Not every fairy tale begins with a prince or a princess...

When Miss Philippa Damson runs away from home to Pomeroy Castle, she is far from a princess...she's an extraordinary beauty with ordinary dreams - to live a quiet life as a nursemaid.

Jonas Berwick, rakish son of a grand duke, has vowed never to wed.
 
He offers Philippa everything - except his hand in marriage.

Philippa has stormed the castle, but now she faces an impossible challenge: to win the love of a prince, she may have to risk everything that makes her a lady.

Will the sacrifice of her honour be too high a price to pay?

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This short story is a sequel from James' A Kiss At Midnight which is the first in the Fairy Tales series. The series is set in Fairytale time with a dusting of the Regency so they aren't as strict when it comes to historical detail and accuracy. You probably want to have read A Kiss... before reading this one but I don't suppose it's 100% necessary.

I'm really glad that Wick got his own story and from the start I thought Phillipa a great match for him. She's that perfect blend of smart and strong but with a vulnerability in her that makes her likeable and relatable. Wick was also a good hero being proud and strong but truly in need of the love of a good woman. The pair had good chemistry and I was rooting for them throughout.

I debated between giving this 3 or 4 stars but decided in the end to be generous. My reason for this indecision was that due to its short nature the declarations of love came a little too abruptly for me. The conflict was also surrounding whether Wick and Phillipa could be together due to their different statuses but when the book concluded this was apparently a forgotten problem.

Overall this is a fun, quick read with characters I'm glad got their happily ever after. It's not the best I've ever read but it's a good read to pass an hour or so.

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novella

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Miss Kate Daltry doesn't believe in fairy tales . . . or happily ever after.

Forced by her stepmother to attend a ball, Kate meets a prince, and decides he's anything but charming. A clash of wits and wills ensues, but they both know their irresistible attraction will lead nowhere. For Gabriel is promised to another woman - a princess whose hand in marriage will fulfil his ruthless ambitions.

Gabriel likes his fiancée, which is a welcome turn of events, but he doesn't love her, and knows, he should be wooing his bride-to-be, not the witty, impoverished beauty who refuses to fawn over him.
Godmothers and glass slippers notwithstanding, this is one fairy tale in which destiny conspires to destroy any chance that Kate and Gabriel might have a happily ever after - unless one kiss at the stroke of midnight changes everything.

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This is the first in James' Fairy Tales five part series. There are also a few e-books that follow on from this story however these and all the rest of the series stand alone and have no connection to each other except the fairy tale theme.

From the first I liked Kate and felt for her situation. It was especially well done that although the stepmother wasn't particularly nice, she wasn't a caricature and was believable in her meanness! Gabriel was a very enjoyable hero and I always like a pair that bicker but are strong enough to stand up for themselves with each other. Together Kate and Gabriel worked really well and I really enjoyed their scenes together and thought the pair had good chemistry.

The story itself ticked over nicely and I loved the supporting characters who were vibrant but never overshadowed or upstaged the main romance. I never had a problem with wanting to pick up this book and keep reading. If I had to make one critisism it would be that there were a few too many Americanisms for my liking. Having said that, at the end of the book the author's note explains that this is set in Fairy Tale land rather than being an actual historical so I'm not sure whether that was a deliberate move.

Regardless, this was a book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I felt the magic and adored watching Kate and Gabriel on the path to their happily ever after.

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383 pages

Fairy Tale Series:

               

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Miss Linnet Berry Thrynne is a Beauty . . . Naturally, she's betrothed to a Beast.

Piers Yelverton, Earl of Marchant, lives in a castle in Wales where, it is rumored, his bad temper flays everyone he crosses. And rumor also has it that a wound has left the earl immune to the charms of any woman.

Linnet is not just any woman.

She is more than merely lovely: her wit and charm brought a prince to his knees. She estimates the earl will fall madly in love in just two weeks.

Yet Linnet has no idea of the danger posed to her own heart by a man who may never love her in return.

If she decides to be very wicked indeed . . . what price will she pay for taming his wild heart?

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From page one I was engrossed with this book. The characters jumped off the page and you couldn't help but love them, root for them and want them desperately to find a way to be together. Linnet was a very beautiful woman and while she was aware of that fact and used it to her best advantage you never got the impression she was spoiled and I liked her from the get go. Piers too could quite easily have been a character that was hard to like with his temper and grumpy demeanor. Quite the opposite was true and I loved him. Together the pair had chemistry and spark as well as fabulous banter and enjoyable sparring dialogue.

The plot was fast pace and kept you turning the pages. This is the kind of novel that you can't stop thinking about when you put it down and want to talk about with anyone that will listen. I was on the edge of my seat during the dramatic ending and I just adored the epilogue. If you're looking for an enchanting historical romance that you can lose yourself in for an afternoon then I would highly recommend this novel to you.

*This is part of James' Fairy Tale series. Each book is inspired by a classic fairy tale but do not have linked characters, situations or locations.* 

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349 pages

Fairy Tale Series:

               

Related novellas:

       

Click to see other books by Eloisa James