This is an extended version of your review that incorporates some extra material:

I recently finished reading Rebecca Zanetti's One Cursed Rose. Whoa! I don't know what took me so long (yes! life)
This fresh interpretation of the fairy tale absolutely pulled me right in. Ms. Zanetti's retelling of this famous tale is new, thrilling, and completely engrossing. With none of the grating clinginess that can be so irritating in romance books which instantly becomes a DNF for me, both of the main characters were powerful but not overwhelming. Rather, they were unwavering, relatable, and hard to not cheer for. Their romance was one of the book's highlights because of their incredible chemistry. Zanetti's rich world-building and deft story turns enhanced the enchantment. I found it impossible to put it down once I finally got a chance to start reading and I can't wait for the next book in this new series. Anyone who enjoys a fantastic fairy tale retelling with lots of action, passion, and romance should read One Cursed Rose.

If you want to read a book that will have you panting and squirming in your seat, this is the book for you! When you first start reading it’s kind of confusing but keep reading I guarantee you, you won’t be disappointed. It has a supernatural aspect to it. It’s a dark romance but who doesn’t love a hero that will kill anyone that harms the woman of his dreams. When she misbehaves well oh yeah your going to want to read! Can’t wait for the next one!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you for allowing me to review.

The mafia-style, dark romance Beauty and the Beast retelling we’ve been waiting for!

Follow FMC Alana, the last remaining heir of Aquarius Social, and MMC Thorn, head of Malice Media, in this Beauty and the Beast retelling dual POV. They both belong to one of the four top social media families who are fueled by crystals and the power created by their users. Alana needs to step into her new role and take responsibility to support her family, whereas Thorn is just trying to survive, remain out of the public eye, and finally get the girl he’s been obsessing over for years. As technology grows, these media giants sabotage, marry, and even kill to rise to the top.

This was such a major change of pace from other fairy tale retellings I’ve read. The world around these four families could have been a story totally separate from the romance (but why would we want that!). It was a beautiful mixture of technology, fictional ancient culture, and alchemy, and I was fascinated. Their long rivalries explains character personalities, priorities, and grey morals. The romance building between Alana and Thorn is comparable, in the most dark delicious way, to Beauty and the Beast. Alana’s struggle to understand their dynamic, trust her feelings, and give into his dominance is believable for their situation. Overall, I enjoyed the futuristic-technology spin and the darker romance in this retelling!

📚 Summary: Alana Beaumont is thrust into a world of magic, power, and dangerous games as the heir to her family's business. With an unseen enemy dismantling her legacy, her father arranges a marriage to form an alliance. An assassination attempt and an unwanted rescue by the mysterious Thorn Beathach, the Beast behind a powerful social media empire, complicate her plans for revenge.

👨‍👧 Main Characters: Alana Beaumont is a strong, determined heroine grappling with duty and vengeance. Thorn Beathach, a powerful and enigmatic billionaire, adds layers of mystery and intensity to the story. His complex persona oscillates between wanna-be-sweet and extremely controlling, making him a compelling yet controversial character.

💞 Romance: The rivals-to-lovers plot is intriguing, with their relationship starting off with animosity, defiance, and misunderstandings. Alana's stunning and smart character is a joy to watch as she embraces her power. The bond between Alana and Thorn grows in an unorthodox way, making their dynamic intense. However, some BDSM elements, including moments of what were to me non-consensual pleasure moment, may not resonate with all readers.

👧 Side Characters: The supporting cast adds depth to the story, enriching the narrative with their own subplots and motivations. They contribute to the high-stakes world and I can't wait for Ella's story.

✍️ Writing: Rebecca Zanetti's writing shines with suspense, thrilling twists, and engaging storytelling. Her ability to weave romance into a suspenseful narrative is commendable, making the book a gripping read despite my misgivings. The fantastical elements, particularly the magical gems, add intrigue, even if their full powers remain a bit unclear.

🌟 Overview: "One Cursed Rose" offers a fresh take on "Beauty and the Beast" with a modern twist, blending magic and social media intrigue. While the story captivates, some elements, particularly the dark romance aspects and the rushed ending, may leave readers divided. The darker aspects of the narrative and mafia-esque elements make it a unique and interesting read.

4.5 stars

At first Alana seems like a rich airhead, but we soon realise that she is so much more. Thorn is drawn to her the first time he sees her and he becomes obsessed with her.

Alana is a kind hearted, intelligent, beautiful soul but she cannot help being drawn to Thorn who seems to be her complete opposite. He is dark, dangerous, broody and literally fighting for his life. Alana does not understand why she is drawn to this man who seems at first to be evil, but she soon learns there is so much more to him than violence. He looks out for those he cares about and those who are being targeted by the real evil.

Their relationship is full of passion, but it completely surprises Alana how she feels about this brute of a man. He is obsessed, demanding, bossy but will do anything for her. She sees past the beast everyone else sees and knows that he is a special person. He eventually sees past her airhead facade to see the intelligent, resourceful, skilled woman that she really is and his obsession becomes even more intense.

