Review: Have you ever dreamed of leaving behind everything you know and everything you are?
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 05 5, 2013
Written by AncaraisaOriginally posted on confessionsfromromaholics dot comARC provided kindly by  Manic Readers  for reviewing purposesHave you ever dreamed of leaving behind everything you know and everything you are? Your life as you know it, your husband, your kids, your job, your inhibitions and whatever keeps you fixed in a life without meaning? To give up everything for a few days or even for an hour just to follow your dream or live out your fantasies? I guess that at some point in life each of us longs to do just that, but how many have the courage to take action?This is a story of two people who take action, who no longer accept life as it is and seek escape, at least for a while. This is a story of an ordinary woman (if you think a gorgeous blonde like an avenging angel and a genetic scientist might be considered ordinary) who is looking for a little color in her boring life, a little adventure and a man who has some problems of his own. This is another retelling of Beauty and the Beast.It is the first book from this author that I've read and I like her style. At first, the story flows smoothly and we meet our characters, the mystery of who Bruno is remains over the course of several chapters even while we get hints of what he is and what he struggles with. In Cursed, each character has his own story and I didn't like that each one of them ended abruptly, too fast for me. It could have been such a great book if every story would have been given more detail and if the plots hadn't stalled. In a scene in the story, Melina is kidnapped and held under threat of a gun. So far so good, but suddenly that's everything, nothing special happens! I mean, the guy turns to the bar to open a bottle of wine and a click sounds at the door and Bruno walks in and he just slashes at her restraints. The man in black stands too fast and wobbles and he only says, "No way." I mean, come on! You are a mercenary, a soldier, for crying out loud; you have a gun, you know how to use it so why the hell do you not use the gun or at least pretend to know what is it for? He just stays there and take the blow! Arghhh!"The man glared at Melina, his mouth twisted into a crooked, thin line. "You'll regret this." "I already do." Not a stretch to admit. "But soon, you'll regret it even more. You'll be sorry you ever dragged me into this mess." She turned to Bruno. "Would you render him unconscious, please?" Bruno bowed. "Gladly." The man cowered as Bruno strode up to him. With one well-placed blow to the jaw, the man lay in a senseless heap."And another aspect of this book that I didn't like was the sex scenes, or better, the lack of them. The love scene was so short, ending even faster than it began, the second one was the same. It was very impersonal, very cold without foreplay, without kisses or caresses. It was like "Bang-Bang, Thank you Ma'am," you know?"Excitement coursed through her, but she tensed. "Not like this?" She'd wanted kisses, affection. He released her waist, his other hand securing her thigh. When he thrust inside, his girth at first threatened to split her wide open."I'll give this book 3 couples because I liked the story and I have a good imagination, I'm a sucker for fairytales and HEA and I know this book could have been so great with a little more depth.