Review--Wisteria by Adalyn Grace

 

#1 New York Times bestselling author Adalyn Grace delivers a sensational conclusion to the deathly and decadent Belladonna trilogy, with dramatic twists and a seductive new romance that will set readers' hearts ablaze.

Blythe Hawthorn has never let anyone tell her what to do—not society, not her overprotective father, and certainly not the man she’s bound herself to, no matter how rude and insufferable he is. In fact, she’s determined to be a thorn in his side for the rest of her days, even as he ensures that her new life in his palace is anything but a fairytale. But as Blythe discovers a new side to herself that links her to his past, she’ll have to ask herself if she’s willing to let an unexpected spark ignite…and if she’s willing to discover the truth about her past.

Having just finished Foxglove, I was eager to start Adalyn Grace's Wisteria as we knew right away this would be Blythe's book and I was deeply curious to know more about Blythe and how she knowingly tied herself to Aris/Fate in order to save her cousin, Signa from such a "punishment." This story was gave off a very heavy The Beauty and the Beast tone in that we find two people to be in forced proximity. But unlike the Beast who is looking to break a curse with True Love, Aris is looking for his reincarnated wife. He believed that was Signa...but we learned otherwise at the end of Foxglove!

Unbeknownst to our characters, Blythe is actually Aris' wife reincarnated, she just doesn't have her memory of that life and for whatever reason Aris does not recognize her yet (more her inner soul or being as clearly she won't look the same every time!). Blythe intends to make Aris' life the most unenjoyable experience she can manage as these two constantly butt heads and they were doing this before their marriage as well. I think that's why I found them so enjoyable. They pretty much hated one another, but yet...ever so slowly, we start to see things change. A look here, a touch there, a secret smile...it was adorable!

It's very shortly after their marriage ceremony that Blythe tells Aris her father is coming for a visit and due to the story she wove for her father to make him believe she's in a happy and prosperous marriage, she needs Aris' help or everything will come crumbling down. Aris has quote the array of magical powers and can create a "fake" world, if you will, and in this sense, he must create a fake kingdom that is good enough to make Blythe's father believe she is well and happy. And it's in these moments that we start to see those changes between these two start to change.

Throughout the story, Blythe gets the occasional dream where she feels like she's another person and since we know things that she does not yet, we know these are memories of sort. Ones in which she was Aris' wife and was happy. They kind of have an eerie feel as the castle she stays in definitely has that old spooky vibe going on.

Of course, it's still not all sunshine and roses, for soon Blythe has an encounter with yet another mysterious visitor. One who has mistaken her for Signa it seems. She is told that if she does not undo what was done, Blythe will pay the price. Which then presents another set of challenges as Blythe has no idea what this mysterious woman is talking about.

We do get appearances from Signa and Death who are still very much in the picture, but now they are sort of in the background, much as Blythe once was. For the majority of the book, we only get Blythe's point of view, but near the end we start to get Aris' point of view which was definitely an eye-opening experience!

There was a certain chemistry between Blythe and Aris that made for entertaining encounters! The two go from loathing to lusting to love and it was just the right kind of experience for these two! I loved Blythe's sassy character and how she was not afraid to say whatever she wanted or to do whatever she wanted regardless of what society dictated as "proper" for a woman of her standing. It was just delightful!

The ending definitely threw me through a twist! I wasn't sure what to expect, but since I hear Adalyn is going to give us a holiday novella next year, I was starting to wonder just what kind of ending we'd get here, but I was pleased to find that this was a very satisfactory ending! And when you think about it, you kind of know which direction Adalyn was heading in after all that build up so I will just leave it that!

While Wisteria may close the door to the Belladonna world, it's not completely goodbye as we know a novella is incoming but I feel like even with a bonus novella on the horizon, things ended in a way that all can be satisfied with where things were left. As for the B&N bonus content, that was decent as well. I wouldn't call it life changing or game changing as it was simply a memory from Aris' past wife that Blythe was seeing through a dream like state. So it was interesting, but not one that makes you think why on earth couldn't it have been added to the story. 

Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars