This Cinderella’s not at the ball to dance. HE’s searching for magic to save his kingdom.Trained as a spy, Prince Asher is confident in his skills. The task is simple, after all. Sneak into the Royal Ball of Glicien, uncover magic secrets the royal family has concealed for years, then escape before anyone is the wiser. But Ash didn’t plan on Princess Beatrix getting in his way at every turn.Bea … his way at every turn.
Bea has striven to be the perfect daughter and heir since tragedy drove her sisters into exile. Now the king’s failing health has left the kingdom vulnerable to political schemes. To protect Glicien and ease her dying father’s fears, Bea must choose a consort. Soon. Unfortunately, only two men catch her attention. The unsuitable and secretive gardener. And the masked nobleman who ran from the ball before she even got his name.
When a magic heirloom goes missing, Bea discovers the two men are really the same person. And he’s the thief. Can she trust Ash to help her save her kingdom and her father? Or will he steal away with her heart, as well as her secrets, to rescue his own parents from the cruel curse of the Grey Enchantress?
If your looking for a clean fantasy romance featuring dragon-shifters, fierce princesses, adventure, magic and happily-ever-after, don’t miss the entire Dragon Ever After series of re-imagined fairy tales.
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Amberlyn Holland
Once Upon A Dragon (Dragon Ever After Book 2)
ARC REVIEW
Ash and Bea
I really like this book and the series so far… but what’s not to like about this great reimagined fairy tale of Cinderella?
Prince Asher of Arendelle is in search of magic to help him overthrow the evil sorceress Vailia who is currently sitting on the throne of Arendelle impersonating his mother. He has been drawn to the kingdom of Glicien because of a rumor that the royal family holds magic. So, he and his two wolf-shifter companions have been working at the palace as gardeners in preparation for the ball that is being thrown to help the heir to the throne Princess Beatrix select a consort before her father succumbs to his illness. And the best way for Ash to get closer to the throne, even though he has already caught the eye of Princess Beatrix, will be to infiltrate the castle as one of the guests.
This is a romantic rendition of the Cinderella tale, woven to fit within the complicated story that is the ruling family of Ardelle. Asher is a wonderful dashing, conflicted hero, who is adorably unsure of himself and knows his duty is to his family, though he finds himself drawn to Beatrix, and wondering about her at every turn. While Bea has found herself attracted to a gardener, while trying to juggle palace life, worrying about her ailing father and the fact that the throne may soon rest on her shoulders, avoiding unsuitable suitors, and trying to appease the villainous Korgeto, a powerful duke in her court, who seems to think he can orchestrate her into doing what he wants. It also has wonderful side characters like Jalverek, the evil sorceress’s former huntsman, now trying to redeem himself with the Ardelle royals he wronged, who is stoic, with a dangerous air, and mysterious, though eager to help. And Lady Everly, Bea’s companion, who serves as her spy, who charms secrets out of all of the guards with the bat of her eyelashes. I would be interested in seeing a possible future romance story with Jalverek and Everly, just saying. I did like that it did have enough elements of the Cinderella tale in it, though reversed gender, while still being its own story. I loved Beatrix realizing he was more than just a gardener, that the mask didn’t fool her at all, and that she had to unravel the mystery around him. I loved that both Beatrix and Everly were smart characters. Why four stars and not five? Honestly, the story felt overly complicated and weighted and sluggish with all of the backstory covering events from previous books, rather than moving forward with its own plot. It kept having to infodump in dialogue, explaining all of the previous events, and it took up quite a bit of the book doing that. I’m betting if all of the complicated backstory got edited out, the book would have been only half the size, if that. Another problem is that this really isn’t a dragon shifter book, even though the series is marketed as being so. It is a fairy tale with a guy who sometimes magically turns into the shape of a dragon when he wants to, mainly for convenient transportation. There are no dragon instincts, the dragon nature isn’t influencing him in any way, it doesn’t seem to boost him in any way, and the dragon form doesn’t really have any real impact on the story. Will I be reading more of this series? The complicated backstory does have me tempted to pick up the prequel featuring Ardelle Princess Kyn, just to see how all of this started.
Fantastic second book to this series. . .
Better than the last!
This exciting fantasy adventure has an interesting storyline that makes it an enjoyable read. It is well written with a fast-paced flow that keeps you interested in the characters. Bea and Ash, the main characters, needed to learn to trust each other and working together. The twists in this adventure add to the intrigue of this tale. I loved this story and look forward to the next installment in the “Dragon Ever After” series.
I received a free copy of this book for an honest review
A delightful action-adventure-romance. Plenty of intrigue. A few momentary hitches between the characters. Several unexpected turns. A fabulous ending.
I received a review copy of this book from a third party. This is my honest review.
ONE ENTHRALLING TREAT
Blazing buzzards boo! Amberlyn hit the ground running with this turbulent tilt-a-world, divvying out some harsh facts, brutal lessons and ruthless pursuits, holding you prisoner from start to finish, skyrocketing this gem to unbelievable heights. Temperament and attributes in layer upon layer that you peel back with each page your drawn into this tangled web so intricately and precise till everything else ceases to exist, noting the intimidating struggles and challenging triumphs, observing the deadly twists and wicked turns unfold, blasting this hot little number to life brilliantly. The characters, banter, dialogue, interactions and charged atmosphere along with relatable qualities and individual traits, blend and flow, adding depth and diversity, transforming into outstanding personalities. The scenes are strikingly sharp with abundant details and graphic descriptions creating an elaborate backdrop so rich and lively it feels as though you’re part of the story instead of on the sidelines. Remarkable job Amberlyn, thanks for sharing this amazing thrill with us.