Maev O’Shay thought she was escaping the dire clutches of an evil man when she stowed away on a ship. However, the ship crashed on the shores of a place where a river runs orange. Where has she landed?

Rule Thornton should be ruling his deceased father’s kingdom, but because of a conniving step-mother, he’s confined to the forest where he lives as half man and half beast.

A prophecy seems to indicate that Maev and Rule belong together and can defeat the evil witch now ruling the kingdom. Can they defeat their personal demons and come together in love?

This story seemed to be a combination of several classic stories: Romeo and Juliet, Beauty and the Beast, even a bit of Cinderella. It twisted each one and used the twist to make the story interesting. Each twist was cute and interesting, but combined I thought they made the story too long. It moved too slowly for my tastes and I found myself pushing to finish it. And the finish is good. Too good to miss, so I’m glad I pushed through and got to it.

I think Ms. DeCaprio had a good idea with this. And if you like fairy tales, you’ll like this one. Just know that it doesn’t move quickly and you’ll be fine. It’s a very cute story.

I did think the sex seemed to be added in to make the story hotter without there being a need for it. I think the scenes between Rule and Maev might have been written as strongly without it. However, the trend being what it is, I think this story fits right in.

Reviewed by: Jordan