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Review
2.5 surprisingly chaotic stars
The first book in Rebecca Zanetti’s Grimm Bargains series, this is a re-imagining of Beauty and the Beast as a dark romance with mystery/suspense and supernatural themes. Rebecca Zanetti is an auto-read author for me, and I was intrigued by the idea of this book, but it fell a bit flat for me. Not only was it lacking in world building, but it was fast moving with lots of different storylines – some important, some seemingly not, and the whole thing just felt a bit chaotic and confusing.
In a world where social media is everything, the four families who run the four most successful media companies rule all. Their platforms are powered by crystals which are in turn powered by a member of the family, and kept charged by social media interactions (I really only just wrapped my head around this by the end of the book). Alana is the power source and social media darling for her family’s empire, and her father is determined to marry her off to a competitor to bring their companies together. Enter Thorn, secretive head of a rival social media platform, who has been obsessing over Alana from afar and, after rescuing her from a threat, takes her to his home and declares that she now belongs to him.
“You don’t want me for an enemy.” I’m deadly serious but have no idea how I’m going to back that up.
“Call yourself whatever you want.” He takes my arm, his touch electric and firm. “I’m calling you mine.”
Thorn is dark and dangerous, and also seems to be the head of the mafia? That part of the story was glossed over and not really clear, but he’s a killer with a heart (targeting abusers, sexual predators, etc.). He’s also under some sort of curse tied to his media platform, and both of them are slowly dying. But in the meantime, he is claiming Alana.
“You’re with me as long as I’m alive.”
One of her eyebrows arches. “Why?”
There are many answers I can give to her, but I go with the simplest truth. “You’re my reason for breathing, and you were meant to be mine.”
I don’t really know what to say about the rest of the story, because it’s a complicated jumble of sex, mad declarations, threats, violence, betrayal, kidnappings, and lots of social media, and honestly, I was confused.
The main thing that struck me about this book was that it lacked world building. What was the significance of the gemstones? How and why are these families connected to them, how did it all work? What was with the AI, and why did each family have a special supernatural gift? Did people know? Why? How? Where did it come from? I just had so many questions and couldn’t wrap my head around how the world worked and how everybody got to where they are. I also found the whole social media thing really tedious. Alana’s status as an influencer was annoying and her constant click-bait-posting was obnoxious. But on the side, she and her friends are social crusaders? The brief mention of them helping out victims of domestic violence seemed thrown in just to show that she’s not as vapid as she initially appears.
The ‘dark romance’ felt more like mad lust and a bit of kink, than love. Though there are lots of epic declarations from Thorn, it’s pretty much instant and I felt no real build-up of romance between them. It’s sexy, for sure, and I enjoyed their banter, sexual chemistry and the moments where I felt their connection, but it was definitely lacking for me.
“Why are you being so nice to me?”
“Because you’re mine.”
“What if I wasn’t?”
“There isn’t a universe or reality where you’re not.”
Then there’s the mystery/suspense storyline surrounding Alana’s nightmares, her mysterious past, a serial killer on the loose, yet another rival social media company blackmailing Thorn into a business-marriage, a mysterious heir living a secret life, and an evil bad guy determined to take power at any cost. There’s a lot happening, and it all felt a bit overwhelming with very little to back it up. Given Zanetti’s phenomenal world building in her other series, this one just felt really odd.
But it’s an interesting concept, and now that I have my head wrapped around it a bit better, I’m curious to see what happens in future books and explore some more of the character dynamics.
Not a favourite, but it has its moments, and I was engaged enough to finish it. 2.5 stars.
An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.
Grimm Bargains
About the Author
Rebecca Zanetti is the author of over fifty romantic suspense and dark paranormal romances, and her books have appeared multiple times on the New York Times, USA Today, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iBooks bestseller lists. The New York Times reviews has found that in her books, “humor surfaces in even the tensest moments, giving the high-stakes drama humanity and warmth.” She lives in the wilds of the Pacific Northwest with her own Alpha hero, two kids, a couple of dogs, a crazy cat…and a huge extended family. She believes strongly in luck, karma, and working her butt off…and she thinks one of the best things about being an author, unlike the lawyer she used to be, is that she can let the crazy out.
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