A Ruin of Roses (Deliciously Dark Fairytales Book 1)

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Hannon pulled the pot off the hook hanging over the fire and tilted it. A tiny bit of life-saving draught filled my mug.

Oh shit. Incubus. I hadn’t taken the draught to stop a demon’s lust magic because I hadn’t thought there’d be any in the Forbidden Wood. But why wouldn’t there be? They got a free pass all over the kingdom. My not having seen them in here before meant very little. A different sort of fear ate through the first, and I was all action again, launching forward to intercept Dash running into the living room. We were trapped in this lost and forsaken place, shifters unable to shift. Unable to even feel the animals inside of us. Magic mostly kept beyond our fingertips.I read many romance sub-genres, so I wasn’t too worried about the wilder, kinky aspects I was told this series would contain, but honestly, this first book was rather tame. Yes, we get a few glimpses at some of the weird and (possibly not so) wonderful things the castle inhabitants are into, but it really is only a passing glimpse. A Ruin of Roses is more geared towards setting the stage for the story to come. We learn the world, the people, the plot (which yes, seems to differ a little from what you might expect). I absolutely fell into this story. With her usual skill, Breene creates not only a story you need to keep reading, but a place you can picture, a cast you feel emotionally connected to and a journey you feel invested in. I don’t have much choice, Hannon. Besides, I’ve been in and out of that field a bunch of times over the last few years with no problems. At night, even. The beast probably doesn’t patrol the Forbidden Wood anymore.” It’s okay,” I told her, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed. “It’s fine. I have more of the nulling elixir. We haven’t run out yet.”

I took a step toward Father’s room, just next to mine, but my brother stopped me with a hand to my arm. “He’s on borrowed time, Finley. How long can this go on? He’s suffering. The kids are watching him suffer.” You just think that because I’m your sister. Boys aren’t supposed to cook and look after their families, and yet you excel at that better than most women. Maybe she’s your true mate.”My medicinal station waited in the corner, herbs and a mortar and pestle set on a wooden tray. The two measly leaves in the ceramic bowl had already been dried in the dying light of the evening sun. I was having a hard time processing this. To risk the children at all. Children! They were all we had. They were the most important resource in this village. It was why Dash and Sable were pampered more than they probably should be. Overprotected. Watched more than was probably healthy. We needed the kids to keep up our numbers, or we were in danger of fading away.