Kensington
Published June 26, 2025
Reviewed by Meredith Frazier
In spite of what you think you know, it turns out that Romeo and Juliet did not die but, instead, lived happily ever after, producing wine and raising a large family. Their eldest daughter, Rosaline, has successfully deflected several marriage proposals, but as the story opens in Thus With a Kiss I Die, she is tricked into becoming betrothed to Escalus, the prince of Verona. To put it mildly, she is not pleased, but the betrothal is just the beginning of her troubles. Soon, Rosie finds herself hunting for an assassin, dealing with the ghost of her future father-in-law, coping with the violent unrest brought to Verona by the disciplinati, and trying to get a decent meal out of the prince’s kitchen.
The second in Christina Dodd’s Daughter of Montague series, Thus With a Kiss I Die is a fun romp through a reimagined future for Romeo and Juliet (although those two characters play only background roles). Rosie is a strong, smart, independent woman who can fight her own battles but also knows that she has to honor at least a few of society’s conventions and recognizes that accepting help isn’t a show of weakness. Dodd’s imagining of a less than typical (or at least expected) woman of Rosie’s time gives the story lots of verve, because Rosie is such a fun character to follow.
There’s also a lot of humor and romance, as well as a light-handed spin on Hamlet, all of which add to the entertainment. But in spite of the overall lightheartedness of the novel, there is real danger in the story, which ups the ante and keeps it exciting. In the end, several mysteries are solved and questions are answered, but you’re left with the distinct impression that Rosie’s story isn’t over.
Overall, the main characters are strongly portrayed and given some real depth. The mystery itself is convoluted enough to offer a nice puzzle and drive the plot, but the characters are the real stars of this novel. And although it is the second in the series, it works well both as an introduction to the series and a standalone.