Embrace the magic of the Christmas season with these contemporary twists on timeless tales.Upon a Dream — A rare sleeping disorder keeps Talia from performing, but when Philip recognizes her gift, he’ll do whatever it takes to see her onstage.Claim My Heart — Li Na and Colin Wen face off in a Mulan-esque courtroom battle where the real win might be losing their hearts.A Snow White Christmas — … losing their hearts.
A Snow White Christmas — Sheltered heiress Amala White flees her conniving stepmother’s plans and finds refuge with a handsome orchard owner and his seven quirky uncles.
Christmas Ella — Reality TV meets Cinderella story when a location director is swept off her feet by a rising star.
A Splash of Love — Las Vegas glitz meets Land of Enchantment culture in A Splash of Love, a modern twist on the Little Mermaid.
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What a delightful group of stories! I could not pick a favorite. Each so different, but oh so interesting in how they had a fairy tale theme. Great characters and the stories were hard to put down until I got to the fairy tale ending! I really liked them all! I was gifted a copy. No review was required. My review is voluntary.
Famous fairy tales that are told with a modern perspective, and yet you recognize the story, but they are very different.
Five clean love stories, and I loved that they are all with a Christian viewpoint! Warning they are captivating and you can quickly read one, but like the candy you will be heading to the next one, and they all are placed during or around the Christmas season.
I found this book to be a quick and enjoyable read, and one I would recommend to my friends!
I received this book through the Celebrate Lit, and was not required to give a positive review.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Ok, maybe a little bit early for some of you, but I like my Christmas reads all year round. Throw in a little fairytale magic, and Once Upon a Christmas has a lot going for it.
This novella collection from five authors who each has a unique voice yet meld together well with the theme. It’s fun to read how many elements of the original fairytale each author gets into their stories. There’s a wonderful mix of diversity in this collection and settings in cities, small towns, and the country. Plus, readers are guaranteed a happy-ever-after in each one. It’s hard to choose a favorite in this collection.
Grab a cup of cocoa, settle in by the fire, and cuddle up with this enchanting collection. You won’t regret it.
Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
Who here enjoys fairy tales?
Timeless classic fairy takes told with a modern contemporary twist.
Memorable and fun stories sure to help your holiday season be all the more brighter.
Published October 1st 2019.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.
Once Upon a Christmas is a collection of 5 Christmas stories based on classic fairytales. This is a perfect collection for the reader who enjoys fairy tales, romance and Christmas! Each author brings her own unique writing voice and fun contemporary twist on a timeless story. Each story is recognizable (Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Mulan, Little Mermaid and Snow White), but not written as the same old tale. This is such a fun mix of authors and stories.
Great for readers looking for uplifting stories, a intro into the Christmas season, or just a taste of the writing of each of these authors.
What a treasure! Fairy tales and Christmas. Each of these five contemporary retellings captured my attention with bright, interesting characters in unique situations. The fairy tale motifs are subtle unless the reader really wants to connect them, which I did. Do you like the stories of Sleeping Beauty, Mulan, Snow White, Cinderella, and the Little Mermaid? Well, this collection is for you. I found myself laughing, even when the drama was serious, at the seven uncles in Toni Shiloh’s A Snow White Christmas. I learned something about a real sleeping disease in Andrea Boyd’s Upon a Dream. Such imaginations from all of the authors. Have fun and relax in these retellings as you face the Christmas season. I might just read them again before the Holidays are over.
Upon a dream by Andrea Boyd.
I loved the writer’s description of things and people, very very skillful I must say.
Telia’s timidity because of her condition made her a recluse. But as time went on she learnt to use the talents God had given her despite her condition.
Expectations from Philip’s family made him to sometime only think of himself until his friend Benny confronted him and he met the lovely Talia. I loved how he urged her to let go and use the talents God gave her.
I enjoyed reading about her aunties. They were very remarkable women.
A very beautiful retelling of sleeping beauty. This is my best retelling so far. I love how the writer was able to capture both sleeping beauty and the story in a novella.
I loved the settings of the book.
Claim my heart by Mikal Dawn.
I love the playful banter between Li and Colin. A couple who prays together…
I love how they weathered storms and got to be together. I especially loved reading about the beautiful family connection between Li and her father. And Christmas time mad with all better.
Li and Colin were two people who valued God as the center of their lives and choose to always do the right thing and make amends for their mistakes. I loved the infuse of law firm. Who doesn’t love a beautiful legal story?
A Snow-white Christmas by Toni Shiloh
Awwwwwwwwwww
I have happy tears in my eyes now. This is the best retelling of Snow-white I have ever come across.
Marcus and Amala’s love was so heartwarming and beautiful. I love how lives tragedies threw them into each other’s path. I loved reading about how they both learned to lean on God and prayers. Prayers to me saturated this book and that made it all the more delightful to read and enjoy.
