Happily Ever Witch

A Kinda Fairytale #6

by Cassandra Gannon

Esmeralda the Wicked Witch is having a lousy week. She’s fallen through a rabbit hole and landed in Wonderland, a cheerful, tea-partying place that no self-respecting villain ever wants to visit. People are threatening to chop off her head, unless she wakes up a sleeping dragon with True Love’s kiss.

And not just any dragon.

Trevelyan, Last of the Green Dragons is the worst villain in the world and the sworn enemy of her chosen family. The guy is 98% Bad and 100% sure that Esmeralda now belongs to him. Soon, she’s locked an enchanted castle with the smirking maniac. If she doesn’t find a way out of this whimsical hellhole soon, Esmeralda will turn that sexy, disagreeable man into a frog. …Just as soon as she’s done falling in love with him.

Book six of A Kinda Fairytale series
M/F
Happily Ever After
Enemies to lovers
Forced Proximity
Fated Mates
148,000 + words
Standalone romance, but both main characters have appeared in other books of the series.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Dragons, Fantasy Romance, Romantasy, Magic, Witches

488 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2024

Reviews

[RLbooks (in and out) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I still love this series, the characters, and world, but this one was a little draggy and repetitive for me. Some of that feel may also be attributed to the fact that the setting is Wonderland, which gets pretty crazy. The characters also have to figure out what needed to be done as well as their relationship dynamic, resulting in treading over the same ground multiple times somewhat. Cassandra Gannon is so creative though and her author's notes always get me. These books have meaning at their heart and Happily Ever Witch is about believing in yourself and being able to do what you think is impossible, including when finding your HEA feels like it is. I read her notes at the end of each book and my heart just wells up with feelings.

On to the wicked witch Esmerelda (h) and the last of the Green Dragons Trevelyan (H)! Both are kidnapped and brought to Wonderland for nefarious reasons, because someone wants to use Trev and he's Esmerelda's True Love, making her necessary for waking him up from the sleeping spell he's under. Of course, Ez doesn't know the identity of her True Love until he's awake and somewhat bursting her excited-to-find-her-True-Love bubble by being his amazingly self-centered, egotistical, and charismatic self. Their banter and bickering were amazing. Ez stood her ground and made it clear what she wanted from Trev and what wasn't acceptable to her. For his part Trev does show growth and eventually remorse (for some seriously sinister past actions) without losing the sparkle that was his infuriatingly charming nature. In addition to them feeling out their relationship, a plot is afoot in Wonderland, Ez's magic is twitchy, Trev's magic has to recuperate, and some old friends also pop in (though one isn't in Wonderland by choice). I laughed a lot and adored the romance, I just wish this had been pared down and tightened up some.

Written in third person, multi-POV (including side characters and villains at times). No ow/om drama (H does initially suggest that he has a free pass for a certain situation that he's curious about and when h also claims a future free pass, H shuts it all down and agrees that their mating will be monogamous, it sounds worse here than it is in the book due to h's quick response and H's quick turnaround) and neither are virgins (I was tired of how often it was mentioned that H slept around, though some of the brief mentions involved references to encounters that weren't truly consensual and he does process the truth of those experiences and his feelings; it's clear h had experience, but no real details given).

Like every other Cassandra Gannon book I've read, this had chaos, hilarity, a lot of possessive/obsessive moments for the main characters over each other, and a lovely romance. I think this one was a little faster of a burn than some of her others with some detail, but not as explicitly detailed as some other romances. I loved Ez and Trev together and that both chose the other, with neither depending solely on the fact that they were fated. They decided to be with the other and some of the conversations they had melted my heart. Trev was esp swoon worthy at times with little special details in how he saw Ez or what he did for her. The found family vibes are also super strong once again, even with Trev and Ez mostly on page just with each other. The way that they talk about those that they care about was wonderful.

Plot-wise, I found some aspects of Wonderland confusing (I'm pretty sure I was meant to) and the villains were appropriately threatening. There's a lot of talking about what Ez and Trev have to do as they go about discovering this new place and its subsequent magical conundrums. There were still action scenes and some gory moments took me by surprise with touches of gruesome violence and deaths. Also expect a bizarre plot to become ruler of all Wonderland and some interesting magic spells. A side plot involving a favorite past character infuriated me at first, but turned out to be awesome and necessary for Trev to make amends. A couple of other past characters make a brief appearance and I loved every moment of that scene. Then a final beloved character shows up at the end and I only wish that she'd brought along her mate on page with her.

