This was a bit out of my usual genre, but I really enjoyed it. The story took twists I sure did not expect, and the chemistry between Rosalie and Alexi was on fire. And then the borders, sure did not see that coming!!

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review. Also my tags may have spoilers in them so be forewarned before checking out full review.

Book Evaluation:
Plot: 🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️
World Building:🌎🌎🌎🌎🌎
Cover:📔📔📔📔📔
Hero: 🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻
Heroine:🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️
Intimacy Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Relationship Building: 💒💒💒💒💒
Heart & Feels:💞💞💞💞💞
Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: 😂😂😂😂
Page Turner Level:📖📖📖📖📖
Ending:🧧🧧🧧🧧🧧
Overall View: ✨✨✨✨✨✨


First Impressions
One Dark Kiss is the second book in the "Grimm Bargains" series and in this one this si where we have a Snow White retelling with a mafia twist to it and this is Rosalie's book. Rosalie is put in a forced proximity situation when she is to be the legal counsel for Alexei who was framed and put in prison unjustly for the crime they claimed he committed. Alexei is determined to get freedom and find his revenge. This was a thrilling story that had me all over the place in thrills and excitement. I loved the way in which we see this story truly come to depths. The chemistry was top notch and I didn't want to let go of Alexei and Rosalie from their first meeting.....I was in love in such a all consuming way!

First Line
Alone, I cross my legs beneath the intimidating metal table secured to the floor, feeling as out of place as a raven in a nursey rhyme.

The Main Protagonists
The Hero: Alexei
The Heroine: Rosalie

Summary
Rosalie is called upon by her firm to represent a man of danger and mystery, Alexei, and she never expected the power and chemistry she would feel in their first meeting. But she knows that she is completely out of her element in dealing with him. Alexei was wrongly put in prison for a crime he didn't commit. And his chance for freedom and to get his name cleared......is good and loyal Rosalie. She is strong and intelligent and he knew from their first meeting, she would be his woman for life. The problem....convincing her that they are worth taking a risk on. But there are dangers to her being connected to him and standing by him.....an enemy that hides in the dark corners of power and manipulation...

What I Loved
The first is their CHEMISTRY!!! It was off the charts and from that first page, I could tell that they had something so intense, dramatic and had me curling my toes. I loved their interactions with each other. While Rosalie can stand her own, she also knows Alexei is unlike any other man she has ever dealt with. And even though she is intelligent and has a deep strength, she isn't cruel and she has her own share of vulnerabilities. She knows when to stand up to Alexei but also when to back down and submit to him. I loved how intelligent she was, she reads him really well and I liked she her layers throughout the story. Alexei is powerful, strong, dominant and protective. I love how he isn't afraid of a relationship with her and even though he doesn't believe in love after being betrayed, he can't resist the connection he feesl with Rosalie. There is so much drama at times between them, but its Zanetti so she writes it in a way that she tugs at your heartstrings while also being highly entertaining at the same time.

The fairytale elements to the story were so adorable. The heroine eating red apples, she runs a victorian home with seven elderly men boarders and they are their own family. Taking care of each other and she sacrifices so much for them and their bond was beyond adorbs. I love how we see some unique dynamics of a family that aren't always what you expect. I loved the villains that come through into the story, and I won't be spoiling who it is but its superb in how the mystery of it unravels. I loved the bromance that we see between Alexei and the one man that stood by him in prison. Then we have the lovely friendship bond between Rosalie and the other heroines in the series and loved seeing them together again and I can't wait for book 3.....cause CINDERELLA!!!

What I Struggled With
Nothing really. I really just loved this whole book. lol

Overall View
One Dark Kiss was a stunning read that took my breath away with his page.....a sensual deeply romantic retelling that digs deep into the truths of love, loyalty and devotion!

Book Details (also in my shelves)
Sub Genre: Paranormal Romance, Dark Romance
Character Types: Lawyer Heroine, Mafia Hero, Morally Grey Hero, Protector
Themes: Angsty, Snow White Retelling, Crime, Band of Brothers, Feminine Friendships
Tropes: Retelling, Forced Proximity, Instant Love/Lust Connection

Book Perspective
Duo POV

Relationship Conflict vs Plot Conflict
Both

If you like these authors, I recommend This Book
Abigail Owen
Christine Feehan
LJ Shen

Song This Book Inspires
Black Sheep-Metric

Recommendation For Reading Order
You can read as a standalone if needed, but its best for the friendship for the heroines to read it in order.

