Review – A Ruin of Roses

Title:

A Ruin of Roses

Series:

Deliciously Dark Fairytales #1

Author:

K.F. Breene

Genre:

Paranormal Romance

Blurb:

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.

Review

2stars rating
INTRO:

Who doesn’t like a good Beauty and the Beast retelling? Especially if it has some (or a lot) of steam? I know I’m first in line for that book 😀 😀
Unfortunately, while this one sounded super promising, it fell flat 🙁 (and was pretty confusing as well).

Character development:

I have a confession to make… I did not like Finley at all 🙁 I wasn’t even one quarter into the story before I felt like I wanted to strangle her.
Several reasons and the foul language actually was one of them (and people who know me know I can handle a lot, and I’m no prude lol, but this just felt more like a neverending stream of profanity). Another reason was her decision making, or, quite honestly, lack of any thinking at all.
It was just totally out of character for someone who should have a good head on her shoulders.
So yeah, the main character didn’t do it for me.
Nyfain could have done with a bit more depth earlier in the book and not just in the last parts, and it would have made the story more viable. Also, could he make up his mind, for crying out loud?! All the hot/cold got old pretty fast.
From all the characters in the book, it’s a sad day when the main character’s siblings make the most sense.

Pacing & Flow:

The story felt a bit too slow until about 75% into the book, and then it picked up speed right till the end.

The book itself:

It is 386 pages long, spread out over 18 chapters and told from Finley’s point of view (though there are some Nyfain chapters as well).
While there are tons of orgies going on in the book, you’ll only get a few steamy scenes between the two main characters and no sex (if that is important to you).

Final Thoughts:

I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy of this book, and I was pretty sad after finishing this one. I kept waiting for it to turn around and start making sense, but it didn’t 🙁
While I like other books the author has written, this series is, unfortunately, a no-go for me.