In a Dark, Dark Wook by Cece Louise

From Goodreads: 

In a dark, dark wood, there was a dark, dark man . . . 

Calia believes in ghosts. How could she not when she is haunted by a past encounter that sent her into hiding? She concocts a plan so crazy, it just might save her— if it doesn’t lead to her downfall. All she has to do is impersonate a missing princess and fulfill that princess’s betrothal to the Prince of Ebonwood. 

Prince Brone believes in nothing—certainly not the curse rumored to plague the royal wives of Ebonwood. After the untimely death of his first wife, all he wishes is to be left alone. Once more facing a marriage not of his choosing, he vows not to make the same mistakes that cost him so dearly last time. 

Calia soon discovers that fooling the prince will be much harder than she thought. As her complicated feelings for him begin to grow, so does her fear of Ebonwood—a kingdom shrouded in darkness, secrets, and even murder. 

Will a warning from beyond the grave save Calia from the fate of the previous Ebonwood wives, or will it spell her ultimate ruin?

My Take:

This was a refreshing and deeply satisfying read. It read like a great mash-up of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier and Beauty and the Beast. There is a rich cast of characters in a well-defined world that is easy to get lost in. I felt for Calia from the very beginning, and I quickly became enamored with the broody and sad Prince Brone. Their journey to trust and love was beautifully laid out. The other thing I really liked was the mystery. I was highly suspicious of everyone, and by the end I was happy that I hadn’t figured it out. It’s nice to be surprised when the secrets unravel. 

I give In a Dark, Dark Wood a solid 5 because I did read it in one sitting. All day on a snow day. It was well-written, well-edited, and I was able to get lost in another world without author intrusion. It also gets a Clean spice rating. 

1-5 scale and what it means:

1: I couldn’t even finish it / just plain bad

2: I hope I didn’t pay for this / disappointing

3: I didn’t hate it, but it was still missing something / forgettable but inoffensive

3.5: On the line between good and ok / like, not love

4: Solid mind candy / worth reading

4.5: So very close to perfection! / must read

5: I could not put it down and I’m still thinking about it! / a true treasure

Movie Ratings in relation to my review:

Clean--Hallmark movies, some kissing, no nudity, no intimacy on or off "screen"

PG--Some innuendo but nothing kids don't hear every day, intimacy is all closed door

PG-13--some language (swear words not related to intimacy), more talk about intimacy, heavy petting, removal of clothing on screen, but intimacy is closed door.

PG-14—somewhere between PG-13 and R. Not erotica, but at least a paragraph of on-screen intimacy

R--swearing (F-bomb, on “screen” intimacy, sometimes feels like the whole story is about the intimacy and not the relationship or some other plot, but not always