Time for a little fantasy in my life. Or rather, Romantasy, the newest craze genre blending Romance and Fantasy. This retell of Snow-White bears little resemblance to a sweet young thing and seven helpful dwarfs. Rosalie is a savvy attorney, though a tad on the innocent side. Alexei is one bad, mad determined dude. Should make a great tale, right? Sexy, erotic and a pretty good mystery too. The dual narration by Lance Greenfield, Erin Mallon is fantastic. They nail all the characters and make this story come to life.

Rosalie is a hardworking attorney whose specialty is corporate litigation. When she is handed a pro-bono criminal case, she is baffled as to why. But she has never lost a case and doesn't plan to do so now. Besides she had a house with seven elderly male borders who need her to keep a roof over their heads. Her case is a dark, brooding, dangerous Russian mobster who ignites fire under her skin and is the heir to a social media global empire. There are a lot of people who want him back in jail.

When the judge and prosecuting attorney are disbarred for taking bribes, Alexei is granted a new trial and Roselie is his new attorney. He wastes no time putting the moves on her and he has big plans for their future once he can take revenge against his enemies and retake control of his company from his evil stepmother.

My thanks to the Publisher and the Author for providing a complimentary digital Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this novel via NetGalley. This is my fair, honest and personal review. All opinions are mine alone and were not biased in any way.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Narration
⭐️⭐️.5 Story, rounding to 3
🌶️ Chapters: 9, 18, 19, 27, 35, 37

I’ve had the pleasure of listening to One Dark Kiss by narrators Lance Greenfield & Erin Mallon. This is the first of me listening to their narrations and certainly will not be the last. Both did a great job. Their performance was raw and brought seemingly flat characters alive. Their performance got me through this story.

Now to the story itself. I feel the need to say, if you are not familiar with dark romance, then you should proceed with caution. Even a dark romance lover like myself, this story had me pausing. Now, it was not the explicit violence or gore….it was the relationship between Alexei (MMC) and Rosalie (FMC).
Rosalie, a civil case attorney, was assigned to Alexei’s criminal case to prove his innocence.
Alexei has been locked up for 7 years and was released until his retrial. This is where Alexei and Rosalie’s story begins. Right from the beginning, Alexei comes across as your typical alpha, obsessive/possessive, over-the-top dark romance male character. And Rosalie was instant with the “body betrayal.”
😑
But that was not my problem. My problem was chapter 9. If you know, you know. I love CNC, but that was NOT CNC. And another huge issue I had, there was ZERO aftercare. Alexei is not only a villain to everyone, he’s a villain to Rosalie.
Just because he chooses not to hurt the people Rosalie loves doesn’t mean he isn’t an awful person and treats her like crap. He is a PITCH BLACK character.

The plot felt choppy and rushed. There were elements that didn’t make sense. The Grimm series are meant to be interconnected standalone books, but if you didn’t read book one, then you will be confused on the crystals and the families at play since it wasn’t explained fully in this story. And while this was supposed to be a Snow White retelling, the only similarity was Rosalie and her seven adorable boarders + the ending. This was a billionaire, mafia romance with a sprinkle of fantasy.

Overall, the book was okay. The side characters and narrators’ performances really saved the book for me.

Book Publisher: Kensington Books
Audiobook Publisher: Recorded Books
Publication date: June 24, 2025
Print length: 348 pages
Audiobook length: 10h 17m
Book 2 of 2: Grimm Bargains
Narrated by Lance Greenfield, Erin Mallon

*disclaimer: my darkness and spice rating might not be the same for you. Please do your own research before reading*

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

Thank you for this gifted ALC from RBmedia | Recorded Books, Rebecca Zanetti, and NetGalley 💕

One Dark Kiss- Grimm Bargains #2

By-Rebecca Zanetti-I read One Cursed Rose and gave it 4 ⭐

Publication date 6/24/25, Read 6/21/25

📃 Page count: 400 eBook

🎧 Audiobook listen time: 10:17

🗣️Narrators: Lance Greenfield and Erin Mallon voice all the characters with standouts from Alexei, Rosalie, and Ella. The reading style brought the text to life, and the author and narrators worked together perfectly. The pacing and flow allowed me to get lost in the story. The narrators paused and announced new chapters and there was a table of contents which helped me follow along.

