The story grabbed me and sucked me in as I read about the sacrifice of the mother's blood to keep her daughter safe and then the trek through the snow and ice to find the one who could battle the evil that is bent on snapping up Elena. Elena's entry into the enchanted castle and the meeting with Ivan Romanoff set the right tone for what seemed an exciting read.

The middle was a bit flat with the usual resistance from Ivan as Elena wanders around the castle learning how to fight with the sword resolved to save herself if the black wolf wont. The parallels between beauty and the beast and swan lake can hardly be missed especially with the bit with the feathered swan outfit for Elena and the black feathers sprouting from the evil prince.

I did get sucked in enough to where I want to read how Ivan's brother's find their happily ever after especially with the one that ended on a cliff hanger.

Fun quick read for all of you out there that are fans of paranormal romance storys!

The idea of mixing Beauty and the Beast, Swan Lake, and Eastern European folklore together was a good idea. Unfortunately beyond the idea there was nothing much. Elena is strong but desperate and Ivan is typically brooding and secretive. There was nothing about either lead that stood out. Also for too much of the story there were only three speaking characters, and a couple of wolves. So there is this long stretch of the book where nothing is really happening. Just sad people wandering around an empty castle. When things finally do get going they are predictable. Not to mention the villain was terrible. He was there to give the leads a conflict, but he wasn’t fleshed out. He was bad because he was bad, so he did bad things, then he was defeated.

This is the first book in a trilogy. The problem with motivating people to read the next installments after such a boring introduction to this world, is that the males it will feature weren’t truly present in the book. As for the female characters one was around, but dull. The other was just mentioned. I have no interest in reading any other books in this series. But if the author comes up with another mash up idea I would be open to reading it, with the hope that her storytelling skills have improved.

Well written captivating shifter story with a long suffering werewolf hunk and a inspired ballerina being stalked by a paranormal villain. A good slow build to romance along with the mystery and action. A little slow in parts but keeps you engaged until the end. I voluntarily reviewed a NetGalley ARC.

Sorry but I couldn't get into the book at all. I tried though, I'm so sorry for my ADD brain.

Beauty and the Beast meets Russian fairytales! I liked the concept well enough, and the book drew me in from the cover art alone. Romanov is definitely a brooding hunk of a hero! But sometimes it felt like the story relied a little too much on telling rather than showing, and the third act wrapped up things a little too quickly/neatly for my preference. However, I know this is the first book in a trilogy and I admit to being intrigued to check out future installments.

I’m so happy I got the chance to read this, it had me pulled in from the first couple pages! I definitely enjoyed it from the start and would love to read it in physical form as well.