There’s a girl screaming at the top of a hill,Burdened by a duty she was born to fulfill.There’s a quiet killer lurking nearby,Watching as she wishes only to die.She’s tasked by her mother to marry a man,Until the demon from hell puts a wrench in the plan.Their fates will twine in inconceivable ways.But where one goes, the other cannot stay.How could she fall for such a man, you ask?For the girl … for such a man, you ask?
For the girl with no heart, it was the easiest task.
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In the darkest of ways, Moira discovers freedom.
The language of this book is poetic, and completely at odds with the darkness of the content. These are definitely not your daughter’s fairytales, and I’m loving this new generation of our childhood heroines!
In Insolent, pretty much imagined a rather feudal or medieval time period, but there is reference to all of the mod-cons, making this a contemporary sinister re-telling of a red-haired Scottish lass who loves her bow and arrows.
Cynthia Rodriguez has done a fantastic job with Moira. Abuse had deadened her heart and darkened her soul, to the point where she would rather die than live the life demanded of her by her family. She screamed to the heavens in outrage, and her voice was only heard by one. Vicious beatings were handed out by her mother, ‘for her own good,’ so, when she was given the choice of hell or death, which outcome did she choose, ‘for her own good’?
I also loved the damaged man who hid in the shadows, the only one to hear a scream of painful outrage. Anti-hero, villain or deadly beast, Sol has a mission involving the MacQuarrie’s, and in a twist of Ms Rodriguez’ pen, love is found where it shouldn’t have even begun to flourish.
Insolent is truly a fairytale love story, but not something you’ll be reading your kids!!! I absolutely loved it, so if you’re into your alternative fairytales and darker reads, find your way into this series of books, or even better, read this one. I’m hoping you’ll love this 5 Star story as much as I did!
How could a woman fall in love with a man sent straight from Hell? First, she fell in love with the rage. Then the freedom. Then the blood. And then, him.
Insolent: A Dark Retelling by Cynthia A. Rodriguez is book number four from the multi-author Sinister Fairy Tale Collection! I have been really enjoying these twisted, dark fairytales! This is my first read from Rodriguez and I’m definitely interested in reading more of her work at some point. Insolent is a dark retelling of Brave but instead of Merida’s story, we have Moira’s story. Even though Insolent starts off with a somewhat similar storyline, Insolent is a completely different story!
Moira MacQuarrie has been locked away her entire life. She is mentally and physically abused by her mother, but only enough that her scars aren’t too noticeable and won’t attract too much attention. Of course, they don’t want to damage their merchandise, her parents have big plans for Moira. Those plans being to marry her off to the highest bidder to keep the family business afloat. Her mother abuses her, her three brothers participate in her mother’s abuse, and her father turns a blind eye allowing it all to happen.
Moria is nothing but a captive and all she’s ever wanted is her freedom.
The sunflower who bloomed without the sun.
One day while Moira is out galavanting while she’s supposed to be at her archery lesson, she meets a dark stranger. Moria is intrigued by the beautiful dark stranger but before she can question him, he disappears back into the woods where he came from.
The dreaded day finally comes. Eligible bachelors are at Moria’s home so she can be flaunted like a prize pony until her parents choose her suitor. When suddenly her home is attacked, leaving almost everyone slaughtered and Moria captured.
Although Moria is finally away from her tormentors, she worries she’s only traded one prison for another.
Promises made are promises to often broken.
But the more time the two spend together, the more they both see how much alike they really are. There’s a darkness inside Moria that Sol wants to explore. And he can’t help but want to keep her.
But keeping her was never a part of the plan.
But the more time he spends with her, the more he can’t help but fall for her.
I think I’ll keep you, girasol.
Sol is a contract killer. Although named after the sun, he’s nothing but dark. Slaughtering the MacQuarrie’s was no contract hit… it was Sol’s revenge and he won’t stop until every last MacQuarrie is in the ground.
But the more time he spends with Moria, the harder it is not to fall for the girl with the fighting spirit. Moria is so starved for attention she can’t help but crave it from her dark knight.
Will Sol be able to end the last of the MacQuarrie’s?
You’ll have to check out Insolent to find out.
She is both his tribulation and his triumph. But he would only ever be her ruin.
I really enjoyed the plot of this one, and I really, really wanted to give it 5-stars. But there were just too many things that as far as my personal preference, I didn’t care for. For starters, the story is told from the third-person point of view and I don’t care for reads like that, at all. I just can’t connect with characters when written that way. If I didn’t like the plotline as much as I did then I wouldn’t have continued reading once I saw that. The second downfall for me was that there is literally no steam. There were a few times I thought that there was going to be a steamy scene, but it would fade to black. I don’t know about you, but I need some steam with my dark and deranged reads. Again, this is all just personal preference stuff. This one just wasn’t for me, unfortunately.
