Secrets of the Eternal Rose Series Re-Release

If you love historical fiction, you'll want to pay attention. Today Fiona Paul's phenomenal Venom, the first book in the Secrets of the Eternal Rose series, is being re-released as Venomous Kiss. If you're a fan of historical fiction and haven't yet checked out this series, you need to do so now! It has the perfect mix of romance and intrigue and will keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time you're reading!

Keep reading to find out more about the books in the Secret of the Eternal Rose series and its author, Fiona Paul!

Title: Venomous Kiss (Secrets of the Eternal Rose #1)

Author: Fiona Paul

Publisher: The Studio

Release Date: March 17, 2016

Buy the Book: Amazon / B&N / Indigo

My Review

Cassandra Caravello has everything a girl could desire: elegant gowns, sparkling jewels, and a handsome, wealthy fiancé—yet she longs for something more. Ever since her parents’ death, Cassandra has felt trapped, alone in a city of water, where the dark and labyrinthine canals whisper of escape.

When Cass stumbles upon the body of a murdered woman, she’s drawn into the dangerous and tempting world of secret societies, courtesans, killers, and a mysterious street artist named Falco, who could be the most dangerous temptation of them all.

Soon, she finds herself falling for Falco, but his habit of getting into trouble could destroy the perfect life Cassandra has built. Will she find the murderer before he finds her? And will she stay true to her fiancé or succumb to her uncontrollable feelings for Falco?

Formerly published as Venom, Fiona Paul’s first installment of the Secrets of the Eternal Rose is perfect for fans of Jennifer Donnelly’s These Shallow Graves and Libba Brayès A Great and Terrible Beauty.

About the author

Fiona Paul lives in St. Louis, MO where she managed to pursued fancy universities to award her degrees in psychology and nursing. Between her studies, she traveled around five continents and spent time living in Thailand and South Korea (which is probably why she finds the idea of wearing shoes in the house a little weird).

In additional to writing, Fiona is somewhat obsessive about coffee, music, and adventure sports. Her future goals include swimming with great white sharks and writing a whole slew of novels, not necessarily in that order. For updates about Secrets of the Eternal Rose series, follow Fiona on Twitter @fionawritesYA.

Be sure to check out the free prequel story and be on the lookout for books two and three in April and May!

Title: Disastrous Desire (Secrets of the Eternal Rose #0.5)
Author: Fiona Paul
Publisher: The Studio
Release Date: February 16, 2016
Buy the Book: Amazon / B&N / Indigo

Eighteen-year-old Mariabella has recently elevated herself from the rank of common prostitute to the status of courtesan, a respected high-class escort for those men in Venetian society who can afford one. Mariabella steps out to attend a party on the arm of her powerful new patron, certain that the night will be filled with glamour, secrets, and adventure—but the world she has immersed herself in is more dangerous than she believes.

Donate miss this short story prequel set in the thrilling world of Fiona Paul’s Secrets of the Eternal Rose series. This few story also includes four chapters of Venomous Kiss, the first book in a romantic series tinged with true love and heartbreaking betrayal.

Title: Poisonous Touch (Secrets of the Eternal Rose #2)

Author: Fiona Paul

Publisher: The Studio

Release Date: April 12, 2016

Pre-Order: Amazon / B&N / Chapters

My Review

In the second installment of the Secrets of the Eternal Rose series, Cassandra Caravello is trying to forget Falco, the wild artist who ran off with her heart, as she grows closer to her strong, steady fiancé, Luca. But Luca has his own share of secrets. When he’s arrested by soldiers in the middle of the night, Cass’s life is once again thrown into chaos.

So begins her journey to Florence to prove Luca’s innocence. In the city haunted by whispers of vampirism, secret soirées and clandestine meetings of the Order of the Eternal Rose, Cassandra also finds Falco, who is working for the Oder’s eerily stunning leader, the Belladonna herself.

Nothing is as it seems in this seductive mystery, where the truth may be the deadliest poison of all.

Formerly published as Belladonna, Fiona Paul’s romantic series is perfect for fans of Jennifer Donnelly’s These Shallow Graves and Libba Bray’s A Great and Terrible Beauty.

Title: Dangerous Heart (Secrets of the Eternal Rose #3)

Author: Fiona Paul

Publisher: The Studio

Release Date: May 24, 2016

Pre-Order: Amazon / B&N / Indigo

Cassandra Caravello and Luca are fugitives, on the run from the law and the deadly Order of the Eternal Rose. As they pursue the only evidence that could save them, their worlds—and their romance—are torn apart by spiteful friends and murderous enemies.