Quick Summary: Rosalie Mooncrest is a lawyer at Cage and Lion Law Firm hired to represent Alexei Sokolov. He's been in prison seven years for the murder of his ex-girlfriend's husband. He claims he was framed and with Rosalie's help gets his guilty verdict overturned. Out on bail he has some scores to settle and "favors" to do while Rosalie brings the real killer to justice. There are billionaire social media companies run by four powerful families, and each can harness power from crystals. And I can't forget Rosalie's boarders- a group of seven elderly men very protective of her with secrets of their own.

🤷🏾‍♀️ What to Expect:
⭐dark romantic suspense/mystery
⭐️ OTT possessive H/Morally gray H
⭐️ Snow White and The Huntsman retelling
⭐️ Irish and Russian Mafia
⭐h has an illness
⭐forbidden romance
⭐paranormal/magical realism
⭐billionaires

⚠️TW: murder, kidnapping, death of loved ones, IVF mentioned, sex trafficking mentioned, physical abuse-not H/h

🤔 My Thoughts: I loved Alexei because he was flirty, dangerous, and protective of Rosalie. He was the ultimate anti-hero who claimed Rosalie for his own. She was the moral compass in the relationship, but I believe she loved her bad boy. I enjoyed the mystery surrounding David Fairfax's murder, the seven renters, and Ella's plight. She was the best hacker, and I hope she gets a book featuring Justice. Thorn and Alana made a few appearances, so I would recommend reading One Cursed Rose first.

Rating: 5/5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice level 5/5🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 explicit s*x, open door

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, Kensington Publishing | Kensington Books, RB Media | Recorded Books, and Rebecca Zanetti for this ARC and ALC 👄! I voluntarily give an honest review, and all opinions expressed are my own.

I have to say this wasn’t what I expected at all! I kinda just went on blind with this one, I didn’t know the genre or what is about, and I was pleasantly surprised to come face to face with a possessive mafia x lawyer romance. It’s definitely on the lighter side of dark so if you’re looking for full dark, this probably won’t scratch that itch.

I really enjoyed the dynamic here, I will say that this may not be everyone’s cup of tea with the bordering on consent and the dark-ish nature, but I for one loved it! It was an intriguing read and I did love the uniqueness of the relationship and the story. I certainly didn’t see the reveal coming, so it was a bit of a surprise which is always a good thing in these dark whodunnit type books.

I listened to the audio version and the narrators did a fantastic job! I would seek out these narrators for sure.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the audio arc of this book!

⭐️⭐️ – Unfortunately, this one just wasn’t for me. I usually love a good morally grey MMC who’s obsessed with the FMC, but I had a hard time connecting with these characters. There was a noticeable disconnect between what I wanted to feel and what was actually happening on the page.

Rosalie felt more like a lovesick puppy than a strong lead—she kept trusting Alexie without any real reason, even though he treated her terribly. I couldn’t understand her choices or emotional reactions, which made it hard to stay invested in the story. The dynamic that was supposed to be intense and broody just felt frustrating instead.

I know this book will work for some readers, but it missed the mark for me.

One Dark Kiss
by Rebecca Zanetti
Narrated by Lance Greenfield, Erin Mallon


A dark Steamy romance with an element of fantasy…. The narrators did a great job but this book was not for me but I do think it was very well written. Dark romance fans will love this one.

Thank you RB Media and Rebecca Zanetti!

This is a dark romantasy that is fast paced and more towards crime and mystery. There is a bit of gemstone magic. I did not realize this was a second in a stand alone book series. Therefore some of the magic concepts went above my head as they were not greatly explained in this book. I did get the 1st book and plan to read that, to connect the dots. Although reading the 2nd book first doesnt take much away from the story, i recommend to read them in order for world building.

The audio narration has both male and female vocals, with Alexei the mmc having a deep Russian accent. Some of the story was a 100% fantasy like for me because haha I am not sure if this type of sudden attraction happens in real life, Id question my interest in a male if my first impression of him was like Rosalie’s of Alexei.

Loved the mystery aspect of the story line and definitely looked forward to listening to it every minute I had free.

