My Gingerbread Ever After: A Fairy Tale Fantasy Romance

by Erin Bedford

Ever since my grandma ate those kids, witches have had a bad reputation.

My plan?

1. Make a candy store
2. Provide curses for scorned women
3. Get yelled at by cursed prince

That last one I didn’t plan and now I had to run all over the candy forest to change the prince’s… ahem… back to normal.

Though I didn’t know what he was complaining about. Women love candy canes!

Genres: Christmas, Romance, Fantasy, Fantasy Romance, Adult, Novella, Romantasy

280 pages, Paperback

Published February 3, 2023

About the author

Erin Bedford is an otaku, recovering coffee addict, and Legend of Zelda fanatic. Her brain is so full of stories that need to be told that she must get them out or explode into a million screaming chibis. Obsessed with fairy tales and bad boys, she hasn’t found a story she can’t twist to match her deviant mind full of innuendos, snarky humor, and dream guys.

On the outside, she’s a work from home mom and bookbinger. One the inside, she’s a thirteen-year-old boy screaming to get out and tell you the pervy joke they found online. As an ex-computer programmer, she dreams of one day combining her love for writing and college credits to make the ultimate video game!

Until then, when she’s not writing, Erin is devouring as many books as possible on her quest to have the biggest book gut of all time. She’s written over thirty books, ranging from paranormal romance, urban fantasy, and even scifi romance.

Also, third person is really weird when writing about yourself. Just putting that out there.

Come chat me up!
www.erinbedford.com
Facebook.com/erinrbedford
twitter.com/erin_bedford

Don’t forget to follow me on Goodreads, Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube!

Reviews

[Deborah Scv · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was the literary equivalent of eating raw cookie dough you thought would be sweet, but instead it gave you salmonella and regret.

It read like a 15-year-old discovered smut, grabbed a gingerbread-scented candle, and said, “I, too, am an author.”Spoiler : they were not.

The writing was subpart, the “banter” was just endless insults foreplay and got old real fast, the storyline was pretty much inexistant and predictable, the smut was so cringe my husband defo ain’t getting any tonight…

And they fell in love in three days, THREE DAYS ! My Amazon packages take longer to arrive !

Also, why is it called My Gingerbread Ever After when I’d be absolutely blind drunk if I took a shot every time “candy cane dick” was mentioned?

[Dakota · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yeah, so that was super fucking fun.

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm usually really strict with my review copies. I have to know for at least 90% certain that I am gonna like the book. I have to admit that in this case I wasn't too sure. Mostly because when a dick turned into a candy cane is the main plot point I get a little afraid that it's gonna be the only plot point combined with a lot of sex. But I trust Erin Bedford. I trust that she can write something hilarious and fun and still give it a little more. So, I grabbed my copy from BookSprout and dove in.

I was not expecting to read this book in one sitting. It was such an entertaining and easy read that I flew through it and before I knew it I had reached the end of the book. And yes, the candy dick was the main plot point. And yes, there was quite some sex in this book. And yet I did feel that there was also this little bit more. Mostly because as a reader you actually do know that this is more than "just" sex. This is sex with feelings.

I also really enjoyed both main characters in this story. Of course it's clear that deep down they actually like each other from the start. I guess the prince kinda enjoyed someone talking back to him and having to work to get some romantic attention for once. And secretly our witch does enjoy his arrogance and confidence. But I most of all liked how they also dared to confront each other with fears, worries and doubts.

The ending of the book felt a little rushed. I'm normally not a big fan of epilogues that don't really add much to the story, but in this case I would have loved that extra chapter to see for myself that we were leaving both characters in a good place. However, I did love that the last few chapters of the book totally fitted our prince and witch, who they are and how they handle each other. I'm pretty sure the kingdom is gonna have quite some trouble with these two in the future.

Speaking of the future: This book screams for spin-offs starring the side characters we met in this book. I really hope Bedford is willing to revisit the world to tell us their stories!

[bell · Rating 2 out of 5]

saw a tiktok about this and so i took one for the team to find out how a candy cane d*ck was supposed to work out anatomically. it was not a literal candy cane. just a normal appendage but was cursed to gradually turn into candy cane substance the more the prince slept around?? and then it shoots out red and white??

plot was all over the place too bc first the witch just is selling curses and candy and then she wants to make a mould of the prince’s d*ck so she agrees to help him break the curse she inadvertently caused and then suddenly theres a werewolf and a vampire in the woods trying to mate her??? and then the prince falls in love with her after trying to save her from vampire????? sir what

read this only for the spice and turn off ur brain then its fine

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: I received an advanced review copy in exchange for my honest review.