One of deep lesson I go from this novella is to go to God with everything especially our confused feelings romantically we have towards someone or just when we are confused. We should always go to him uncensored. He knows how to make sense of how we feel. After all he put the ability to feel deeply in us and he knows best how to direct it for his glory and our good.
The twist at the end was very unexpected but refreshing to read.
I loved reading this novella.
Christmas Ella by Angela Ruth Strong.
True love always finds a way.
That’s the summary of this story to me.
Pax and Ella were from two different worlds but because they loved each other they found a way to be together.
I loved reading about how Pax defended Ella from harsh comments from his family and even the world. I loved his sincerity and protectiveness over her. He has eyes only for her and that was adorable.
The sacrifices Ella made for her family were so heartwarming. She valued family and that was enough for her.
The settings of the book was good.
A Splash of love by Jaycee Weaver.
This was a very beautiful splash of love. Brie and Derek’s story was awesome. A testimony to the fact that distance can not stop love.
I loved reading about how Brie dealt with her bad stepsister with love and patience. She did all that was required of her and still managed to have time for herself.
I loved reading about Derek’s family. Such a sweet family to have and be around.
Together they conquered and got to be together having their dreams come through.
I received a copy of this book for my honest opinion. All opinions expressed here are mine.
Happily Ever After…modern day retelling of our favorite fairytales spun around Christmas. I loved how each author wove God’s love into their stories. It’s like Hallmark Christmas movies came early…loved each unique story.
I was provided a complementary ARC by the author, but was not required to make a review. My opinion is my honest review of the book.
This collection of fairy stories retold in contemporary settings is delightful. I highly recommend reading Once Upon a Christmas if you like fairy tales.
A sweet collection of fairy tale retellings
My rating is 4.5 stars
Upon a Dream by Andrea Boyd
How do you retell Sleeping Beauty and have it make any sense at all? Were you wondering that?
Andrea Boyd came up with a fun concept to make this work. The very rare disease Talia has (so rare you can’t find anything about it on the internet!) causes her to sleep suddenly and sometimes for weeks at a time!
There were some interesting tie-ins to the fairy tale and enough deviations to make this story original and enjoyable.
Claim My Heart by Mikal Dawn
I want to see Mulan all the way through. Or so I keep telling myself. Yet the two times I’ve sat down to watch it, I’ve drifted off to sleep. So, yeah. I can’t say it is among my favorite of the fairy tales. . .
Claim My Heart is a fun twist on the story. A legal Mulan. Interesting. I know enough of the original story to appreciate the many tie-ins, including a friend of Colin’s nick-named Mushu.
This was a fun story and the first I’ve read by this author. I now want to read more of her books.
A Snow White Christmas by Toni Shiloh
I have come to know that if a story is by Toni Shiloh, it will be a great blend of romance, fun, and spiritual truths. This retelling of Snow White was no exception. It was unique in the events and the translation from the familiar story into this version where Amala flees from the worst kind of “family” and discovers what love and family are all about.
Christmas Ella by Angela Ruth Strong
In a fun twist, this Ella isn’t the one with the stepfamily.
Read my review of Once Upon a Christmas by Andrea Boyd, Mikal Dawn, Toni Shiloh, Angela Ruth Strong, Jaycee Weaver at AmongTheReads.net
I was given a copy of this book. I was not required to give a favorable review nor was any money received for this review. All comments and opinions are my own.
These authors have managed to combine three things I love into one bundle of happiness – Christmas, reading, and fairy tales. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say this is THE best set of Christmas novellas I have ever read – and I’ve read quite a bit! Every single story in this set deserves high praise for its creativity, ability to pull the reader into the story, and making a big impact in a short amount of time.
Fairy tale retellings can be tricky, especially when you’re trying to give them all a Christmas theme when it doesn’t belong. Let’s face it, some of these tales don’t exactly scream Christmas. At the end of each story, this reader was feeling as if Christmas should have always been part of the story. I have to commend each and every author for their ability to alter things just slightly to give it that magical Christmas feel. Yes, you could see the original tales throughout the pages – I knew what each story was without even looking. But these talented authors added their own flare, their own spin, and their own punch to each one.
I am so very thankful that these ladies decided to team up and bring these stories to life. And hopefully they understand that I’ll be expecting more from them come next Christmas But until then, I am going to reread this several times as we grow closer to the holiday season. And then I’m going to dive into some of their other books, because I know they are all fantastic authors. I highly recommend you do the same!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a favorable review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This book is like 5 Hallmark movies within its pages… easy, sweet, and predictable in the best of ways. It honestly took me a little bit to really get into reading them, but the stories kept getting better and added a few twists. This is a good, easy and festive read ready for the holiday season.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Readers Copy of this book.
What a fabulous collection of contemporary fairytale retellings all set during Christmas!
Upon a Dream by Andrea Boyd
This was my first time reading one of Andrea’s books and it definitely will not be my last! This story was so fun and absolutely delightful. Sleeping Beauty is one of my favorite fairytales and this was a super intriguing and wonderfully unique take on the classic story! I loved every minute! I was absolutely fascinated by the theater aspect of the story! I loved Phillip and Talia, and her aunts were a total hoot! Highly recommended.
