Rosaline, an ambitious young attorney, takes on her newest client Alexei, who was imprisoned for seven years for a crime he might not have committed. As they chase justice, an undeniable tension sparks between them, pulling Rosaline into a dangerous attraction she never expected. One Dark Kiss draws inspiration from Snow White. But I was pleasantly surprised. The dynamic between her and her seven older housemates added warmth and charm. Though the mystical tone of the romance was outside my usual preferences, and the crystal plotline didn’t fully capture me, but I was engaged throughout.

Absolutely loving this dark romance series by RZ. I love Alexei and Rosalie’s story so much!!
I’m having a hard time choosing my fave from the two so far. Alexei is a such a complex character, and even though he is alpha and controlling to the max, there is just something so sexy about him. Rosalie feels that from the moment she meets him. She may not want to want him, but she does. As his lawyer this can definitely be a complication. The chemistry and attraction proves undeniable. I snort laughed at Rosalie’s inner dialogue with her lady parts when she tried to not want Alexei! So funny!
I really enjoyed this book from beginning to end! This new world that RZ has created where crystals are power, is so imaginative and cool.
This book takes you on a wild, dark, and sexy ride so strap your helmet on and hang on!

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wellllllll, Alexei is not quite what I’d expected. I mean, he was and he wasn’t. The twists and turns this winds through are dizzying at times, but the final destination makes all of the wondering and angst and misery and mystery worth it. I promise.

Beyond liking Alexei and Rosalie, I really want Ella’s story. Or the rest of it. And I adored the boarders. They’ve seriously made a family out of a Home for Wayward Retirees of Misspent Youth, and they prove to be some of the best men around. Almost nobody is what they seem, but it works. The one true danger is so crafty and wicked that it’s almost surprising just HOW awful they truly are, and knowing just what heartless depravity was at play makes this entire story end up being more like righting a bunch of wrongs and tipping the scales back in favor of the worthy.

Now? I wait. Because Ella has an adventure ahead. And I want to ride along for it.

Welcome to a dark romance with a fantasy element, a mystery, and some suspense and violence. One Dark Kiss by Rebecca Zanetti is the second book in the Grimm Bargains series. This story features Alexei Sokolov and Rosalie Mooncrest and is largely set in and around San Jose, California.

Alexei has spent the last seven years in a maximum-security prison. He is consumed with the need for revenge against those who framed him for murder as well as his family who stole everything he owned. Rosalie is Alexei’s new lawyer and works to get him a new trial. When he is released, he starts plotting his return to power and the take over of the family global social media empire.
Alexei is controlling, never bluffs, is not used to kindness, and has a casual approach to violence. He uses people, pursues power, and takes actions that are often more black than gray. However, there are lines that he will not cross or tolerate. Drawing relaxes him and he has a keen sense of duty. Rosalie has never lost a civil trial, but has also never tried a criminal case. She inherited a Victorian home from an aunt and has seven elderly boarders to help pay the mortgage and upkeep. She’s ambitious, kind, spirited, a planner, intelligent, and has a good sense of humor. She can also be stubborn and has a temper. The book alternates between Alexei’s and Rosalie’s points of view.

While this is the second book in the series, it worked well as a standalone since the fantasy element was a minor component of the story and there was enough backstory to understand the worldbuilding. The focus was on the mystery, preparation for a new trial, investigation into what happened, the effort to retake control of Alexei’s family business, meeting his commitments to his prison cellmate, and the romance.

The well-written story is clever, with enough twists and red herrings to keep a reader guessing. The pacing is great and the plot worked well for me. This novel is somewhat darker than other books I have read by this author. There are several steamy and spicy scenes detailed as well as a significant number of violent scenes. The world-building fantasy element is unique and I hope to learn more about it in future books. My biggest quibble was that I wanted a few more details wrapped up cleanly at the end. Themes include trust, control, found family, friendship, respect, safety, and romance.

Overall, this is an engaging and action-filled romance with a fantasy element and well-developed characters. I am looking forward to finding out what happens in the next book and who will be the focus of it. This novel works as a standalone novel, but readers will get more background and backstories if they start with book one.

Kensington Publishing and Rebecca Zanetti provided a complimentary physical copy as well as a digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. The publication date is currently set for June 24, 2025.

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc and an alc!

i didn’t realize this was technically the second in a series, and while a lot of these romance series are enjoyable as standalones, there were some aspects to the worldbuilding introduced in book one that i wish were reintroduced/explained in book two.

one dark kiss was hot but so very very toxic… and very unrealistic but that’s dark romance for you!

as for the audio, there was dual narration! although i hated the mmc’s russian accent lol

3.8 ⭐️

Oh Rebecca you did it again!! In a lose retelling of Snow White, we enter the second book in the Grimm Bargains Series.

