A contemporary romance with elements of beauty and the beast in the world of social media and information security. Whew! That's a mouthful!

Alana Beaumont is the heir to Aquarius Social and in order to survive the business environment she's got to merge with another company by way of arranged marriage. Only Thorn Beathach (aka the beast) decides he's not going to let that happen because he wants her. If only he wasn't ill with some unknown illness.

There's some intricate world building here that is a mash up of traditional sort of paranormal elements and contemporary delivery via the web. I found that to be fresh and kept me turning the pages. In spite of Thorn being a bit creepy at the start, I did like Thorn and Alana together.

Overall, I thought there were interesting aspects of this dark crime family-type rivals-to-lovers romance. This is the first book in a series, so I'm curious as to where this is going to go. There were some places where I was left scratching my head, so I hope these questions get answered in future installments. A good start to the series.

3.25/5 stars! This is the first book in the Grimm Bargain's series by author Rebecca Zanetti. This is a PNR and didn't quite live up to my expectations by this author. Rebecca writes amazing crime thrillers, but I didn't feel the same energy in this story. There were too many plot points and things didn't line up concisely. I think I will stick to her crime books.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

I love dark romance story and this book hot the spot, I am a slow reader and it took me awhile to finish but I didn't want this story to end. The character was entertaining and the story line fitted well with i love reading. I highly recommend this book .

3.5 Stars ⭐️

Well, I generally start every review of a book by Ms. Zanetti by singing her praises and saying that she is one of my favorite authors, because, well, she is. This book, however, was different from anything that she has written before; it was a retelling of a Beauty and the Beast tale, and it was a DARK retelling.

I will say that at the very beginning, I almost DNF'd, which was a bigger shock to me, believe me. It just didn't feel like I could get a handle on the writing style and the world building was thrown in later as a sort of after thought. I was confused with the magic system - even though it was definitely unique - but it just didn't mesh for me in the beginning and was more confusing than explanatory. Luckily, I kept going and somewhere near the 50% mark, I felt like the story finally found its footing and I found myself really invested in the very unique relationship between Thorn and Alana. Yes, it was dark and yes, Thorn was an OTT alpha male, but I sure did like him. And I liked the dynamics between the two of them.

There is, of course, an interesting set up of 4 families who are basic royalty in a world where power comes from crystals. Each of the family has a specific type of crystal that powers their business - i.e. garnets, aquamarine crystals, diamonds, etc.. and everything revolves around social media.

Thorn has been poisoned (or cursed) and is desperately trying to find out WHO did it and f they can find a cure. There is also a couple if unexpected twists, but whether those twists were believable - well, the jury is still out.

This was definitely not my favorite of Ms. Zanetti's books. But she has written so very many books that I have adored, and everyone is allowed a one off.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books | Kensington for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. The opinions above are mine and mine alone.

Who can resist a fairytale retelling? Not me! One Cursed Rose is a Beauty and the Beast retelling. Alana, heir to her father's social media company is the beauty and Thorn is definitely a Beast, although this has more to do with his actions than the way that he looks. The two of them are from rival families who both run social media platforms, but when Alana finds herself rescued/kidnapped by Thorn, it's clear that there's more than just a spark between them.
This is a dark romance and while it was gripping and I was really drawn in, I usually prefer slightly less dominant men, or at least those that can accept their lover as an equal partner and not feel the need to punish them when they don't follow rules.
The world that this is set in is a little hard to follow. Each of the four families that inhabit it has an affinity with gemstones or crystals. These are then used to power the computers that run the social media platforms. The interactions and follows on social media also add to the power that these crystals and the platforms have. I didn't really understand all of this. I do wonder if it will become a little clearer in future books. (I think I can already spot Cinderella and her 'ugly' sisters). The world also possibly has some kind of connection to Rebecca Zanetti's other series: The Dark Protectors. It mentions the Kayrs family at one point for no real reason, they are key players in that series.
The villain of the story took my by complete surprise. I had no idea that it was going to be them, but I really enjoyed this twist when it was revealed.
This was a gripping read and one I really got into. I think that I'd like to read more in this series, although I did have a couple of reservations about how overpowering Thorn was and how the world actually works.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

A beauty and the beast retelling with a sci-fi modern twist!

Four families have been in power since the dawn of age, now each one competes against the other with their social media platforms. Whoever gets the most exploding stars (likes) gets the first rank.