(5 Stars!)
Claim My Heart by Mikal Dawn
What an incredibly fun and enchanting story! I must confess that I have never seen Mulan, so this is the only novella in the collection that I was not familiar with its original fairytale, but that did not in any way hinder my enjoyment of the story! Li Na and Colin were such awesome characters! I couldn’t stop smiling while I read this novella, and I loved everything about it! Highly recommended. I cannot wait to go back and read Mikal’s novel, Count Me In! (And I totally plan to watch Mulan soon!)
(5 Stars!)
A Snow White Christmas by Toni Shiloh
Ahh, this story! *blissful sigh* It’s absolutely phenomenal! There isn’t a single thing about Amala and Marcus’s story that I didn’t absolutely love! I felt like I completely melted into this storyworld, and I did not want to leave when it was over, in fact I’m already itching to reread it! This novella made me so happy, and I had the biggest grin on my face when I turned the final page! Love, love, LOVED IT! A Snow White Christmas is not to be missed! Highly recommended.
(5 Stars!)
Christmas Ella by Angela Ruth Strong
Such a super fun and original take on Cinderella! I loved Ella and Paxton, they made such a great couple, and Paxton is totally swoon-worthy! This story was so much fun to read, that I didn’t want it to end! This is only the second book by this author that I’ve read, but I absolutely love her writing style and author voice, and cannot wait to read more of her books! Christmas Ella is an awesome read that I so enjoyed! Highly recommended!
(5 Stars!)
A Splash of Love by Jaycee Weaver
Absolutely fantastic! I truly loved all the novellas in this collection, but A Splash of Love is tied with A Snow White Christmas for my favorite of the collection!
I’m pretty sure this is the first Little Mermaid retelling I’ve ever read, I was so excited to read it, and it had me totally spellbound from page one! I loved this story SO MUCH! Brie and Derek were such fabulous characters, and it was an absolute joy to watch their romance develop! This story completely swept me away, and I totally felt like I armchair traveled to Las Vegas, and Albuquerque right alongside the characters! I also totally loved that this story is splendidly written in alternating first person POV, as first person POV is one of my favorite things! I couldn’t stop reading this story and absolutely loved every minute of it! Highly recommended!
(5 Stars!)
I received an ebook copy of this book from the publisher which did not influence my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions are one hundred percent my own.
If you’ve ever loved fairytales and Christmas, then this is the collection for you! This set of cute stories is all retelling of some of the most treasured fairytales.
These stories are written by different authors and each has a sweet flair of their own, however, they all take place around Christmas and have a wonderful holiday feel.
The authors are all fantastic storytellers and will capture your heart and give you warm fuzzies.
Another aspect I loved about this collection is that throughout each story the authors brought out tender truths of God’s love. These were sweetly written and not at all pushy. The characters were real and relatable, even if they were sort of like the fairytale characters.
It was such a delight to read, and as I started reading this collection, I got into the mood for all things Christmas. It was just what I needed to get into the holiday spirit and now I want to decorate my house!
I highly recommend you pick this collection up, it will bring a smile to your face and warm fuzzies to your heart!
I was given this book by the publisher which did not influence my review in any way, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
This collection of Christmas stories and fairy tale retellings was so much fun, I did not want them to end! I loved every single story by these amazing authors, a few of whom I have been fans of for a long time, and a couple of new to me authors!
If you are a fan of fairy tales, you will absolutely enjoy this collection, I highly recommend!
“Once Upon a Christmas” is a collection of five novellas by Toni Shiloh, Andrea Boyd, Mikal Dawn, Angela Ruth Strong, and Jaycee Weaver. Each novella is a modern twist on a fairy tale: Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Mulan, Cinderella, and the Little Mermaid. I found each story in this book really entertaining. All of these authors did an amazing job of making it easy to tell which fairy tale they were retelling. I thought they all were very creative. I have to say I especially liked that they all took place during Christmas time. I am a big fan of Christmas and I loved the cover which is why I wanted to read this book. I have not read any novellas or novels by these authors before so I was also excited to find new authors that I would want to read more books by. Even if you are not a fan of fairy tales I still think you would love these stories.
This review is for the first novella in the collection: “Upon a Dream”, by Andrea Boyd.
3.5 stars
“No wonder she’s so shy.”
Most people would love to have an excuse to enjoy extra sleep; but for Talia Rose, what many might consider to be a blessing, feels more like a family curse. Riddled with a rare sleeping disorder, she has changed from a lovely outgoing girl into a semi-reclusive young woman. . . until . . . one Christmas, her beloved aunts decide that it’s time for the Grand Rose Theater to perform a quintessential fairy tale once again, Sleeping Beauty.
Enjoy this lovely, romantic twist on a classic tale!