Of Curses and Kisses (St. Rosetta's Academy series, #1)

Sandhya Menon

Simon & Schuster, 2020

Agent: Thao Le

From the New York Times bestselling author of When Dimple Met Rishi comes the first novel in a brand-new series set at an elite international boarding school, that’s a contemporary spin on Beauty and the Beast.

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, but 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.

Accolades:

• A Junior Library Guild selection

• One of Pop Sugar's Books Coming Out in 2020 That Need to Be on Your TBR Now

• One of She Reads' Books Most Anticipated YA Books of 2020

• One of Yahoo! Entertainment's Books Coming Out in 2020 That Need to Be on Your TBR Now

Reviews:
"The story is well paced with enough action to balance the dialogue and character thoughts. The characters are well developed, the dialogue is current and believable, and the ongoing mystery combined with almost comic intrigue makes a solid YA romance."
School Library Journal

"This lightly fantastical spin on Beauty and the Beast works in plenty of crowd pleasing elements—an enemies-to-lovers romance, a boarding-school setting, an ebullient supporting cast. Fans of Menon's frothy, contemporary rom-coms will be excited for this venture into new territory."
—Booklist