He may have been named for the sun, but she looks as though she swallowed it.
From what I understood about Moira, she wasn’t as innocent as she seemed. Maybe it was the abuse that helped shape her into who she was, but she craved the darkness just as much as Sol. Even though she had suffered a lot, she’s still a fighter. I liked her character, I’m just not able to connect with characters when I don’t have their POV’s.
Those days that you weren’t mine were torture enough. I have to try to torture you. You have to breathe to nearly kill me.
Sol was my favorite character from Insolent. He’s dark, dangerous, and delicious my favorite things in an anti-hero, plus he was a cold-blooded killer that was also a sweetheart. Most of the quotes I highlighted were from Sol. Again, I really, really wish this book had been written in at least one of the character’s points of view.
I was meant to find you, girasol.
Their love story starts off dark and twisted but it’s a love story all the same. I did like that the heroine was just as dark and twisted as the hero… well anti-hero, they were quite the match. Again, without any real steam, I just wasn’t able to see the passion and need between them.
I had figured out the ending about mid-way through. Obviously, I didn’t know exactly what was going to happen but I caught on fairly quickly with there the story was going.
Again, I really enjoyed the plot of Insolent and my only dislikes were personal preferences. The author did a wonderful job though and I’m still interested in checking out more of her work, just maybe next time with something a bit more steamier and from one of the character’s points of view.
I’ve really enjoyed all these Sinister Fairy Tales, Madness by Kailee Reese Samuels is up next and from the looks of the blurb, that one may be about Alice in Wonderland so I am super excited!
Her prince will not look like a knight in shining armor, because he is not one. That she is not a damsel in distress, either. She is a woman who needs to be given the chance to fight for herself and take back her life.
ℂ ’ ℝ
/ – I really loved the plot, unfortunately, this one just wasn’t for me. It’s written in third person point of view and that’s just not something I prefer. Plus I found it very confusing, up until about midway through I was under the impression that this wasn’t a contemporary read, but come to find out it actually was… I think? Yeah, the plot had a lot of potential but this one just wasn’t a winner for me. Sorry
– Now, this is why, unfortunately, my rating dropped tremendously. Although there were passionate scenes, as soon as it started to get good they would fade to black. I don’t like that. I like some steam with my dark and deranged reads and this one just didn’t give that to me, at all.
ℂ – Nope, no cliffhanger. After a whole lot of bloodshed Sol and Moira’s story wraps up nicely. Up next is Madness by Kailee Reese Samuels and from what I’ve seen it looks like that fairy tale is a twisted version of Alice In Wonderland!
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This is a dark version based very loosely on Brave. When I say dark it is dark!!!
Moira was treated very badly by her family. However, will she find her life any different with the man who “rescued” her.
Sol is an assassin sent to kill Moira and her family. However, will he be able to follow through when he “rescues” Moira?
This book was very fast paced, with suspense and a twisted version of the story Brave.
I can’t wait to read more of the Sinister Fairy Tale Series.
This is a dark retelling of Brave. Names and situations are changed in order to prevent copyright infringement.
I really had high expectations for the next book in this dark collection of stories. I liked it but felt like it was rushed and felt things were left out. I liked the characters and thought the hero and heroine had great chemistry. They were opposites but shared a love of dark things. The back story left me with a lot of questions though. The intimate scenes were kind of vague too. There was a good bit of action & intrigue as well which I really enjoyed. Overall, it was a good book but I wanted more.
***ARC generously provided in exchamge for an honest review.****
This was loosely based on the Disney movie Brave, but very loosely. Insolent stars Moira, and her life is not very Disney-esque. She’s living with abusive parents and siblings, and she’s just been told they’ve selected the man she will marry. All hell breaks loose at this celebration and most of her family gets slaughtered by an assassin, while Moira is taken alive.
From there, Moira’s strength is revealed. She continues to stand up to her captor Sol, and the two are drawn together. Moira and Sol are both damaged souls that seem to heal the other.
Insolent was full of suspense and surprises. Dark, yet lyrically told, Insolent was captivating.
A good retelling of brave I really enjoyed the interaction between the characters the story plot was great .
Insolent was a great addition to the collection. This one is the retelling of Brave and it was a quick, suspenseful story. This is the first book I’ve read by this author but it definitely won’t be my last.
4 stars
This is a new author to me and her addition to the Sinister Fairy Tales series chronicles the lives of two people who were shaped by their circumstances finding a way to grow and thrive under having a shared interest in death and each other. It is similar to the film Brave but after the initial few chapters, it lost a bit so I was not invested in the characters as they continued on their journey. Moira is a strong woman, held back by the archaic demands of her parents and it falls to her to save their kingdom. As the story progresses, her strength grows as she fights and takes risks. Sol is the wicked one but he has layers that may have the reader rethinking his/her initial opinion. Overall it is a well written storyline that is full of secrets, obsession, darkness and love. I volunteered to read an advance copy of this book.
