Spirits and Pacts ~ Review

Spirits and Pacts:

A Retelling of Rumpelstiltskin and 

          The Phantom of the Opera - Part 2
The Roumaterra Chronicles #3

By Erin Halbmaier

Before you read any further IF you have not read part one Songs and Spun Gold  don't read any further. Part one is a must read.

Five years ago Katy and Axel married after a rather difficult trial. Katy was forced to spin gold after her not so reliable father popped off at the mouth and criticized the king. Yeah not too smart. But it resulted in Katy and Axel marrying one another. 

But Katy made a deal that has her first born child's future out of her hands. The stranger who aided her in spinning all that gold has a claim on her child. But this child will also be heir to the kingdom's throne. Will Axel or the king ever forgive her if she has to give up her child? Of course she must first have a child and after five years the nobles are getting restless about this lack of an heir.

Axel's always been drawn to singing, to his father's displeasure. Five years ago the theater was destroyed by fire and his father refused to allow it to be rebuilt. Even worse Axel lost his mentor. After five years Lottie must be dead, but still Axel hopes to find her.

But something is happening within the kingdom. And that something is a danger to the throne. Until Katy and Axel along with those closest to them can figure out what is going on no one is safe.

I love how the author has carried the Rumpelstiltskin and The Phantom of the Opera theme into this third book in The Roumaterra Chronicles series. The reader is drawn into the story as Katy struggles with her childless state and what it means for her. This book allows Katy and Axel to further grow, but this time as a couple as they must face the choices that they have made. 

There are a few surprises along the way that add another layer to this book and provide a potential avenue for additional books in the series. The book is a clean read that retells two different stories that one would not think of working so well together, yet the author does so in a beautiful work that will engage your imagination.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations but that I provide my honest opinion. All thoughts expressed are my own.

About the Book:

She married the man she loves. But at what cost?

Five years after the fire at the theater and Katy and Axel’s wedding, pressure is building because of their childless state. Katy’s feelings are mixed: the kingdom needs an heir, but the gold-spinning stranger can’t take a child she doesn’t have.

While Axel longs for the stage, he can’t ignore the fact that his kingdom needs him, little as he feels qualified. He tries to shield Katy from the trouble brewing in the council, but more accidents at the theater, a curse no one remembers until it breaks, and physical danger mix with the secret she is hiding.

Can Katy find a way to save their child? Or will the troubles in the kingdom pull her and her husband down with them?

Spirits and Pacts is part two of a clean, no-spice retelling of Rumpelstiltskin and The Phantom of the Opera. It is the third book in The Roumaterra Chronicles, a series of interconnected, standalone fairy tale retellings perfect for readers of Brittany Fichter, Celeste Baxendell, and Annette K. Larsen.

The Beauty and the Griffin ~ Review

The Beauty and the Griffin

Faraway Castle #6

By J.M. Stengl

It's sad, but true (thank you Disney's Little Mermaid) but this series has come to an end. I've loved the Faraway Castle series from the very beginning and each book is better than the last. This isn't to say that the story is necessarily, but rather that the story world that the author has created has grown. 

I love how aspects of Beauty and the Beast are woven throughout this book. In this book we finally get a chance to meet the Gamekeeper of Faraway Castle and get some backstory about the castle and some of the characters. 

And we met Beatrice de Callen who has a unique tie to the castle one that may determine the fate of the world. Beatrice first comes to Faraway Castle as a young girl and through a trick of fate, chance, or design meets a young boy. She forms an almost instantaneous friendship with this young man whom she never sees again. As she grows she forms a friendship with the Gamekeeper and has a series of dreams in which she forms another attachment. I know it makes one think of Sleeping Beauty's I Know You. 

Then there is the Gamekeeper who is mysterious and always hidden in some way. You guessed it he about to have his story brought to life. And what a story it is. Just saying anyone who has read the rest of the books in this series does not want to miss this one!

When Beatrice is called upon to help protect two rare griffin eggs, she answers the call. Little does she realize just what she has gotten herself into - a war that could destroy everything she knows and everyone she loves. These rare griflets are very important to everything, but so is Beatrice and the choice her heart must make.

Did I say I love how everything comes together in this book? And yes you need to read the other books, in order, before reading The Beauty and the Griffin. 

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations but that I provide my honest opinion. All thoughts expressed are my own.

About the Book:

Three romantic dreams.

Two priceless eggs.

One hasty curse that may doom not only Faraway Castle but the world.

Beatrice de Callen, an otherwise sensible young woman, was foolish enough to fall in love with the benevolent yet shadowy mage known as the Gamekeeper of Faraway Castle. Worse still, she broke his heart.

But when traitorous mages steal a powerful fay artifact, magical war threatens, and the Gamekeeper vanishes, Beatrice promises her fairy godmother to help and soon finds herself escorting two telepathic griffin eggs and Winifred, their furious nanny, through a labyrinth of caves in search of the Forbidden Palace. Exhausted, Beatrice falls asleep while snuggling the gold egg and dreams of dancing with a stunning young king at his coronation ball. Have they met before?

Once the eggs guide their humans to the timeless palace, Beatrice is relieved to sense the Gamekeeper’s presence—but Win insists he is the monster that killed the last King of Adelboden!

Beatrice must not only help raise the lively griflets and watch over a girl who hates her, but also save Faraway Castle and the world by breaking a century-old curse.

Only the Golden Griffin can tell her how.

This final Faraway Castle book is an adventurous, humorous, and sweetly romantic retelling of “The Beauty and the Beast” that ties the series together.

Arabella's Song ~ Coming Soon

 Arabella's Song will be released on September 26, 2024!

Arabella's Song is a work of love, a project I thoroughly enjoyed and dedicated myself to.

It was created as a part of the
Arista Lost Kerchiefs Challenge (2023)
hosted by Kendra E. Ardnek.

The theme behind the challenge was retelling the Goose Girl. Creating a totally new story while keeping key elements intact was indeed a challenge. What did or didn't I like about the original? As with all fairy tales, there is a story underneath; capturing that essence was the end goal. 

But what was that essence?
I'll let you discover that for yourself.

I further challenged myself by adding an additional layer by bringing in the Pied Piper of Hamlin.

I hope you will enjoy Arabella's Song,
the first book in the series The House of Sorah. 

The ebook is currently available for pre-order. But if you prefer to wait, there will also be a paperback edition.

Shattered Revision ~ Now Available

 Available Now!

Shattered Revision by Madisyn Carlin 

from The Shattered Lands 

comes a prequel that is 

inspired by Sleeping Beauty.

Beware the truth, for it could cost you your life.

Available to purchase at Amazon

Locksmith-turned-soldier Canon Norr is finally free from war. When his best friend calls in a favor, however, he finds himself stepping right back into danger and potential bloodshed. Protecting the innocent woman targeted by evil schemers would be easy if she wasn’t so distracting and unlike any noble he’s ever before encountered.

Lady Silci Clanna spent most of her life in hiding, but when her people need a leader, she finds herself stepping forward and exposing her existence to those who’ve desired her death since she was born. Can her best friend and a handsome, yet ornery and sarcastic foreigner help her live long enough to see her people finally free from bloodshed and hardship? Or will her enemies finally succeed and end the Clanna line?

As desperation mounts and a malevolent plot is brought to light, Canon and Silci are confronted by danger at every turn. Hope wanes and danger grows, and with it a terrifying revelation—in order for most to survive, one must die.

Shattered Revision is a New Adult Christian fantasy tale inspired by Sleeping Beauty and is the prequel to The Shattered Lands series.

The Shattered Lands
Shattered Revision - Prequel
Shattered Reflection - Book One
Shattered Reaction - Book Two
Shattered Resistance - Book Three
Shattered Redemption - Book Four (Available for Preorder)
Shattered Risk - Novella (Coming late 2025)