There are books you plan to read a chapter or two before bed, and then there are books that completely ruin those plans. One Shattered Crown was that kind of book for me. Every time I told myself I was at a good stopping point, something happened that made me turn just one more page until suddenly I'd finished the whole thing.

One Shattered Crown by Rebecca Zanetti | Book Review

One Shattered Crown by Rebecca Zanetti
Series: Grimm Bargains #3
Genres: Dark Romance, Dark Romantasy, Fairytale Retelling

Set in a steamy, neon-lit, high-tech world of magic, money, and explosive desire, this sultry, dark fairytale retelling offers a dystopian romantasy twist on Cinderella for fans of Lauren Asher, Harley Laroux, and Emily McIntire.

ELLA

It’s the wedding of the year—a lavish union of two powerhouses. But I’m only here for vengeance against the woman who stole my position as sole heir to my late father’s company, TimeGem Moments, and shipped me off to boarding school. I’ve only made more enemies since. Tonight is my chance to reclaim control. Tonight, TimeGem’s diamond-powered servers are this girl’s best friend. Unless he ruins everything. Justice Beathach, the groom’s unbearably hot brother, with hands built for war and a mouth that spells destruction. He’s lethal, unyielding, and now has me in his crosshairs . . .

JUSTICE

Ella Rendale almost killed my brother once. Now, at his own wedding, she’s almost done it again. I don’t care if he’s forgiven her or if she’s been wronged. I care about one thing: the locked flash drive she leaves behind, spelling my destruction. She can run, she can hide, but when I find her, she’ll give me what I want. But someone else wants her even more than I do—they want her dead. When our enemies close in, I’m forced to protect her, turning the fire between us into an uncontrollable weapon. Now, she’s not just my quarry—she’s my obsession. And I’ll kill anyone who even thinks of taking her from me . . .

Series Tropes: Dark, reimagined twists on classic fairytales, dystopian romantasy, high-tech world, vengeance, feminine rage, steamy twist on Cinderella, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, touch her and die, morally gray MCs,

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Item: One Shattered Crown
Rating: 5
Author: Rita

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I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

my review

Rebecca Zanetti has completely pulled me into this series, and One Shattered Crown might be my favorite installment yet. It has everything I wanted from a fantasy romance. The tension never lets up, the characters are impossible to stop thinking about, and every chapter left me wondering what could possibly happen next.

Ella was such a refreshing heroine. She’s smart, stubborn, and refuses to let anyone make decisions for her. One of my favorite things about her was how often she challenged Justice instead of simply following orders. She has a quick mind, thinks several steps ahead, and her coding skills gave her an edge that made her stand out from so many other fantasy heroines I’ve read. I loved watching her outthink people who underestimated her.

Justice was every bit as compelling. There’s so much going on beneath the surface that I don’t want to spoil, but I loved watching the walls around him slowly come down. His protective side came out in ways that felt natural instead of overbearing, and the banter between him and Ella was some of my favorite dialogue in the entire book. They challenged each other at every turn, which made every scene they shared feel alive.

The chemistry between these two was incredible. This is enemies to lovers done exactly the way I enjoy it. The constant push and pull, the arguments that somehow made them even closer, and the moments when neither one wanted to admit what they were feeling kept me completely invested. When the romance finally turned up the heat, it absolutely delivered.

The action never slowed down either. Between the shootouts, the chase, the forced proximity at the cabin, and all the twists surrounding the tree, I never felt like the story lost momentum. Just when I thought I knew where things were headed, another surprise was waiting around the corner.

I also have to mention Ella’s godmothers because they stole every scene they appeared in. Aura, Mags, and Jos were hilarious together and brought so much personality to the story. They reminded me of three mischievous grandmothers who always seemed to know more than everyone else, and I looked forward to every one of their appearances.

Seeing familiar faces from One Cursed Rose and One Dark Kiss made this world feel even richer. I love the growing found family that Rebecca Zanetti has built throughout the series, and every returning character felt like catching up with old friends.

I closed this book completely obsessed with Ella, Justice, and Leo, and I already know I’ll be thinking about this story for a long time.

meet the author

About Rebecca Zanetti

New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly and #1 Amazon bestselling author Rebecca Zanetti has published more than sixty novels, which have been translated into several languages, with more than five million copies sold world-wide. Her books have received Publishers Weekly starred reviews and have been featured in Entertainment Weekly, Woman’s World, and Women’s Day Magazines. Her novels have also been included in Amazon best books of the year and have been favorably reviewed in both the Washington Post and the New York Times Book Reviews. Rebecca has ridden in a locked Chevy trunk, has asked the unfortunate delivery guy to release her from a set of handcuffs, and has discovered the best silver mine shafts in which to bury a body…all in the name of research. Honest.

Rebecca Zanetti wrote her first story when she was six – a romance between a princess and neighboring prince. The princess fell out of her castle and the prince rescued her. A happily ever after was had by all.
This theme of romance has been carried through Rebecca’s works until present time. While today’s heroine may have a medical degree, black belt in Karate and her own 401K, she’s still after that happy ending. And today’s prince may have fangs and wear a black hat, but hey, a modern princess likes a guy who bites.
Rebecca attended Pepperdine University, earning a bachelor’s degree in Journalism with a Political Science emphasis. While there she worked as the Editor-in-Chief of The Graphic newspaper, a member of the Pi Phi Sorority and an intern for President Reagan, who still gave 3-5 speeches a week, even though he was no longer president.
After college, Rebecca worked as an art curator and a Senate aide before heading to law school, where she received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Idaho. She married Tony Zanetti in the middle of her second year of law school and became pregnant with their first child during the third year. She graduated law school, gave birth three weeks later, and took the Bar Exam three weeks after that. All she remembers about the bar exam is that it was so quiet in the testing room, she thought about taking a quick nap. But she continued on, passed the bar and became a lawyer. She worked for a large firm, then a small firm, then the county while also teaching legal classes at her local community college. Now she writes romances about vampires, cowboys, and soldiers.
Growing up amid the glorious backdrops and winter wonderlands of the Pacific Northwest has given Rebecca fantastic scenery and adventures to weave into her stories. She resides there with her husband, children and extended family who inspire her every day. Rebecca has completed several manuscripts, winning award throughout the writing industry for her work. She is currently writing the Scorpius Syndrome series and the Realm Enforcer series (a Dark Protector spinoff) for Kensington Publishing, and the Sin Brothers series and the Lost Bastard Series for Grand Central Publishing.