This is a dark Beauty and the Beast retelling and I loved the little nods to the Disney version. The intimate scenes were definitely not pg and were on the dark side. Lots of pain with the passion. It also had hints of Mafia and magic which added to the story.

There is a dark back story and I originally thought I had worked out who was behind elements, but then I was completely thrown and I went off in an entirely different direction. I did think one part of the conclusion was a little simple and could definitely have done with more explanation and did felt like the story ended quite abruptly.

This story was full of passion, intrigue, love, betrayal and I really hope there are more books to follow.

Reader she lost me. I know this is meant to be a modern retelling of beauty and the beast but I was confused with the gems and social media. And I didn't like Thorn one bit. Or Alana really. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I know this will have readers than adore it but it just wasn't for me.

A technical yet crystallized version of Beauty and the Beast?
Social media outlets charged by specific family crystals, a stalker who is obsessed with an influencer, murders that are so well done, they look accidental?

This is for fans of Butcher and Blackbird or Haunting Adaline.

I was not prepared for how deep and dark this romance would go. It’s not a frequent genre of mine; however, I realize now that I need to explore these books much more.

One Cursed Rose is a modern retelling with a sexy twist of Beauty and the Beast. The story maintains some of the old classic themes, like an old castle and an evil curse. The innovative twist is the use of social media companies as the driving force of their financial success. There are founding families running social media technology, but it is linked to their livelihood with family crystals. It’s truly a unique binding of old and new.

So how hot is the romance you ask?
There’s a scene that will have readers feeling like their riding the edge of a knife. It holds quite the build up of tension, and the potential for voyeurism. It’s exciting for Alana, even if it was meant as “lesson”. Each time that Alana is taught a lesson it seems to motivate her to do more things to poke Thorn. She revels in his form of punishment.

One Cursed Rose is the first book in Rebecca Zanetti’s new “Grimm Bargains” series. I am dying to know which retellings will come next! I need them all in their special edition glory.

At first I wasn't sure what on earth I was reading. Crystals and keeping how they kept someone alive. Social networking and people liking or exploding stars a persons posts kept them in business.

Alana who is an heir to a social network company was all about posting and keeping her families company alive and running. Her dad thinks bringing 2 social networking companies together would save their family, and business. Little did dad know that it was already in ruins from a past tragedy.

Thorn, what to say to about Thorn. He did have a heart made of ice, well just about. Also when Thorn says he wants something he gets it. AKA Alana

I liked the book, the sex scenes were a bit much and rough. It was mentioned this is a dark romance.

I liked how Alan had her little band of friends who were doing good. Crazy to think that one family member set off an incident and her life forever changed.
In the end it all worked out Alana helped Thorn even though she would always protested. Not in a bad way, just a way telling him she was her own person.

⭐️ very disappointing star. 😕

Rebecca Zanetti is one of my favorite authors, many of her stories I’ve read multiple times. But I couldn’t get through the first quarter of this one. Aside from the convoluted world of gems and social media which I did not understand, I don’t know that I have disliked two main characters as much as I do these two.

Thorn is abhorrent and Alana is not much better.He brutally murders an innocent waiter when he kidnapped Alana and then she finds herself turned on by him and they both have the waiters blood on them. What did I just read?! Mind you she just met the guy if you can call kidnapping a meet. Then again, Thorn is going to kill one of his guards because Alana stole his phone, she gets on her knees to beg for the guys life and then gets a whopping while getting turned on.

Nope. No. Nu-uh. Not reading any more of this.

I appreciate the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

First of all, dark romance is genuinely not my cup of tea, but I thought I'd give this a try. I feel like as a person who doesn't usually consume this type of book, readers who enjoy a dark romance can take my critiques with that in mind. That said, I wasn't invested in the characters at all. I found none of them sympathetic or likable. This might have been on purpose. I didn't really enjoy it because not only were they unlikeable, there was no redeeming plot/themes to help me WANT to stick with this story. The fantasy elements were haphazardly done, the romance was... traumatic? toxic? I think if you enjoy a dark sexual fantasy (kidnapping, knife-play, hitting, etc.), you might enjoy the open-door scenes in this book. It wasn't for me though! Once I reached about 60%, I found myself skimming for the major plot points and not enjoying the story.

One Cursed Rose by Rebecca Zanetti, I had to DNF about 35% of the way in. I thought this book had great promise and a good start, but the pacing and writing were difficult to follow while reading. There just didn't seem to be much editing/writing fluidity. I think with more work this could be a good book. The world building isn't there but its an interesting premise.

This book was not at all what I was expecting. - To say it is a unique twist on Beauty and the Beast would be a massive understatement. The story is futuristic, edgy and absolutely full of plot twists and mysteries. The futuristic world of social media companies powered by crystals and reliant on generating emotions in users, is both fascinating and utterly compelling. Alana is intelligent, resourceful yet also innately altruistic. Thorn shares her compassion, but that is balanced by a dark, ruthless streak and a morally grey personality. In an uncertain world where danger and deceit can come from those you trust the most, somehow these two manage to build a relationship together. I am so so excited to see where this series takes us next - there are a lot of secondary characters who I would love to have their own stories.

