I thought might get brought up later in the story, but never did. The convoluted magic system that revolved around crystals and social media didn't make much sense to me. There wasn't enough world building to get an in-depth knowledge of much.

This book had a lot of similarities to the Haunting Adeline series, which I really loved. I just think the dark themes in One Cursed Rose were not done well.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! Not really Belle and the beast, but close.
I loved how smart and strong Alana was and the obsession Thorn had with her was so intense.
There were so many factors pulling her in one direction, but Thorn allowed her to experience a different direction.
There was mystery, death, darkness, and some hot sex to round out a great tale!

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for this ARC of One Cursed Rose by Rebecca Zanetti.

This was a modernized dark retelling of a classic fairy-tale. I really enjoyed this book. The idea of social media organizations running on crystal power was a wild concept. Rebecca really thought out of the box for this novel. It was a new twist that I haven't seen covered in other books.

Alana is a strong character, especially with the societal concerns that she supports. I enjoyed the enemies to lover theme with Alana and Thorn, a very complicated relationship. I recommend this book to anyone that likes the "dark romance" and "enemies to lovers" tropes.

This just wasn't the book for me. It was rough from the beginning (in which I audibly sighed at seeing not one, but two characters with "Rose" in their name) and it kind of didn't stand a chance with me once I got to chapter five and read the FMC's best friend encouraging her to bang her hot cousin. Yeah, I'm gonna pass. I love a good dark romance, but the attraction that Alana felt from the very moment she was kidnapped was just not realistic (I say about sci-fi Beauty and the Beast). Thorn's adoration of Alana, while obsessive, was clear and understandable, but I just didn't feel the same about Alana's of Thorn. I also thought the concept about the crystals was interesting, but, for me, it didn't get to the point when I no longer felt confused about how the whole system works. I would have liked a little more time spent detailing it.
This will be loved by many, I believe. I, however, will remain here in the few.

This is the perfect mix of a psychological thriller and an urban fantasy. Never before have I been so terrified and turned on at the same time. Zanetti cleverly weaves layers of mystery throughout the most brilliant retelling I have ever experienced. That's just what this book is too. An experience. A page turning, keep you up all night reading EXPERIENCE. 5 enthusiastic stars!

I usually like Rebecca Zanetti books but couldn’t get into this one. Too dark & violent. May try to pick it up again but probably not.

I couldn’t get beyond the prologue and the first chapter. So technically this is a DNF. The characterization was ham handed and clunky, but I could have gotten over that as I liked that it started with Thorn watching Alana and her seeing his eyes in the shadows. But the description of Alana’s charities and good deeds that came next was too much for me. First she and her staff discuss putting a hit out on a senator and she casually suggests that she could do it herself— to be fair he is an abuser, but the awkwardness with which she suggests this as if it’s any old routine item on her to do list is off putting, as is her staff’s response “you’re not a killer, and that’s a good thing.” Seems they put a hit out on subtlety and as well. And then the staff bring up another “personalized rescue,”- a random sibling pair in Chicago whose parents have been taken to court for abuse but may regain custody. How Alana has come to know of these two children out of the thousands in similar predicaments across the country and decided they are worthy of her intervention, the text does not say. As to how she will support them, Alana states calmly that if they can’t pay the parents off to drop their suit, then they will steal the children and take them to a safe house. As if removing children from their homes and lives is not in itself another trauma. It’s like Zanetti was envisioning a movie capturing Alana in one of those single camera walking shots a la west wing, signing papers and checking good deeds off her to do list; showing us in a flourish what a great person she is. But all it actually does is reveal how little Zanetti knows about philanthropy, social justice, or the issues of domestic or child abuse. Unfortunately I’m a social worker and so just could not push past these mental blocks to keep going with the story.

This is a retelling of beauty and the beast. Alana is our beautiful and smart Belle and Thorn has his eyes set on her.

Alana is the sole heir to Aquarius Social that is coming in last on the social media ranks. To save face, her dads solution is to marry her off with a rival to create an alliance and make a comeback.

Too bad an assassination attempt cuts those plans.

Ok, I had some issues. There are four family’s and each has its own social media empire but they run off of crystals and this confused me. There are no real explanations of how the system works and it made it hard to follow. Honestly, the whole world building could have been done much better.

I also didn’t love Alana and Thorn. Their love story took too long to unfold, the book ended and I felt like they JUST connected. Too much time was spent on the back and forth between them. There were some good spicy moments that showed they had chemistry but then it would end in them going separate ways.