In One Dark Kiss, you dive into a world where social media holds so much power, the Russian Bratva try to capitalize and manipulate the system. Internal struggles in the mob? Definitely anything but legal. In one Dark Kiss you follow the story of the HOT AND MORALLY GREY, Alexei in his fight against his wrongful conviction. He does this with the help of the brilliant and beautiful attorney Rosalie. The question you should be asking yourself is “ DOES HE GAIN POWER OR DOES HE GAIN SOMETHING MORE?” This story is fantastic and beautifully crafted. As an audiobook geek I was glad they casted that gave their characters dimension! If Russian heat is your vibe, definitely give this book a try!
#onedarkkiss #SMUT #Romance

When I requested the ALC, I didn’t realize it was the second book in the series so I’m glad I did and decided to read the first book otherwise this would have been a lot more confusing as the social media and crystals aspect wasn’t explained as thoroughly. That being said, I’m still not any less unsure of how exactly this power system is supposed to work and I was hoping that it would have been explained more in this book. As far as the romance, like book 1, it felt very forced. Insta-lust with no real chemistry or foundation to build a relationship on. I did enjoy the plot a little more here though so my rating is 3.5 stars and the dual narration of the audiobook was done well, loved both performances! Erin Mallon is a favorite of mine and she does my favorite female performed male voice!

Since I’m already 2 books deep, I’ll end up reading Ella’s story when it comes out I’m sure.

Thank you NetGalley and RBmedia for this Advanced Listening Copy in exchange for an honest review.

I first read Rebecca Zanetti about ten years ago when I found the Sin Brothers series, and she is definitely skilled at writing alpha heroes. When I saw her name on a dark fairytale retelling, I jumped in!

I didn't realize that One Dark Kiss was book 2 in the series, but it was easy enough to figure out what was going on, although there was probably more backstory on the one fantastical element. The concept of four wealthy families using crystals to power their social media companies is intriguing, but I wondered what they might have been using the crystals for in centuries past.

Rosalie made a good modern Snow White, and I suppose Alexei was a prince of the Russian mafia, although frankly I think he made a better huntsman, considering how many people he hunted down, tortured, and killed. My favorite fairytale bit, however, was the seven boarders. I'd totally read a whole book about the seven retirees Rosalie cared for!

The violence and body count was more than I was expecting, even in a dark romance, The sex was really hot, though, and the mystery was well done. There were two big reveals, and one of them was a complete surprise to me.

There were several plot threads that threw me off. Why is Rosalie so poor? As a senior associate in an elite firm, she'd be making $150,000 at a bare minimum. Also, trying to have Alexei simultaneously run a legitimate tech company and also the local mob felt like trying to shoe-horn a mafia romance into the already-existing fairytale/social media construct.

Overall I enjoyed it, and will definitely recommend to romance readers at my library.

Wow. I really enjoyed this book. Yes, it was a mafia romance, but the added elements of magic really added to the story. The idea of crystals and gems being able to do some of the things they do in this story really drew me into it. The characters are easy to relate to and well thought out. The storyline is interesting and somewhat different from other mafia romances that I have read.

Rosalie can be a little whiney, but Alexei is now a top-tier book boyfriend.

The audiobook is in dual narration. I prefer duet, but this one was pretty good. I really enjoyed the voice of the male narrator although his female voices are not as good. The narrators drew me into the story pretty quickly and kept my interest the entire time. It made the story go by fairly quickly.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ALC.

A dark romance book with a sprinkle of fantasy elements 🖤

I really enjoyed reading this book! The way the mmc was obsessed with our fmc 👀 I ate it up! The plot was very entertaining and the chemistry between the characters was very steamy.

Overall, i recommend this book if you enjoy dark romance books.

This audiobook surprised me at how much I enjoyed it. It was one that I sort of had a love hate relationship with because it wasn’t my usual so took a bit of getting used to but there was something very intriguing about it all.

At first I wasn’t sure of the narration but after a couple of chapters and I was totally immersed in the plot then it was absolutely fine.