The lead up to the climax and then the actual confrontation were action-packed with the last hour and a half of this read flying by. So much happened in the last quarter, it sometimes had my head spinning even as I happily flipped pages. The ending was HEA and once again, made me go aww but also crack up with laughter. My rating for this book more reflects how long it took me to read, with the occasional confusion and the typical typos that pop up, but I truly did have a great time reading this installment of the series and seeing these two crazy Baddies find love and happiness.

[꧁ ༺Minne༻ ꧂ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve been experiencing emotional constipation with this book for months. I couldn't get it off my currently reading shelf for months no matter how hard I tried. I read the series out of order, starting with The Kingpin of Camelot, which I really enjoyed despite its issues. Then I moved on to the other books in the series. Most of them fell flat as the writing grew increasingly, and alarmingly, worse coming to a head in this book. So, now I'm throwing in the towel.

Overall, I love fairytale and mythology retellings, and this had such a promising premise: exploring the question, what if everything you knew was a lie? What if Cinderella was a lying, depraved witch, Robin Hood a jilting coward, the Big Bad Wolf a man who, despite being abused, continues to believe in love, or Midas a misunderstood hero who finally gets his happy ending?

This world is divided into good folk and bad folk, and everyone has a true love. The problem? Bad folk can recognize their true mate at a glance, but good folk can’t, at least, not until they’ve slept with them (how convenient 🤭).

Books I read in the series

➤ The Kingpin of Camelot (A Kinda Fairytale, #3)
➤ My Untrue Love (A kinda Fairytale, #7)
➤ Seducing the Sheriff of Nottingham (A kinda Fairytale, #5)
➤ Wicked Ugly Bad (A Kinda Fairtale #1)
➤ Happily Ever Witch (A Kinda Fairytale, #6)

I only liked the third and Seventh book as they were the first ones I read so, I’m not sure I can recommend the series as a whole. If you’re interested in exploring some retellings, individual books can be a good choice since they can be read as standalones.

[ana :-) · Rating 5 out of 5]

CASSANDRA!!!!!! all you do is win omg girl!!!!!

we’ve been waiting to hear from esmeralda since book! freaking! two!! and in my opinion it was all worth the wait.

esmeralda is: chaotic, funny, goofy, sweet, stubborn, reckless, sassy, stylish, very much herself, a small business owner!!!!!; she contains multitudes and she knows it!! and she made me covet a lot of nail polish colors while i read this so get ready for that.

trevelyan is: EVIL first of all! proud, haughty, heartless, can hold a grudge, powerful, kinky in the best way, loyal, freaking hilarious!!! and stubborn!
he was truly villainous in some of the past books and there are things he doesn’t regret and will never apologize for but… there are things he does! and THE SEXIEST THING HE DOES IS HE APOLOGIZES SEVERAL TIMES, TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE!!! unheard of!!! amazing!!!!!!
you’d think this could go without saying considering the series we’re in and the concept of fated true loves but this man!!! is WHIPPED!!! obsessed!!! HELPLESS AND BESSOTED!!! like he’s on a whole different level idk. i’m still working on my ranking but i think my top 3 goes: midas, trev, nick. DON’T QUOTE ME ON IT THO.

this novel was long but even so, none of it feels like filler or unnecessary. also, i have to say; the romance was amazing, beautiful, 100/10 but even so!! i don’t know if i would’ve loved this book as much without the whacky setting and the side characters!!! even the villains were entertaining?! a highlight for me was the court scene, i kept laughing OUT LOUD in a freaking 3 hour flight.

other highlights without context and hopefully no spoilers: our main villainess having marriage issues and talking them out and also having (lowkey some valid) thoughts about motherhood and womanhood.
a very honest and touching bro scene!!!! it literally healed something inside me 🩷 the hot scenes were… HOT. very hot. they weren’t many of them but CG gave us quality!!! this was also a very aesthetic book and i really appreciate that, very fitting for ez 💚.

—————————————————
Dec. 2023:

the scream i just scrumpt when i saw there was a new cassandra gannon book!!!! and it was the esmeralda book!!!! and its coming out on my birthday month!!!! AAH

[Jess Croft · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fated mates, grump villain who's soft for his lady, banter, and top tier good communication and solving problems as a team. Cassandra Gannon strikes again and never misses.