There were some interesting storylines, but they weren’t fleshed out well and too many. There is the mystery of Alana’s childhood, the social media/crystal problems, Thorn being a vigilante and trying to save kids from trafficking, trying to save Thorn with all the coding and hacking. It was a lot to take in lol

While I'm always a fan, this was a book by Rebecca Zanetti that I liked but did not love. I found the world building a tad bit confusing. I give Zanetti props for thinking outside of the box. This novel's world is wildly outside the norm. Families who make money using crystals, (gems), to accumulate power, wealth, and influence is a unique view.
The main characters are opposites. He, Thorn, shuns any kind of social media attention and she, Alana, generates lots of followers and therefore money by her daily video posts.
This is a dark read. The whole book takes place in a couple of days. Thorn is a very alpha male and he wants to dictate her every action. Not my favorite male characterization. I think that this trope has been used too many times.
Alana the media darling who hides just how intelligent she really is, is a bright spot in his otherwise bleak existence., also has been used quite frequently..
The world building is unique, Zanetti's take on this "influencer" age is done well.
The relationship between the main characters did not resonate with me. It was too instantaneous for my liking. There was no slow burn. It went from zero to scorched in no time.
This is a 3 star read for me. Beauty and the Beast retelling? Good bur not great.
Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for the Advance Reader Copy.. Opinions expressed are strictly my own.

This story is based on four families who run popular social media programs powered with crystals. Each family is powered by a different crystal. Fans and their posts also strengthen the crystals. One of the family businesses is Aquarius Social. After the death of her brother, Alana Beaumont is the sole heir to Aquarius Social. To try and save the family business, her father's solution is to create a partinership with a competing family in marriage with Alana.
Another family business, is Malice Media owned by Thorn Beathach. There was a virus installed in Malice Media computer systems which is freezing his crystal, the garnet that powers his network. Due to his connection to the garnet, he is also freezing from the inside out.
After seeing Alana’s postings, Thorn finds himself obsessively following and watching Alana. Thorn intervenes and kidnaps Alana when he uncovers an assassination attempt. He considers Alana his to protect and keep.
Besides the mystery of who installed the virus, there are additional mysteries woven into the story. There is the mystery behind the death of Alana’s brother as well a possible serial killer killing Alana lookalikes.
Enjoyed reading this in the dual points of view which provides a better insight into the main characters, Alana and Thorn. The sex scenes are spicy (light BDSM) and provocative. Action packed and suspenseful, it kept me on edge and did not want to put the book down till the end. The power of crystals was a little hard to follow for me, but I just went with it and used my imagination. Would like to learn more about the power of crystals. Wonderful secondary characters and looking forward to reading the next book in the series and finding out what happens next for each one.
Thank you, Kensington Books, and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was really excited to read this book and let me just say it did not disappoint. The MFC is a funny independent smart a** with a penchant for bad boys. I’m not usually a fan of sci-fi but this book is the perfect blend of fantasy and sci-fi. Throw in a dominant love interest and you seriously can’t go wrong. I’ve always love fairy tales and retelling especially about Beauty and the Beast. You’re going to want to check this story out. To the author… please let there be a spinoff about Justice!!!!

This first book in this new series was really different. Interesting characters, mystery and lots of action. I'm interested to see what happens with the rest of these characters.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of One Cursed Rose by Rebecca Zanetti This is a dark beauty and the beast retelling focusing on two heirs to competing social media companies, Thorn and Alana. This was a really entertaining read.

Alana is consistently underestimated, after the death of her brother she is now the heir to one of the four major social media companies. She is also the obsession of Thorn, owner and heir of malice media, one of the other four social media companies. When he takes her it is both for her protection and his obsession.

I loved the interplay of crystals and technology and found the balance really interesting. I wish there was more on Alana’s friends and the work they do because I thought it was such a fun concept. I’m not always a dark romance girl but this was a fun read.

This novel was out of my usual genre of books, but keeping an open mind. The uniqueness of the power crystals and the tech ideas were fascinating. I was engrossed in the technology aspect of the story initially, but it just went nowhere. The characters needed more complexity and depth to create a rich storyline. I wasn't engaged in the characters' story. The dialogue was absurd, and I did not think the tension between the main characters worked. The story had some exciting pieces that needed to be flushed out.

I received an Advanced Readers Copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Netgalley and Kensington Books.

“That's what she does. She haunts my days and my dreams, and she hasn't a clue.”

"You're in danger, and nobody threatens what's mine."

"You and I are going to be so close you won't know where you end and I begin.
Even more importantly, you won't fucking care."

