A Ruin of Roses, etc.

The "Deliciously Dark Fairytales" series by K. F. Breene is a fairly dark and very spicy retelling of Beauty and the Beast. 🥀 The books each end on cliffhangers, so it's an all-or-nothing read, but I devoured them pretty quickly. 🫦

It's set in a magical world with shifters, demons, and faeries, and while the sex scenes don't really hit until later, being hit with sex demons and orgies fairly early made this have very similar vibes to the original French tale.

The story is compelling and well written, but it's the characters that really hooked me. From the salty protagonist to the mediocre butler, the cast is relatable, charming, and surprisingly fleshed out (if not horribly nuanced).

The warnings:

1) It is worth noting that there are a lot of things that could be triggering throughout the series, so you should do more research if that's potentially an issue for you.

2) The spice ramps up with every book. Bythe last book, it's literally every other scene, and while the scenes themselves are well written, it's frankly the smut that makes the book drag (and I didn't think I'd ever say that).

I've already read it multiple times and know I will come back to it, so if it sounds like your thing, I definitely recommend giving it a shot. 📖