A Deliciously Complex and Entertaining Story!!

It is a time where there are four major families each associated with companies. Power is derived from crystals, gems and social media. Unique, complex, and thoroughly enjoyable. Reading One Cursed Rose (book #1 in the series) will add greatly to your enjoyment, but I do not think it is critical to enjoyment of this story.

The political intertwinings increase in complexity as Alexei (associated with amethysts and Hologrid Hub) is released from prison for a murder he claims he did not commit. Rosalie is his lawyer, and her besties have connections to the other powerful families. A riveting read.

Full of relationships, power, politics, alliances, romance, grit, claiming, taming, elderly boarders who may surprise you, and all the intrigue, romance and entertainment one could hope for. I Loved it!

This was more of a 4.25. I really enjoyed this book as much as the first. I loved seeing Rosalie get her own story and really liked her with Alexei. This was a fast paced story with some twists and turns and I ate it up. I love how there is a little bit of everything in this book. A spicy romance, a bit of magic and a murder mystery all in one. It’s a bit dark in some parts as again we have an obsessive mmc who doesn’t take no for an answer. I really loved the writing in this as it was very easy to comprehend and kept me engaged during the entire book. I couldn’t put it down. Can’t wait for the next one and hopefully we will see Ella get her love story.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free eArc in exchange of an honest review!

I was, sadly, a little disappointed in this series. I am a sucker for retellings and dark romance. Book One was strange, but enjoyable. Book 2 was the same world and yet didn’t feel like the same AT ALL. There was a lot less of the gemstone element and more of the mafia (which felt like too much all at once anyways). The connection to the retelling was barely there. I just felt like the execution could’ve been better. I also didn’t feel a connection to these main characters, but I can see why a lot of people would enjoy it!

Loved this book! This is a creative, and very adult, retelling of a classic fairytale. The characters are great - I even loved the homicidal Alexei. Despite his toughness, there's something endearing about him - especially when he allows a glimpse of his soft center.

Fans of the genre will love this book. Its a clever story and the romance is sexy and spicy. The author is on my must read authors' list.

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

"My clit tries to argue, and I mentally order that bitch back to hibernation"

I enjoyed this installment even more than the first in the series. I think that’s largely because I had become accustomed to the concept of crystals powering social media hubs and how they play into the 'ruling' families. This book also places less emphasis on that aspect, shifting focus instead to the Russian mob family behind one of the social media platforms, Hologrid Hub—making the crystals feel like more of a backdrop than a central element.

That said, we still don’t get much more explanation about how any of it actually works. We do learn that the male main character (MMC) seems to draw strength while charging the crystals—he can heal himself—but it’s unclear whether this is unique to him or a trait shared by everyone who charges the crystals. This part of the world-building still feels underdeveloped.

Our MMC becomes obsessed with the female main character (MFC) while in prison. He uses his mob connections to have her assigned as his lawyer after his case is overturned due to judicial and legal corruption. Upon his release, he essentially lays claim to her. He isn’t morally gray—he’s downright dangerous and toxic—and while the MFC recognizes this, she can’t seem to pull away. His presence awakens something in her she didn’t realize was there. He, of course, will go to great lengths to protect her, all while ensuring he doesn't land back in prison.

What I loved most were the secrets hidden among her seven elderly boarders—such a fun and unexpected twist. I also appreciated the mystery element running through the story. It wasn’t just about the romance; it was also about figuring out who framed the MMC and why.

I’m really looking forward to the next book in this series!

I absolutely enjoyed this second book in the Grimm Bargains Series. It was a fun read. I think my favorite part were the seven boarders who lived with Rosalie. They had me cracking up with all their antics and secrets. Rosalie and Alexei had a tumultuous relationship but they had their reasons. She tried so hard to avoid a relationship with him for the longest time, but fate had other plans. Alexei also had other plans for her! I found this fairy tale retelling to be unique as I did with the first in the series. If you like fairy tales I say give this a read, because it is dark, fun, and spicy!

4.25 stars

One Dark Kiss by Rebecca Zanetti
Grimm Bargains series #2. Dark romance, romantasy. Retelling. Can be read as a stand-alone but better in series order for more background on the world building and secondary characters.
Rosalie is assigned a new case by her law firm. Get Alexei out of jail and prove he didn’t kill his brother. As she prepares for a new trial, she finds out more than she expected on many levels. Alexei is in charge. Alexei is dominating. Alexei can get her hot and wet in seconds and even the belt punishment and humiliation doesn’t diminish her pleasure. Finding evidence of his innocence is going to be difficult. He doesn’t have many friends but he does have enemies and more than one want him eliminated.
Can Rosie survive her entrance into the Russian mafia? Maybe her seven house borders can lend a hand.

🎧I alternated between an ebook and audiobook. The performances by Erin Mallon and Lance Greenfield are fantastic. Erin brings Rosalie to vivid life with her sarcasm, snark, passion and love of the legal world. Lance performs with a Russian accent to match Alexei’s origin. Together with their POV chapters, the narrators help the story flow quickly with danger, sex and power seeking motivations.
Erin has performed hundreds of stories for many blockbuster authors and has a wonderful grasp of character and diction. Lance has also created audiobooks in the hundreds with various accents and romance genres.
I listened to this at 1.5 to more closely follow along with an ebook copy.

Dark and powerful. Steamy and delicious. A Snow White retelling that is not for the innocent.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and publisher RBMedia.

This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.

I am loving these modern twists on fairy tales! This is definitely dark but now with a modern romance thrown in.

I don't want to give away any spoilers as there are many and some not at all expected!

Lots of danger, intrigue, revenge, and growing attraction between Alexei and Rosalie - well at least for Rosalie, Alexei's secret is revealed and was not expecting that bit!

Could not put the book down and loved the romance and want to know what the rumor is about a 5th media group??!!

The second book in the Rebecca Zanetti’s Grimm Bargains series, this is a dark romance with a morally grey uber-possessive hero, a feisty young lawyer with Snow White vibes, mystery, suspense, minor paranormal magic and all the steam. It’s an intriguing read that kept me engaged, and even though I wasn’t the biggest fan of the first book, I enjoyed this one.

Alexei Sokolov is the heir to one of the four most important social media empires in the country, as well as the Russian mob, but he has spent the last seven years in prison after being convicted of murder. Rosalie is a young lawyer whose latest case is overseeing Alexei’s release and retrial, and with that release, she is thrust right into the middle of his world as he immediately sets about reclaiming his empire, seeking his revenge for those who set him up, and claiming his spunky young lawyer as his own.

"I know what I want. Who I want.
And I will have her."

Alexei is dangerous, violent and lives in his own world of dubious morals and ethics. He has no problem with killing (though we later see that he does have somewhat of a conscience when it comes to who and why), but when it comes to Rosalie, he is unapologetically controlling. The sex in this book is really freaking steamy, and at least half of the time there is dubious consent. Rosalie enjoys their wild sexy time, but she initially hates herself for it, and their early encounters start off with her either asleep or refusing him. And even when they’re in the midst of it all, he brings kink, dominance and smacking (including with a belt) into their encounters without any conversation. It’s a bit borderline, to be honest, but… fiction. Just keep reading.

“You want a choice in this?” he rumbles.
I gape at that statement. “I-I do have a choice in this.” What an asshole.
“You really don’t, but I’ll let you get there yourself.”

For me, Alexei wasn’t actually that likeable. He claims Rosalie and is super protective of her, but he doesn’t actually treat her well. He’s kinda scary to be honest, and Rosalie seems pissed, but she’s drawn to him and doesn’t put up too much of a fight with any of it. And we ultimately do get to see some character growth as feelings become involved.

“You don’t even know me. The sex is good, and you think I’m pretty, but that’s not enough.”
“I do think you’re pretty, and the sex is off the charts. But you’re highly intelligent, have a great sense of humor, and own a heart that’s all soft and kindness. I want it.”

While they try to figure out who set Alexei up and sent him to prison, they’re dealing with his dangerous family, a scorned ex-lover, members of the Russian mob, a violent gang and multiple murder attempts. It’s fast paced and violent, and certainly kept me engaged and guessing as to who the ultimate bad guy was and how everything would go down.

The world building in this book is better than the first. There’s more focus on the character story rather than the world of social media which they inhabit, which is what I struggled so much with in the first book. This one reads more like billionaire businessmen/mob story, which worked well with the dark mystery/suspense aspects, and you could read this one as a standalone.

