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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
Book: Ruthless Devotion by Rebecca F. Kenney
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating: 4 stars!
Series: Gilded Monsters Book 3, can be read as a standalone, but see review for more info
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casabalanca for a copy of this eARC!
I was very excited to receive an ARC for this book. It is my personal mission to have as many people as I can read The Sea Witch, one of Rebecca F. Kenney’s indie books, and I was ready to dive into this series of modern-day retellings with a supernatural twist.
I will admit that I have not read books 1 and 2 of this series, which are Great Gatsby and Dorian Gray retellings, respectively. This book is a spin on Wuthering Heights. While it is probably a good idea to read books 1 and 2 prior to this, there are enough context clues to figure out what is going on and who the books 1 and 2 characters are. However, it is important to note that the characters for books 1 and 2 appear several times and play a large part in the climax of the book. I do plan to go back and read the first two and will read the fourth when it releases.
Cathy has it rough. She is involved with a very religious cult who despises the supernatural. Cathy is also a banshee, and finds herself having fights of the supernatural and overcome with a desire to mourn the passing of the individuals in her town. Heathcliff is in a complicated relationship with his “family”, tasked with performing small resurrection jobs for them using his necromancy abilities, and he is, in many ways, trapped in this with limited means of income, no social security number, no identification, etc., but he wants something different.
My only real issue with this book was that it was instalust that quickly became instalove. I would’ve loved to see a slower development of their relationship. I do understand that, with 384 pages, we need to work quickly, but I don’t felt like I read the development of their relationship – it was just suddenly there and they knew they were the ones for each other.
I think where this book really shines is the interesting world. It takes place in our modern-day society where the supernatural flirts alongside us, although most people are not aware of it. Add in a small town twist, and we are following Cathy and Heathcliff as they try to escape their town and build a new, better life for themselves.
There is a fair amount of romantic, paranormal suspense in this story. If you enjoyed Harley LaRoux’s Souls trilogy, this has similar vibes, in my opinion. We have a whole host of supernaturals, the influence of old gods, religious cults, sacrifices, the works.
This book isn’t a literary masterpiece, and I don’t think anyone should approach it expecting one. It is, however, a fun, quick, and spicy read that still has an interesting plot to keep things moving (a sometimes rare combination!). I like it enough that I plan to work backwards to read book 1 and 2, and I believe the next one is a Phantom of the Opera retelling, which I can’t wait!
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating: 4 stars!
Series: Gilded Monsters Book 3, can be read as a standalone, but see review for more info
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casabalanca for a copy of this eARC!
I was very excited to receive an ARC for this book. It is my personal mission to have as many people as I can read The Sea Witch, one of Rebecca F. Kenney’s indie books, and I was ready to dive into this series of modern-day retellings with a supernatural twist.
I will admit that I have not read books 1 and 2 of this series, which are Great Gatsby and Dorian Gray retellings, respectively. This book is a spin on Wuthering Heights. While it is probably a good idea to read books 1 and 2 prior to this, there are enough context clues to figure out what is going on and who the books 1 and 2 characters are. However, it is important to note that the characters for books 1 and 2 appear several times and play a large part in the climax of the book. I do plan to go back and read the first two and will read the fourth when it releases.
Cathy has it rough. She is involved with a very religious cult who despises the supernatural. Cathy is also a banshee, and finds herself having fights of the supernatural and overcome with a desire to mourn the passing of the individuals in her town. Heathcliff is in a complicated relationship with his “family”, tasked with performing small resurrection jobs for them using his necromancy abilities, and he is, in many ways, trapped in this with limited means of income, no social security number, no identification, etc., but he wants something different.
My only real issue with this book was that it was instalust that quickly became instalove. I would’ve loved to see a slower development of their relationship. I do understand that, with 384 pages, we need to work quickly, but I don’t felt like I read the development of their relationship – it was just suddenly there and they knew they were the ones for each other.
I think where this book really shines is the interesting world. It takes place in our modern-day society where the supernatural flirts alongside us, although most people are not aware of it. Add in a small town twist, and we are following Cathy and Heathcliff as they try to escape their town and build a new, better life for themselves.
There is a fair amount of romantic, paranormal suspense in this story. If you enjoyed Harley LaRoux’s Souls trilogy, this has similar vibes, in my opinion. We have a whole host of supernaturals, the influence of old gods, religious cults, sacrifices, the works.