I loved the cover and the synopsis had me hooked. Its described as a Beauty and the Beast retelling, however I feel like the author had enough original twists that I often forgot it was related to Beauty and the Beast at all. Alana is a strong feisty FMC and her and Thorn have an instant fiery romance. Some aspects felt rushed but overall I enjoyed the characters and plot.

Billeted as a dark retelling of Beauty and the Beast, One Cursed Rose is a combination of dark romance (touch-her-and-die, tracking her to keep her out of trouble) and sci-fi set in Silicon Valley. I would say that this would be a big hit with the crystal girlies given a lot of this focuses on the power in crystals, but I don’t feel like most crystal girlies are looking for a hot tempered murderer to light up their life.

I honestly didn’t get too much of the Beauty and the Beast vibes outside of the descriptions of colors/crystals that Alana preferred, a library in a castle, and the description of Thorn having scars and such from his hard living. It was definitely a darker romance than I normally go for, but is probably less dark than some of those out there. I enjoyed the premise but felt like sometimes the plot was jumping around a bit and the insta-love/lust between Alana and Thorn didn’t really do it for me. However, the storyline was still interesting enough to keep me going. If crystals powering major IT firms, dark romance, and family intrigue are all on your list, I’d check it out.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley and am providing my unbiased review.

Ich weiß ehrlich gesagt nicht, wie ich dieses Buch bewerten soll, da ich es aufgrund relativ kurzer Ausleihdauer (ohne Verlängerung) nicht lesen konnte.

I was caught up from the very first page. I didn’t want to stop reading but I needed to eat, sleep, and work.
I’m not a huge fan of the really dark romances but I found myself rooting for Thorn and Alana. I loved her feistiness, even if it did tend to lead to a “punishment” from Thorn. He’s very intense.
You’ll love the mystery and intrigue and the twists and turns.
Rebecca has nailed the dark romance genre. 5 stars!!!

A darkly erotic and spicy retelling of a classic. I didn't know you had it in ya Zanetti!
I can't wait for more. So many different characters, and so many more books, hopefully, to come

I want to give a Big Thank you to Kensington Books and Netgalley for an arc in exchange for my honest review. With that being said all thoughts and feelings are my own!

I feel like I should start this review off by saying I went in completely blind. I had never even heard of this author before. And was only told dark romance Beauty & the Beast retelling. For me that’s an immediate sold. Being that Beauty & the Beast is my favorite Disney Princess storyline.

One Cursed Rose however isn’t your traditional Beauty & the Beast retelling. Our books story takes place in the modern world where four families who run popular social media programs. The catch is that these programs run on gems, crystals and diamonds. It is also generated or strengthened by their fans and people responding to their posts. I have to admit this was one of the most unique and interesting world building I’ve ever seen in a retelling. I was immediately pulled in from start to finish and I can’t wait to see this world building continuing to flesh out in the next books in the series.

Another favorite part of this book has to be our two main characters Thorn and Alana. Alana is a smart, funny, kick ass heroine. Loved her from beginning to end. And then we have Thorn. Who doesn’t love a strong alpha shadow daddy who also has a sweet side.

My only qualm with the book was definitely the mystery element. Now I did enjoy it but I found it really predictable. I called who the “bad guy” was immediately. But even with that being said I still really enjoyed the suspense elements.

Overall, I really enjoyed the first book in the world Rebecca Zanetti has created and I think others should read this as well. I definitely plan to continue on with the series.

4 stars

One Cursed Rose is a contemporary fantasy romance with multiple perspectives. I have read several books by Rebecca Zanetti and really enjoyed her stories, but this one really stands out for me from her for a couple of reasons. One: the magic system in the story, it was so unique. I have not read anything close to matching it, it really drew me in, and I wanted to know more on how it worked and why. It was also one of a kind in how it tied into the modern world and how the magic functioned and who could use it was used, just so fascinating. Two: the romance and development of the characters. Rebecca does a great job with tension and the buildup between the main characters. This book definitely had a darker tone and atmospheric feel to it. Alana, I was really rooting for her at times and wanting her to turn the table on Thorn. The animosity coming from Alana and the length she was willing to go, I loved it in the first half and really fit with what was going on and the gradual change and character development was perfect. This book has enemies to lovers, stalker, and forced proximity tropes, got to love those. MMC was mysteries, dark and morally gray in a number of ways and so completely my favorite character, very dreamy. Not to mention and this book overall gives me a lot of Beauty and the beast vibes in a modern-day setting. I did think some points were too long and wanted them to wrap up a little quicker, but it was an amazing time, please check it out.
I received an advanced ebook, via Netgalley. This review is my own honest opinion.