I thank NetGalley and John Scognamiglio Books for an advance reader copy of “Thus with a Kiss I Die.” All opinions and comments are my own.

I’m not a fan of paranormal mysteries, and this one has all the elements. That being said, readers will find “Thus with a Kiss I Die” an entertaining romp through medieval Verona as Rosie, the daughter of Romeo and Juliet once again has her hands full juggling a murder mystery and her “forced” betrothal to the “podesta” of Verona.

The book is fast-paced, with colorful characters who find themselves facing all sorts of trouble. If you’re looking for something “strictly medieval” this is definitely not it. But in the end, the dialog is too modern for my tastes and tries too hard to be witty in that regard. Amusing, yes, with a plot that keeps you guessing. But it isn’t for me.

There couldn't have been a better happily ever after for Romeo and Juliet's daughter! Thus with a Kiss I Die by Christina Dodd is refreshing, witty, humorous and absolutely 200% entertaining. The whole concept of Romeo and Juliet living with whole band of kids in Verona is so unique and then the author gave us an amazing plot. Rosalind aka Rosie, the eldest daughter of Capulet-Montague family has been deceived into a betrothal to Prince Escalus of House Leonardi, the podesta of Verona. Will she keep on fighting for her One True Love Lysande of House Mackaretti or will her definition of One True Love change over time? A friendly ghost, assassins on the run, a brooding prince,,chaos of Disciplinati, noble famliy scandals..it was a feast. I laughed and swooned and screamed and I don't know how the time passed

* Second generation of Romeo & Juliet
* Historical romance / rom com
* enemies to lovers
* arranged marriage
* forced proximity
* set in Verona
* he falls first
* opposites attract
* grumpy sunshine

In a society where women are supposed to be in background and only be a home maker or child breeder, Rosaline or Rosie is completely different..She is smart and independent and speaks her mind. She loves her family and she loves to take care of things for the family. She has a strong sense of right and wrong. She wasn't thrilled with the engagement because Prince Escalus or Cal as she later called him, isn't exactly romantic. In a conventional manner. He is laden with responsibility and has a dark past. He does show his admiration for Rosie's sassy and fierce personality. He also doesn't hide his appreciation for her beauty. Rosie was definitely reluctant but the Prince made his mark on her heart. The story began with the prince's father's ghost asking Rosie to find out his assassin. Soon it's full on mess. It's hard to describe the vibe. You have to read it to feel it. It still has a Shakespeare-an feel but in a modern way. We slowly get to see the kind and caring and courageous and protective side of the prince. They came close as they fought different kind of battles for their families and for Verona. Rosie proved to be the perfect princess with her fearless and compassionate heart. But the more important thing is the prince proved to be her true love at the end

I reviewed an early copy voluntarily

Daughter of Montague #2 is definitely the next book you should read! Never a dull moment from the first page to the very last page. Laugh out loud moments, mystery, and a little suspense. The story continues and does not disappoint. Loved this book as much as I did Daughter of Montague #1. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this wonderful book.

I’ve been a fan of this author for years (dare I say decades?!?), and I’m always excited for a new release. This is the second book in this series, and I have come to adore Rosie so much. While this is a sort of mystery, I think it’s much more than that: an irreverent and hilarious look at the past, poking fun at the Romeo and Juliet tragedy, and so much more. I love this author’s humor and boy does it shine in this latest. Now, this humor isn’t for everyone, but I certainly enjoy it. In addition to that, we do get a little bit of a mystery, a ghost who “helps” Rosie, Rosie trying to decide what her life is going to look like, and lots of shenanigans with the family. I certainly hope this isn’t the last in the series because I’m not sure I like where we were left, exactly. However, this whole book is in the win category for me. If you liked the first one, you’ll definitely like this latest. Highly recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

Rated 4.5 Stars

Thus With A Kiss I Die had me so highly amused from beginning to end. I loved it. I love this family and how boisterous and loving they are. I love Rosie's voice, her personality and quirks. She was fierce and feisty. I loved how she pushed the envelope on what is considered acceptable behavior for women of her status. I love going on these mystery solving journeys with her they are always so entertaining. I loved the fact that this particular one had a supernatural element to it. There was much over the topness in this installment but I loved that aspect. This book was packed with mystery, suspense, action and so many fun and funny moments. I absolutely adored it. I would've loved to have had Cal's point of view but outside of that this was an awesome read. I can't wait for more in the series.

I loved A Daughter of Fair Verona and was so excited to read this second book in the Daughter of Montague Series. Amazingly, I ended up enjoying Thus With a Kiss I Die even more than the first book and I hope there is a book 3 in the works. I am not a Shakespeare fan at all, but Dodd puts so much humor and fun into these books that I both couldn’t put the book down but also don’t want it to end. Rosie is such a fantastic character - strong and feisty. I also loved the rest of her family. And Prince Escalus is delightfully swoonworthy. Definitely a 5 star book for me!

