Rating: 4 out of 5.

I loved this book! The sarcasm, snark, and wit from the main character, Rosalind (daughter of Romeo & Juliet) was off the charts. This book was so entertaining with snarky observations, witty asides, and just full out funny moments. Rosalind knows exactly who she is and what she wants – and it’s NOT to be married to Escalus the younger, prince of Verona. Neither one of them wants to get married, but the alliance between the Montagues and the Capulets rests on the union.

The families need the marriage to keep, and maintain, the peace between them. The families would rather settle their differences with knives and swords, but the women are fed up with it. When tensions flare during pre-wedding events, elderly Princess Ursula (a very smart and cunning woman) announces that she will hold a public séance to determine the future of the marriage. Needless to say, all hell breaks loose after the predictions are announced and the story is off and running.

When one of the wedding guests is murdered, Rosalind is determined to find out who the poisoner is. She is trying to investigate quietly but Prince Escalus uncovers her secret sleuthing and inserts himself into it. At first Rosalind is resentful of his meddling, but as the couple spend time together (something they never got to do before), they find out that they are much more compatible than they thought, and maybe this marriage thing won’t be so bad. If only they could find some private time together… (I don’t want to give any further details and spoil the book – just read it and find out!)

If you’ve read Romeo and Juliet or love Shakespeare, you will like this book. There are so many easter eggs about the original story you never know when the next one will pop up. It’s also fun to imagine that Romeo & Juliet survived that night and what their future would have looked like. Who knew they would be an amorous and randy couple that can’t keep their hands off each other? Other members of the family and staff appear in the book with a twist in their personalities, which is also fun to read. There is plenty of bluster from the men in the families and egos get inflated and bruised time after time. The elderly women in the story cracked me up and are not to be messed with.

This is the third book in the series but can be read as a stand-alone. I’m definitely going back and reading the first two books so that I’m caught up if there is another book (hopefully) in the series coming out. I received a complimentary e-copy of this book from Kensington Publishing. All opinions are my own.