I hadn't thought much to what this book would bring...I knew a tiny bit of the plot but dived in for what I hoped would be a fun read.

Having finished? It was a REALLY good read! The characters and the dynamic was fun. The evolution of the relationships/interaction between the main characters and even secondary made the story itself interesting at each part.
I'll avoid spoiling the plot secrets or ruin any moments - that's not my way...

What I can say? I liked it...so much I hope we can revisit this world. I wanna know what happens to the secondary characters? I wanna know if there's more adventures for our Witch & Prince? Erin Bedford has a way to giving us a great story, simple - yet complex enough to keep you interested in each chapter. The bonus? The world we get in a single novel always leaves us wanting more of the world she creates....this book does all this.

While I've enjoyed many books by this author over this years...this little novel just has this feeling of simply GOOD story that I feel comes from a passion of the author's that is a gift to us readers. So to make this long review short: I totally recommend reading if you enjoy fun, cheeky humour, adventure and a dash of love. Oh...and who wouldn't feel like something peppermint after finishing this yummy story! ;).

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[nerdy.bibliomaniac · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this with a group of fellow book lovers to get into the holiday season.

I have been in a slump all month, mainly due to just being drained and not at all due to options for reading. My brain just couldn’t focus to the level that was deserved. That being said, this was an adorable and unhinged ride. 🤣

A smutty Christmas romp if ever there was one. You have witches, princes, werewolves, and vampires…a candy filled forest and candy canes all over the place. Mmm to that peppermint goodness. 😉

Nice quick read and highly recommend!

[Alicia J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh man. This is hilarious. A prince with a candy cane dick, and apparently it tastes like peppermint. I enjoyed the adventure the witch and the prince embarked on to find the ingredients to cure him of this candy-filled body part. Very quick and fast paced and the other characters was entertaining to read about as well.

[Stephanie Luu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve never fallen in love with the premise of a book more — every part was comedic laughter and the shock factor in every sentence was crazy. The prince said some pretty questionable stuff that I have beef with, but his brand of humour caught on with me in the latter half of the book.

[Cleocutie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun take on a classic fairytale. The villain, or-in this case- the granddaughter of the villain- gets a say and a chance to redeem herself in this book.

[Samantha McLane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Candy Cane Stick

I want a candy cane prince!! I loved this book, I couldn't put it down! 5 stars. It was dark, sexy and just the right amount of sweetness (ha get it)

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

“How could I hate someone so strong, so resilient. Someone with such a mouth on her.”

When people told me this was a good, smut-filled book that is perfect for this time of year, I didn't know what to expect.

...Oh.
Yeah...

It was packed with all sorts of smut. From the very first chapter (even though that was milder, I mean.. creating candy dicks? 👀 hello).

I will say, I do think this book didn't give me the biggest "Christmas" theme, only the fact that Tara, the main witch and protagonist of the book lives in a Gingerbread house.. and the book is all about a candy cane dick. That's it. A book about a candy cane dick. I don't think i'll ever really be able to look at candy canes again without thinking about this book, haha.

But the premise of the book was so amusing to me. Tara, gives a curse to a woman who asks for one to use, without thinking much about it. But then the prince arrives at her shop, accusing her of cursing him and his precious "goods" to turn into a candy cane. He demands that she fixes him, thus they go on an adventure to find the various tools and ingredients to create the potion to fix the princes small sticky dilemma.

As the story progresses, however, the smut begins to smut, the spice begins to s p i c e, and with it, the feelings start to feel. I love love LOVED it. The book really did not take itself overly seriously, but the plot was actually really enjoyable. I liked going through the various areas, and running into Tara's various friends (both good and bad).

Tara wanted nothing more than to live a life alone, but when the prince rocks her world, literally, she knows she can never be with him. Who would want a witch to be their queen? She and William's banter was so entertaining, heartfelt but so insanely good. I did feel for her when she was trying to push him away. I mean, he's just an arrogant, horn-dog, who will screw anything that moves, right?

As for William, the cocky prince (ha. cocky. plot of the STORY), even though at the beginning was a bit of a bastard, he starts to warm up and naturally is the first to fall hard and fast in love with Tara. He brings her drinks when they are shacked up in her friend Bianca's cottage, and enjoys when Tara teaches him about things like cooking. I did enjoy his character, even though at times he was just a dick. How many dick jokes can I make in one review?!

Overall, this was a VERY good story, and one I would absolutely recommend for anyone who just wants a funny, smut-filled time!

[Ay Oh Be · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's not often that I regret buying a book.

Before: Facebook advertised this novel to me. It sounded cute and fun when I read the synopsis.