I’m really loving the Sinister Fairytales Series. This author is new to me, and although the writing is very good, I couldn’t connect with the characters. Insolent is told in the third person, and from several characters POV.
Insolent is a dark retelling of Brave. I’ve never personally seen it, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. It’s definitely dark and twisted. Neither character is afraid of death. Sol is out for vengeance and Moira is out to escape her life.
I felt that this story was missing something. Maybe a little more back story? There are a few scenes that felt rushed. It’s told in present day but has a historical feel to it. All in all it’s a good read that kept me reading until the end. I can’t wait for the next one!
Insolent by Cynthia A Rodriguez is the latest novel in the Sinister Fairy Tales Collection and is a retelling of Brave. This story was a dark and mysterious yet engaging read and will grab your attention from the start. It was descriptive and detailed and with secrets, lies, twists and turns. Sol and Moira were two complex characters who turned out to be perfect for each other. This tale was raw and intense, twisted and gory. It was a well crafted love story and I would highly recommend it to all lovers of dark romances.
Moira has had a terrible life thanks to her mother. So when she comes into contact with Sol, an assassin with her family in his cross hairs, she’d rather he kills her than leave her to her mother. Thus starts their journey that is actually quite beautiful in its own terribly twisted, dark way.
I have to confess that I’ve never seen the movie this is based on, which is probably good, because I was able to appreciate this story on its own. And I gotta say, I really liked it. It’s dark yes, but thoroughly entertaining, mysterious and entirely engaging reading. I’ve been loving The Sinister Fairy Tales Collection, and Insolent is a great addition to it.
I have to admit I’ve gone back and forth on this review a little bit. At times I wasn’t sure how I felt about the story as a whole but what I am absolutely sure of is my love for Cynthia’s writing. She is nothing but poetic in her writing. It’s beautiful and haunting to read. It pulls you in and takes hold without any hesitation. The prologue of this book is the perfect example of this.
I think for me the story felt a bit rushed in the end but I have to admit it didn’t take away the impact the H and h have in this story. If Cynthia did anything right with this story it was the third person writing. It added a depth to the characters I don’t think she could have portrayed with a first person narrative. Moira truly is a sunflower who bloomed without any sun and Sol just may be the devil himself but these two together was something much bigger and more beautiful than anything she has written before.
I have to say that although this may not be my favorite story by this author is damn sure is my favorite writing from her. She just gets better and better and I’m here for it. The dark, the haunting and the beautiful. Because in all her darkness she always brings some light.
Outstanding Dark Story!
This was a phenomenal and utterly outstanding dark retelling of the story Brave (but this is not a sweet and innocent love story). This is a dark and twisted love story right from the start. It will keep you on the edge of your seat with all of the twists and turns and it will have you guessing to the very end. I was captivated and enthralled with this story, not knowing when I turned the page how things were going to turn out.
Everything about Sol and Moira was so mysterious, which made it so entertaining to read. They have both been brought up in darkness and fight to make things right through revenge and death.
The storytelling and the characters were phenomenal and well thought out. It was a fantastic twisted story that will have you begging for more.
This is a dark tale of Moira with a family that treats her badly and the assassin Sol that is sent to kill. He ends up taking Moira as a captive after she begs him to kill her so she can be away from her family. A dark read that shows wealth doesn’t bring happiness and the skeletons that families will do anything to hide. (
I have to say this one was quite interesting. Intense, suspenseful, mind blowing, different, not a fairy tale I would want to be in. This is a dark and twisted take on Brave. It is the story of Moira and Sol. Moira is a girl that grew up in a wealthy family but not a great family. She did have issues living in this family. She wasn’t exactly happy. She was the only girl living with three brothers. The oldest brother being the one that hated her the most. She was abused, neglected and locked away. Until the night that a male is suppose to be picked for her to marry. But something happens that night that changes the rest of her life.
Sol is either the devil or an angel. He intervenes in her life and saves her from the evil confines of her family. But is he really saving her? Moira goes on quite the journey. She is torn with what she is now feeling.
This book has plenty of mystery, secrets and lies. This was an amazing retelling of the Fairy Tale Brave. This one is full of blood, gore and angst. Quite the read from beginning to end. A great addition to the series.
Insolent is a part of the Sinister Fairy Tales collection and a take on Brave. It is the story of Moira and Sol. Moira grew up in a wealthy family, the only girl with horribly cruel triplet brothers. She was abused, neglected and locked away by her family. Set to be arranged to marry a man chosen by her deplorable mother.