I really liked the writing style; especially of the 2 main characters going chapter by chapter Alexei and Rosalie from their pov. The relationship between Alexei and Rosalie was built up well and the humour between them was fantastic. All other characters particularly the boarders and their stories that Rosalie has are fantastic. This is a fast paced romance, sci-fi, fantasy adventure like never before.

It’s difficult not to spoiler this with anymore detail but what I will say it is worth a read if you enjoy these genres I’m sure you will enjoy this one it’s a little bit of everything all rolled into one!

Vampire diaries meets black mirror mixed with Snow White and the huntsman type vibes!

With thanks and gratitude to NetGalley & RB Media for the opportunity to listen to this ELC in return for an open honest review 📚🎧🙏🏽❤️

One Dark Kiss by @rebeccazanetti
Narrated by Lance Greenfield and Erin Mallon
Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

A L C • R E V I E W 🎧
Loved the audiobook, the narrators did an amazing job with the voices. Lance Greenfield’s accent was perfection. Erin Mallon did an amazing job captivating Rosalie’s personality.

I loved that it was dual narration, which made me feel all the emotions. I highly recommend the audiobook!

Thank you @netgalley for gifting me a ALC.

I had the day off and was so glad this was an audiobook. I got everything I needed done and still got pulled into a story that kept me hooked. It’s a dual narration by Lance Greenfield and Erin Mallon. I usually prefer duet style, but the narrators made it work really well. The pacing was solid, and Erin especially made Rosalie feel easy to connect with.

I love dark romance with a little magic mixed in, and this one hit the spot. One Dark Kiss plays on a modern day Snow White retelling with a mafia twist. Alexei has just been released from prison after being framed, and Rosalie is the lawyer assigned to his case. She also lives in an inherited home with seven elderly boarders, which gives a peak into the kindness in her character. As the story unfolds, she gets pulled into a world full of secrets and danger. The chemistry between Alexei and Rosalie is pretty instant, and the tension builds from there. The spice level is medium and fits perfectly without taking away from the storyline.

If you’re into mafia romance with fantasy vibes, this one’s worth a listen!

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟/🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧
Format: Audiobook - Dual narration by Lance Greenfield and Erin Mallon
Series / Standalone: Standalone in the Grimm Bargains series (Book #2)
Tropes: Snow White Reimagining, Mafia, Lawyer/Client, Suspense

I have not read/listened to the first book in this series but had no issue with understanding what was going on. That being said, I enjoyed this one so much I will be following the rest of the stories in the future. This was such a clever reimagining of Snow White. I really really enjoyed the little touch of magic as it lends credence to the fairy tale vibe which, of course, is wrapped up in a dark romance. Great plot with a murder mystery (or two or three) thrown in for extra suspense. Alexei and Rosalie definitely have an unconventional relationship but listening to them come into their own was very entertaining.

The audio aspect was great! Lance Greenfield’s Russian accent was everything!! I have listened to him before but didn’t know he had these skills. I was highly impressed. Erin Mallon is a long time favorite of mine and she did an amazing job with Rosalie’s character and the wide range of emotions she experiences throughout.

Thank you to RBmedia, NetGalley & Rebecca Zanetti for the audioARC in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 3.5 stars.
Genre(s): adult dark contemporary romance, sci-fi/futuristic elements.

Overall impression: an interesting dark contemporary romance novel between an attorney and her murder-suspect client with some futuristic sci-fi elements. I thoroughly enjoyed the action and suspense, and found it fit the mafia, billionaire and criminal themes of the book really well. Unfortunately, the romance was a weak area for me because of the insta-lust and it ended up feeling too forced and rushed. I'd consider giving the other books in the series a go on audiobook in the future because the writing style and narration were both highlights and delivered well.

Tropes:
➵ Dark romance
➵ Mafia romance
➵ Lawyer x client
➵ Opposites attract
➵ Insta-lust
➵ Morally grey MMC
➵ Possessive MMC
➵ Marriage of convenience
➵ Flawed characters
➵ Touch her and 💀
➵ Forced proximity
➵ Only one bed
➵ Found family
➵ Happy-ever-after (HEA)

⤷ Plot:
One Dark Kiss was a character-driven story revolving around the romance between a mafia billionaire suspect and his new attorney. The romance was insta-lust and progressed fairly quickly, making it a very easy story to binge. The bulk of the story was Alexei trying to get his record clear and protecting Rosalie from personal hits. There weren't many twists or turns and it ended in a fairly predictable way, wrapping up nicely.

