All posts tagged Of Curses and Kisses

Of Curses and Kisses

By Brookelorren on 8 Comments

Hello! I am super excited to be a part of Sandhya Menon’s street team (AKA Sandhya’s Sweethearts) and to be part of the Of Curses and Kisses blog tour! This is a great story and you’ll all be able to meet Jaya and Grey in just a little over a week! If you live near Denver, she’s having a launch party at the Tattered Cover Colfax location and you’re invited! You can meet Ms. Menon, and she’s really sweet. If you see me there, say hi. I know I can’t compare to Sandhya, but it’s always good to meet people that like the same books as you, right? I’m an introvert so I have trouble approaching people, but I promise I’m nice.

Standard Disclaimer: I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Of Curses and Kisses is a Beauty and the Beast retelling set at an exclusive Colorado boarding school. The elements she uses in the story are so beautiful. Here’s a quick synopsis:

Will the princess save the beast?

For Princess Jaya Rao, nothing is more important than family. When the loathsome Emerson clan steps up their centuries-old feud to target Jaya’s little sister, nothing will keep Jaya from exacting her revenge. Then Jaya finds out she’ll be attending the same elite boarding school as Grey Emerson, and it feels like the opportunity of a lifetime. She knows what she must do: Make Grey fall in love with her and break his heart. But much to Jaya’s annoyance, Grey’s brooding demeanor and lupine blue eyes have drawn her in. There’s simply no way she and her sworn enemy could find their fairy-tale ending… Right?


His Lordship Grey Emerson is a misanthrope. Thanks to an ancient curse by a Rao matriarch, Grey knows he’s doomed once he turns eighteen. Sequestered away in the mountains at St. Rosetta’s International Academy, he’s lived an isolated existence—until Jaya Rao bursts into his life. Sparkling and elegant, Jaya’s unlike anyone Grey has ever met. Still, he can’t shake the feeling that she’s hiding something. Something that might just have to do with the rose-shaped ruby pendant around her neck…


As the stars conspire to keep them apart, Jaya and Grey grapple with questions of love, loyalty, and whether it’s possible to write your own happy ending.

My Thoughts

Of Curses and Kisses cover

Who doesn’t love a good enemies-to-lovers story? This story has so many wonderful Beauty and the Beast elements: a girl that loves books, the rose that loses petals, magic, and two people falling in love. However, it also has other amazing elements, such as the sister relationship, loyalty to family, and questions about duty.

The story is told in two points of view, so you get to see both Jaya and Grey’s perspectives. I don’t want to give too much away, but these characters are put into an impossible situation and react with normal human emotions, and somehow they work through it.

The setting is great too. It’s at a boarding school! I live in Colorado, and so does Ms. Menon, and she does an excellent job describing things. There was one scene with a formal dance… so beautiful. Writing goals, I tell you. If you’ve never been to Colorado before, after reading this book, it’ll feel like you have.

If you’ve read her other books, you might notice that Of Curses and Kisses has a slightly different tone than the When Dimple Met Rishi books. It’s a little more serious and not as rom-com-ish. It still has both its funny moments and themes you’ll find in her other books, such as the line “Kiran was one of those guys who thought Jaya’s X chromosome stood for ‘xplain things to me.'” (The line was taken from the ARC and is subject to change).

Hopefully you’re excited for this book now. There were so many great lines from this book, I filled up two pages in my book journal of lines that I really liked. This is the first book in a trilogy, and you’re likely to love this one and be hooked for the other two (the next book, and likely the third, will also deal with characters in this universe). There’s still time to pre-order, but if not, it will still be available on the 18th.

Here are a few places where you can get Of Curses and Kisses (in the US, although it’s available in many countries):

You can also request an autographed copy from The Tattered Cover if you can’t go to the launch event. Their web site says that they can’t guarantee that it’ll be autographed, but I bet it will.

About Sandhya Menon:

Sandhya Menon

Sandhya Menon is the New York Times bestselling author of When Dimple Met Rishi, Of Curses and Kisses, and many other novels that also feature lots of kissing, girl power, and swoony boys. Her books have been included in several cool places, including the Today show, Teen Vogue, NPR, BuzzFeed, and Seventeen. A full-time dog servant and part-time writer, she makes her home in the foggy mountains of Colorado. Visit her online at SandhyaMenon.com, on Twitter @smenonbooks or on Instagram  @sandhyamenonbooks.

So are you excited about this book? I know I’m excited about getting a finished copy because that cover is gorgeous. I’m also excited about the launch event.

Blog Tour Schedule:

Of Curses and Kisses Cover Reveal!

By Brookelorren on 4 Comments

Last week I was chosen to be one of Sandhya Menon’s Street Team members! I’m excited because her books are great and she’s such a nice person. Anyway, one of her new books (coming out February 18, 2020) is Of Curses and Kisses, which is a Beauty and the Beast retelling set at a private school in Colorado!

She revealed the cover today and I’m allowed to share it with you!

It looks adorable! The release date is still months away, but you can read an excerpt over at Bustle! You can also pre-order it already.