Then an angel or a devil intervenes and saves her from the evil wretches of her family, only to take her as his own prisoner.
Moira finds herself torn between her feelings for her captor. Her only comfort is both a gift and skill she possesses with her bow and arrows.
She finds herself using her gift to get revenge in ways she had only dreamed. Will Sol be the cause of her
demise or is he her savior?
This book has plenty of secrets and lies. It’s full of blood and gore and angst. While Brave is not a Fairy Tale I’m all that familiar with, and it isn’t my favorite of the sinister collection so far, this was a pretty good re-telling. For me it probably has more to do with the fairy tale itself (since I have never seen or read the original)and not the writer. The writing was great. The details were plentiful and described perfectly as to capture the reader’s attention, the story flowed quickly and I read the book in just a few hours.
I liked Moira’s character and though my heart was broken for her and her mistreatments, she was actually a tough cookie. Her skills with the bow and arrow were unmatched and she ultimately was able to get her own redemption. GO Moira!!
Now, Sol. I’m not sure I was prepared for that level of deception. From him and towards him. The rug was definitely pulled out from under me. But I loved his character, he was definitely the bad guy gone good! Their love story was dark and consumed by desperation and loneliness, but it was tragically beautiful. I’m glad Moira found Sol.
*I voluntarily reviewed an advanced complimentary copy of this book.
My cr8zysockbookblock blog wrap up for this book!
– This is full of details, fast paced and overall a good re-telling.
– The chemistry between Sol and Moira is hot and angry and dark and he’s borderline cruel so that amps up the hotness factor
Cliffhanger Warning- No cliffhanger!
Insolent was Amazing! This retelling blew my mind, it was nowhere near anything I could have imagined. Insolent is part of The Sinister FairyTale collection and it is Magnificent! Rodriguez was a new author for me and she instantly captured me with her characters! This story is told in the third person and I really enjoyed that, everything flowed smoothly and there was no confusion. I don’t often come across books written like this but I feel like this story needed to be told this way. Moira is a phenomenal character, She has endured unimaginable things behind closed doors and It’s wonderful how she still has her spirt and fight in her all the while keeping herself indifferent to the Devil. The quote “Someone who’s demons play well with ours.” really hit me with this book. Nothing comes close to describing Moira and Sol like that quote. I loved them so wholeheartedly. I don’t want to give the storyline or any aspects of this story away so I won’t be going into too much detail. But Sol really gut-punched me! His character appealed to me on so many levels, I loved his “origins”, not only was it a pleasant surprise but I feel that connected me to him. The twists and secrets are blindsiding and heartstopping! The passion and desire is raw and incinerating! One of my favorite points is that Insolent wasn’t “Erotic”, it didn’t need to be. The connection between the character and the plot are so intense and fulfilling that nothing extra was needed. Sinister, Sensual and Savory are the words that come to my mind. Very happy with this read, I finished it in about 3 hours. This retelling was so wonderful and I’m so excited to have found a new author to love. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Oh my gosh. I don’t know what I was expecting but whatever it was, this story surpassed it all. Such a great story. It’s dark and full of life that I had a hard time putting it down. The story flowed so well and the characters are so lovable even with their demons. I don’t have words for Sol. Him and Moira are exactly what they needed in each other and the pieces of their lives coming together was such an exciting journey to witness. The intimate scenes are not completely described and only alluded to but it doesn’t take away from the connection Moira and Sol discovered in each other. This was my first book by Cynthia Rodriguez but it won’t be my last.
“I don’t belong to you, I don’t belong to anyone.”
This is my first book from Cynthia and I have to say I was impressed by her writing. This book is very intense. From the moment you read the intro you will know exactly what fairy tale is going to be twisted. I truly love the sinister dark fairy tales (much more than the happily ever after tales). This another great tale that I’ll be adding to my personal library.
In the beginning we meet Moira as she prepares for her parents to marry her off to a suitor of their choosing. Moira is not at all pleased and in fact resents her parents for their lack of compassion or love towards her. When Sol enters her home with his men her life completely changes. She is taken by him but treated kindly at times and others coldly. She is confused. Does he want her or is she his prisoner? Even Sol doesn’t know that answer, all he knows is that he hates himself for not hating Moira and when “she” finds out that the problem isn’t taken care of will this be the end to their HEA or will they fight together to be able to stay together?
5 glorious stars this was amazing on the edge of your seat perfect, my first book in the fairytales and I couldn’t get enough the characters are mesmerizing with all the twists you never knew what was coming next in their dark world and Sol and Moira were very intimidating and scary at times lol but what strong developed characters and the dialogue extremely vivid. I loved it.
The pull they had toward each other darkness and light and their history with vendettas and abuse was so awful but two strong people just surviving and doing what they must. Bravo !!!