When Cass finds herself ensnared in the Order’s twisted plot, Falco emerges once again as her only hope for freedom…but this time, Luca has a shocking scheme of his own.

From ancient mercenaries to sly magicians, clever courtesans and vengeful killers, no one can be trusted. In the breathtaking conclusion to the Secrets of the Eternal Rose trilogy, Cass must confront the Order and decide where her heart lies, once and for all.

Formerly published as Starling, this romantic mystery is perfect for fans of Philippa Gregory’s The Other Boleyn Girl and Jennifer Donnelly’s These Shallow Graves.

Frosh: First Blush by Mónica B. Wagner

Title: Frosh: First Blush (Frosh #1)

Author: Mónica B. Wagner

Publisher: The Studio - Paper Lantern Lit

Release Date: October 20, 2015

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / B&N / Indigo

During welcome week at Hillson University, the FROSH will hit the fan.

Type-A aspiring journalist Ellie plans to take freshman year by storm. But hellbent on breaking a huge on-campus scandal, she risks becoming one herself—and getting the mysterious, heart-melting QB in serious trouble.

Grant, star quarterback and charismatic chick-magnet, is hiding a life-altering secret. The last thing he needs is an overeager (absolutely adorable) journalist asking questions. He’s got a reputation to protect.

High-society legacy student Devon is ready to catch the football hottie of her dreams. If the tabloids feature her with the “it” boy on her arm, her tainted past will be buried—or so she thinks.

Charlie, pre-med, is done being the sweet and funny geek that girls like Devon ignore. But if he tried to impress her with a new edgy, spontaneous attitude, will his heart end up in the emergency room?

FROSH intertwines the stories of Ellie, Grant, Devon, and Charlie in Mónica B. Wagner’s sexy NA debut series, about falling in love and falling apart. 

We all know by now that I’m a sucker for New Adult stories, especially when they’re actually set in a college. So I was really intrigued when I heard about Mónica B. Wagner’s Frosh: First Blush. Even if this story wasn’t quite what I expected, I still found myself to really enjoy reading it. 

Ellie is determined to make a good impression at the Hillson Daily Nexus and land that editorial assistant position. All she has to do is dig up dirt on the new starting quarterback. And Ellie is willing to do just about anything for her story. She just never thought that doing anything for the story would involve developing confusing feelings for her subject. The last thing Grant wants is to have a reporter following him around. He doesn’t need anyone finding out about his shoulder. But he doesn’t mind Ellie. In fact he likes her, too bad she’s the reporter trailing him. And if that wasn’t enough, there’s Devon who keeps popping up everywhere he is, determined to make him hers. The way she sees it, dating Grant would be the way to finally burry her family’s scandal-filled past. But even if she thinks she wants Grant, the person Devon can’t stop thinking about is Charlie, the cute and funny pre-med geek she hooked up with. Charlie didn’t think a girl like Devon would ever be interested in him. But now that something’s happened between them, he’s determined to keep it going. If only she would give him the time of day. Who said navigating the first week of college would be easy?

When I first read the synopsis for Mónica B. Wagner’s Frosh: First Blush, I was intrigued. I’m always curious about stories that weave together the plotlessness of different characters in a way that results in all of them intersecting in some way or another. That kind of story just appeals to me and I’m always trying to figure out how the different plot lines fit, or how they’re going to come together. It totally keeps me going when I’m reading. And that was absolutely true with Frosh: First Blush. From the moment I started reading, I was trying to piece it all together, figuring out who was who in each of the different’ characters’ chapters. And it was definitely fun seeing how it was all connected. My one issue with the book was how quickly everything seemed to be happening. Basically this entire story takes place between Wednesday and Saturday. And A LOT happens in those four days. I will say that the fact that the story was told from four different perspectives did help. It made it feel reasonable that so much could happen in such a short time if it was happening to four different people and those around them. And by the end of the book, it didn’t really bother me so much anymore. In fact, I was looking forward to seeing what would happen next.

The four main characters in this story were all interesting and so different. But they were also all just trying to figure out this whole college thing. And let’s just say that they weren’t all going about it in the best way. I mean, Ellie was so focused on getting her story for the newspaper that she was pretty much ignoring everything else around her. And she was so determined to only see things one way that she was missing what was right in front of her. Devon kind of had a similar thing going. She was so focused on appearances that she was ignoring the sweet, geeky guy who was pretty much perfect for her. And who she liked even if she wouldn’t admit it to herself. And speaking of that sweet, geeky guy, Charlie was pretty much my favourite. I was always excited whenever the story switched back to his perspective. Not that I didn’t like the other characters, but I pretty much developed a soft spot for Charlie pretty early on. Though, really, the same thing could also be said about Grant. Even if sometimes I wanted to yell at him to stop making stupid decisions. But I liked the decisions he was making by the end of the book so I’m just hoping everything works out for the best.