Thus with a Kiss I Die is a witty, whimsical spin on Shakespearean lore, blending cheeky Romeo and Juliet-inspired banter with a modern mystery and a subtle touch of fantasy. The concept is undeniably clever—Rosie, the fictional daughter of literature’s most famous doomed lovers, is on a mission that blends personal discovery with a twisty mystery.

The dialogue was a real highlight for me. Dodd does an excellent job capturing that flirty, dramatic energy that feels right at home in a Shakespeare-inspired world. Rosie’s voice is full of charm, and the tone often had me smiling at its irreverence and cleverness.

The fantasy elements were light but enjoyable, offering an additional layer to the plot that helped keep the story fresh. I also appreciated how the book didn't take itself too seriously, striking a good balance between drama and playfulness.

That said, while I really enjoyed the idea of Rosie being Romeo and Juliet’s daughter, I felt the story could have easily stood on its own without leaning into that backstory—and maybe that’s where my expectations got in the way. As someone drawn in by the Shakespearean angle, I hoped for deeper connections to the original tale. The lore felt like it lingered more in concept than in execution, and I would’ve loved to see the roots of that tragedy explored more meaningfully or with greater emotional depth.

Overall, Thus with a Kiss I Die is a fun, inventive read with a strong voice and a playful twist on a timeless story. While it didn’t quite deliver the depth of Romeo and Juliet mythology I was craving, it still offers an entertaining and clever ride for readers looking for something light with a literary twist.

Rosie is back, and she is trying to adjust to the idea of being betrothed to the prince. She is angry with him -- mostly -- but the prince is very intriguing. Rosie learns more about him and his responsibilities while they hunt a killer and battle together for the safety of Verona. I had a hard time putting this book down because it moves so quickly and there are so many surprises.

📖 Title: Thus with a Kiss I Die-Daughter of Montague #2

✍🏾 Author: Christina Dodd-I read Daughter of Fair Verona and gave it 4 ⭐

📅Publication date: 6/24/25 | Read 6/19/25

📃 Format: eBook 352 pgs.

Genre:
*Historical Fic
*Mystery/Thriller
*Women Sleuths

Tropes:
*Shakespeare retelling
*a ghost
*murder investigation
*arranged marriage
*family drama
*royal romance

👆🏾POV: 1st person single

⚠️TW: virgin h, misogyny, death of a parent, murder

🌎 Setting: Verona, Italy

Summary: After Rosaline is caught by her family in a scandalous embrace planned by Prince Escalus, she has to marry him. Rosaline thought she was kissing her 1st love Lysander, but Prince Escalus tricked her. While she and her family visit his palace to become more acquainted, she meets Prince Escalus Sr. who is already deceased. Only Rosaline can see him, and she promises to find his killer in exchange for him reuniting her with Lysander.


👩🏾 Heroine: Rosaline "Rosie" Montague- 20, apprentice apothecary under Friar Laurence, an amateur sleuth

👨🏾 Hero: Prince Escalus "Cal"-23, Prince of Verona

🎭 Other Characters:

* Romeo + Juliet Montague-Rosie's parents
*Imogene, Katherina, Emilia, Susana, Vittoria, and Cesario-Rosie's siblings
*Prince Escalus "Elder"- Cal's father-deceased
*Princess Isabella of House Leonardi-Cal's sister
*Nonna Ursula-Cal's grandmother/dowager princess
*Lysander of House Marcketti-Rosie believes him to be her one true love
*Barnadine-Prince Escalus's bodyguard
*Friar Camillo- being sponsored by Prince Escalus's family

🤔 My Thoughts: I liked the witty banter and laughed at the funny innuendos made about Rosie. The murder investigation and attack on Nonna kept me interested in the whodunnit plot. The ending was a little unexpected, but Rosie gets her HEA.

Rating: 5/5 ✨
Spice level 1/5 🌶️kissing only

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, Kensington Publishing |A John Scognamiglio Book, and Christina Dodd for this ARC! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own.

The 2nd in Christina Dodd's series based on Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet - except in this version, Romeo and Juliet lived and married and had a bunch of kids, becoming an example of true love triumphing. Watching the two leads (one of whom is their oldest daughter, Rosaline) develop and their relationship evolve is a pleasure, and the plot is largely fun and silly with an undercurrent of more serious topics (avenging a father's murder). The language and characters' actions are a mix of modern and Renaissance. The first half of the book moved very slowly for me, and the mystery wasn't difficult to solve, This is a standalone book but may make more sense if a reader has read the debut in the series. Thanks to NetGalley and publisher Kensington for the eARC.