Alana Beaumont is our beauty, her father is pushing her into an arranges marriage with the son of a rival family to merge their platforms and rank higher, only she gets kidnapped on the night she meets her to-be jerk husband by Thorn Beathach.

Thorn Beathach is the dark scarred beast no one has met and lived to tell the story, also the owner of the first social media platform in the world.
However, his days are numbered after getting infected by a virus from the crystal he charges for the company.
So the last thing he decides to do? Kidnap the beauty he had eyes on for years, swears to protect her for however long he lives.

The chemistry between the two couldn't even be cut with a knife, it needs a chainsaw😮‍💨
The world building was well written, easy to follow. Some action scenes woven into the story perfectly and a shocking plot twist!
As someone who believes beauty and the beast has been overused in retellings, i strongly urge you to give this one a try, it's one of the few i very much enjoyed!

Considering this is an interconnected series, and based on the characters, i assume we are getting a Cinderella for the next book!

One Cursed Rose is a new Beauty and the Beast retelling by romance author Rebecca Zanetti. Part urban fantasy, part mafia romance, this is a romantasy light on the fantasy and heavy on the romance.

Alana Beaumont (Beauty) is the heir to her family's social media empire. In her world, social media empires are fueled by the power of crystals, which certain families have a natural affinity with. These crystals fuel the success of social media platforms and, in turn, are refueled by engagement on social media and by the efforts of the family members who "charge" them.

Thorn Beathach (The Beast) is the mysterious, scarred leader of a rival social media empire. He has a type of synesthesia where voices (but strangely not other sounds?) taste like things to him. Most peoples' voices taste repulsive to him, but Alana's, of course, tastes like honey. This, combined with her being hot, has made him obsessed with her. He, predictably, kidnaps her, and informs her that she will now be his. Alana is, understandably, annoyed by this, but finds herself wildly attracted to Thorn. Meanwhile, he has been cursed in a roundabout way by a freezing spell on one of his crystals, resulting in him literally freezing to death alive. While trying to seduce Alana, he is also trying to prevent his death and break the curse.

✅ Mafia romance
✅ Urban fantasy (minimal fantasy)
✅ M/F romance
✅ BDSM elements
✅ Female lead is a virgin (of course)
✅ Fairytale retelling (Beauty & the Beast)
✅ Romantic suspense

This didn't quite work for me. Parts of it were fun, and I was in the mood for an escapist read when I picked this one up. With that being said, this felt like a mishmash of tropes and ~coding~ mixed with loosely developed magic systems and a lot of sex. As a book about sex - this wasn't bad. As a book about...anything else...this was less good. The plot was boring, the resolution was sudden, and the magic system was wildly underdeveloped. This felt like it tried to be too many things at once - was it a mafia romance with an Irish mafia lead? Was it an urban fantasy where social media is run on magic crystals? Was it a crime romance where a serial killer is hunting the main character? There was a lot happening. Overall, this was enjoyable, but not the best book I've ever read.

⭐⭐⭐ - I liked It

📅 - One Cursed Rose is available now!

DNF @10%

This one isn’t for me, and that’s okay! It’s about four ruling social media companies/families except they operate like a mafia. Each company has crystals and social post engagement powers the crystals and gives the families healing properties and longer lives. But one of the companies is owned by a vigilante creature that likes to murder people? I'd classify this as paranormal/magical realism.

The “Beauty and the Beast” theme pulled me in, but I’m not sure. The MMC stalking the FMC feels intense, while the magic system feels juvenile. I didn’t make it very far, but already I’m like no.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my advanced digital copy!

Very interesting take on Beauty & the Beast. Since Rebecca Zanetti doesn’t write dark stories I wasn’t sure what to expect. This is not as dark as I expected, which I am really glad, but definitely darker than she usually writes. Some of the twists are so unexpected and so good. One thing I didn’t care for was the social media aspect of the story. I know it is important for the story, but I am not a fan of social media. It does not take away from the story, but did not add anything for me either. Looking forward to the next book.

One Cursed Rose by Rebecca Zanetti is the first book in the Grimm Bargains Series. This is a forbidden and dark retelling of Beauty and the Beast.
 
Alana is the heir to a media empire and her father arranges to marry her off and she tries to find a way out of it. Alana is sassy and wants to go her own way and I liked that. But before the wedding happens, someone attempts to assassinate her and she is rescued by Thorn Beathach, the head of the rival media company and that’s when things get interesting.
 
Thorn is a coldhearted and cutthroat businessman, and he has clear goals. He is rich and ruthless, and everyone refers to him as the beast and Alana quickly learns why. Thorn is such an interesting character but there are a lot of layers to him, and I feel like this book only scratched the surface.
 