Rosalie, one of Silicone Valley’s best attorneys, finds herself representing Alexei Sokolov, who is up for release after 10 years in prison. After finding out his judge, jury, and half brother were all in on the plan to frame him for murder, Alexei has a lot of lost time to catch up on.

I think this book was a great second installment and really built of the first one. We got to see more in the “magic” system and the world of the Four Families, but the focus was more on the mafia aspect of their society. I still think the ending was a little bit rushed, but overall it was wrapped up nicely. I can’t wait for Ella’s story!!


**ARC review

A Fairy Tale Retelling

“One Dark Kiss” by Rebecca Zanetti had everything I’ve come to expect from this author — a quick pace, excellent descriptions and dialogue to keep the story moving and well-written puzzles full of unexpected twists.

This book is the second in Zanetti’s Grimm Bargains series, in which she uses well-known fairy tales (the Brothers Grimm) and sets them in gritty, urban scenarios.

Unfortunately for me, I discovered that I don’t care for the Mafia billionaire trope. I can read alpha heros, but not when there so much “claiming” and “taming” as our anti-hero Alexei says.

I enjoyed “One Dark Kiss” when the intimacy faded to the background and the mystery and twists took center stage. Zanetti included all the clues I needed, even if I missed them along the way!

Those who do enjoy reading about Mafia/mobster antiheros and the women who fall for them will absolutely love “One Dark Kiss” by Rebecca Zanetti, which is why I gave it a high rating.

Damn! I need a cold shower after that one! I thought Thorn was intense, but Alexei is pure chaos and passion. I loved this sexy retelling of Snow White and cannot wait for more in this series! The girl trio in the series are fierce and spirited and I love the dynamic between them.

First off a huge thank you to Rebecca Zanetti, Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for letting me review this book! I loved this so much. It has plot, spice, and of course mafia/bravata drama! A Morally Gray heir to the bravata who was put behind bars, possibly framed and mistried, who gets out after his conviction is overturned, strong-arms his lawyer to get his way! I loved this so much, the tie to crystals and gems, plus the dark themes and spicy scenes that add to the story, make this book a 10/10. I can't wait for the next book to be released. The evil will end and the morally gray will prevail!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for giving me a copy of this book. This book was on my radar as I really enjoyed One Cursed Rose, and knew I wanted to read this as soon as possible. It did not disappoint and revisited everything I loved about OCR. I absolutely LOVED Rosalie, I did in the first book – so I was so happy to read her story! The Snow White theme was woven in, but not overly done and blended well with the Urban Fantasy. This is fast paced, spicy out of the gate and keeps you well entertained with all the twists and turns.

the character dynamic was to die for absolutely loved the spicy scenes throughout the book. the plot throughout the book was okay…? at first it started really strong and then by the last 20% it fell flat. it felt really rushed.

Rating: 3.75/5

I really liked the concept of this book. A modern, dark, spicy retelling of Snow White is basically everything I could hope for in a romance. I didn’t read the first book in the Grimm Bargains series, and while it wasn’t strictly necessary, there were a few moments that felt a little confusing or underdeveloped. For example, the backstory involving the crystals and how they’re charged was a little confusing so I think reading book one would have added some helpful context to the story.

I really enjoyed the dynamic between Rosalie and Alexei. His fascination with her from the start and his obvious devotion added a lot of weight to their connection. I do wish there had been a bit more from Rosalie’s perspective as she started falling for him. I also think Alexei’s confession about having followed and loved her for years could have been explored more deeply. That said, the story still worked, and the emotional beats between them were strong enough to carry it.

The pacing was solid, and I appreciated that the plot didn’t go exactly where I expected. The references to Snow White were woven in clearly, but never felt overdone or too literal. My only real critique is that the ending felt a little rushed. I would’ve liked just a few more pages to fully wrap things up. The spice was well written, and I honestly wouldn’t have minded more of it, just because what was there worked so well.

Overall, this was a fun, engaging read. If you’re into dark fairytale retellings with heat and heart, this is one to check out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for allowing me the opportunity to review this ARC!

This book had me in its grip from the start. Rosalie is strong, determined and kind hearted. Her seven elderly boarders ended up being the biggest surprise. It's a spicy hot attention holding read. I loved it.