Thus with a Kiss I Die is a comedic murder mystery

This was my first Romeo & Juliet retelling (I have not read the 1st book in this series), and I have to say it was such a great read!! I just love the story that the author writes about Romeo & Juliet's "not-so-ill-fated" romance. Shakespeare's tragedy was (in this book) just a bit of an exaggeration on the famous end to the tragedy. Instead Romeo and Juliet have quite the healthy, and living, marriage, with just a few children to prove it, and one on the way...but this story is about Rosie, or Lady Roseline, the eldest daughter.

Rosie is a great sleuther in this story, not to be held back by being a woman. The humor in this book is wonderfully hilarious, I laughed out loud multiple times while reading! There is plenty of innuendo as well, which is both even more amusing and fitting for this retelling. Rosie and Lysander had this grand plan to be "caught" doing things they shouldn't and therefore forcibly engaged, but Prince Escalus had the upper hand and implants himself into Lysander's position...with it being dark Rosie is unware until they are caught, and now she is betrothed to Prince Escalus.

While Rosie is quite upset about this turn of events, it does unexpectedly lead her to her next sleuthing adventure, when none other than Elder Escalus's ghost contacts her to help solve the mystery of his murder. Rosie is the only one who can see or hear the ghost, but strangely most of the other characters do not think her to be crazy.

I thought the ghost was a fun touch, and seemed to allow Rosie to become closer to Escalus and his Nonna Ursula than she may have otherwise. I enjoyed this story because the characters speak like Shakespearian plays, yet also acknowledge some of that customs and such are a little ridiculous. This book is a not just a murder mystery, but also a very funny, semi-romance that will leave you laughing and thoroughly amused.

Some Fav Quotes:
""As you know, Prince Escalus, Romeo is one of the most renowned swordsmen in Verona...Mamma placed her other hand on top of Cesario's head. "-and should anyone unsheathe their works of art prematurely, I don't know if I could stop my beloved husband, Romeo, from removing said works of art from their hooks on the wall."

""My beautiful daughters!" We were, of course. That's not narcissisim; when you're raised knowing your parents are the most beautiful, romantic, admired couple in the known world, it follows that you, too, are a beauty."

"Why, you ask, would a sensible woman follow an eerie voice up a narrow, steep, dark staircase?...The answer was simple-because the alternative was apologizing to the prince for my impetuous speech, while at the same time practicing restraint so I don't kindly point out what an ass he'd been and that he deserved every word."

"I examined my fiancé, my podesta, and my prince. He did look as humble as that man could look, which was not at all..."

"Katherina said, "My Prince, Nurse didn't mean that, Rosie never sets anything on fire that doesn't deserve to be on fire.""

""If you only set on fire that which deserves to be on fire, than I am deserving, for I...burn.""

""Rosa centifolia, the rose of many petals, came from the Far East, from Cathay, and grows in dirt laced with well-rotted manure..." "Thanks." Well-rotted manure?"

""Son: Never pass up a chance to pee. Never waste an erection. Never trust a fart.""

Thank you to Netgalley, Kensington, and the author for a copy of this book!

Christina Dodd is a very successful author of romance, historical, paranormal and suspense novels. For some reason, she chose to write a series that throws all those genres into a blender. The result is a delicious, dark confection, a world of story, peopled with characters that readers will love - or love to hate. Thus with a Kiss I Die is a sequel to A Daughter of Fair Verona. Both books follow Rosie Montague, the eldest child of celebrated (not dead) couple Romeo and Juliet, as she attempts to care for her family, and find her own path in the world. Prince Escalus had managed to trick her into an unwanted betrothal with him at the end of A Daughter of Fair Verona. Now, during her family's first visit with the Prince's family, the ghost of Escalus' father appears to Rosie and demands that she find his killer. Once again Rosie must untangle a deadly knot of secrets with Escalus while scheming to break the betrothal. This book thrives on contrasts. Rosie, who tells the story with a voice and point of view that modern readers will identify with. She even sometimes uses contemporary idioms. But her world feels very true to Shakespeare's time, at least to a non-expert fan of the Bard. The brutality and misogyny are very much present, but they are tempered with scenes of family love and loyalty. There is danger, suspense and even tragedy in this tale, but it is mixed with generous portions of humor and wit. To me, this set of books doesn't just mix genres, it transcends them. I can see this book being relevant for years (maybe generations?) into the future. It is definitely worth reading both books in the Daughter of Montague series and be on the lookout for more to come. At least, I hope there will be more to come. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a review copy.

This is very funny and silly - and must have been a trip to write for author Christina Dodd. A little bit fan fiction with mystery, romance, history and all the serious William Shakespeare fan-girling, this is such a romp!