The coolest part was Thorn‘s house and especially his library. There are also mysterious and magical elements interwoven in this story that mainly have to do with technology and they weren’t fully developed and at times I would have preferred if it was only a dark romance. Other than that, the book is pretty spicy, and I flew through it.
 
Overall, One Cursed Rose has a very unique concept and it’s definitely a new spin on a Beauty and the Beast retelling, but something was just missing for me. 3,5 stars.
 
(ARC kindly provided in exchange for a review.)

Thank you to NetGalley, Kensington Books the author for the gifted e-book.

I enjoyed this book. The story had a captivating mix of "Beauty and the Beast" with a darker twist.

The story revolves around four families who control social media using crystals to power their servers. The main character, Alana, is the only heir to Aquaris after her brother's tragic car accident. Thorn, a competitor with an attraction to Alana, is also dying from the inside out, linked to the crystals. As the story progresses, Alana's father's decision to merge companies by marrying off his daughter changes everything. When Alana's life is in danger, Thorn steps in to protect her, sparking an intense love affair between them.

The book is brimming with unexpected twists, engaging dual perspectives, and remarkable character dynamics, particularly the banter between Alana and Thorn. Alana's friends also play a strong supportive role. While the ending felt rushed, the book kept me thoroughly engaged until the last page, especially as details about Alana's brother's death and Thorn's cure were revealed.

If you're a fan of retellings, fantasy, and dark romance, you'll love this book.

Side note: Check the trigger warnings before reading

"One Cursed Rose" by Rebecca Zanetti is a modern twist on the classic Beauty and the Beast tale, blending elements of the fairy tale with a billionaire mafia romance. However, despite the intriguing premise, this book left me quite underwhelmed and frustrated.

In a world where billionaires wield "magic" as their dirtiest weapon, Alana Beaumont finds herself at the heart of a deadly game of power and influence. Following a recent tragedy, Alana becomes the sole heir to Aquarius Social. To save the company, her father arranges for her to marry into a competing family, leaving Alana torn between living her own life and fulfilling her duty. To make matters worse, during an attempted assassination she is rescued by Thorn Beathach, the mysterious and ruthless Beast whose social media empire threatens Aquarius Social. Known for his iron rule and hidden face, Thorn's unexpected reveal to Alana binds her to him in ways she never anticipated.

From the outset the execution of this story fell flat. The world-building was confusing, especially regarding the "magic" crystals and their significance, which was never clearly explained. This left the fantasy elements feeling superficial and underdeveloped. The story is essentially a billionaire mafia romance with a loose fairy tale connection, rather than a genuine fantasy narrative.

The characters, unfortunately, were insufferable. Thorn embodies the toxic alpha male trope, disguising his controlling and stalker-like behavior as love and protection. Meanwhile, Alana is portrayed as "not like other girls" but comes across as a clichéd influencer with questionable fashion sense. The descriptions of her outfits felt outdated and out of place, making it hard to take her seriously as a character.

Several elements of the story were off-putting: the influencer angle felt forced, the billionaire trope lacked depth, and the supposed "dark" romance was anything but. The mafia-like elements did not add any real sense of danger or intrigue, making the dark romance label feel misleading.

Overall, "One Cursed Rose" failed to deliver on anything enjoyable. The confusing world-building, unlikable characters, and lack of genuine fantasy elements made it a disappointing read. If you're looking for a compelling retelling of Beauty and the Beast or a well-crafted dark romance, this book is not the one.

DNFed at like 2% because why in the world is he saying he can taste people when he encounters them? This guy tastes like tobacco and this girl tastes like honey, but the other girl tastes like strawberries. I found this to be so weird and I could not get past it. It made me lose interest so fast.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington for this ARC Copy!

I did not realize that this was a beauty and the beast retelling when I went into it but I was definitely picking up hints along the way. I am a big fan of retellings and I enjoyed the way that this one was done. The symbolism of the crystals in this story was a fun and new way to tell the story of the beast and it was definitely a unique idea.

This is marketed as as a dark romance and as far as dark goes, I would say that this is the kind of dark that I can handle. There are some that just take it too far, but I was happy with the way that it was done in this story. Obviously there were some eye role moments when the bossy billionaire got a little too possessive, but I enjoyed the established boundaries and willingness to honor them.

It is a fun time and worth the read.

