Synopsis:
And Beauty arrived at the Beast’s Castle… A new contemporary novel for a tale as old as time

Following her father’s death and bereft of economic means, the young Annabelle moves to Vermont to become the curator of a private library. Among snow-covered mountains, she finds a fairytale castle and a frosty welcome. Annabelle eagerly devotes herself to the work, but a mystery surrounds the owner of the manor house. Who is this Declan Lions? Why are there no photographs or portraits of him in Lions Manor? What is the reason for his withdrawal from the world, surrounded by a solitude that only his boundless wealth can guarantee him? He does not want to meet her. But, nevertheless, Annabelle feels an extraordinary presence beside her…

Annabelle Mayfair has disturbed my peace, the way a stone tossed into a pond shatters the stillness of the surface. And, like that stone, she will be swallowed up, deeper and deeper into the darkness of the abyss. I hate her because… she is so beautiful. Very beautiful. The things I could do to her… the pleasure I’d make her know. Would she be afraid, I wonder? I doubt that she has already discovered what a powerful aphrodisiac fear is. I want to hear her say my name. Yes, I want my name on those full, soft lips, still slightly apart in such a seductive way. The things she could do with that mouth…

Inspired by the acclaimed and beloved fairy tale, A ROSE IN THE SHADOWS is a STANDALONE, CONTEMPORARY and very HOT romance novel with a happy ever after.

Review:
I thought I would like this book from the beginning note about it being for the girls who would have chosen the Phantom, and I wasn’t wrong. Though sometimes a bit slow and definitely more sex filled than anything, this novel does well to show how sometimes tragedies make you want to hide from the world and the right person can make you want to return to the light. The spice in this is absolutely superb. There were some cases where the word usage didn’t seem to match the tone of the story or just seemed to be arbitrarily thrown in to elevate the novel since Annabelle is supposed to be such a lover of words. As a dance person, the overuse of the word arabesque drove me crazy. White clearly used Annabelle’s stepfamily as caricatures and I do believe that was well done, however, Annabelle herself was left as merely being a sweet, uneducated girl that didn’t really seem to have much going for her- some might even go so far as to call her a Mary Sue. That being said, her innocence still called to Declan, and their romance and heat was worth reading.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