Review ~ Wickedly Charming by Kristine Grayson

TITLE: Wickedly Charming

AUTHOR: Kristine Grayson
COPYRIGHT: 5/1/11
TYPE: fairy tale retake
PAGES: 352
SERIES: no I don’t think so

REASON FOR READING: Sourcebook offered up the ARC and I love me some fairy-tale remakes

SUMMARY (from Goodreads):
Cinderella's Prince Charming is divorced and at a dead-end in his career, so he opens a bookstore and travels the land ordering books and discovering new authors. Still handsome and still charming, he has given up on women, royalty, and anything that smacks of a future.


Mellie is sick and tired of being called the Evil Stepmother. She did her best by her stepdaughter Snow White, but the girl resented her to no end and made all kinds of false accusations.


Neither of them believes in happily ever after anymore, but both of them believe in happily for the moment...

****You can win a copy of this book (or anybook on the giveaway shelf) simply by leaving a comment with your email account. Lucky winner will be picked next Friday!****

THOUGHTS/OPINION:
This is a fairytale retake on the traditional HEA. First off the wicked step-mother is ticked off that we here on Earth think that she is wicked. I mean after all we never got to hear her own story did we? And what about those Prince Charmings we heard all about growing up as a little girl haven’t you ever wondered about their marriages? Did they really get a HEA? I know I was always curious as a child and would ask my mother the HEA questions with a follow up yes I understand they lived that way but how do you know they did?

Needless to say she would tell me to go to sleep. Ms. Grayson however, has decided to answer the above questions in this cute little romantic story. Apparently not every fairy tale creature or story character does live HEA. In fact Prince Charming is divorced who would’ve thought? Not to mention that evil step mother is in fact not so evil. Did we ever wonder if maybe just maybe her ward/child was evil and drove her mad? So I have to say this book managed to hit all the right spots for me.

I loved learning about the fairytale creatures and their not so HEAs I loved learning how the world of Fairy differs from our world and I have to admit that this was a very cute sweet book.

Don’t go into this book expecting much b/c come on people it’s a fairy tale retake but do go into it expecting romance that is realistic, fairy tale characters, and the thought that fairytales don’t always turn out the way we want.

One of my favorite parts is when Charming is explain to the Step mother Mellie that she has to revamp her image like vampires did you know the sparkling ones LOL I howled at that ;)

Are you keeping it or passing it on? While it was cute it’s not going to be a re-read for me so I am giving away my copy to one lucky reader!

Challenges:
Out Do Yourself Challenge
Sourcebook Arc

Review ~ Beastly by Alex Finn

TITLE: Beastly
AUTHOR: Alex Finn
COPYRIGHT: 2007
TYPE: Young Adult fairytale re-take
PAGES: 304
SERIES: no

REASON FOR READ:
I saw this at the book store and since I’m a sucker for fairy-tale remakes I had to see what the hype is all about.

SUMMARY (from Goodreads):
I am a beast.
A beast!
Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog but a horrible new creature who walks upright. I am a monster.
You think I'm talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It's no deformity, no disease. And I'll, stay this way forever ruined unless I can break the spell.
Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I'll tell you. I'll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and the perfect life. And then, I'll tell you how I became perfectly...beastly


THOUGHTS/OPINION:
Overall I thought the book was okay. It is really the traditional version of Beauty and the Beast (well Disney version anyhow) the catch is the modern re-telling of the story. Beast is a rich, pretty, popular kid at school and Beauty is the quiet shy girl who is also poor.
It worked but wasn’t anything great that really stood out.

THINGS I LIKED:
- I did like the chat sessions between Beast and the other magical creatures out there. They were fun to read.
- I liked that the Beauty wasn’t really a drop dead gorgeous girl she was in fact kind of plane what made her beautiful was her kindness.
- I did like that what made Beast a beast was not just his selfishness but his home life contributed quite a bit.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE:
- The story was just the same old story I saw with Disney I just didn’t expect it to be so average I was really just hoping for something more something that reached out and grabbed me.

Are you keeping it or passing it on? Yes I am passing on this so if you are interested in picking up a copy leave a comment and be entered to win this or any book off my giveaway shelf!

Challenges:
Out Do Yourself Challenge

Reviewing Next:
Twilight’s Dawn by Anne Bishop

Review ~ The Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey

TITLE: The Fairy Godmother
AUTHOR: Mercedes Lackey
COPYRIGHT: 2004
TYPE: Fairytale Re-take
PAGES; 496
SERIES: 1st in the series
1. The Fairy Godmother

REASON FOR READING: Apparently I am on a fairytale kick

Summary : {From Goodreads}
In the land of Five Hundred Kingdoms, if you can't carry out your legendary role, life is no fairy tale…
Elena Klovis was supposed to be her kingdom's Cinderella—until an accident of fate left her with a completely inappropriate prince! Determined not to remain with her stepfamily, Elena set out to get a new job—and ended up becoming the Fairy Godmother for the land.
But "Breaking with Tradition" was no easy matter. True, she didn't have to sleep in the chimney, but she had to deal with arrogant, stuffed-shirt princes who kept trying to rise above their place in the tale. In fact, one of them was so ornery that Elena could do nothing but change him into a donkey.
Still, her practical nature couldn't let him roam the country, so she brought the donkey—er, the prince!—home to her cottage to teach him some lessons. All the while keeping in mind that breaking with tradition can land everyone into a kettle of fish—sometimes literally!
And so begins a whole new tale…

THOUGHTS/OPINION:
This is a different telling of Cinderella and what could have happened. It tells that all fairytales are really happening but due to the Tradition that is forcing them alone. With the help of wizards and Godmothers (as well as bad) they are happening one way or another. Unless a very cunning Godmother can redirect the Tradition in a way that still satisfies the storyline.

