This was a five-star read for me until the the last few chapters, with their lack of consent and cliffhanger ending. I can’t recommend this book.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Rosie is an adorable character and I loved her relationship with her family.
Murder, family, love, humourous and ends on a cliffhanger. Was a cute read.

Historical fiction that reads like modern day- what happened if Romeo and Juliet lived and had a daughter to marry off? This was super interesting, yet funny.

This story just wasn’t for me. The slapstick Will Ferrel crude humor just isn’t my fancy however, I can see why it appeals to others. The writing was smart and I enjoyed the narrator. Also, I’m one of these crazies that enjoy cliffhangers so win for me. 😂

I think the overall idea was really unique but it didn’t come off in the most ideal way! Felt fanfic-y almost! but such a fun idea

Fun twist on a classic! I loved looping back into Romeo and Juliet’s story lead by a snarky, “old maid” daughter playing matchmaker like Emma. Prince Escalus had me from the beginning - I knew there was something brewing under that stoic exterior. Hoping we get an enemies-to-lovers arc in the next book 🤞🏼

This a fine novel and is reminiscent of the film, Knives Out, as mentioned in the promotional material. If that is appealing to you, you will enjoy this book.

I was prepared for an Agatha Christie who-done-it, which this story cleverly accomplished. But I was also looking forward to a fun, farcical tale, which was not accomplished. I am sure it is this unmet expectation that has me lukewarm about recommending the book. If you begin with hoping for a mystery only, you will not be disappointed. There are clever twists and turns and you will be invested in solving the mystery.

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

This is my first book by Christina Dodd and I read the book while listening to the audiobook. I loved this book, the plot, the FMC's humor, the mystery nestled in a cozy love story, it was all adorable. I loved the twist on a Romeo and Juliet tale and the fictional family they created. The relationship between the FMC and her family was my favorite thing about this book. It was easy to read, I loved the murder mystery plot and side love plot. Also, Suzy Jackson did a fantastic job narrating, She was clear, sarcasm was delivered beautifully and it was easy to listen to. I read this in 24 hours. I was upset this ended on a cliffhanger because I cannot wait until the next book.

I received a free advanced review copy of the audiobook through NetGalley / RB Media.

☆ 2.5 - 2.75 ☆

Set in an alternate renaissance Verona where Romeo and Juliet survived to wed and start a family of their own, A Daughter of Fair Verona follows their oldest daughter, Rosie, on her quest to fall in love and solve a murder. Jumping on the bandwagon of likening everything remotely romantic set in a historic setting as Bridgerton-esque does this book no favours, for this novel is heavy on mystery and the limited romance it offers is lacklustre. While I enjoyed the quick and witty pace and the reworking of themes and ideas from Shakespeare's play, the second half of the novel had serious pacing issues and the ending fell very flat.

Things I liked:
- Renaissance Italian setting. Think lush villas, sorbettos and weird colourful hats. Love it. No complaints.
- Witty heroine. Rosaline is the moment. Betting money on how many times her bully will call her a virgin in the course of a ball is genuinely god-tier main character level.
- Family dynamics. If Dodd wants to pursue this Bridgerton comparison, I expect to see a book-length treatment of each sibling's love-life and happily ever after. However, given that ending I'm not sure that's what the sequels have in store for us...

Things I disliked:
- The pacing. There is little breathing room between all the dialogue and the cliff hanger interruptions at the end of every. darn. chapter.
- Uneven characterization. Rosie is a far more capable character than the chess-pawn she is reduced to in the final chapters
- The ending. I kept expecting a final twist that would lead to a pleasant resolution, but it never came
- The comparison to Bridgerton and Knives Out . It has little to do with either
- Romance book without actual romance. The love interests are lacklustre and too unsympathetically depicted to gain a connection to either.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc of this novel, in exchange for a honest review!

