Monday, December 27, 2021

A Couple of Villains Ever After Reviews: The Baker and the Wolf & Carabosse and the Spindle Spell

About the Book
A mysterious stranger, an enchantress grandmother, and an overprotective mother. Can Cerise trust any of them?

Cerise DuBois might as well be invisible. Not even her scarlet cloak attracts male interest, and her mother begins to despair of snaring a husband for a boring middle daughter with no magic ability. If not for her baking talents, Cerise would be a hopeless burden on the family.

Or so she believes until a dark man with eyes like gold appears in the family bakery to deliver an invitation from a grandmother she has never met . . . and real trouble begins. What if everything Cerise believes about herself and her family is false?

Unlike other men, the stranger gives Cerise his undivided attention, yet he has a habit of vanishing when she needs him most—for example, when a huge black dog (surely it can’t be a wolf) follows her through the city park.

Worst of all, he claims that if she follows the magical path to her enchantress grandmother’s cottage, her entire world will change. Should Cerise trust this fascinating foreign mage, or will he eat her alive?

Available in Kindle Unlimited at time of posting

MY THOUGHTS

This was a sweet Little Red Riding Hood retelling that kept a smile on my face. The romance moved a little fast for my liking, but it is a novella, so that's not all that surprising. I loved the baking aspects of the story. All the yummy desserts made my mouth water and stomach growl.

I will say that while I was reading it, I was completely into the story and enjoying it, but as soon as I put it down, there was no sense of urgency for me to get back to it anytime soon. It was a cute story, I just wasn't as invested in it, or the characters, as I wanted to be. I guess that's just the way it goes sometimes.

THREE STARS
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About the Book
Shy but magically talented, Princess Carabosse only wants to help her people as they face the looming threat of the Warlock King and his daughter, Aurora. Aurora was gifted from infancy with fairy blessings that make her the most lethal magic-user the world has seen in centuries . . . and she wants Cara’s kingdom.

The only hope for fighting off this deadly threat is the loyalty of the twelve Dragon Lords. They have sworn allegiance to the Briar Crown. But when the crown falls into Aurora’s clutches, who will the dragons serve?

Armed only with a humble spindle and a gift for spinning magic, Cara alone stands against the Warlock and his daughter. Will she find unexpected help from the twelfth Dragon Lord, handsome shape-shifter Torald? Or will the vows he swore to the Briar Crown force him to turn against Cara and serve the beautiful Aurora?

Available in Kindle Unlimited at time of posting.

MY THOUGHTS

I've been wanting to try this author for a while now. I just didn't know where to start. All of her books sound so good. That's a bookworm's dilemma, though, lol! I'm glad I ended up picking this one. It's a standalone retelling of Sleeping Beauty based on the ballet, not the Disney movie we all know and love. I'm not familiar with the ballet version, but that didn't hinder my enjoyment one bit. It was so good! The magic system was intricate and so fascinating and the characters were great. I was surprised by how fully fleshed out and three-dimensional they were with such a short story. If you're a fan of retellings, I definitely recommend checking out this story. I'm excited to read more from this author.

FOUR STARS

2 comments:

  1. Both of these sound good to me...but then you know how much I like a fun fairy tale retelling. :)

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    Replies
    1. Right? There's nothing quite like diving into a good, fun fairytale retelling. :)

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