Things I enjoyed:
-Elena was a good strong character she knew enough to take care of herself and she was going to no matter how bad her life had been.
-The fact that Cinderella got a chance to be something other than the same old same old was refreshing. The plot was good and strong and I enjoyed watching how Ms. Lackey made her world work and function.
-I like the twist on the fairy tale stories and I liked the explanation of why there are so many.
-The secondary characters were fantastic! I enjoyed the Brownies and the mirror both added just enough magic to the story to make it really cool but not childish.

Things I didn’t care for:
- I didn’t care for the way the fairies are the ones that played a big role in Alexander’s transformation. If he would have come to the conclusions on his own I would’ve been okay but it just was strange one page he was an ass (for lack of a better term) on the next not.
- Also there was no real reason to have this story turn into a romance. Did it add a little extra yeah but not enough to matter.
-The sex scenes are kind of boring and pointless. We didn’t need to know that about them she could have skipped over the scenes and been just as good. Instead they kind of took away from the story and I ended up skipping them

Are you keeping it or passing it on? Passing on it only b/c it was a library book. I may end up buying it though.

SCORE: 8 out of 10

Anything Else: If you like fairy tales you will really enjoy this book it takes a twist on fairy tales and makes them even more interesting
*******

Review ~ Night's Rose by Annaliese Evans

TITLE: Night’s Rose

AUTHOR: Annaliese Evans

COPYRIGHT: 2009
TYPE: Fairytale Re-take
PAGES; 384
SERIES: 1st in the series
1. Night’s Rose

REASON FOR READING: I love the story of sleeping beauty and had to see what she did with the fairy tale.

Summary : {From Goodreads}
For nearly one hundred years, Rosemarie Edenberg has worked tirelessly to wipe the dreaded ogre tribe from the earth. Now the tribe has gathered in London to work a spell that will destroy the scourge of their kind, the one they call the Briar Rose.


Two magnetic men will unite to aid Rose--her mysterious fey advisor, Ambrose, and the vampire Lord Shenley, an earl of scandalous reputation and even more scandalous appetites. One will save her, one will betray her, and both will challenge her to face the past that haunts her.


Once upon a time, she was ensnared in the mists of enchantment, cursed to sleep one hundred years. But this beauty wasn't awakened with a kiss and has never known happily ever after. But with the help of her handsome allies, Rose may find it yet.

THOUGHTS/OPINION:
I have always enjoyed the story of sleeping beauty. So when I found out that this was the main fairy tale this book centered around I got really excited and couldn’t wait to read it. It had some really good parts that I enjoyed.

Things I enjoyed:
-I liked that all the characters were fleshed out.
-Watching Rose’s background come out with the legend of sleeping beauty was heartbreaking (b/c of what happened to her) and yet very well played I really enjoyed the twist on the story.
-I liked that Rose was such a strong character. She was able to fight and yet knew that she wasn’t always able to do it alone.

Things I didn’t care for:
- I have to admit I didn’t care for who she picked it seemed to me he tricked her in a way like the other one did (granted the other man in the picture did something horrible that was way worse) still he tricked her.
- I ended up skipping a lot of the battle scenes after awhile they became the same scene

Are you keeping it or passing it on? Passing on it.

Anything Else: If you like fairy tales you will really enjoy this book

Review ~ Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

TITLE: Princess of the Midnight Ball
AUTHOR: Jessica Day George
COPYRIGHT: 2009
TYPE: Romance
PAGES; 280
SERIES: You know I’m not sure

REASON FOR READING: The ladies over at the Book Smugglers reviewed it and it was one of my favorite fairy tales as a child so I thought I would give it a whirl.

Summary : {From Goodreads}
A tale of twelve princesses doomed to dance until dawn…


Galen is a young soldier returning from war; Rose is one of twelve princesses condemned to dance each night for the King Under Stone. Together Galen and Rose will search for a way to break the curse that forces the princesses to dance at the midnight balls. All they need is one invisibility cloak, a black wool chain knit with enchanted silver needles, and that most critical ingredient of all—true love—to conquer their foes in the dark halls below. But malevolent forces are working against them above ground as well, and as cruel as the King Under Stone has seemed, his wrath is mere irritation compared to the evil that awaits Galen and Rose in the brighter world above.

THOUGHTS/OPINION:
I really enjoyed the sisters and there interactions with each other. However, it did get old having 12 of them in a conversation LOL. Yeah that’s me hard to please. The author was very good at setting up the story and telling it in a way that stayed true to the original myth I remembered as a child but yet added some things I didn’t know like the knitting (or at least that I didn’t remember). Galen was an interesting character and I enjoyed learning more of the Under Stone part of the story.

Things I enjoyed:
-Galen he was not a young man to be messed with after fighting in the war as long as he did. He lost the only family he ever knew but yet still had a sunny outlook on life. He wasn’t one to sit and brood about it or turn into an ass about it either. I enjoyed that even after a hard life he still enjoyed living.
-As I mentioned above the author stuck to the original fairy tale but at the same time managed to bring it to life without altering it too much.

Things I didn’t care for:
- -I did enjoy the 12 sisters but at times it was almost too much

Are you keeping it or passing it on? Passing on it. It was a library book that was cute but not a re-read unless I have children.

Anything Else: If you enjoy fairy tale remakes this one is pretty good.