Book Review
Title: R+J Sucks [The Complete Saga]
Author: Ann Hunter
Genre: Paranormal/Romance/Retelling
Rating: ****
Review: Romeo and Juliet has to be one of the most well known of Shakespeare’s plays so when I came across and paranormal retelling of this classic tragedy, I couldn’t download it quick enough. We are introduced to Escalus, a vampire prince from the Capulet clan meeting with Father Laurence to discuss righting the wrongs of Romeo and Juliet many years before. Then like in the original play where the narrator sets the scene we jump back in Romeo and Juliet’s time, and I believe in this story it is Juliet that is the vampire.
Juliet is unique among vampire as she is natural-born, her protective parents have kept her basically locked away all her life and what she wants more than anything is to see the outside world. However, when her mother announces her marriage to Count Paris, the grandson of Escalus, she knows she is running out of time. On the other hand, Romeo is a human boy who has just been dumped by his girlfriend because he is a poor boy born on the wrong side of the tracks, one thing the pair have in common is both want to escape from the lives they have.
As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel, Juliet is getting her night of freedom before she is to marry and Romeo is dragged out by his wayward older brother and when the two meet for the first-time spark fly despite Juliet’s true nature, she is pleased to be free even if it is only for one night. Romeo despite coming from a poor family, has everything he needs but he is even willing to give up his meal for his oldest brother who is working hard to support the two younger brothers and their mother after their father abandoned them.
When Romeo and Juliet realise, they can’t be together because of what she is and her family, they come up with a plan for Romeo to act as Juliet’s thrall meaning they can be together, but this isn’t going to go well as there are quite a few vampires in Juliet’s family that have mind reading abilities and there is also Paris to contend with. When Tybalt realises what Juliet has done, he knows he is putting the clan in danger and finds a way to stop it, he attacks Romeo’s family only for something strange to happen when his powers begin to weaken but the bargain is struck, and he agrees to send Romeo back to them as long as they never see the family again but knowing the original story it isn’t going to end this easily. Back in the Capulet home, Paris and Juliet’s engagement party is well underway but he could be discovered at any moment.
As the wrath of the vampire elite comes down on Romeo and Juliet, they have to make a choice. Romeo can seek sanctuary in the church, but it is a place as a vampire that Juliet can enter, she has to take a poison of sorts that will take her immortality and kill Paris as a consequence. Leaving Juliet with the decision Romeo runs to the only place left to hide and I can’t wait to see what happens in the last 50 pages of the novel.
In the end, the story comes full circle, but the bad feeling I had about a certain character, in the beginning, was entirely misplaced as he is the key to Romeo and Juliet’s happy ever after. If you want a different take on a classic without it diverging from the original source material too much, then I highly recommend R+J Sucks.
Buy it here:
Kindle Edition: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
I received this review copy from Booksprout.
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