I really just started getting into fantasy and this really had me feeling like I stepped out of the box and I was here for it truly amazing writing and I was captivated the whole way through. I recommend.

This just didn’t work for me for several reasons.

-The magic system was not explained well at all. Somehow gem stones are able to act as computer servers while also being able to use emotions to support social media platforms, but they need to be charged by people.

-Multiple uses of the word hymen. Off putting and means points lost each time it is used.

-The MMC claims to be obsessed with the FMC and to know everything about her, but he only knows her public personality. There is a whole scene where he is upset that he didn’t know how she actually takes her coffee. This felt really disingenuous and made me doubt his love for her. He constantly underestimates her and treats her like a doll.

-On the same note, I didn’t buy into the love story. His claim to love is weak and very superficial. She falls “in love” over a weekend when they really were just in lust. I 100% buy the instant lust, but the instant love part didn’t work. If the love talk was saved for later in the story when they actually got to know each other then it would have been more believable.

-The ending felt rushed and not planned. The Big Bad Guy reveal came out of left field and then was over quickly. The solution to the curse also felt like an afterthought that had to quickly be resolved before the end.

Great start to a new series! This book has it all! The banter, dark sexual encounters, which includes some intense spanking, and even some sweetness between the strong, possessive alpha-hole and feisty, smart, sassy female make this read super spicy and page turning!
Add some mystery, a serial killer, a curse and crystals that not only keep the social media sites running between the four main families but also saves the alpha’s life.
Hoping Justice gets his own story! Looking forward to continuing this series!

One Cursed Rose by Rebecca Zanetti was one I picked up on a whim. I was in the mood for something different and the summary caught my attention. I'll admit, I'm on the fence with this one - it was a mash-up of beauty and the beast in the land of social media...

Alana Beaumont is the fmc and she is the sole heir to Aquarius Social, one of the four major social media giants and in order for her family to gain/maintain power, they need to align to another powerful family. The way to do that, according to her father, is to give her away in marriage to one of the competing families.

What Alana (and her father) don't know is that Thorn Beathach, the Beast, has been watching Alana and he isn't going to let that marriage happen. Not only because it is his empire that is driving Aquarius under but because Alana is his. What everyone doesn't know about Thorn though is that he is dying and if he can't figure out what is wrong with his gem, he may not be around much longer.

Zanetti has created an interesting world here - I wasn't sure how I felt about it all. Dark romance doesn't phase me but I just didn't really love these characters and for me that's what get's me invested in a story. In the end, this one was only ok for me and I'm not sure I'll pick up more from this series.

One Cursed Rose by Rebecca Zanetti
Grimm Bargains #1

Fairy Tales were my thing as a child and one wedding gift from my parents was the complete set of Andrew Lang’s Fairy Tales in multiple volumes with each book a different color. Myths, legends, and fairy tales are still fun and dark ones like this appeal in more intriguing ways.

What I liked:
* Alana Beaumont: bright, beautiful, social media influencer for her family’s media business, can charge gems, good friend, learns a great deal about herself in this book as she falls for Thorn
* Thorn Beathach: dark, damaged, deadly, ruthless, protective, owns a media business, takes care of his own, suffering from an unknown virus, fell for Alana the first time he saw her
* The fairy tale link to Beauty and the Beast
* The way gems are used and how they are charged
* The serial killer subplot and who the killer ended up being
* The supporting characters that I hope will have books of their own: Quinlan, Scarlett, Ella, Rosalie, and Justice
* The way Thorn and Alana are drawn together and are good with and for one another and that they both righted wrongs and took on evil people in their own ways
* Wanting to read whatever book comes next

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Thinking about the evil people in the story and what they were willing to do

Did I like this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Definitely

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

🥀 Beauty and The Beast Retelling
🥀 Possessive
🥀 Morally Grey MMC
🥀 Kidnapping
🥀 Violence
🥀 Rivals to Lovers

⚠️Definitely read trigger warnings on this one⚠️

I had no expectations going into this one. "One Cursed Rose" is a dark romance that centers around Alana and Thorn. Alana is an heiress to Aquarius Social while Thorn is the head of a rival social media company, Malice Media. The author definitely had an interesting take on social media as all 4 companies are powered and ran by crystals.

Alana is often used as a pawn by her father to further their company. He even tries to arrange for her to marry Cal from Hologrid. He is a complete douche.

It definitely is an interesting read. I do wish a few of the plot lines would have been expanded more.

"You're my reason for breathing, and you were meant to be mine."

Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Publishing for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.