The Spinning Wheel

A unique fairy tale re-spinning the story of Arachne with a satisfying ending. I have not read any of this author’s books before, so I’m pleased to discover a new writer to follow in the future. I love these kinds of stories. The Spinning Wheel is entertaining, well-written, and offers a sweet romance.

Two twelve-year-old boys opened the creaking door of the dark and spooky Shepherd’s Cottage. Edward, Prince of Aramaya, nudged Maximus Edgewater farther inside the one space that the King had forbidden them to explore. Were the stories of Shepherd’s Cottage true? In the dark corner was an ancient loom with delicate spider webs all over it – and in the center was a huge, magnificent spider, shaped like an hourglass. Edward admired the beautiful webs that glistened like diamonds. He stopped Maximus when he would have attacked her with a broom. Maximus, descendant from a long line of warriors sworn to serve and defend the crown, felt it was his duty to protect his friend, the future King. But Edward held him back.

Edward explained that his father claimed the spider that lives here is Arachne, cursed by a goddess to spin her webs for all eternity. Arachne was a master weaver and probably the best who ever lived. She had challenged Athena to a weaving contest and this was her punishment for her arrogance. Edward wanted to see for himself if the tale was true. The tapestry hanging in the great hall of the castle, the fabled tapestry of Arachne, was the one allegedly woven by Arachne. When the spider moved toward Edward, Maximus swung the broom to kill her – saying it didn’t matter since legend said she could not die. But all life was precious to Edward and he ordered Maximus to never come here again without him.

With war coming to Aramaya, Prince Edward was occupied by keeping the castle forge running day and night to make weapons and armor. He contracted with the smithy and he and his guards rode to look at land on which to build his mother’s dower house. With Edward’s being crowned soon as his father lay dying from a battle wound, he didn’t have time to marry for love, so he had decided to marry a commoner. Whoever he chose, it would be for the good of his kingdom. He even considered the blacksmith’s daughter because, if she became the future queen, the blacksmith could be a powerful ally in recruiting men to fight for him in the King’s Legion. Maximus countered that marrying a foreign princess would form an alliance and give him immediate access to trained soldiers. Edward told him there was no guarantee marrying a foreign princess would strengthen them, where it made more sense to build their own forces from within their kingdom with men who were vested in the outcome. But first, he had to tear down the old Shepherd’s Cottage, show his mother the beautiful land where her house would be built, and THEN ask her to let him suggest a commoner bride rather than a foreign princess. His only regret was that he couldn’t save the beautiful webs, unique pieces of art. But he had to do this for his kingdom.

When the Prince approached the cottage, someone was cleaning it! The woman spoke to a squirrel and tossed it a nut. The Prince was insulted that she addressed the squirrel before him! Didn’t she see the coat of arms his soldiers wore? Why was she occupying a building owned by the royal family? And why was she still ignoring him? The man helping her apologized for not introducing her as she ran inside to get cloth she made for his wife in payment for his help fixing the cottage. When she came out, the man introduced her. She looked Prince Edward over carefully, then said he didn’t look as she had remember him! But she claimed she had seen a painting of him as a boy. When he told her he was going to take the cottage down, she was horrified. She knew he loved this cottage – but how could she reveal her knowledge without giving up too much information? Who indeed is Ariana? And what are her intentions?

This was a very good story, with the feeling of retelling a fairy tale in an entirely different way. Will this be a way to allow Arachne a sort of second chance at happiness? Grab your copy and immerse yourself into the story as you’ve never heard it before! The characters are delightful and the pacing is perfect. Enjoy!

I enjoyed the characters and found the story interesting. I loved the Prince/Commoner aspect of the story. It seemed a bit drawn out and long for my taste though. I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review.

The Spinning Wheel
A Common Elements Romance
R.C. Matthews

Great story. I loved this tale of lessons learned, and trying to be a better person. The characters were great, and the story captivating.