This book isn’t a literary masterpiece, and I don’t think anyone should approach it expecting one. It is, however, a fun, quick, and spicy read that still has an interesting plot to keep things moving (a sometimes rare combination!). I like it enough that I plan to work backwards to read book 1 and 2, and I believe the next one is a Phantom of the Opera retelling, which I can’t wait!
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wanted to love this book so much, because I'm a huge Wuthering Heights fan, but this was not it for me. I think part of this comes down to the marketing, some down to my own expectations, and some down to faults in the book itself. I'll just break this into 3 parts to make it easier:
Marketing issues:
-I, like many readers, was not aware when I requested the ARC that this is the third book in a series. Although this book can be read alone, there are cameos from characters in Book 1 and 2 (a Gatsby retelling and a Dorian Gray retelling) who are randomly dropped in early on, disappear for a while, and then come back for the finale. The way they are introduced is rather awkward, but I ignored the first introduction because I thought they wouldn't reappear. When they DID, it made the finale just feel super messy and I was overall not a fan of that
-When they said "small Southern community with cult-ish vibes" I felt that it would be gothic; Wuthering Heights itself is quite gothic - the haunting moors and abandoned castles, the rather insular cast, the splendid prose, the doomed romance...but this Wuthering Heights retelling felt much more contemporary dark romance than the blurb suggested. This is not my genre at all; knowing this, I would not have gone for this book. So I don't think this is a fault with the book--hell, dark romance has a MASSIVE audience--but rather with the blurb itself
My expectations
-As stated, just based on my experience with other retellings, I expected many of the elements of the OG story to be present here -- specifically the gothic elements. While we do have a banshee and a necromancer falling in love (I ADORE this concept), as well as a creepy cult that worships Celtic gods (adore this too!) that is about as gothic as we get.
-I think my main disappointment was with the prose. It's serviceable, but having read romantasies with sweeping, gorgeous prose, I kind of expected more. The dialogue was very contemporary, as was the language used in the spicy scenes. And that's fine, there's nothing wrong with that, but I know Rebecca Kenney can write and I'm upset that wasn't on display here, especially because some well-crafted prose could've captured the vibes of Wuthering Heights so well.
-Hear me out: the OG Wuthering Heights is low-key insta-love. But it WORKS because really, who else was Cathy ever going to fall for? She lives in the literal middle of nowhere. But THIS Cathy just bangs some random guy in a truck who HAPPENS to be Heathcliff, and suddenly he's following her when she's having banshee episodes? I don't buy it.
The Book Itself:
-I did not buy this romance, mainly because I didn't like Heathcliff. Actually, I can't REMEMBER Heathcliff, and I don't like that, because the OG Heathcliff is like...the guy that all other romantasy men are trying to be. Why is this Heathcliff so bland? For me, he wasn't sexy, he was just kind of there.
-I think the weird love quadrangle between Heathcliff-Cathy-Edgar-Isabella could've been juxtaposed into a modern setting better, or at least have Isabella be in it more. I felt like overall there were attempts at tension, but because 1/2 of this quadrangle wasn't fully fleshed out (Heathcliff and Isabella), I just wasn't feeling it.
-For such a short book, I had issues with the pacing.
All that being said, there were quite a few things I enjoyed here. Cathy's relationship with the church and her navigation of religious trauma felt very realistically done, and I enjoyed the tattoo magic that Heathcliff's family dealt with. The magic system in general was really fascinating and I wish we'd seen more of it. When Cathy and Heathcliff are separated in the latter half of the book, I enjoyed the way that part unfolded (except for the finale which was, as previously stated, messy). Despite my grievances with the language of the spicy scenes, they were creative and well-done. I would try another one of Kenney's books, but now I have different expectations going in.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Rebecca Kenney, and Sourcebooks Casablanca for gifting me this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!