I couldn't wait to share how much I love everything about this audiobook! This is my first book by Christina Dodd, but it will not be the last. I loved the characters, the plot, the humor, and the mystery. Rosie is strong-willed, snarky, clever, competent, and kind. I adored the realistically loving/irritating relationships among her family, including her famous parents Romeo and Juliet (still romantics after all these years), her siblings, and her faithful nurse.

I was shocked by something one of the characters did toward the end of the book. The result was not unexpected, only how it was accomplished. I shall have to read the next book in the series to see how that plays out.

The audiobook production was excellent, and Suzy Jackson does a fantastic job with the narration. She has good pacing, clear pronunciation, distinctive voices to suit each character, and the ability to convey mood and emotion effectively. The story works very well as an audiobook.

I highly recommend this book for fans of historical mysteries, historical romances, and fun stories that will make you laugh out loud.

I received a free advanced review copy of the audiobook through NetGalley. I volunteered to provide an honest review.

When I read the plot for A Daughter of Fair Verona - I was definitely intrigued. Can you imagine being the daughter of Romeo and Juliet and being seen as a spinster for not having married by age 20? Sounds like a nightmare! At the start, I loved getting to know Rosie’ the FMC and I really appreciated her wit and intelligence. Add in a murder mystery, and I had a good feeling about this book.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed near the end of the book. Though there were plot twists, due to a lot of foreshadowing, I had expected many of them. The scene in the crypt felt underwhelming, and after all the revelations, I was shocked that it was left on such a cliffhanger. Though there was some romance in the book, it wasn’t the focus. And perhaps that was where it fell flat for me since I saw several opportunities for relationships to develop and I never felt that they did.

Nonetheless, I truly appreciate having received an advanced listener copy from the author, NetGalley and RB media in exchange for an honest review.

This was fun and silly (except for the ending, what happened there?!).

My favorite part was a happy ending for Romeo and Juliet! I also loved the loving marriage and happy family environment.

Despite the historical setting it contains swearing and potty humor which is odd and distracting.

The story follows Romeo and Juliet’s oldest daughter Rosa while she learns the rules of apothecary, becomes betrothed to a duke, and discovers multiple murders...

Huge thank you to NetGalley and RBmedia for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook!

Forget everything you thought you knew about Romeo and Juliet.
They are alive and well in Verona as we follow the storyline of their eldest child, Rosaline. Rosie for short.
Rosie is betrothed to an arrogant, loathsome Duke. She’s wild and free, or so she wants to be. When the Duke winds up dead she feels free of a marriage proposal, or is she?
She sets out to solve the murder and discovers secrets about the duke’s life and previous wives.
There’s adventure, mystery, a dabble of romance along the way.
Rosie is nothing short of a master negotiator, clever, and witty.
Will Rosie secure the ties of House Montague and her own fate?

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for allowing me to read and review A Daughter of Fair Verona.

I could not finish this book. From the description it sounded fun but then I had to check if this was a YA title because that is the vibe of the half that I was trying to get through. Ultimately, I gave up because the writing was too juvenile and flowery without any real substance. I would not recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for a copy of the audiobook.

The story follows Rosie (yes, named after Romeo's former lover) who is the eldest daughter of Romeo and Juliet (yes, they lived!). She is entering her debut era and is being persued by a Duke who already has had several wives, all of which have died mysteriously after marriage. However, in this witty alternative reality to the classic story we all love, things are not what they appear. True love is to be had and justice is to be served.

The audio narration either will make or break the book for you. The narrator is exactly what you picture smug Rosaline to be, an older eldest daughter teen determined to make her own history. I personally found the narration too exaggerated with the sarcasm which made it hard to listen to.

This was a lot of fun. Tons of twists and turns and a very interesting mystery reveal. I’ll definitely read any subsequent books in this series. I did get a little confused on the motivation of some characters but overall a fun story to read.

The narrator was fabulous. I will look for her when selecting audiobooks!

I received an arc from netgalley and the publisher.