During: Uh .... Uh .... I made several notes about the main male character, William, is a misogynistic jackass. If this was a modern setting he would follow Andrew Tate on socials. I also lost count of the amount of times her grabbed her around the neck both out of anger and during their sexcapades. I found him repulsive.
Also there needed to be an editor here. While there aren't spelling mistakes there are a number of misused words that had me guessing (and hoping) about the author's intentions.
At one point I realized I would never want to read this in public.

After: I do not feel the need to read more books by this author.
While I understand people have their sexual preferences this one is definitely not mine. I find nothing sexy about a man who is violent and can't control his temper. Not to mention the frequent use of "whore", "filthy c*nt" and "bitch". Even when she tries to bring in BDSM the main female character, Tara, mentions that she doesn't trust him and that makes it more exciting where I had always been under the impression that trust was crucial to healthy BDSM relationships.
There is nothing healthy about the relationships in these books.
It was a book of red flags and ick factors.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will admit that I got a little tripped up with the MMC, whose language choices and general attitudes I found somewhat off-putting. Prince Not-So-Charming. We all know those guys who are attractive and well-endowed enough to think they don't need to try to develop as people… William reeked of privilege and not in a "red flags but hot" kind of way.

Tara I found hilarious and delightful, so her willingness to put herself on the line and hook up with someone who was such a jerk irked me. I wanted to be the friend to step in and tell her she deserves better.

But against all odds I ended up enjoying the book, and looking forward to the next one in the series. I enjoyed the spice (although William's way of speaking during the act had me pausing sometimes), I thought it was funny and clever quite a bit, and The world felt like a fairy tale fever dream (in a good way).

I wish it had been longer to flesh out the emotional elements more, and maybe given us William's POV, as perhaps his inside thoughts were nicer than his outside ones. I enjoyed it enough that I don't regret the read and I'm interested in the next book and reading more by this author as I liked her writing style.

[jessi_reading_corner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and steamy read

*Read this with a few other book lovers as a fun little christmassy read*

Ahhh, I LOVE Jax, the familiar! It's absolutely full of sass and sarky comments.
The forest had me cackling.
The banter in this was hilariously entertaining.
The name callings that were flung around A LOT had me rolling. 😂
There is so much description at every turn. This book has me rolling through the gumdrops and chocolate wanting more. Really packs a punch for a novella! The development, characters, and everything in between have me enjoying each page.
This book had me laughing so hard tears have rolled down my face. It's difficult to read quietly. The gasps I've gasped and laughs I've laughed!😂
There were a few bits that didn't quite add up, such as the candy cane being broken, yet a normal conversation was happening, and he was... fine? Once we got to halfway through the book, sometimes we weren't making sense in places, words missing, important storyline parts were forgotten. Shame this would have been a 5 star read. It stands with 4 as it is a fun read if you can get past those niggly bits.

[Lo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked this book but also didn’t.

I think my issue with it is that it is very much mistaking lust for love. It also felt like the MMC only started liking the FMC because he saw other dudes wanting her.

I felt like the MMC was very hot and cold- one second he is verbally and physically abusing her and the next he wants to f*ck her.

The FMC I think gets off on being verbally abused. That’s the only way she was wanting him so badly after he literally just said what I am guessing in their world would be considered derogatory things to her?

I enjoyed the overall storyline- it was fun and a very easy read, I read it in one sitting. I just didn’t really see the chemistry. The ending was again supposed to be seen as love but it was just them talking about banging all over the castle.

Storyline felt a little all over the place and rushed in certain parts and not getting a lot of detail unless it was a spicy scene hahaha.

[Ash Juillet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Booksprout for a copy of this book.

I absolutely bloody loved this book! At first, it sounded like crack, but then the comedy began and I couldn't help but laugh and want more of everything. I loved this book so, so, so fucking much that you won't believe it. Note about me: I only swear in a review if it's a book I'm 100% passionate about, so you have to know that this book was utter perfection.

The banter, the chemistry, the filthy, filthy tongue William had, the dialogues, Percy the shifter, Bianca's and Tara's friendship, everything was just beautifully done. I loved the lore woven into this story, and I can't help but want more fairytale erotic romances from this author. I'm definitely going to be on the lookout for more books from Erin Bedford.

[Mersi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t really expect it to be this way and don’t get it wrong, it’s FABULOUS. The chemistry between Tara and William was everything and I couldn’t wait to get the deed scenes which were above all my expectations. William went from wanting to do nothing with her because she was a “lower being” to wanting to spend his life with her and ‘convince’ her that they were meant to be together (as if she needed that much convincing, but girl, I get it).

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Tyler Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fairytale retelling aren’t my thing but I saw this book and decided to take a chance and wow I wasn’t disappointed.

