Ondine and the Soldier ~ Review

Ondine and the Soldier 

Once by a Shore 

By Sienna Peake 

Captain John Hubert is not a sailor, but his mother insisted that he retrieve her possession from a ship that has partially sunk. Well, things being what they are, he's less than thrilled about the whole thing. He's recovering from a wound and really should not be doing this errand she insisted upon. But while on this errand, a storm comes up, and non-sailor that he is (plus a small boat), it does not go well.

Ondine has always loved the sea, and when the weather gets stormy, she loves the wind and the waves. But when she finds a man washed ashore, she finds herself in a new friendship with this stranger who has lost all his memories. The only thing he has to call his own is the clothes he was wearing, much too fine for a common fisherman. 

Romance seems possible, but what if his past holds unexpected surprises or danger? 

This was a fun and delightful read. One that I recommend for tweens and up who are looking for wholesome romance but don't expect the journey to be all lollipops and roses. I love that this is a read-in-any-order series with the sea being the binding theme throughout.

I was provided a complimentary copy with no expectations. All thoughts expressed are my own.

About the Book:

Get swept away in this seaside, fairytale romance

Captain John Hubert is home from war, sent to retrieve a mysterious parcel from a wrecked ship along the coast of Cornwall. When an unexpected storm arrives, John suffers an injury that causes him to lose his memories. After he is discovered by the kind daughter of a fisherman, he finds a new life and new love. But when his memories at last return, will he lose all that he has gained?

Ondine Kellow was discovered as an infant and raised along the Cornish coast. She has often dreamed of adventure, and it arrives in the most unexpected form--a strange man washed ashore. After Ondine and the stranger form an attachment, new discoveries arise that threaten to tear them apart. When she at last adventures beyond the borders of Cornwall, will she find the love she has long been seeking?

Ondine and the Soldier is the first book in the Once by a Shore series of Regency fairy tale retellings inspired by water-based fairy tales. The stories in the series are clean and wholesome and can be enjoyed in a single afternoon. Each story is a stand-alone work and may be read in any order.

Available on Amazon.com

Feathered Thief ~ Release Day

Feathered Thief

All That Glitters

By J.M. Stengl

This book was a delightful retelling that featured to young people who developed a bond and were to marry. But then something happened and all seems lost as the kingdom falls beneath a curse.

Princess Helena isn't like the other princesses. No she longs for adventure and outdoor activities. And somehow the prince she despised has feelings for HER! Even more extraordinary he likes her for who she is and not for forcing herself into a version of herself dictated to by expectations.

I really enjoyed this retelling of The Golden Bird. The characters were fun to get to know and I really liked Helena and Kazik. Helena reminded of Meriada from Brave, the Disney animated movie.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations but that I provide my honest opinion. 

About the Book:

A bungled curse divides childhood sweethearts, a bird steals priceless apples, and one brave maiden hunts down her past. Can Lenka remember her prince in time?

Young Princess Helena of Żyrardów despises her tormentor, Prince Kazik of Ostrów, until the day she realizes the boy actually likes her and friendship blossoms. In time, their royal parents arrange a betrothal, but first the princess vanishes, then the prince, and the entire region falls under a strange curse.

Five years later, a girl known as Lenka the Archer tends a lonely golden-apple tree and wonders who she really is. Serving in the King of Trinec’s magical garden is a worthy position, but how did she and the tree come to be there? When golden apples go missing and the king’s two sons fail to identify the thief, the task falls on Lenka, who surprises a golden bird in the act. Instead of shooting it, she receives from the bird one golden feather and cryptic guidance.

The princes go in search of the elusive bird but vanish. So, at the king’s order, Lenka must bring back the golden bird, the apples it stole, and the two missing princes. While disguised as a man and guided by a talking fox, Lenka takes on multiple challenges and finds friends in unexpected places, but nothing goes as planned.

Will the stolen princess find her true self and her beloved prince? Can they rescue their land from its hopeless tangle of magic and mayhem?

Feathered Thief is a no-spice magical quest of love and loss, betrayal, lovable golden treasures, a snooty animal guide, and a romantic happily-ever-after.

In All That Glitters, fairytales clash with forbidden love, quests glitter with danger, and swoon-worthy rewards incite every risk. Magic is deadly, love can be costly, and not all that glitters is gold. Featuring twelve captivating tales of forbidden romance, high-stakes adventure, and no-spice swoon, this series turns every fairytale on its crown, revealing that treasure isn’t always golden or glittery…sometimes it’s something far better.

Release Day! Golden Lotus is Now Available

It's Release Day!

 Golden lotus is now Available!

eBook cover

Hardcover

Paperback and Large Print editions coming soon!

She can never leave her home.
He must battle a forever winter to save her.

Years ago, Mala sacrificed everything, including her freedom, to become the guardian of a concealed glen and the golden lotus sheltered within its spring. Confined to this concealed glen, she is isolated from the outside world until someone breaches its boundaries.

Abandoned by his mother, Thorn found a sense of belonging in his grandmother's loving embrace and his friendship with Mala. A friendship that can only be experienced while he sleeps.

A forgotten evil, driven by jealousy, seeks to take over the world by attacking the spring and unleashing an unending winter on everyone. Standing in the path of this evil is Mala, who has no idea of the danger she is facing.

Now Thorn's unique bond with Mala might be the world's last hope for survival. But in this race against time, he must face winter's raging elements. Can he break Winter's deadly grip, saving the woman he loves, and enable a rebirth only Spring can bring?

Golden Lotus is a combined retelling featuring tropes such as good vs. evil, the chosen one, the hero's journey, perilous quest, self-sacrifice, friends-to-lovers, and the power of love.

Spring has sprung with these seven swoony sweet retellings. Each novella finds its happily ever after amidst themes of rebirth, hope, and new life. Each book is fully independent and can be read in any order.

Golden Lotus, an origin story of the House of Sorah, is set in the same world as Arabella's Song but hundreds of years earlier. It can be read as a standalone title.

Available on Amazon!

Click here to buy it on Amazon