Characters from the previous book appear, and there is some carry-over from the last book (the heroines are best friends, and there’s a third to their group who will no doubt feature in a future book). I also enjoyed the addition of Rosalie’s boarders. She shares her home with seven elderly men in need a home, which seemed really random until I realised that this was meant to be a twist on the story of Snow White (still very random, but at least there’s a reason for it). Not overly important to the story, but the gentlemen added a fun dynamic to events.

I did enjoy this one – 3 stars.

A dark romance mafia story with some Snow white vibes. Overall this had the typical dark romance stuff but I did really like Rosalie. This is the second book in this series and I liked that Rosalie and Ella seemed to be better written and had more collaboration. There was a bit of a twist at the end that I wasn’t super excited about but I did enjoy the book overall.

ONE DARK KISS, by Rebecca Zanetti, is the second book in the Grimm Bargains series. This book, described as “Succession meets Black Mirror” (of which I have read neither,) reminiscent of Scarlett St Clair and Rebecca Yarros. It is a “steamy, neon-lit, dark romantasy twist on Snow White and the Huntsman, set in a seductive world of money, power, billionaires, and the dangerous desires that drive them” where Alexi’s obsession is the main focus. Rosalie was assigned the appeal of Alexi’s murder case after suspicion was cast on the ethics of the judge and prosecutor. He had been incarcerated for seven years and found himself free, pending a new trial He was very focused on getting control of his family’s social media company and role as head of the Bratva in the region. But upon meeting Rosalie, Alexi’s obsession became focused much closer to home. This was a thoroughly enjoyable romantasy novel with Magical Realism, Enemies to Lovers, Kidnapping, Fairy Tale Retelling, Possessive MMC, Morally Gray, Mafia Elements, Found Family, and Forced Proximity. The audiobook narrators, Erin Mallon and Lance Greenfield, were absolutely perfect bringing this dual POV book to life, doing an excellent job with the American and Russian accents the characters required. I loved the way the author wove together a mafia romance with magic and modern technology, focusing on social media. She has effectively inserted fairytale retellings into the alternative modern world she built with the first novel, and the two books came together seamlessly. While reading the full series would enhance the readers immersion into this world, the book would also function perfectly as a standalone novel. I definitely recommend this book or audiobook for readers of dark Romantasy who enjoy elements of magical realism in a contemporary environment, and enjoy the tropes listed above. I would note that if you want to read the book with your eyeballs, the beautiful deluxe hardcover with a reversible dust jacket, chapter headers, endpapers, foil stamping and sprayed edges is only a few dollars more than the ebook, so would definitely be worth the splurge!

I received a free copy and ALC of One Dark Kiss via @KensingtonBooks, @btc_books, and Netgalley, as a member of the #GrimmBargainsSquad, and I am voluntarily posting this honest review.

This is book 2 in the Grimm Bargains series and I think I liked it even better than the first! The second book focuses on Rosalie (one of the FMC's friends from One Cursed Rose) who takes on Alexei's case, securing his release from prison while waiting for a new trial. Alexei is heir to Hologrid Hub, one of the 4 social media companies powered by energy harnessed from gems (amethyst in this case). I won't include too much more detail to avoid any spoilers, but this book had several twists I wasn't expecting which I always appreciate about Rebecca's books. This series is one of Rebecca's darker series. While not as dark as most dark romance readers are used to, there are still aspects that may be darker than the average romance reader would be expecting (ex. spanking with a belt). If you are wanting to try a dark romance series, I think this series would be a good place to start. While this is a different couple than the first book, I'd recommend starting with book 1 so you know more detail on many of characters that are mentioned in this series.

I received this story from Netgalley and Kensington Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

Ireceived this as an ARC @NetGalley
I absolutely loved this book. Rosalie and Alexei were well fleshed out characters. What I loved that it wasn’t instant love but the attraction was there from the first meeting. As the story progressed we got to meet new characters and revisit old ones all while getting pumped up for the next read I won’t lie I enjoyed this one more than the first but booth are definitely worth a read.

Zanetti slips from one genre to the next with such ease. I enjoy them all. One Dark Kiss is dark, paranormal, mafia, fairy tale, romance and more all in one story. Oh yeah...include an Alpha male, a strong, smart woman, true evil and some good legal wrangling. There is, as you hopefully can already tell, so much packed into one good read. I liked this book more than the first. I guess the series is growing on me.

