This is our book review for A Ruin of Roses by K.F. Breene – the first book in the Deliciously Dark Fairytales series.
At the time of publishing this guide, this story is available on Kindle Unlimited.
If you’ll be reading this story for a book club, you can find our free printable book club discussion guide here.
Star rating
Pepper rating (find our Pepper scale here)
(Really, it’s 1.5 peppers which I’ll get into in the review)
Book Review:
If you watched the Disney version of Beauty and the Beast (cartoon or live action) and thought, “You know, what this needs is dragon lore, hot and badss main characters, and a kink curse on the castle,” I invite you to relax, [just] pull up a chair as I proudly present your next 5 read.
A Ruin of Roses is the first in the Deliciously Dark Fairytale series by K.F. Breene. Our FMC Finley, is trying to save her village and her own father from the effects of the curse that was placed on the kingdom 16 years earlier by the Demon King after an agreement with the Mad King. Her elixir, based on trial and error with the temperamental Everlass plant, leads her into the forbidden wood where she is captured by the beast for trespassing and stealing and taken to the kingdom’s castle.
We’re introduced to our MMC, Nyfain, who’s full of secrets, guilt that presents as rage, and self-loathing. Oh, and of course a monster c*ck. We’re introduced to a whole new world (oops wrong song!) through excellent world building and a cast of characters sure to keep you from being gloomy or complaining, especially while the mediocre butler’s entertaining.
Some of the most delightful parts of this story for me are the constant nods to the original with a grown up twist. Breene picks up on those classic elements, like the whole town singing about Belle, but flips it so that Finley talks to an invisible audience for bravery. Or how both our heroines love to read, but while Belle coos about meeting Prince Charming, Finley prefers hate-f*ck smut. For fans of the original films like me, it’s these little details that make the book both smart and fun, but take it to new highs (and filthy lows) for a more mature audience.
These little Easter Eggs just enhance an already solid story between our two strong main characters. Our FMC’s not content with reading all day and throwing snowballs with our MMC while they sip soup. Within moments of meeting the beast, who shifts into Nyfain, Finley is giving attitude and violence back to him. She stabs him and knees him in the balls, and that’s just in the first 24 hours of their complicated captor/captive relationship. We see why both Finley and Nyfain are feared, loathed, and loved by those around them. And we see glimpses of the fire in them both – for the kingdom and possibly for each other – without giving it all up in the first book.
I don’t usually explain my spice ratings, but this first book in the series is tricky to place on the pepper scale because while it does have explicit language and graphic information about magic from incubi and succubi and how that affects the castle’s staff, it is mostly yearning and teasing between our main characters in this first book. So I’ve rated it 1.5 peppers since it doesn’t have a Happily Ever After, but it does have a happy ending.
Overall, I couldn’t put this book down and it’s one of my go-to recs for anyone interested in romantasy with a dark twist. It’s why I’ve rated it 5* and why I’ve reread it three times since I first read it two years ago. It leaves you wanting more with a sudden ending, not quite a cliffhanger, that will have you reaching for the next book in the series. So, be my guest and prop your feet up as you digest this review, then reach for your copy of A Ruin of Roses.
Leave a Reply