Loved it!!! Fans of the Never After series, this book might just be right up your alley!!! A dark romance with some fantasy traits with some very wicked and evil tropes. We have rivals to lovers, he is a stalker and he has an obsession with her. He kidnaps her to protect her from harm but he is evil. He is Thorn and he is the villain. He is as morally grey as they get and he has made it hai life’s work to make her submit to him. The relationship between Thorn and Alana is unhealthy and obsessive and possessive and twisted and complicated. And I loved every second of it. Add to that the overall plot of rival agencies and crystals and a bunch of other bad guys wanting to ruin the situation and you have a dark romance worth the name!!! The spicy scenes were … intense, to say the least and the narrative was quite action packed so I truly have nothing to complain about!! And the way he behaves … it is truly acceptable only in books because at least he would never let anyone hurt her. Let’s just say that the “I’ll unalive everyone who hurts you” trope was quite real this time around !!! I’m obsessed myself it seems and I can’t wait for more !!!

"You're with me so 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."

"Hate and love are but two sides of the same coin, forged in the same mixing of metals. Like pain and pleasure."

"You're the fucking reason for everything in my entire universe. I'll worship you until I die, and most probably after that as well."

Such a fun retelling of the classic beauty and the beast brought to modern times, complete with a swoon-worthy library! The MMC gave all the right obsessive morally grey vibes that I needed without it being cringey.

Normally, I'm all in on fairy-tale retellings, and I'm generally fine with dark romantic fantasy, but overall this just left me feeling, "Not It!" Zanetti built a magic system that was rather interesting and unique, particularly in its play of social media-as-power, though the computer aspects just felt more like, "if I say the word <i>algorithm</i> enough times, it'll sound all computer-y and hacker cool." I love Zanetti normally, but the trope of the dominant alpha-male who kidnaps the heroine and knows better than she that submissive sex is the solution to everything just feels overdone, boring, and insulting. For those that are into that kind of thing, there's enough additional complexity to the story to make this worth picking up. For me, I was willing to look past the kidnappy sexist parts to enjoy the surrounding story, but I still rolled my eyes for the majority of it.

2⭐️
"For her? It's already too late. She looks up, and our eyes lock. Hers widen. Her pupils contract. Definitely too late."

I was excited for this one but ultimately, it just wasn't for me. It felt like it was trying too hard to be too many things. A Beauty and the Beast retelling, a mafia story, an obsession-filled stalker romance, with ultra-modern things like the crystals. It was just all over the place and didn't end up being any of those things well enough.

It doesn't seem that I'm alone in not understanding whatever the hell was going on with those crystals. They were powered by social media? But made people live longer?

This is billed as a dark romance, and I think that stands. It has a obsessed, dominant male and some kink, s&m style scenes- if that's not your thing, beware. But I think it failed to show any actual connection between Thorn and Alana. I just didn't feel any genuine romance.

Thank you to Netgalley and publishing team for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I would like to note that I received this ARC with the mindset that I would provide an honest review.
I want to begin this by saying that I am already a fan of Rebecca Zanetti. I’ve read most, if not all, of her dark protectors series. So I am super thankful that I was granted the opportunity to read this arc.

One Cursed Rose by @rebeccazanetti is scheduled to release June 25th!

🥀Enemies to Lovers
🥀Beauty and the Beast Retelling
🥀Possessive MMC
🥀Kidnapping
🥀He Falls First
🥀Morally Grey
🥀Dual POV
🥀Dark Romance

The shopping list of tropes should tell you already that this book was well worth the read. Overall I rated this book 4/5 stars.
We begin this story with an arranged marriage with a mafia theme. The families are rivals and have that engrained in their blood so the romance that develops between the two is strong. They turned the passion of hatred into a passion of love.
I really enjoyed the character of Thorn our MMC. He has a lot of mystery behind his character and that leads the reader to wanting to discover more about him. He falls first and is morally grey, two of my favorite tropes all in one. I enjoyed the romance between them but please know that this is a darker romance and I would advise that you remember that going in. I also enjoyed Alana’s character. I love a strong and smart FMC!!
The writing is wonderful but I am a fan of Rebecca Zanetti’s writing style and I have always been a fan. I think new readers would enjoy the style as she does a great job of keeping the readers engaged. The suspense that is found within this story is written so well that you want to read more to find out what happens.

This book was fun and worth the read. I would definitely recommend this book to those who enjoy reading dark romance books and to those that just enjoy a story that leaves you wanting more.

Thank you to Rebecca Zanetti, Kensington Books, and NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book!

This is an author that I normally just know automatically that I will love anything she writes. So before reading the description, I got this book, even though it is not a genre I enjoy. Fans of fantasy romance will probably love this, but I just couldn’t get into it.