Marketing issues:
-I, like many readers, was not aware when I requested the ARC that this is the third book in a series. Although this book can be read alone, there are cameos from characters in Book 1 and 2 (a Gatsby retelling and a Dorian Gray retelling) who are randomly dropped in early on, disappear for a while, and then come back for the finale. The way they are introduced is rather awkward, but I ignored the first introduction because I thought they wouldn't reappear. When they DID, it made the finale just feel super messy and I was overall not a fan of that
-When they said "small Southern community with cult-ish vibes" I felt that it would be gothic; Wuthering Heights itself is quite gothic - the haunting moors and abandoned castles, the rather insular cast, the splendid prose, the doomed romance...but this Wuthering Heights retelling felt much more contemporary dark romance than the blurb suggested. This is not my genre at all; knowing this, I would not have gone for this book. So I don't think this is a fault with the book--hell, dark romance has a MASSIVE audience--but rather with the blurb itself
My expectations
-As stated, just based on my experience with other retellings, I expected many of the elements of the OG story to be present here -- specifically the gothic elements. While we do have a banshee and a necromancer falling in love (I ADORE this concept), as well as a creepy cult that worships Celtic gods (adore this too!) that is about as gothic as we get.
-I think my main disappointment was with the prose. It's serviceable, but having read romantasies with sweeping, gorgeous prose, I kind of expected more. The dialogue was very contemporary, as was the language used in the spicy scenes. And that's fine, there's nothing wrong with that, but I know Rebecca Kenney can write and I'm upset that wasn't on display here, especially because some well-crafted prose could've captured the vibes of Wuthering Heights so well.
-Hear me out: the OG Wuthering Heights is low-key insta-love. But it WORKS because really, who else was Cathy ever going to fall for? She lives in the literal middle of nowhere. But THIS Cathy just bangs some random guy in a truck who HAPPENS to be Heathcliff, and suddenly he's following her when she's having banshee episodes? I don't buy it.
The Book Itself:
-I did not buy this romance, mainly because I didn't like Heathcliff. Actually, I can't REMEMBER Heathcliff, and I don't like that, because the OG Heathcliff is like...the guy that all other romantasy men are trying to be. Why is this Heathcliff so bland? For me, he wasn't sexy, he was just kind of there.
-I think the weird love quadrangle between Heathcliff-Cathy-Edgar-Isabella could've been juxtaposed into a modern setting better, or at least have Isabella be in it more. I felt like overall there were attempts at tension, but because 1/2 of this quadrangle wasn't fully fleshed out (Heathcliff and Isabella), I just wasn't feeling it.
-For such a short book, I had issues with the pacing.
All that being said, there were quite a few things I enjoyed here. Cathy's relationship with the church and her navigation of religious trauma felt very realistically done, and I enjoyed the tattoo magic that Heathcliff's family dealt with. The magic system in general was really fascinating and I wish we'd seen more of it. When Cathy and Heathcliff are separated in the latter half of the book, I enjoyed the way that part unfolded (except for the finale which was, as previously stated, messy). Despite my grievances with the language of the spicy scenes, they were creative and well-done. I would try another one of Kenney's books, but now I have different expectations going in.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Rebecca Kenney, and Sourcebooks Casablanca for gifting me this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My favorite of this series so far!
A paranormal retelling of Wuthering Heights (of which you dont have to remember the details before diving in) bringing Irish and Pagan folklore right to the Carolinas. Set in a small-town in South Carolina, Cathy Earnshaw-banshee and daughter of a local deacon-starts to realize that things may not be exactly what they seem.
At a medium-fast pace, we follow the story of Heathcliff and Cathy as they both learn more about themselves, their ancestries, and the Gods that lay at rest (but for how long?) nearby.
I enjoy interconnected standalone novels so much, and I feel like this one tied in the characters from the first two well! This one definitely was a faster pace than the first two, but i think it worked so well with Cathy and Heathcliff. Really enjoyed this one!
ARC review—NetGalley
A paranormal retelling of Wuthering Heights (of which you dont have to remember the details before diving in) bringing Irish and Pagan folklore right to the Carolinas. Set in a small-town in South Carolina, Cathy Earnshaw-banshee and daughter of a local deacon-starts to realize that things may not be exactly what they seem.
At a medium-fast pace, we follow the story of Heathcliff and Cathy as they both learn more about themselves, their ancestries, and the Gods that lay at rest (but for how long?) nearby.
I enjoy interconnected standalone novels so much, and I feel like this one tied in the characters from the first two well! This one definitely was a faster pace than the first two, but i think it worked so well with Cathy and Heathcliff. Really enjoyed this one!
ARC review—NetGalley
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
4.5 stars! My favorite so far of Rebecca Kenney's Gilded Monsters series of interconnected standalones is this fabulous paranormal romantic suspense retelling of Wuthering Heights. The only reason I didn't rate this a 5 is because I felt like the climax and ending was too rushed and somewhat confusing.