⤷ Characters:
Rosalie was a really likeable FMC. She had a strong group of female friends and I liked seeing them interact and support each other using their specialised skills. I do wish Rosalie had used some of that strong FMC energy towards the MMC Alexei though. He got away with way too much right from the start of the novel, and it didn't seem very realistic. He demanded to sleep in her room and she barely put up a fight. It always irks me a bit when the character has a totally unrealistic response just because the MMC looks hot. Like girl he's a murdered, c'mon.

Alexei was harder to like. He was condescending, domineering and sexist at times, and didn't seem to understand consent. It was uncomfortable to read their early intimacy scenes because of this and made me less invested in their relationship - which felt more like a power struggle based entirely on lust, compared to love for one another.

⤷ World-building:
I was a little bit stuck on the world-building. It was largely set in our world with big tech/social media companies having a monopoly on the world. There were no special cars, weapons or other tech elements to suggest it was set in the future. But for some reason there was this random crystal magic that affected internet platforms and could heal select individuals. It was so random - the first time they explained it, I thought I had clicked off the story and was listening to something else entirely. I enjoy fantasy and sci-fi books (and read a lot of them) but having random crystal magic in a dark romance just didn't work for me - it added nothing to the story and was so jarring every time it was brought up. If you're going to include it and create a futuristic world, I think other elements like flying cars or laser weapons would have made it more believable and fitting.

⤷ Writing:
The pacing was a bit on the slow side but otherwise the story flowed really well and I was pretty immersed the entire time. The dialogue was a bit cringy at the start but quickly normalised and they became more realistic characters.

⤷ Everything else:
I've listened to a couple dark contemporary romance audiobooks in the past and found them quite awkward to sit through. They often feel too over-the-top and the dialogue is unbelievable. But after listening to the sample of One Dark Kiss by RBmedia, I decided to give the genre another go. I'm so glad I did because the story suited the audiobook format really well. The voice actors fit their characters perfectly - nailing the accents and conveying emotions clearly through changes in tone and volume. I thoroughly enjoyed it in the end and would definitely pick up the rest of the series in audiobook format.

Alexei has just been released from prison after 7 years for a crime he didn’t commit by his new lawyer Rosalie. He will stop at nothing to get revenge on the person who framed him while his lawyer prepares for his new trial.

This is a dark romance perfect for anyone who loves:
Touch her and die
Russian mafia
Billionaires

I enjoyed the plot and storyline. There was a slight fantasy element revolving around crystals and their healing powers and how they were involved with Alexei’s company which threw me off a bit. I enjoyed the mystery aspect of who framed Alexei and the spice was good.

This audiobook was a duel narration by Lance Greenfield and Erin Mallon. I prefer a duet, but the narrators did a good job captivating me to keep listening. They narrated the others part well and I could differentiate between the other characters as well. Their accents were a little off at times, but overall they did a good job.

Dark romance with a bit of mafia. It was fast paced and loved being in this world we learned about in book one, One Cursed Rose. This story follows Alexei Sokolov who has just got out of prison. He was framed for murder and seeking revenge from his family who took everything from him. Rosalie Mooncrest is hired as his new attorney to help him with his case. This is a loose retelling of Snow White and The Huntsman. It’s fast paced, with some magical elements, lots of drama and a captivating forbidden romance.

The audiobook is narrated by Lance Greenfield and Erin Mallon. These two were such great voices for Alexei and Rosalie. I loved Lance’s Russian accent for Alexei’s character. I loved the banter and chemistry between the two narrators.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
🌶️🌶️

I have not read the first one yet but was told that this could be read as a standalone.

This was marketed as a loosely inspired retelling of Snow White and the Huntsman.

I can only see that familiarity with the 7 dwarves. In the book the FMC has 7 boarders (roommates) that live with her that all have special backgrounds.

I love that this was a mob romance where the FMC was the lawyer and the MMC was the criminal.

I thought the crystals and social media aspects were interesting.

The found family aspects were my favorite!