Much thanks to Christina Dodd, RB Media, and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to a free eaudio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was pretty leery of this one. I've never read Romeo and Juliet and have no desire to. Would this still be accessible to me? I've read books that took beloved classic characters and butchered them in the effort of a fresh angle. Would that be the case here? I haven't been super into Dodd's work lately, would this also be lackluster? The doubts piled up, and I ignored review copies of this book for months. Then the audiobook became available, and I was still intrigued by the blurb. All right, fine, gimme.

And I liked it. A lot. A LOT. It wasn't inaccessible---actually, I foresee many complaints about anachronisms and modern language, though I had no problem with it. It's not only for Romeo and Juliet fans; I fell in love with them, with all the characters. There will be readers who don't like Dodd playing with the lovers, but I was a blank slate, as it were, and I adore Dodd's version of them. They're wonderful parents and wonderful people. They got their happily ever after! I don't view it as butchery at all, but again, I wasn't attached to the OGs.

As for lackluster---there was a section after the death of the duke where I tuned out, almost wanted to DNF. I suspect my lack of interest was due to: Lysandre, whom I could tell was not endgame and I found him annoying, so I had no interest in watching Rosie moon over him; and the bigger problem, the narrator, Suzy Jackson, was not to my taste. She's very talented, but she's not a good fit for Rosie. She made Rosie sound immature, reactionary, at times shrill and shrewish. Rosie's supposed to be mature, rational, practical, intelligent. Also Italian, and I'm not confident Jackson pronounced all the Italian terms accurately; she sounded rather awkward when they came up.

But when I tuned in again this morning, I couldn't stop. I'm chucking my brief disinterest up to being tired before. No, despite the narrator, I was enthralled with the rest of the book, and I'm so frustrated with the end. I want the next book, stat! There had better be a next book.

Overall, I had a surprisingly great time in fair Verona, and I hope Dodd doesn't get swamped by OG loyalists.

I had hoped from the description of this book that I would like it, but just how much I liked it took me by surprise!

Having dispatched multiple fiancés (by finding them more suitable matches), Rosie finds herself engaged to someone who is under suspicion of murdering his previous three wives. Needless to say, she is distraught and eager to find a solution to her predicament. Lucky for her, he ends up dead the night of their betrothal party. Unlucky for her, everyone suspects her.

An unexpected highlight of the book is the family dynamic - Romeo & Juliet are fun to see imagined as parents, and the cast of sibling characters are relatable and add an extra dimension to the story.

The romance I guessed early on, the murderer I did not. If you’re looking for a headstrong heroine with a fun cast of characters and a mystery to solve, definitely check out this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Christina Dodd for this ARC! I know it’ll be a bit of a wait but I am already looking forward to the next one.

Rosaline is the daughter of Romeo and Juliet. That’s right! They didn’t die after all. Rosaline has been dodging getting married for awhile. But it seems like her luck has run out. She is now betrothed to a man whose previous wives have died. So things are not looking good…but things always have a way of turning out. Especially when her betrothed ends up dead! But who did it? Rosaline must find out who killed her intended before she’s next.

This book was so cute! And I loved the narrator! She did a great job! I loved the idea of imagining what would have happened if Romeo and Juliet didn’t die and the fact that their oldest child and daughter wouldn’t be into the lovey dovey stuff is awesome! I enjoyed all of rosaline’s younger siblings, especially her younger brother. And the inclusion of Juliet’s nurse who is also Rosaline’s nurse is spot on! I definitely recommend this book! And I look forward to the next in this series!

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to listen to this audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

I really wish I could give this book a 3.5 star rating! Let me start with the cover - gorgeous. The writing is clever and unique, weaving Shakespearean language and artifacts with familiar modern language. I absolutely loved hearing the phrase sedan chair over and over, it made me audibly giggle every time. This book really stuck with me after I finished, becoming more and more clever as it sat with me. If you're a fan of Shakespeare, historical fiction, romance, and murder mysteries, I would definitely recommend this book! Looking forward to exploring more from Christina Dodd.