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.
Review:
I didn’t know what to expect when starting A Ruin of Roses but let’s just say it wasn’t what I got. I’ve read one of K.F Breene’s series before and I don’t remember it having any adult content, this book was the complete opposite.
I’d be very cautious going into this if you’re not a fan of smut/crude content. It is absolutely filled to the brim with it. A lot of the language is very harsh and it can be a bit unsettling at times, but there aren’t any instances of missing consent. Everything is 100% consensual, so no need to worry about that.
If you take away the sexual content, there isn’t really a lot to A Ruin of Roses. However, the sections that didn’t have any of this were very entertaining. It’s a creative retelling of Beauty and the Beast and I liked how they incorporated smaller events from the original, such as Belle fighting off wolves in the woods, but instead Finley was fighting demonic creatures.
The characters were quite wishy-washy and seemed to change their minds and morals quite often. They were quite entertaining though, especially the castle staff. Finley has the potential to be a great main character and maybe this is further explored in the second installment.
I loved the incorporation of shifters and having that be the reason why the prince is a beast. It was very clever and I’m interested to learn more about their history and the curse they find themselves under.
Overall, A Ruin of Roses was an interesting retelling that has potential. The over-saturation of adult content did make this less enjoyable for me, but I know some people will love it. As this series is available with Kindle Unlimited, I would consider reading the second instalment in the future.
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