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Knives Out meets Bridgerton in Fair Verona, as New York Times bestselling author Christina Dodd kicks off a frothy, irreverent, witty new series with an irresistible premise—told from the delightfully engaging point of view of Romeo and Juliet's clever, rebellious, fiercely independent daughter, Rosie Montague.
"Fun, funny, charming, and absolutely delightful. If you're looking for a novel to sweep you away and lift your spirits, look no further." —KRISTIN HANNAH, #1 New York Times bestselling author
Once upon a time a young couple met and fell in love. You probably know that story, and how it ended (hint: badly). Only here's the thing: That's not how it ended at all.
Romeo and Juliet are alive and well and the parents of seven kids. I'm the oldest, with the emphasis on 'old'—a certified spinster at twenty, and happy to stay that way. It's not easy to keep your taste for romance with parents like mine. Picture it—constant monologues, passionate declarations, fighting, making up, making out . . . it's exhausting.
Each time they've presented me with a betrothal, I've set out to find the groom-to-be a more suitable bride. After all, someone sensible needs to stay home and manage this household. But their latest match, Duke Stephano, isn't so easy to palm off on anyone else. The debaucher has had three previous wives—all of whom met unfortunate ends. Conscience forbids me from consigning another woman to that fate. As it turns out, I don't have to . . .
At our betrothal ball—where, quite by accident, I meet a beautiful young man who makes me wonder if perhaps there is something to love at first sight—I stumble upon Duke Stephano with a dagger in his chest. But who killed him? His late wives' families, his relatives, his mistress, his servants—half of Verona had motive. And when everyone around the Duke begins dying, disappearing, or descending into madness, I know I must uncover the killer . . . before death lies on me like an untimely frost.
"A sharp, determined heroine, a clever historical mystery, sparkling wit, a unique setting, family drama and a dash of romance." – AMANDA QUICK, New York Times bestselling author of The Lady Has a Past
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Release date
June 25, 2024 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781496750181
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9781496750181
- File size: 559 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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May 15, 2024
Dodd's series launch turns a Shakespearean tragedy into a rom-com mystery. "My name is Rosie, Rosaline if I'm in trouble, and I'm the daughter of Romeo and Juliet." In Dodd's entertaining retelling of Shakespeare's play, the tragic lovers survived their suicide attempts to marry and produce seven spirited children, headed by practical, level-headed Rosie. Despite the best efforts of her parents to marry off their eldest daughter, the clever Rosie has successfully fended off her potential suitors with a little matchmaking involving two younger sisters. Now almost 20, she's content to remain a spinster and manage the Montague household, but alas her father receives a proposal he cannot turn down from the loathsome Duke Leir Stephano of the house of Creppa. Despite Rosie's objections that the duke just buried his third wife, a betrothal ball is quickly organized. There the reluctant bride-to-be meet-cutes with an uninvited guest, the dazzlingly handsome Lysander, and stumbles upon the body of Duke Stephano with a dagger plunged into his chest. Suspicion falls on Rosie, even though Escalus, the brooding Prince of Verona, tries to protect her, and she must identify the killer before she becomes a victim. Dodd peppers her novel with plenty of Shakespearean references, making this more fan fiction than a true historical. The deliberate anachronisms ("I smiled a Mona Lisa smile") will drive purists crazy, but most readers won't care. Dodd's Verona is a mythical, timeless city where a spunky, independent young woman can enchant two different men. There is some YA appeal in Rosie's character that will remind some readers of Karen Cushman's Catherine, Called Birdy, but one of the protagonists takes an unbelievable 180-degree dark turn that will disappoint readers. An open-ended conclusion leaves the door ajar for more mystery and romance.COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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May 27, 2024
Launching a new series based on an alternate ending to Romeo and Juliet, Dodd (Point Last Seen) spins an entracing story of an ill-fated wedding engagement. It’s narrated by the star-crossed couple’s oldest daughter, Rosie, who tells of how her parents survived their suicide attempt 20 years earlier. After Romeo and Juliet insist Rosie wed the “cruel and lustful” Duke Leir Stephano, whose third wife has just died under mysterious circumstances, she’s smitten by the better-looking Lysander at her betrothal ball. During the party, Stephano is found stabbed to death, and some guests accuse Rosie of his murder. Prince Escalus, who attempted to resolve the feud in the original play, attests to Rosie’s innocence, and as the body count rises, Rosie determines to unmask the killer while holding out hope for romance with Lysander. Rosie is an amiable and witty narrator (“Brace yourself for a recap, and don’t worry, it’s interesting in a My God, are you kidding me? sort of way”) and Dodd’s roller-coaster plot careens all the way to the cliffhanger ending. It’s a strong start. -
Starred review from May 24, 2024
This latest from genre-spanning Dodd (Every Single Secret; "Virtue Falls" series) is a fun start to a new historical mystery series with a refreshingly different time period-- Renaissance Italy. The fifth time someone loses a betrothed, people begin to talk. To be fair, Rosaline "Rosie" Montague's first four fianc�s found other brides courtesy of Rosie herself. Rosie's fifth betrothed, Duke Leir Stephano, isn't quite so lucky. Instead of Stephano finding another woman to marry, Rosie winds up finding Stephano dead the night of their betrothal party. To make matters even worse, almost everyone at the party believes Rosie is responsible. If she wants to avoid having a murder charge pinned on her, she must figure out who really killed Stephano. Dodd debuts an ingeniously clever new series based on the premise that Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet didn't die at the end of the play but instead lived happily ever after in Verona raising a family that includes marriage-averse Rosie. VERDICT Graced with an unforgettable cast of characters that includes the delightfully indefatigable Rosie and written with a cheeky sense of wit and charm Shakespeare would be proud to claim, Dodd's well-executed launch of her new series is absolutely brilliant.--John Charles
Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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