A Ruin of Roses by K.F. Breene

Read Dates: July 9, 2023 – July 11, 2023
Date Published: October 8, 2021
Source: Kindle ebook

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I just… I… ughh… Ok. Let’s make sense of my thoughts here.

First of all, this is a FOUR book series. FOUR. And I just can’t do it. The story I was given here does not warrant me picking up the second book, much less the third and fourth. Maybe you would feel differently so let me give you the low down. My own personal low down.

Finley is the middle child in her family. Her mother has passed away and her father is terribly sick. She gathers Everlass to make a nulling potion for him. But Everlass has become scarce as others from the village use it as well. So Finley is forced to go into the Forbidden Wood where a terrifying, unrelenting beast patrols the borders. She gathers the Everlass and it seems she is going to get away with it but she is taken by the beast. He takes her back to his castle as punishment for stealing from his fields. Finley must accept her new home, where orgies and parties are constantly going on in the castle, or find a way to escape the beast who she is developing a soft spot for.

A smile slowly pulled at his lips. “You’ll need that fire before the end. Mark my words, princess, before this is all over, I will ruin you.”

Let me just say… there is steam. Not necessarily between the main characters but just… there are moments. So just know that. I feel like I should start doing a steam meter or something since I’ve been reading books that have some degree of “steam”. Spice? Whatever. Maybe I’ll implement that. Anyway…

“You were meant for great things, Finley. Things this kingdom cannot provide you. One day you will see a crack in your cage, and you will fly.”

I just didn’t vibe with this book. I don’t know. It was slow and I was bored and the ending was a cliffhanger but I wasn’t really attached to the characters enough to really care about it. I had no problem putting this book down and not picking up the second in the series. I didn’t even think about it afterward.

Now, I always say this and if you read my blog you know, this doesn’t mean you won’t like it. This is solely my opinion. So if it at all interests you, go for it! It’s an easy read for sure. Lots of action going on. I’m also quite sure some of the characters we met are going to expand their stories in future books which, I’m betting, will be amazing. I’m just not interested. It do be like that sometimes. What can I say?

That’s all I got. I don’t like not liking books but here I am.