Happily Ever After Collection (A Timeless Romance Anthology, #20)

by Jessica Day George

[sstaley]

I have always loved reading the Timeless Romance Anthologies but this one was so very different from the rest. In this anthology original fairy tales are retold and given a fresh, new twist. I've loved the past few years and how fairy tales have been given a new life with the retellings. Readers will find well written novellas by experienced authors. They are also authors whose work I read quite often so I knew before starting this book that I was in for good storytelling. Also, the cover is absolutely gorgeous!!

It's hard for me to pick which story I liked the most. All of them were so unique and creative. Of course each one held a touch of magic and romance.

I've always loved Beauty and the Beast stories so Black Fern was especially exciting to read. I loved how the "Beast" was portrayed in this story. He was so different from any other I'd read before. The love story is my favorite out of the six in the book.

I also like the fun Western twist in The Mail Order Princess from the original fairy tale of The Wild Swans or also know as The Six Swans. I loved how it took place in America out in the old west.

The Miller's Daughter, taken from Rumplestiltskin, was written with a clever plot that made it exciting and refreshing. I truly liked the courageous Thomas Rumple.

The Pebbled Path was so uncommon and unexpected from the normal Hansel and Gretel stories we've always heard. This story is full of magic and I really loved the couple in this novella.

Scarlett was perhaps the most exciting as Scarlett and August battled against the fierce wolf pack. Their love story was also very believable because of their long history together. By far this is my favorite Red Riding Hood story I've ever encountered.

Finally, So Rare a Power, the story of the Snow Queen who kidnaps Patrick away from Stella wanting the mysterious power that she thinks Patrick has. It was fun to find out what that power was and this story had the best "life lesson" out of all of them.

As you could see, I truly enjoyed reading each story and relishing the joy of reading a book full of fairy tales. No matter your age, there is still something thrilling about getting lost in the fairy tales of old.