Cathy Earnshaw as a banshee and sacrificial lamb in her Christian fundamentalist radical family makes her sympathetic and actually likeable! The tortured hero Heathcliff also gets a makeover as a necromancer with self-preservation instincts. Unlike the source material, all of the characters here exercise automony and are enslaved only as far as the limitations of their supernatural powers are concerned. Wuthering Heights is probably the book that I most love to hate, and this retelling has me feeling all of the love without any of the cringe and frustration.
I loved that Jay and Daisy, and Baz and Dorian, as well as Nick and Cody, played such pivotal roles in bringing the story to a resolution.
And the ending? I actually got tearful that Heathcliff and Cathy are finally free.
Bravo!
Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the opportunity to read this novel prior to publication. I was not compensated in any way for this review and all opinions are my own.
Cathy Earnshaw as a banshee and sacrificial lamb in her Christian fundamentalist radical family makes her sympathetic and actually likeable! The tortured hero Heathcliff also gets a makeover as a necromancer with self-preservation instincts. Unlike the source material, all of the characters here exercise automony and are enslaved only as far as the limitations of their supernatural powers are concerned. Wuthering Heights is probably the book that I most love to hate, and this retelling has me feeling all of the love without any of the cringe and frustration.
I loved that Jay and Daisy, and Baz and Dorian, as well as Nick and Cody, played such pivotal roles in bringing the story to a resolution.
And the ending? I actually got tearful that Heathcliff and Cathy are finally free.
Bravo!
Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the opportunity to read this novel prior to publication. I was not compensated in any way for this review and all opinions are my own.
Ruthless Devotion is a captivating reimagining of Wuthering Heights with a modern setting and a supernatural twist. It also has influences from Irish and Greek mythology. It's the third novel in the Gilded Monster series, but can be read and enjoyed as a standalone. Characters from previous books make appearances, and there is a revealing tie-in at the end that readers of the earlier books will catch. However, it doesn't require you to read them to enjoy this book. In this story, religion plays a significant role in Cathy's life; her father serves as a deacon in their local church. Despite being raised with a religious background, Cathy feels like an outsider due to her unique gifts. Heathcliff, adopted into a rival family, faces his own challenges, including bullying from his adopted brother. Cathy and Heathcliff find solace in each other. Overall, it was a fun read, and I look forward to seeing what happens next in this world. Just FYI, I received this as an ARC and this is my honest review of the book.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I don’t remember how I found Rebecca Kenney’s Charming Devil, but I did and I’ve wanted to read it ever since. I haven’t yet because I’m a procrastinator and it’s never available on Libby when I check and I’m weird about holds in that I worry I won’t want to read the book when it’s my turn, so I’ll either pass on it to make sure I’m giving the book as fair a chance as I can or I do check it out and run the risk of making somebody wait longer than they have to if I don’t read it right away or at all. I know it’s silly, but I try to be mindful about my library holds. Anyway, I had the chance to get an early copy of Ruthless Devotion from the publisher and I thought it would be a good opportunity to read Rebecca Kenney even though it wasn’t the book that me aware of her and while I’m not super attached to Wuthering Heights and co, I have read it and since I’m attracted to heroes like Heathcliff, I thought why not? And I am so glad that I did because I flipping loved Ruthless Devotion!
I felt locked into this book the moment I started reading and it was so easy to connect to Heathcliff and Cathy. I loved them and was rooting for them to get their freedom and happy ending so hard! I won’t lie, there were times when they really frustrated me and made me nervous, but they also warmed my heart and put big grins on my face too.
Honestly, the way Heathcliff and Cathy’s relationship made me feel was just reflective of the book as a whole which as I say that, it seems kind of like a “Duh!” statement, but there’s a lot of plot to this book in addition to their romance. Ruthless Devotion took me on an utterly wild ride where it made my heart pound and race, it had my clutching my kindle and on the metaphorical edge of my seat, flipping the pages as fast as I could, unable to tear myself away because I NEEDED to know what was going to happen next! I was completely invested in Heathcliff and Cathy, their story was beautiful and amazing, and Ruthless Devotion is definitely one of the best books I’ve read this year. I am just so intrigued with this fascinating supernatural world that Rebecca Kenney has created — it was very exciting and I can’t wait to see even more of it not only with the previous two books in the series, but any that come out the future!