[Elizabeth]

DNF at 37%.

I had expected to have more hope for Trevelyen by this time in the book. But he is so selfish and GROSS. I CANNOT relate to someone who only cares about himself. And only cares about her because he cares about himself.

I can't do it anymore. There is no sign he can be redeemed to my satisfaction.

[vi.isreading · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love you Cassandra Gannon, but this had way too much plot. Why was this so long?? I've always been a fan of her pacing, she can make a 300-page read like a full-bodied fantasy adventure. The last few in this series are just so long-winded and rambly.

Loved it, just wish I could go through with a red pen.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ⭐️

Oh man do I hate that I read this so fast. I wanted to savor this so much more, but once I started reading I just couldn’t stop.

Trev and Ez are probably one of my favorite couples that Cassandra Gannon has ever written. And while I thought maid Marion was insane (in the best possible way) in the 5th book of this series, boy was I unprepared for the sheer insanity of these two. Gannon is my go to author for reading about characters that are just completely gone for each other. They share a love and passion that you’ll never see anywhere else.

I’m gonna be completely honest, I wasn’t sure how I’d like ez and trev together, mainly because i thought trev would get someone “good”, but their on page chemistry made so much sense. I wasn’t even sure if trev would have been a forgivable character because of what he did to Letty, but after getting the scenes of him in Marion’s book I knew he had redeemable qualities. But it was really hard to read that he went through such horrors that made him that villain. Male sexual abuse isn’t something that a lot of people talk about, but it’s just as horrific as female sexual abuse. The only difference is that when it happens to men (and heartbreakingly enough, boys) it’s practically praised. Does it necessarily make it right to be a psychotic murderous villain, no… but this is a fictional “kinda” fairytale. Let the crazy dragon get his peace.

Esmeralda, on the other hand, was a character I was completely rooting for from the start. I was kinda sorta hoping for her to end up with another woman (that’s just my gay little heart talking), but her and trev were meant to be together.

Okay now my thoughts on the plot, because holy shit was this one on another level of crazy 😂. I’ve watched Alice in wonderland in passing, but I’ve never really thought about reading the books or actually deep diving into the “mimsy” of the place. But this book has completely changed that. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed as hard as I did when I read the courtroom scene. I think at one point I even threw my kindle because I just couldn’t take the laughter anymore. It was honestly so well done and completely unhinged.

Writing unhinged characters and a plot that’s equally as unhinged, but while everything still makes sense and ties together? That’s a fuxking talent. Everything and I do mean EVERYTHING came together to make sense. When there are so many things happening in a book, so many little moments and nuances to a character and scene, you’d definitely be expecting a few plot holes. But to be completely honest, everything seemed to come together to make complete sense. Kinda like what wonderland is supposed to be.

Side note: please read the author’s note. It’s a little longer than most other ones you’ll read, but gives a lot of precious insight to the depth that Gannon has gone to develop her characters. They are real. They have minds of their own. And they will always surprise us. Also she says one of the most important things that everyone should hear:

“And I think that’s what the book is about.  It’s about fighting for all the impossible things you believe in, because a stubborn, crazy-ass part of you just won’t compromise on your happily ever after.”

