What if Beauty tricked her ordinary sister into taking her place with the beast?
Sister to Beauty if the first in my Sweet Historical Fairy Tales collection (non-magical settings). It takes place on a lavender farm in Provence and features Celeste, a stubborn, near sighted heroine.
I’ve always loved the story of Beauty and the Beast, but as a middle sister, I really did get tired of the youngest sister getting all the attention in stories. Also, I never really thought it was realistic that a ridiculously beautiful sibling would be smarter, sweeter, or harder working than the other children in the family. It made a lot more sense to me that such a person would be spoiled and over-indulged (enter Celeste’s sister, Isabelle). Add a hard working war hero who thinks a beautiful wife will solve his current business problems, and there’s plenty of room for conflict, misunderstanding, and a slow burn romance.
An unwanted bodyguard, an underestimated sorceress, and their powerful, mutual dislike.
Disillusioned is the first chronologically in my Love and Sorcery series. The books are related but have stand alone plot lines. They can be read in any order but would probably be enjoyed more if read in order.
Lillian is a character that came of my general opinion that nice girls are often overlooked and underestimated. She’s definitely not the angsty warrior princess type. Because she’s considerate of others and has a generally sweet disposition, no one ever guesses that she’s one of the most powerful sorceresses in the world and can scare grown warriors witless. Her defender, Dan, certainly doesn’t guess at her ability and is beyond irritated that he’s been assigned to someone so useless in battle. He and Lillian practically loathe each other when they meet. If you’ve read this, you can tell I love watching dislike transform into appreciation, respect, and even more.
An arranged marriage to a dangerous man calls for an escape plan. Too bad his kisses are completely addicting.
Baited is the second book in my Love and Sorcery series, and takes place about twenty years after Disillusioned. It can be read alone but might be enjoyed a little more if read second.
I love arranged marriage romances but often find the circumstances a little too convenient. I’m also not a fan of insta-love. With Baited, I wanted a tough and clever female lead who’d have strong motivation to give this marriage idea a chance. Reylen is definitely not impressed with Matthew when he shows up at her door to save her (and her family and the entire town), and she has her own ideas about what needs to happen. Matthew wants to win her affection, and he also doesn’t want to find her knife lodged in his heart. I admit I was pretty mean to him, but like Reylen, he’s tough, so he can handle it – hopefully.