Rosalie is our Snow White. She's a great, though fairly junior, lawyer. She has seven sweet, harmless elderly men boarding in her somewhat dilapidated pink, Victorian home. She's struggling financially but is determined to give these poor men a place to live. At work, she's thrown a case outside her normal. It's defending a man. Alexei, convicted of murder who's spent seven long years in prison. Now the judge and an attorney have been proven to have been for hire. It's enough doubt, though no proof exists in this specific case, to get her new client a new trial and released while he waits for it. Their first meeting he's a misogynist jerk. Rosalie refuses to let it show that he's rattled her. She maintains her professional demeanor. Alexei is immediately impressed. Next thing she knows though he's in her home, in her bed, throwing her life into chaos that she shouldn't be kind of liking. She really isn't attracted to the man who just murdered three people in front of her, is she? Or falling for an obvious criminal? The world is good and bad and she's strictly on the good side. Alexei is trying to gain enough backers to take control of the local Bratva. Within weeks she's married to Alexei and life is no less havoc. Turns out her boarders aren't who she thought either. This turns out to be beneficial as the s**t hits the fan. I'll leave the climax for you to read and enjoy.

Zanetti creates a deliciously evil world, builds so much suspense and keeps the plot moving so quickly any reader will enjoy this books. It's dark though. The physical side of Alexei and Rosalie's relationship will delight or disgust depending on the reader's preferences. The characters are very well developed. The story rounded out nicely. Read it.

I’m sad to report that this is the end of the road for me with Grimm Bargains series. I read book one, One Cursed Rose, last year and I enjoyed it, but didn’t love it. But I was willing to trust the process cause I was interested in the world building Rebecca was creating. Plus I loved Rosalie as a side character in the first book, I was excited for her story with book 2. However, her story was sadly disappointing and left me with no desire to continue on to Ella’s book.

My big issue was our MFC Rosalie. Like I mentioned I loved her in this first book. She was a strong, powerful female lawyer who took crap from no one. Now that we had her story instead of being a girl boss, she was turned into a love sick puppy without a single brain cell. The amount of times she kept trusting Alexei was just abundantly stupid. The man literally never did anything trustworthy and lied repeatedly to her face. Yet she kept giving him chance after chance.

Now I know Alexei is supposed to be the morally gray love interest. But I’m sorry he comes off like a A-Hole filled with toxic masculinity. I can’t in any universe support that level of toxicity. And before anyone comes for me I understand this is dark romance. But I’ve read darker and those men in other books have more respect for women in their pinky fingers than Alexei had in his entire body.

Overall, this book clearly wasn’t for me. I cannot in good conscience recommend it. I would recommend the first book, but just fellow readers be warned if you continue with this series the second book may not be for you.

Lastly thank you NetGalley & Kensington Publishing for allowing me to read an ARC. These thoughts and feelings are my own.

She’s his lawyer and he’s obsessed with her from their first meeting and won’t let her get away. She’s trying to prove his innocence while he’s plotting his revenge on the person that set him up. The spice was hot, the plot twists unexpected & we can’t forget about her seven elderly tenants that look out for her. The magic concept was interesting but I wish it was highlighted more and wasn’t so vague. There were some cringey moments but all in all, it was a fun read and kept me hooked enough to finish it!

Oh. Em. Gee. This book was stellar! I was completely captivated and I didn’t want to put it down!
Rosalie is the lawyer assigned to Alexei’s case. They are drawn to one another and the chemistry between them is palpable. She sees and feels his power, yet she is not afraid of him. This book had some great twists and turns that I didn’t see coming! I was sucked into this story from the very beginning and couldn’t read it fast enough! Highly recommend this book!

This is the second in the Grimm Bargains series and is a retelling of Snow White with Alexei and Rosalie. I liked all the references to Snow White with Rosalie liking all things made from apples, her living with seven elderly men boarders in her house who have mysterious backgrounds but watch out for Rosalie.
Rosalie is an attorney assigned to Alexei's case. He's been in prison for seven years for being wrongly accused of murder. Alexei is fascinated by Rosalie from the first time he sets eyes on her. He's determined to make her his and even makes it so he has to stay with her since he didn't have anywhere else to go. Because of him, Rosalie is in danger but Alexei makes sure she's watched over by his men and her seven boarders.
I liked that Alexei made sure that Rosalie was safe and her friend, Ella, was also safe. I hope the next book will be Ella's story since she seems to have an interesting background.
I was given an early copy to read by Netgalley. I'm leaving my honest review.