Even though it wasn’t quite what I expected when I went in, I still really enjoyed reading Mónica B. Wagner’s Frosh: First Blush. The story was fun to read and left me asking for what came next. So you can bet I’ll be reading whatever sequel comes along.

Rules of Seduction by Jenna Mullins

Title: Rules of Seduction

Author: Jenna Mullins

Publisher: The Studio - Paper Lantern Lit

Release Date: April 21, 2015

Source: eARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / B&N / Indigo

The first rule of seduction is: don’t fall in love.

Fresh out of college, Dani Young heads for the LA sun to chase her dream of becoming a screenwriter-director. So when her former BFF turned actress Elise offers Dani the opportunity to work on the hit teen show Vamp Camp, Dani can’t refuse, even if it comes at a price: Elise wants Dani to seduce her boyfriend, Vamp Camp superstar Tate Lawrence. Turns out Elise has some major trust issues, and needs Dani to test Tate’s faith. The only rule: don’t fall in love with him.

Sure, Dani doesn’t mind occasionally glimpsing Tate’s megawatt smile…or accidentally-on-purpose brushing up against his perfect torso…but she’s no fool. There’s no way she’d ever fall for a shallow celebrity and no way one would fall for her, a lanky movie nerd. 

But amidst vampire-crazed fans, a conniving fellow intern, and a devilishly handsome showrunner, Dani feels like all the rules she used to know have disappeared, except for one: Love doesn’t play by the rules.

Part The Devil Wears Prada, part How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days, this story of friendship and romance is sure to appeal to fans of Stephanie Perkins, Jennifer E. Smith, and Anna Todd.

Stories set in or around Hollywood and that world are among my reading weaknesses. I hear about such a book and it automatically gets added to my “Want to Read” shelf on Goodreads. That’s how Jenna Mullins’s Rules of Seduction found itself on my e-reader. And, probably unsurprisingly, I found myself enjoying this story a lot. 

Dani Young is lucky. Right out of film school, she’s scored her dream job working for one of her role models. She’s ready to head to LA and start living her dream. But Dani’s not even in LA one day when things already start going downhill. The dream job is gone and now Dani doesn’t know show she’s going to be able to survive in LA without work. When she runs into Elise, an old friend form high school, who offers to get her a job on a hit teen TV show, Dani jumps at the opportunity, even if the job comes with certain conditions. Dani has to agree to seduce Tate, Elise’s boyfriend and the star of the show, to prove that he’s faithful to Elise. What should be relatively easy turns out to be much more complicated when Dani realizes she’s not sure who she’s seducing for whom anymore.

Guys. Hollywood books. I can’t get enough of them. Seriously. There never seem to be enough of them (though in reality, there are totally some I still haven’t read, I’m actually staring at them sitting on myself right now). But really, books with Hollywood-related storylines are totally one of my major weaknesses when it comes to reading. Needless to say, it didn’t take long for Jenna Mullins’s Rules of Seduction to be added to my Goodreads when I found out what it was about. Despite my excitement over the Hollywood premise, I wasn’t entirely sure how the rest of it was going to work out, especially willingly seducing someone else’s boyfriend because they asked you to. But it wasn’t as convoluted as I had thought it was going to be. It just added some fun drama to the story and upped the stakes, causing me to become more invested than I thought I was going to on some of the relationships. But as much as I enjoyed the Hollywood aspect of the story, what really made me appreciate and enjoy it was Dani.

Dani was fun. Though at times misguided. But more on that in a moment. I just really enjoyed reading her story, and not just because it was set in the TV world. What I liked about her, was that she never really let anything get her down, even when things were going really poorly for her. And I had to respect that because I don’t know what I would have done in her shoes. Actually, I do, I probably would have just given up and slunk back home. The one thing that did bug me was how long it took her to realize what was right in front of her. But then, if she had realized it sooner, there wouldn’t have been a story, so there’s that. So really, I shouldn’t complain. Moving on. Do I really have to say that I loved Tate, because it really shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. But it’s what happened. Tate was not who I thought he was going to be, and I loved seeing how he was around Dani. Their relationships was just really fun to read about and see go from friendship to something more. Beyond just Dani and Tate, I really enjoyed Dani’s roommate, Brit, as a character. She was just so fun and different and sweet and I just wish I could have seen more of her.

Jenna Mullins’s Rules of Seduction was a fun Hollywood-set story. I highly enjoyed reading it and loved seeing all the on- and off-set drama unfold. If you’re looking for something to read this summer, this is the book for you.