Enchanting Thorns ~ Review

Enchanting Thorns: A Sleeping Beauty Retelling
Fairy Tales of Gallia #2
By Ashley Evercott

All Brie wants to do is prove herself to her family. Yeah, that doesn't happen, instead she discovers dangerous dark thorns consuming her world. But as the only human being to see the deadly darkness encroaching on her family's farm, she has zero credibility in her family's eyes. Then she learns that a curse is bleeding through from the fae world into hers. To save those she loves, she must break the curse.

 

Kiss the prince, break the curse, sounds easy, right? Yeah, not so much. All it does is wake Roran, a grumpy prince, who is put out that a human woke him. And now he is stuck with her, and she's trapped in the fae realm. Somehow the prince woke up, but the rest of the fae are still trapped in the curse and the portal between the realms is closed. 

 

These two, Brie and Roran must break the curse and maybe learn to work together. After a less than perfect first meeting that found these two more likely to argue than work on finding a cure for the curse. This is an original take on Sleeping Beauty.  A fun and imaginative story that won't be mistaken for the original Disney movie.  Join Brie and Roran as they step into the unknown to save their realms and those most dear to them.    

 

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:

A Kiss to Wake a Fae Prince, 

A Curse to Destroy the Realms

Brie has always been able to sense malicious auras, and when shadowy thorns consume the forest, she’s horrified to learn that no one else can see the danger threatening her home. Desperate for answers, Brie is summoned by an Enchanter, who reveals she is the only one to save the human world by breaking the spell of a sleeping fae prince–with a kiss.

Roran dreaded the day he would fall under his curse, knowing he would be bound in marriage to whoever woke him. However, nothing prepares him for a human stranger to kiss him awake, and to make matters worse, his entire kingdom is still trapped under the sleeping enchantment. Now bound to Brie, they must embark on a journey to track down the witch responsible for the curse.

Together, they face perilous dangers and unexpectedly find themselves drawn to each other through mysterious dreams. But if they don’t learn to trust one another, the curse will unravel their worlds like a waking nightmare.

Enchanting Thorns is a new adult Sleeping Beauty retelling and book two of the Fairy Tales of Gallia series. Although this story is set hundreds of years before book one, each book is a standalone novel within the same world. Perfect for readers who enjoy no-spice romance, slow burn, magic, and a cupful of angst. Happily ever after, guaranteed.

 

Rosalyn and the Wolf ~ Review

Rosalyn and the Wolf: A Regency Retelling
Once in a Wood #2
By Sienna Peake

This is a sweet Little Red Riding Hood-inspired retelling within a Regency setting. Rosalyn Lennox is expected to marry well. Her parents favor a certain young man, but Rosalyn isn't so sure. In their youth, George Foster was a bully and was best avoided. He has changed, maybe.

Four years ago, Jasper Wooldridge was sent away to join the navy. But the time has left a darkness in his being. Only when he spends time with his childhood friend does the darkness lift. Rosalyn brings back some of the lightness of his youth, but he fears the duties of war have made him unsuitable to pursue her hand. With her parents partial to his childhood nemesis, he knows he cannot win her heart. 

This book has elements from the original fairy tale but presents them in such a way that this story is original. This was an easy read and one that can be enjoyed over a weekend. There are a few tense scenes but nothing to take away from the sweet, clean aspects of the rest of the book. This is a friends-to-something-more, feel-good read that is appropriate for tweens and up, in my opinion. It's less scary than the original tale!

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

About the Book:

What if the wolf wasn't the problem?
Rosalyn Lennox wants nothing more than to please her parents and stay close to home until her childhood friend returns from the navy and makes her question everything she thought she needed in a match.

Jasper Wooldridge is back after four long years at sea, scarred by the realities of warfare and hoping only for a bit of respite until he reconnects with his dearest childhood friend and begins hoping for more.

When an unwanted proposal and a call back to sea interrupt their reunion, will Rosalyn and Jasper find a way to come together?


Rosalyn and the Wolf is a sweet, clean Regency romance inspired by the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood. It is the second book in the Regency fairy tale retellings series Once in a Wood. The books in the series may be enjoyed in any order.


Once in a Wood series--Where fairy tale forests meet Regency romance

Pearl and the Baker - inspired by Hansel & Gretel

Rosalyn and the Wolf - inspired by Little Red Riding Hood

Guinevere and the Three Brothers - inspired by Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Hannah and the Nightingale - inspired by The Nightingale