Rosie Montague (daughter of Romeo and Juliet) is in danger. She's kind of trapped by Escalus the younger, with Escalus the older (who is also dead-er) who wants her to find his killer. Rosie is happy to help, but wants her One True Love, not Escalus. I admit, this isn't really for me, but it's so well written, and such fun, that I went with it anyway.

If you like literary shenanigans, and twisty mysteries, this is a delight!

Thank you Christina Dodd, and Kensington Publishing for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

Being of a certain age, I watched the Romeo and Juliet movie in 1968 a number of times, and now when I read these books, Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting are who I see in my imagination. In the first book, I was thrilled to learn that not only did they survive, but that they had a thriving family. It was fun meeting them all, including Rosie, the only virgin left in Verona, apparently.

In this second book, I liked the give and take between Rosie and Escalus, the younger. Add to the fact that we had the ghost of Escalus, the elder that only Rosie could see, and his snide remarks was fun. I have to admit that I picked the wrong guy to be the villian in the story, and the final battle made it impossible to put the book down. Although I had to wonder why nobody from the base of the castle ran up to the tower to help!

I sincerely hope that there will be a third book coming soon, can't wait to see what their marriage will end up looking like, I see some more battles in the future! Thanks, NetGalley and Kensington books for the chance to read this.

Loved this story! The characters are great and interesting. Rosie has gotten herself into a pickle. She wants to marry Lysander, her One True Love, but was compromised by Prince Escalus. She wants to do the honorable thing and marry the prince, but her Montaque heart wants Lysander. When Rosie goes to visit the palace and meet Escalus' family, so many things happen. She meets the ghost of the prince's father, and he wants her to find his murderer. When the prince's grandmother has a seance to help that along, the grandmother is attacked and is unconscious. In the meantime, a riot starts, and Juliet goes into labor. She desperately needs Rosie and Rosie has to pass through the riot to get to her. When the murderer is finally unmasked, Rosie life is once again in danger. Escalus is there to save her, but he also is going to release her from her vow to marry him because he is afraid her life will be in danger just knowing him. Rosie has to make a choice. Will she marry the prince, even though he is not a handsome man and he does not let his feelings be known? Or will she marry Lysander who is beautiful to look at and is ready let his feelings be known?

The second in the Rosaline Montague series. Rosie, the daughter of Romeo and Juliet, finds herself in quite the predicament. Instead of being able to marry her One True Love, she has been trapped by the Prince of Verona, Escalus, into matrimony. While visiting the prince with her family, Rosie is tasked by Escalus the Elder into finding his murderer. Yes, a ghost has sought out Rosie in order for her to find justice for him and his family! (You know, since she found the serial killer in the last novel.)
The mystery of the murdered prince takes center stage in book 2, however, since Rosie is the daughter of Romeo and Juliet, the romance isn't far behind.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and A John Scognamiglio Book for this digital e-arc.*

This is a tremendously fun series! Self-aware humor ("dear reader" asides, lol), feminist without being rage-y, lots of swoony moments worthy of Romeo & Juliet, a murder to solve- if you're into Shakespeare, mystery, and the light touches of a romcom, these stories are just the thing for you!

Oh this story continues to be so hilarious and honestly so original. I love the writing style, most of the characters and the MFC the most, but I think I might be slightly old for this story.

The mystery is kind of obvious to me from the beginning so there wasn’t much intrigue for me.

But if you’re a fan of quirky and funny characters, definitely give it a try.

An extremely satisfying sequel.

I wasn’t sure about the ghost storyline at first, but I ended up falling almost as much in love with Escalus the Elder as I already had with Escalus the Younger!

The mystery, the humour, and the slow burn romance in this book were done really well and I thoroughly enjoyed being back in Verona and surrounded by Romeo, Juliet, Rosaline and the rest of the family.

I really hope we see more of these characters, it would be lovely to revisit them and perhaps read more of some of the characters like Marcellus, Princess Isabella and Lysander. And I’d love to see how the relationship develops, and the arguments and sparks flying that would undoubtedly occur between a married Rosaline & Escalus!

This was such a fun, easy-to-read, and entertaining story! It’s a unique blend of murder mystery, ghostly intrigue, laugh-out-loud comedy, chaotic family drama, and a dash of romance — all wrapped in Shakespearean flair. The twists and turns kept me hooked from start to finish.

I absolutely loved Rosie. As the eldest daughter of Romeo and Juliet, she’s sassy, witty, and totally unforgettable. Her character shines, especially with the clever way she breaks the fourth wall (think Enola Holmes meets Deadpool) — and it works beautifully. It felt natural and added a fresh layer of charm to the story.

I’m definitely hoping for more! I don’t quite see Rosie settling down with Cal just yet, so… when’s my next trip back to Verona?