Enchanted by Alethea Kontis
Enchanted is like a fairy tale collection came in and threw up all over the place.
In a good way.
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by Alethea Kontis weaves in and out of at least five different tales rather seamlessly. Reading it is being on a roller coaster, not knowing which fairy tale is around the next curve.
- Monday’s child is fair of face
- Tuesday’s child is full of grace,
- Wednesday’s child is full of woe,
- Thursday’s child has far to go,
- Friday’s child is loving and giving,
- Saturday’s child works hard for a living,
- But the child who is born on the Sabbath Day
- Is bonny and blithe and good and gay.
I’d never read this poem before, so I had to keep referencing it while reading. Thankfully, it’s printed on one of the first pages in the book.
What I like best about Enchanted is that it truly feels like a fairy tale. The writing has a clever bent to it that reminds me of wise fairy godmothers.
Speaking of fairies, Enchanted has them! And humans turned animals because of enchantments. AND… well, you get the idea.
Enchanted‘s plot is full of surprises and while I knew where the tale would basically end, there were a lot of details I miscalculated. It kept me hopping!
My favorite part of the book actually came in the dedication from Alethea Kontis:
May we all be doomed to a happy life.
Indeed.
A Week to Be Wicked by Tessa Dare
I wasn’t really planning on reading A Week to Be Wicked
When a devilish lord and a bluestocking set off on the road to ruin…
Time is not on their side.
Minerva Highwood, one of Spindle Cove’s confirmed spinsters, needs to be in Scotland.
Colin Sandhurst, Lord Payne, a rake of the first order, needs to be… anywhere but Spindle Cove.
These unlikely partners have one week
to fake an elopement
to convince family and friends they’re in “love”
to outrun armed robbers
to survive their worst nightmares
to travel four hundred miles without killing each other
All while sharing a very small carriage by day and an even smaller bed by night.
What they don’t have time for is their growing attraction. Much less wild passion. And heaven forbid they spend precious hours baring their hearts and souls.
Suddenly one week seems like exactly enough time to find a world of trouble.
And maybe…just maybe…love.
The dialogue in this book is fantastic. It’s everything witty and fun and hilarious.
I can’t decide which of these excerpts are my favorite:
“Frightened. Ha. What was that he heard, splashing into the water? Must have been a gauntlet.”
OR
“What’s an ammonite? Sounds like an Old Testament people overdue for smiting.”
Conversation in the first part of the book literally had me laughing. It’s what makes the book shine. Unfortunately, the lighthearted dialogue dims down somewhat as Minerva and Colin feelings start getting deeper (gulp). I couldn’t help but wish some of the teasing had continued, even as subject matter got darker.
Speaking of Minerva and Colin, it’s delightful to watch them throughout the novel. My favorite part of Colin’s personality is that he was able to be hurt. I know that might sound weird but having the hero show some vulnerability was a nice change from the overly macho and seemingly indestructible heroes of some of my recent romance reads.
As for Min, she knows how to do things! She’s got skill, a talent that goes beyond simply knowing how to act appropriately. A burgeoning geologist, she’s an easy character to respect. She knows what she wants and goes for it, however seemingly odd her dream is.
A Week to Be Wicked
The Merchant’s Daughter by Melanie Dickerson
An unthinkable danger. An unexpected choice. Annabel, once the daughter of a wealthy merchant, is trapped in indentured servitude to Lord Ranulf, a recluse who is rumored to be both terrifying and beastly. Her circumstances are made even worse by the proximity of Lord Ranulf’s bailiff—a revolting man who has made unwelcome advances on Annabel in the past.
Believing that life in a nunnery is the best way to escape the escalation of the bailiff’s vile behavior and to preserve the faith that sustains her, Annabel is surprised to discover a sense of security and joy in her encounters with Lord Ranulf. As Annabel struggles to confront her feelings, she is involved in a situation that could place Ranulf in grave danger. Ranulf’s future, and possibly his heart, may rest in her hands, and Annabel must decide whether to follow the plans she has cherished or the calling God has placed on her heart.
The Merchant’s Daughter is clearly a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, just like The Healer’s Apprentice, Dickerson’s first novel, was of Sleeping Beauty. The odd thing is, there’s no mention of its base in the summary. I would have liked that, as it would have cleared up a bit of confusion.
Annabel is a strong character, ultimately unwilling to let current circumstances dictate the ultimate outcome of her life. She’s very easy to admire.
Lord Ranulf, on the other hand, takes some getting used to. He’s tough and disapproving, but underneath is a lot of pain, more than one person should ever have.
The most fascinating aspect of this novel is the Bible. In the period in which this book is set, access to it is incredibly limited. Go into a bookstore today, and you’ll see Bibles of every type: for mothers, fathers, teens, daughters; there’s a specialized Bible for nearly everyone. Seeing Annabel’s desire for access to something that is today commonplace is thought provoking.
The Merchant’s Daughter