Thus with a Kiss I Die by Christina Dodd

The delightfully irreverent eldest daughter of the not-so-ill-fated Romeo and Juliet returns to sleuth another day in fair Verona, in this hugely entertaining historical mystery series with a refreshingly bold premise. “Woe, for I am the bug that meets the windshield's might, No longer the speeding glass, smooth, clean and bright . . .” You’re right. I, Rosie Montague of Verona, am lousy at iambic pentameter and Shakespeare speak, but you get the point: Sometimes you’re the windshield and sometimes you’re the bug. I, who for my whole life, have cruised along, unruffled by life’s trials, am suddenly smashed flat and speeding recklessly up the WhattheHellHappened Highway. Why? you ask . . . I’m 20-years-old and by my own design, never been wed, free as no married woman ever is. I’m beautiful, but without conceit, for Juliet, my legendary Mamma is the most gorgeous creature to ever walk the earth. Just ask Romeo, my legendary Papà. (Rumors of their deaths were premature.) I was heartwhole until I fell (literally) in love with Lysander of the House of Beautiful. But our love was not to be, for I was thwarted by Escalus, the Prince of Verona . . . who had designs on me. I’m trapped. Then! I’m presented with a solution. Escalus’s father, Prince Escalus the Elder, appears to me. He tasks that I find his killer. Did I mention Elder is a ghost? Given that I only recently dispatched Verona’s first serial killer, I’m less than pleased. Yet Elder promises to unite me with my One True Love, so I gather clues. Meanwhile, revolution threatens, for beneath Verona society’s glittering surface lurk dark shadows—and an enemy eager to make me a tragic heroine in my own right . . .

Christina Dodd was born in July 14. Her father died before she was born, and she was raised by her mother, and her sisters, 10 and 8 years older than she. Christina attended college in Boise, Idaho, where she met her future husband, Scott. They had three children. She has lived in California, Idaho, and Texas, but she and her husband currently reside in Washington with two dogs. Her debut was the romance novel "Candle in the Window", that won the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Award for unpublished authors. Published since 1991, her novels regularly appear on the bestseller lists of The New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly. She has won numerous awards, including the prestigious Romance Writers of America's Golden Heart and RITA Awards. Her novels have been translated into eighteen languages.