I loved this one! The beginning started out slower but stick with it and you will be rewarded MASSIVLEY! the writing is phenomenal and well thought out. The bonus content was to DIE for

Genre: Dark Fantasy Romance
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Tropes: instant love, mafia, revenge


This book was sooo chaotic and action packed, I loved it! Attorney Rosalie is taking on a new murder case for Alexei Sokolov and when he sees her, he instantly knows he wants her. The story is full of action and twists and turns that you wouldn't expect! While Alexei is your typical moral grey mmc, I like that Rosalie isn't much of a sunshine character, she bites back and has spunk, even if she seems a little low on confidence sometimes.


I really think the only aspect that was missing from this story was the world building; however, this was book 2 in a series, and since I didn't read book 1, it is very possible that I missed all of the world building. I loved how the supporting characters were included often, I think a lot of authors fail to do this but Rebecca did an excellent job of including side characters into the story.

Overall, definitely 5 stars! Finished this book in one sitting (outside of br and coffee breaks) yes, it was that good!


Thank you so much Rebecca Zanetti, Kensington Publishing, and Net Galley for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is another fast paced exciting read from Zanetti and should definitely have trigger warnings. A unique take on both social media and the mob factions.

ARC
Love both main characters and especially love her elderly boarders! Nice to see recurring characters from the previous book continue into this one. Cant wait for the next!

The previous book in this series was a 5 star book for me. I loved it. The series takes place near me ("Silicon Valley"), and has almost every trope covered. While this book didn't have quite as much going on, I also didn't like it as much.

This book focuses on Rosalie, who is working as the lawyer for Alexei, who is getting out of prison after 7 years for killing his ex-paramour's husband.. Alexei has been in the Russian mob for many years, and he's also one of the few people who can charge the amethysts that run the portion of the Internet that is controlled by his family. (In the series, there are 4 families who run the Internet, and each are connected to one specific stone.).

The book goes through Rosalie's trying to get Alexei acquitted for the crime, meanwhile he's decided that he and Rosalie would make a great couple. So basically from the beginning of the book Rosalie is not interested in a relationship, while Alexei has already decided they are a permanent couple. While I enjoyed the book, I felt like their relationship got really serious really fast, and then at the end they are sooo in love. A lot less happened in this book than the last, which is probably better since my book club didn't really like One Cursed Rose because Zanetti was trying to do too much in that book. It was essentially a mystery/action story with a bit of magic and mafia thrown in.

I will keep reading the series, but I wasn't as thrilled by this one as the first in the series. I also had no idea last time that Rebecca Zanetti had so many books. .I'd be interested in reading more of her books as well.

I received an advance promotional copy and am giving an honest review.

One Dark Kiss by Rebecca Zanetti was so amazing and addictive! From the second Alexei steps onto the page, fresh out of prison and burning with revenge, you know you’re in for a ride. He’s as dangerous as he is hot! This book is layered with betrayal, power plays, and twisted family dynamics. If morally gray characters, obsessive love, and the threat of total destruction sound like your thing, you’re going to be just as hooked as I was!

Four and a half
Whilst I enjoyed the first book I definitely thought that the author has hit her stride with this story. Alexei has spent seven years in prison and now those who sent him there have been proved to be corrupt so time to appeal and well obviously get out of jail ! Step forward Rosalie the lawyer assigned to make sure Alexei gets a new, fair trial and she is sure she can win or is she ? Alexei wastes no time in not only riling up his relatives but also ahem marking Rosalie as his territory . Suddenly everything isn't as clear cut as sweet Rosalie thought and she's sleeping with a very dangerous man !
I'm very much enjoying this new series that alludes to well known fairy tales and this time it's Snow White although no dwarves just seven older boarders with interesting pasts . The romance is perhaps darker , brutal and more violent than I prefer but the ideas concerning crystals and indeed technology particularly in social media is a wholly unique concept. As there's a character here called Ella I'm expecting a different version of Cinderella and I'm certainty looking forward to reading that. A happy ending here with a kiss of course although I do struggle to imagine the Russian mob playing nice with Rosalies lodgers but hey ho it's fiction and anything goes !
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested and my thoughts are honest and I believe fair

This was honestly a fun read! After the first book in the series I kinda knew what I was getting into world building wise, so to read this story and be met with a soap opera style drama I was honestly having a blast. So much of this story is pure drama, the twists and character arcs is pure entertainment. Mind you there are quite a lot of things that are honestly bad about this book, but as long as you don’t take it seriously you’ll actually have a lot of fun. This is definitely one of those turn off your brain and go along for the ride type books, and I would definitely recommend it!