Once Upon A Fairy Tale Night by Various – A Book Review

Posted August 14, 2020 by Booksandblurbs in Fantasy, Reviews / 0 Comments

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Once Upon a Fairy Tale Night

(A Collection of Retellings)

by May Dawson, Emma Cole, and many, many others
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fairy Tale Retellings, Anthology, Various Romantic Dynamics
Available on Kindle

Down & Dirty

Love Fairy Tales? Romance? This book is HUGE – and on Kindle.

What is it about?

(Blurb from GoodReads)

When it comes to romance, everyone could use a fairy godmother once in a while. Or at least a magic wand.

This hot new collection of fairy tale retellings has it all—enchanting Regency ballrooms, demon-infested forests, billionaire-controlled boardrooms, and dark alien planets. And all our fairy tales come with a twist.

Our heroes and heroines will take you to the depths of hell and the top of the castle’s spire as they move from Once upon a time to Happily ever after.

Featuring a variety of romantic subgenres—contemporary, historical, paranormal, science fiction, reverse harem, and more—these retellings will satisfy your cravings for every style of fairy tale romance, whether you like it sweet or steamy, slow-burn or fast.

Thoughts on Once Upon A Fairy Tale Night

I both love and abhor fairy tales, but fairy tale retellings? Those I can get behind in a BIG way. This collection packs a punch and runs the gamut, from the child of Beauty and The Beast, to Cinderella, The Land of Oz, to a Fairy godmother who isn’t supposed to fall in love… and more. Seriously, no matter your taste or preference, there is something here, and some kind of romantic dynamic to meet it.

Nothing is as the original tales portrayed, but there are familiarities aplenty, or just a starting point – like Mercy’s End, written by May Dawson, which features Mercy, the child of Beauty and The Beast. That story is a prologue of sorts for another tale coming out later, Mercy’s Revenge. It sets up the events that are sure to go down in that novel, and gives foundation for the meetings that have come before. Honestly? I can’t wait to see what happens between the trio of men and Mercy…. and the Assassins Guild, because, of course the land of Beauty and The Beast has an assassins guild. See why I love retellings? You can literally do ANYTHING, and make it work!

The rest of the book is much the same, twisting the narratives and creating new tales built upon the ideas of the former. Many are penned by authors I didn’t recognize, like Pepper Paris or Tina Glasneck – but there were also names I was more familiar with; Emma Cole, May Dawson, Lacey Carter Anderson, just to name a few.

Overall, this is a great collection – offering something for everyone. If you don’t like one of the stories, just move on to the next! And if you LOVE one? Well, following the author is easy enough. Enjoy!

Perspective

Varied

Rating

Adult and Varied

Ending Type

Again, Varied

Romantic Dynamic

Varied…. are you sensing a theme here?

Character Age Range

I’m not even saying it.

My Final Verdict on Once Upon A Fairy Tale Night

I often avoid anthologies, as I prefer more robust stories – in length and completion, yet this thick volume teases as well as satisfies. There is something for everyone here, and it blends well as a theme.