This author knows how to make a fairytale book both realistic and fantasy like all in one go. I was captivated by not only the plot but by the chapters as well. I adored how Tara was written and I loved William even though he wasn’t team Tara at first.

This book was both steamy and funny but perfectly blended that it keeps you reading and forgetting you have other things to do.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Gingerbread Ever After is a completely nutty load of laughable fun. When a curse that Witch - Tara (FMC) sells to a buyer to get even with her boyfriend turns a certain part of his body into a Candy Cane she ends up with an irate Prince William on her doorstep looking for retribution from her. Which leads them both on a caper to cure him of his problem with lots of laughs on the way as well as some steam too.

I really loved the dynamic Tara & William had. It made this book for me. It was a knockout read. Im curious about Bianca and Percy now?

[Bonnie Chisholm · Rating 1 out of 5]

I started this book mainly because it is short (shooting for my goal in the reading challenge) and the premise sounded cute. My mistake. Surely that current 4.+ stars (not a lot of reviews yet) will drop big time . This story is crude, stupid and terribly written. Anyone who thinks this is worth 5 stars, I challenge you to go find yourself a book in your chosen genre that has 500,000 ratings in the 4+ star range, read it and see what hard work, research and quality writing is really like. Just my opinion...

[Bridgette Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I’m honest, I don’t quite understand the title, but this is a solid read. Decently spicy without going off the deep end. I appreciate the fairytale feels. The MMC was a bit whiny to me at the beginning, but I warmed up about halfway through. I wouldn’t say this is an enemies to lovers. It’s more gives more like playground nemesis. It’s definitely a short, sweet, and spicy read that has a playful storyline. I really enjoyed that it wasn’t filled with angst and anguish. This tale is a breath of fresh air.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Erin Bedford and even when the story plot sounded a little bizarre I knew it was going to be a good read! Bedford always manages to take something like a candy cane ahem and make it the most hilarious story you've read in a while. A witch and a prince what could go wrong! This will make you laugh and you won't want to stop reading until the end. The end.....that I think could spin off into more and I hope it does because this was just a great escape!

[Sue Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Gingerbread Ever After by Erin Bedford.
A Fairy Tale Fantasy Romance.
Ever since my grandma ate those kids, witches have had a bad reputation.
My plan?
1. Make a candy store
2. Provide curses for scorned women
3. Get yelled at by cursed prince
That last one I didn’t plan and now I had to run all over the candy forest to change the prince’s… ahem… back to normal.
A good read. Loved the story. 4*.

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was raunchy, silly, and a fun romp through fairytale woods. I'm not sure how Erin Bedford managed it, but she managed to turn a silly idea into a whole novella compete with spice and feelings. A lot of the anachronism really do give you the feeling that this book doesn't take itself too seriously and that's part of the joy of it. It felt like a cross between the game Candyland and a romantic comedy, creating a sticky sweet novel!

[Genia Kuypers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun read! Tara a candy making witch with an affinity for phallic shaped candies is busy trying to perfect her candy cane mold when a woman walks into the candy store seeking a curse for her scorned over. Tara obliges with a very broad choose your own adventure outcome and sends the woman on her way. Unfortunately the man she curses is very displeased with the outcome and sends Tara on a hunt to undo her candy cane curse

[Joanne H · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very heated but a laugh out loud book. So darn funny, I loved it! I couldn't put it down, ha, ha ha! The author has outdone herself with this one. This is about a Prince with a very big problem and a witch trying to help him out.
If you don't mind some sexy parts, then you need to read this book, did I tell you it was funny. Great storytelling.

[Boo · Rating 4 out of 5]

enjoyed

Was an enjoyable read, the enemies to lovers wasn’t too heavy. It was funny because of the candy cane. Although I do wish she was kind of stuck around or the end because of what he put her through. Wonder what would happen if she just pleaded guilty, since he seem to be against her even if it was just an act. And I kind of want more of these characters.

[Ash_Azalea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fairytale retelling for the next generation 😋. Loved the spice, the thrill, adventure, and fantasy. Comical and funny while also being spicy. Slow burn with enemies to lovers and one bed...lots of fun stuff in this story. Worth the build 🔥🔥🔥 Loved it!!.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sissy Satterfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had no idea what to expect with this book, and Wow, it was a Great Surprise!!! The whole story as well as the characters had me up way to late last night, because I could not stop reading it! Original an Wonderful! I Loved It!!! No Spoilers!.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

a witch finds herself in more than one sticky situation after selling a simple curse to a young lady

life in Candiopolis can be very sweet - or bittersweet if you find yourself scorned by a horny prince

Hansel and Gretl meets Don Juan, with humorous twists and candy coated finale.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.