I felt locked into this book the moment I started reading and it was so easy to connect to Heathcliff and Cathy. I loved them and was rooting for them to get their freedom and happy ending so hard! I won’t lie, there were times when they really frustrated me and made me nervous, but they also warmed my heart and put big grins on my face too.
Honestly, the way Heathcliff and Cathy’s relationship made me feel was just reflective of the book as a whole which as I say that, it seems kind of like a “Duh!” statement, but there’s a lot of plot to this book in addition to their romance. Ruthless Devotion took me on an utterly wild ride where it made my heart pound and race, it had my clutching my kindle and on the metaphorical edge of my seat, flipping the pages as fast as I could, unable to tear myself away because I NEEDED to know what was going to happen next! I was completely invested in Heathcliff and Cathy, their story was beautiful and amazing, and Ruthless Devotion is definitely one of the best books I’ve read this year. I am just so intrigued with this fascinating supernatural world that Rebecca Kenney has created — it was very exciting and I can’t wait to see even more of it not only with the previous two books in the series, but any that come out the future!
dark
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
ARC Review
Confession time. I have never read Wuthering Heights. In this instance, I don’t think that works against me at all. I was able to approach this story without having any preconceived notions for how the story would flow. Honestly, it made me want to go read the original to see if any of the themes are different. While we are confessing things, I also haven’t read any of the other books in this series. This is book three but can easily be read as a standalone (as proven here).
This story has an interesting magic system that seems to draw from British mythology. It was also rife with southern conservative church focused culture. This created an interesting dichotomy with gods being buried under a church and blood sacrifices, while there were prayer meetings and deacons going out into the community. There were also necromancers, vampires, banshees, and other magical creatures. Somehow this is all woven in a semi-believable manner. The imagery relating to the woods and the water brought it all together.
Heathcliff and Cathy felt a little rushed as characters but their chemistry made it work. I can imagine that they play a greater role in future books, which would help flesh their characters out a little more. They seemed the most complete when they were on the page together, or referencing the other. Without the other to play against, it felt like I was missing chunks of their backstory. It might have been the tension and steamy spice between them. It is hot.
I am curious how the other books in this series all fit together since this one worked so well as a standalone. After meeting characters from earlier books, I found them intriguing. Overall, I was entertained by what this book offered and expect I will go looking for more.
Thank you to Rebecca Kenney, NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for an advanced copy of this eBook.
Confession time. I have never read Wuthering Heights. In this instance, I don’t think that works against me at all. I was able to approach this story without having any preconceived notions for how the story would flow. Honestly, it made me want to go read the original to see if any of the themes are different. While we are confessing things, I also haven’t read any of the other books in this series. This is book three but can easily be read as a standalone (as proven here).
This story has an interesting magic system that seems to draw from British mythology. It was also rife with southern conservative church focused culture. This created an interesting dichotomy with gods being buried under a church and blood sacrifices, while there were prayer meetings and deacons going out into the community. There were also necromancers, vampires, banshees, and other magical creatures. Somehow this is all woven in a semi-believable manner. The imagery relating to the woods and the water brought it all together.
Heathcliff and Cathy felt a little rushed as characters but their chemistry made it work. I can imagine that they play a greater role in future books, which would help flesh their characters out a little more. They seemed the most complete when they were on the page together, or referencing the other. Without the other to play against, it felt like I was missing chunks of their backstory. It might have been the tension and steamy spice between them. It is hot.
I am curious how the other books in this series all fit together since this one worked so well as a standalone. After meeting characters from earlier books, I found them intriguing. Overall, I was entertained by what this book offered and expect I will go looking for more.
Thank you to Rebecca Kenney, NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for an advanced copy of this eBook.
I really enjoyed this one. I love how much Heathcliff and Cathy are just drawn to each other, despite all of the resons they shouldn't be. They've had chemistry since the moment they met, and they're going to fight for each other no matter what.
The supernatural elements were really well done, and I couldn't put it down once I got into it. I loved how everything unfolded, and I loved watching them realize how they really feel about each other. And I loved seeing the characters from the previous books as well!
The supernatural elements were really well done, and I couldn't put it down once I got into it. I loved how everything unfolded, and I loved watching them realize how they really feel about each other. And I loved seeing the characters from the previous books as well!
emotional
tense
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes