fairy tale retelling

Review of A rose in the shadows by Angela White

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Synopsis:
And Beauty arrived at the Beast’s Castle… A new contemporary novel for a tale as old as time

Following her father’s death and bereft of economic means, the young Annabelle moves to Vermont to become the curator of a private library. Among snow-covered mountains, she finds a fairytale castle and a frosty welcome. Annabelle eagerly devotes herself to the work, but a mystery surrounds the owner of the manor house. Who is this Declan Lions? Why are there no photographs or portraits of him in Lions Manor? What is the reason for his withdrawal from the world, surrounded by a solitude that only his boundless wealth can guarantee him? He does not want to meet her. But, nevertheless, Annabelle feels an extraordinary presence beside her…

Annabelle Mayfair has disturbed my peace, the way a stone tossed into a pond shatters the stillness of the surface. And, like that stone, she will be swallowed up, deeper and deeper into the darkness of the abyss. I hate her because… she is so beautiful. Very beautiful. The things I could do to her… the pleasure I’d make her know. Would she be afraid, I wonder? I doubt that she has already discovered what a powerful aphrodisiac fear is. I want to hear her say my name. Yes, I want my name on those full, soft lips, still slightly apart in such a seductive way. The things she could do with that mouth…

Inspired by the acclaimed and beloved fairy tale, A ROSE IN THE SHADOWS is a STANDALONE, CONTEMPORARY and very HOT romance novel with a happy ever after.

Review:
I thought I would like this book from the beginning note about it being for the girls who would have chosen the Phantom, and I wasn’t wrong. Though sometimes a bit slow and definitely more sex filled than anything, this novel does well to show how sometimes tragedies make you want to hide from the world and the right person can make you want to return to the light. The spice in this is absolutely superb. There were some cases where the word usage didn’t seem to match the tone of the story or just seemed to be arbitrarily thrown in to elevate the novel since Annabelle is supposed to be such a lover of words. As a dance person, the overuse of the word arabesque drove me crazy. White clearly used Annabelle’s stepfamily as caricatures and I do believe that was well done, however, Annabelle herself was left as merely being a sweet, uneducated girl that didn’t really seem to have much going for her- some might even go so far as to call her a Mary Sue. That being said, her innocence still called to Declan, and their romance and heat was worth reading.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯

Review of To Wear a Fae Crown by Tessonja Odette

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Synopsis:
Every young woman dreams of wearing a crown.
But never a fae crown.
Because the crowns of fae are forged with blood.

Being the forced bride of a fae king was supposed to be torture. King Aspen was supposed to be my enemy.

But I was wrong about him. So wrong I think I might be in love with him.

With our wedding just three days away, we are closer than ever to securing the treaty between the humans and fae. But when my past becomes grounds for invalidating our alliance, war looms yet again.

I’m the only one who can save the Fair Isle. To do so, I must give up the man I love. Return to the human realm. Face death.

I swore I’d do anything to save my people. But who are my people? The answer should be easy. The humans. There’s just one problem.

I might not be human after all…

To Wear a Fae Crown is a romantic fantasy, perfect for fans of The Cruel Prince, ACOTAR, and Kingdom of the Wicked. If you like snarky fae, brooding royals, sizzling romance, and fierce heroines, you’ll love this breathtaking fae fantasy.

*NOTE: This series is Upper YA/NA and contains sexual situations, moderate steam, and some violence.

To Wear a Fae Crown is the second book in The Fair Isle Trilogy. Finish this epic fantasy tale with book three, To Spark a Fae War! The Fair Isle Trilogy is set in the same world as the Entangled with Fae series and takes place twenty years earlier.

Review:
Aspen and Evelyn are both so… unused to being in relationships and communicating that there are so many times that you think everything will fall apart and would be absolutely perfect if they just named spoke! This book was a quicker read than the first in the trilogy because I absolutely could not set it down. That being said, most of the tension in this book was from lack of communication and the classic desire of a protagonist to be a savior. Many times, no matter what she’s been advised to do, Evelyn insists that she is willing to sacrifice herself in order to save others, even despite being told multiple times that her life wouldn’t accomplish what she thought. Working around the angst, Evelyn manages to still go on a fairly impressive adventure, finding what is and isn’t worth fighting for, and that she does have a fair few allies.

I absolutely adored the way magic was described in chapter 5, “It is more about intent than it is about tangible action. All magic is.”

The difference between Seelie and Unseelie is contentious, so I quite liked the explanation of, “You don’t want your true nature suppressed or for your freedoms to be taken away. That’s what being unseelie means.”

That being said, looking forward to seeing how the third book in this trilogy ties everything together!

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯

Review of The Book Witch by Melanie Karsak

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Synopsis:

A bookish witch struggling to tame her magic.

A single father fighting to keep his business afloat.

They say opposites attract, but there have never been two more opposite people than Stone Schneider and me. Stone, the brawny owner of the Chancellor Brewery and Biergarten, is my definition of nemesis. His noisy pub is a constant source of irritation. Where my bookshop brings beauty and stories to the world, Stone brings a Friday-night cover band.

Even though Stone has the most adorable, bookish child on the planet, that handsome tapster and I cannot find a way to get along. If Stone could stop being annoying for five seconds, I might ask him out. But when Stone breaks yet another business agreement between us—just in time for the holiday season—all bets are off.

Despite my coven’s warnings, it seems like just a little book magic would do the trick to bend things my way. But in Chancellor, magic has a mind of its own, and Lady Winter will have her way this Christmas season.

Meet Paige and Stone in The Book Witch, a delightful holiday-themed, sweet, clean romance set in the magical small town of Chancellor. The Book Witch is a stand-alone novel in a shared quirky, magical town.

Review:
What a beautiful and sweet story. This book is brilliant, showing how ending a relationship can look and screw your life up from the standpoint of dating and the convoluted nature of a family breaking apart. I quite enjoyed seeing how Paige gets on with Stone’s son, and how absolutely brilliant Oliver is, as well as Stone rejoining the world and finally stepping up to see how things have been progressing in life since he buried himself in work. It was certainly the first time I’d seen that type of transformation for a Beauty and the Beast retelling, and it was very sweet and subtly done. I loved Paige’s magic, as well as Mother Redbone, and like all the Chancellor books, I wish it’d been a bit longer.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of The Glass Gate: A Retelling of Cinderella by Hanna Sandvig

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Synopsis:
Sometimes all a girl needs is a good dress and some magic shoes.
Prince Charming is optional.

My goal was simple: create a killer fashion design portfolio, win the scholarship to the school of my dreams, and never have to clean my step-family’s house again. I just needed some inspiration. Something to set my portfolio apart from all the other up-and-coming designers. A little fashion magic.

I didn’t expect literal magic.

But then my friend dressed me up like a fae princess, and whisked me away to Faerie. The food! The dancing! The dresses! This was just the inspiration I needed, so when the crown prince asked me to stay and be his fake girlfriend, I jumped at the opportunity.

Prince Tiernan is gorgeous and charming, but I’m just a part of a plot to find his bride. That’s fine by me. I’m just here for the fashion. No messy feelings. On the other hand, it’s very hard to not have my head turned by a boy who gives me a dragon egg.

The longer I stay in Faerie with Tiernan, the more caught up I get in the magic of his kingdom, and I start to believe the stories we’re spinning for everyone. Stories of magic and sacrifice and maybe even true love.
I can’t lose sight of my goals. I need to win that scholarship. Putting my heart on the line for a prince and his kingdom is just too risky. Am I brave enough to try? Maybe if I find the right dress.

Where’s a fairy godmother when you need one?

**If you think Ever After is the best Cinderella retelling, because they actually get to know each other, or that Project Runway would be improved by having a baby dragon, try The Glass Gate! This is a sweet, stand-alone retelling of Cinderella, set in the Faerie Tale Romances world**

Review:
This book is very much along the same lines of Ever After, where the prince doesn’t show his true self much of the time. Ella is an amazing girl with a lot of stress on her plate. I quite like that she has real problems that are not solved just by going to a fantasy land with different responsibilities and expectations, a very accurate depiction of how many people face mental health problems and that it’s alright, and better, to be open and talk about them. I love the world Sandvig has created and all the different types of fae; the connection to both Celtic, German, and Japanese folklore/fairy tales. I love that Ella has goals and dreams and ambitions, but also finds what she really had needed all along. I especially loved how Ella came across the name Cinderella in this retelling, as I’d never seen a retelling use that reasoning and I quite liked how it very much fit in this story.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Desperate Measures by Katee Robert

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Synopsis:
Once upon a time, I was a sheltered princess.

On the night Jafar takes everything from my father, he offers me a devil’s bargain—walk with my freedom and nothing else, or attempt to best him and regain my inheritance. In my arrogance, I play right into his hands. I foolishly assume I have a chance to come out on top. I’m wrong.

Now Jafar owns me, body and soul.

We fight during the day, but when night comes, we play out every fantasy I’ve never allowed myself to admit to having. I can’t hide them from Jafar, though. We know each other—and the dark desires we share—far too well. He sees to my every need, no matter how carnal or extravagant. It’s almost enough for me to be happy…

But a gilded cage is still a prison, and I’ll do anything to obtain my freedom—even betray the man I’m falling for.

Review:
This book was a great romance novel with some properly described BDSM elements. The heat between Jafar and Jasmine is tangible, and it is easy to believe she wanted to trust him and let him give her what she was never allowed to have: a man who actually supported her and her ambitions to move forward in life. While the intertwined fairy tale/myth elements were interesting, especially the use of Rajah, I feel as if this story was quite brilliant and very much could have stood on its own without trying to draw people in with the fairy tale element; that being said, I’m almost certain that’s why I was originally drawn in to purchase said novel.

The one issue I did have was how rushed the ending/climax felt. It seems unrealistic that Jasmine would have changed so quickly to become a much more assertive and self assured person willing to force her position on others, especially given the multiple instances where she’s mentioned/felt/shown that she isn’t that type of person and didn’t have enough life experience/knowledge to be able to do such a thing. That being said, I did very much like the ending, it could have just happened in a more convincing manner.

If you like fairy tales, like the morally grey villain, and like well written smut (romance) then I’d highly recommend you read this.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Dance of Kings and Thieves by LJ Andrews

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Synopsis:
Dreams will become nightmares…

To take her place as rightful queen, Malin Strom stands by the side of the Nightrender and his guild of thieves in the fight to take a throne she never wanted. Now, as warriors from distant kingdoms answer their call, a new battle begins.

But when dark fae side with the Black Palace, Malin and Kase are forced to take drastic measures if they are to have a hope for victory: forge an unwilling alliance with a cruel sea fae, draw out a cursed beast they thought long dead, even risk the lives of everyone they love by twisting the memories of fate itself.

For Kase and Malin, this fight could be their hard-fought salvation…or a vicious end to everything they love.

Welcome to the final stand in the Eastern Kingdom. Where the stakes are higher, the battles are darker, and the romance is spicier. A wicked spin on Cinderella comes to a head in the final battle of thieves and kings.

Review:
This book had everything! Adventures, risks, stakes! Seeing all of the characters relationships develop and deepen was amazing; the characterization and depth thereof is one of Andrews strong suits for sure. Getting to see more of the characters we know and love from our first three books as well as how they become very tightly knit with Malin and Kase was brilliant and super sweet. I absolutely loved seeing Lumpy’s friend once again. The writing in this was absolutely superb. Even when you thought you knew everything and all the marks, there was still a couple of chapters where everything appears turned about and it really threw me for a lark in the best possible way.

I cannot wait for this series to continue and as I got towards the end I thought, if it didn’t continue with a story for Ari I’d be quite upset so I’m super excited to get to hear more about our former rebel king and current Northern ambassador; I’m only sad I must wait until February to read more!

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Game of Hate and Lies by LJ Andrews

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Synopsis:
When wicked men first took the boy she loved, she was a child.
Now they’ve taken him again, but this time…she’s a queen.


For weeks, Malin plotted and schemed with the kingdom’s cruelest crooks, the Nightrender and the Guild of Kryv, to infiltrate a wicked masquerade.

They survived. They escaped. Most of them.

To the underbelly of the kingdom, the Nightrender never made it out of his own scheme. To Malin, he’s only Kase, the man who owns her heart, and who is once again a prisoner of their enemies. Malin and the Kryv will stop at nothing until he’s free. Even if it means claiming her birthright to a throne that brings death and war.

But when they discover Kase has been locked in a cruel spell, Malin must find a way to steal his new twisted memories before he is lost to them for good.

The only trouble is when Kase looks at Malin, all he sees is an enemy with a death sentence.

Return to the vicious world of the Eastern Kingdom. Part Viking, part Cinderella, the battle continues with more schemes, spicy romance, and epic adventure.


*Author Note* This book contains the spiciest scenes yet in this series. As a member of the mom-of-a-teenager club, I would recommend those who are not old enough to vote to read responsibly. There are open-door love scenes.

Review:
Could not wait to see what happened in this one. It really did a great job of showing how in politics and war you have to have patience and slowly follow a plan to get results. I could definitely feel and understand Malin’s pain as she had to work so very hard to get Kase back. While seeing Malin and Kase together and how they found each other again was quite epic, there is also great loss in this book that made me quite sad. I’m already fairly far into the next book in this series, because this series is just amazing and perfectly binge worthy.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Night of Masks and Knives by LJ Andrews

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Synopsis:
Wicked men stole the boy she loved. But when she found him again, he’d become more wicked than them all.

Malin Strom has been searching for Kase, her childhood sweetheart, since he was lost at the annual masquerade years ago.

With her gift for stealing memories, Malin crosses more than one dangerous line to take secrets from those who know what goes on behind the curtain of the wicked festival.

But when her brother is traded into the masquerade as punishment for using magic to hide Malin’s gift, her only chance to save him is to enlist the services of a brutal crook—the Nightrender—and he bears a striking resemblance to a face from the past.

No longer the boy she knew, her lost love, Kase, now rules as the amoral leader of brutal thieves. Pulled into his world of tricks and schemes, tantalizing attraction returns, but so do the secrets behind Kase’s disappearance, and the masquerade.

When their plan to save Malin’s brother takes them back to the dangers of the festival, painful betrayal forces Malin to face a cruel choice: save her brother’s life? Or give up the thief who has always held her heart.


Filled with luscious world building, spicy romance, and epic battles, this first book in the Eastern Kingdom is part Viking, part Cinderella.

Review:
This book had me drawn in from the beginning. Kase might be dark and lost in his own pain, not wanting to let others in because they could be hurt, but Malin was willing to do whatever it takes to free not only her brother but Kase as well. Seeing the two try to reacquaint themselves and deal with the darkness that people often face (though perhaps not to that extreme) when growing up and taking on more responsibilities. I absolutely love this well developed world where no one is a stock character; everyone has hopes, thoughts, dreams, ambitions. I also love how Andrews ties in fairytale elements without mimicking the plot of said fairytale. There is more spice in this book than some of the previous ones but it isn’t overly descriptive. I absolutely adored this book, and have already started the second in this series (technically the 5th in the Broken Kingdoms series). Highly recommend.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Crown of Blood and Ruin by LJ Andrews

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Synopsis:
War begins. But secrets have the power to end…everything.

Fallen princess. Traitor. Queen.

Forsaking her people and her birthright, Elise Lysander takes her place at the side of the new fae king of a broken land. Revered by some, hated by many, Elise’s fight for her love and freedom is only beginning.

As secrets of Castle Ravenspire come to light, Elise and Valen discover their enemies hold more power than they ever imagined.

It will take more than blades to defeat them.

Fulfilling a dangerous request from Valen’s imprisoned brother. Destroying a prophecy of fate kept in the hands of Elise’s brutal sister. And an unwilling alliance with a shadowed thief from a neighboring kingdom that might end in victory or more death.

Blood is calling. War will answer.

But for Elise and Valen this fight could be their hard-fought salvation…or a vicious end to everything they love.


Filled with luscious world building, banter-filled romance, and epic battles, this final book in the Northern Kingdom is part Viking, part fairy tale. One-click to start reading today.

*This is the final book in Elise and Valen’s love story, however, more tales will continue in the Broken Kingdoms. Romance and spice increases and is recommended for readers 17+ for the remaining books in the series.*

Review:
What an epic ending to Elise and Valen’s story! I will say I did expect most of the ending. I hadn’t expected a lot of the middle of this book, or the setup for the second one, but this book was quite epic. Highly immersive and you want to keep reading to figure out exactly what happens next. As we know, I love Beauty and the Beast, so I was quite happy to read this. I really loved the growth of all of the characters throughout the three books and how they developed both strength wise and opening up. I have already started the next book, and look forward to finishing it!

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Court of Ice and Ash by LJ Andrews

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Synopsis:
She chose him. He chose revenge. But some choices have deadly consequences.

When Elise agreed to break a vicious curse over the man she loved, she never imagined he was a lost fae prince. But Valen left her to carry out vengeance for his slaughtered family. So when she joins the outlaw fae in their uprising against her own sister, all Elise wants is to forget the prince who holds her heart.

But fate has a different plan.

Reunited in the rescue of a mutual friend, Elise and Valen are forced to decide where they stand in the battle of crowns. As their passion reignites, so too do the dangers threatening to pull them apart for good: a strange magical blight infecting the land, betrayal by one of their own, and a devastating secret not even a fae prince saw coming.

The wicked game for the right to rule has begun. But who will save Elise and Valen from a dark magic with the power to destroy their love forever?

Review:
Elise is stuck in a horrible situation where she must fight for justice, and while she wanted to do so with the man she loved, instead she has to go on as if he hadn’t destroyed her. Seeing Valen fight himself and his true desires was very validating. This book is well paced, hard to put down, and I could not wait to read more. Absolutely loving the twists and turns, and so very glad for how it came together at the end. Of course I’m already on the next book, which would say I do highly recommend this…


Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