A Daughter of Fair Verona by Christina Dodd Book Review
A Daughter of Fair Verona by Christina Dodd is a historical mystery set in the years following the story of Romeo and Juliet. It is a satire of what would’ve happened afterwards had Romeo and Juliet not died.
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A Daughter of Fair Verona
Author: Christina Dodd
Pub. Date: June 25, 2024
Genre: New Adult Mystery
Pages: 283
Rating: 2 stars
Spice: 1 heart
Content Warnings: swearing, death, sexism, murder, blood, & gore
Synopsis:
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.
Book Review
Thank you to Kensington Books for the ARC of A Daughter of Fair Verona by Christina Dodd. All opinions are my own.
A Daughter of Fair Verona follows Rosie Montague, the daughter of Romeo and Juliet (if they hadn’t died). She’s considered a spinster at the ripe old age of twenty years old, and her parents have found her yet another man they think she should marry. Unfortunately, this man’s previous wives have all died suspicious deaths, and Rosie doesn’t want to be next in line.
Thoughts
The premise for this story sounded so fun and interesting. I haven’t read Romeo and Juliet in fifteen years, but it felt like being right back in that world.
I enjoyed the writing style; although, it did feel a bit juvenile at times. The author did a great job making Romeo and Juliet sound just as annoying as they were in the original story. I also appreciated some of the humor throughout.
Unfortunately, that’s all I enjoyed about this story. There were so many issues that I had that overshadowed the fun parts.
First, the pacing of this story is very slow considering that it’s a pretty short book. It felt like nothing was happening for most of the story except for the few exciting parts that only took up a couple pages.
Second, the romance was so weird. The fact that Rosie had never been in love and then was instantly in love with some stranger seemed so out of character for her. Also, I didn’t enjoy the love triangle nor how that played out.
Third, the ending was terrible! I won’t give spoilers, but the ending made no sense at all. It completely undid so much of what had happened in the story and how Rosie was as a character. Also, it left so much unsaid. It wasn’t a good open-ended story but rather a confusing and infuriating conclusion.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I would not recommend this story because I just had too many issues with it.
Where to Read & Purchase
You can purchase a copy of this book at the following retailers:
Bookshop.org (supports independent book stores) [affiliate]
Libro.fm (audiobooks that support independent book stores) [affiliate]
→ get a free audiobook when you start a membership
Chirp (get 30% off your first purchase with code: JESS30)
Amazon [affiliate]
Books a Million (BAM) [affiliate]
AbeBooks [affiliate]
You can also find this book on:
Everand (30-Day FREE Trial)
Have you read A Daughter of Fair Verona or any other books by Christina Dodd?
I would love to hear your thoughts! Comment down below.
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