Synopsis
I could save him, but he would ruin me.
The beast.
The creature that stalks the forbidden wood.
The dragon prince.He has suffered a fate worse than death. We all have. A curse put upon us by the mad king.
We are a kingdom locked in time. Shifters unable to feel our animals. Stuck here by a deal between the late king and a demon who seeks our destruction.
The only one keeping this kingdom alive is Nyfain, the golden prince to a stolen throne. The last dragon shifter.
He’s our hope.
He’s my nightmare.When he catches me trespassing in the forbidden wood, he doesn’t punish me with death, as he’s entitled.
He takes me, instead. Forces me back to the castle as his prisoner. Seeks to use me.
Apparently, I can save him. I can save the whole forgotten kingdom, locked away by the demon king’s power.
But it would mean taming the monster beneath his skin. It would mean giving myself to him.
It would mean my ruin.
Goodreads
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Review
A Ruin of Roses is a beauty and the beast retelling. But let me tell you, this is certainly not the Disney version.
I liked the premise that the entire kingdom lost its magic because of the curse. I enjoyed that it wasn’t just the “beast” who was cursed but everyone, which certainly made the stakes a little higher. Finely is the FMC is excellent. She is capable and strong, and I didn’t find the idea of her sacrificing herself for her family and town something that would be out of character at all. She is the primary caretaker of her family. I also liked how the traditional gender roles were swapped between her and her brother.
Nyfain was interesting, and I have to admit it took me almost to the end of the book to warm up to him. I think I probably held out longer than Finley. But eventually, he won me over. Finley and Nyfain were great, but the side characters stole the show for me. I hope we see more of all of them in future books.
’There is a lot of steam in this book. It starts slowish more stories about what characters have done with minimal details but many implications. But the steam levels rise, and it certainly gets a lot steamier than I expected.
I enjoyed this book and can’t wait to continue with this series.
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