Never compromise on your dreams.

~~~~~~~

Prerelease review (my pure excitement):

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG IM SO EXCITED GAHHHHHHH

LITERALLY SCREAMING CRYING THROWING UP

2024 IS GOING TO BE AMAZING!!!!!

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars, even though I felt like 3 for a while. But then Trev started growing on me and it got more fun. We have the trademark humor that we have come to appreciate, between the characters as well as from the author.

I enjoyed the nail polish adverts:
Trustworthy Male Clear:-Like its namesake, this nail polish doesn’t exist. Buyers will receive an empty bottle and a deep feeling of disappointment.
------------
Forty Proof Lime: Yep, it’s alcoholic! This frosty-umbrella-drink-colored polish gives you just the strength you’ll need to suffer through another day of dealing with morons.
(Must be twenty-one to purchase or have a reasonably good fake ID.)
Happily Ever Witch Cosmetics Website

I loved how Trev was Bad and had to keep reminding all the baddies that they we ALSO Bad:
Instead, Marrok slowly shook his head. “Don’t do this, Trev. You can be better than this.”
Frozen-hells, the man was exhausting. Trevelyan couldn’t imagine the energy it took to give a troll’s ass about “being better.”
“We’re Bad, you colossal imbecile. This is how Bad people act."

It starts off rough (for me) with a little too insta (which gets way better) and not a connection with the characters. I am glad this is a long book so I could develop that connection. We get to see Galahad and Tris, Scarlett, Marrok, Marion and a few others which was fun.

They meet:
It was… devastating. “I’d always hoped my True Love worked in a record store.” Esmeralda heard herself say in a faraway voice. “And liked black cats, and going to sci-fi conventions, and working on spells together.”
------------
“I always hoped my True Love would be smart.” He intoned. “So, it seems like we’re both about to be disappointed..."

I liked how Ez was (eventually) able to draw Trev out for some "fun":
“Just have fun with it.”
“Fun?” He frowned, like that was crazy talk.
“Yeah. I just defeated an army. I’m in a cheerful mood. I want my two orgasms. Let’s go.”
“Sex isn’t about fun.” He’d retreated all the way back to the balcony’s railing, which showed how antsy he felt. Trevelyan never retreated from anything, certainly not from her. “I’m very serious about my proficiency.”

And how he was able to start teasing her:
Esmeralda wrinkled her nose, realizing what her big transmogrifying spell had actually done. Trevelyan scented the fumes. “Smog?” His brow furrowed, piecing it together. “Log. Hog. Grog. …Smog.”
“But still not a single frog.” She muttered.
His mouth curved, as he finally recognized what was happening with the rhymes. Something glinted deep in his eyes. Some kind of spark. “Regardless, the army was soundly defeated… as if you’d wielded a flog.” He offered in false commiseration.
“Oh, shut up.”
“Why, it was a spell worthy of any blog. Everyone watching was agog!”
“Shut up, Trev.”

They are good together:
If we don’t get back into bed soon, I might die.” That dramatic lament earned him an exasperated snort.
“I haven’t even finished my sandwich.”
Trevelyan quickly grabbed it with one hand and her with the other, eager to get moving. He pulled her into his arms, her back to his front and held up the sandwich.
“Hurry.” He prompted and pressed against her lovely ass so she could feel the direness of the situation. “My life depends on it.”
“You’re insatiable.”
“You’re irresistible.”
“Crap. That line actually just worked on me. I’m embarrassed for both of us.”

I enjoyed how she took no crap from Trev and he rose to the challenge!
“Let’s make another deal. What can I do to get a ‘yes’ from you?”
“I don’t know.” She finally murmured. She seemed calmer. He was winning. He could tell.
“I guess you could try asking me to marry you.”
Simple enough. “Will you marry me, Ez?”
“Nope.” Trevelyan tipped his head back and groaned. “Oh for God’s sake…”
“I’m mad at you, because you’re an idiot. I need time to calm down.” She headed for the cave entrance, black curls bouncing. “Ask again later.”
Shit. Compromising was going to take some getting used to.

I am so glad CG hung in there to give us Ez's story!

[a seductive cactus · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love an evil mmc who is totally besotted with his evil fmc

[aarya · Rating 4 out of 5]

2024 Spring Bingo (#SpringIntoLoveBingo🌷): Once Upon a Time

Of all the Alice-inspired books I’ve read, this is the only one that’s captured the chaos of Wonderland.

[Namera [The Literary Invertebrate] · Rating 3 out of 5]

⤅ 3.5 stars, rounded down because I ended up skimming the last 15%.

Gannon is one of my favourite authors. All her books have inventive plots, sweet romances, and awesomely snarky dialogue. This one certainly delivered all three, but it ended up missing a certain something that I needed to keep me reading.

Happily Ever Witch is long-teased story of Esmeralda, who first bursts onto the scene as a felonious green-skinned witch in Wicked Ugly Bad. I've been dying for her book for ages, especially since I knew her hero would be Trevelyan, who is basically the Big Bad of the whole series. I love a good villain and Trevelyan is unapologetically evil (98% Bad, he'll have you know). But his Bad deeds catch up with him when he falls prey to a sleeping spell, and only True Love's kiss can awaken him.

Enter Es. She's Bad too, but barely, and her best friend Marrok is Trevelyan's sworn enemy. Still, even though Trevelyan isn't the True Love she'd imagined, he's the one she's got and she's determined to make the best of things with him - in between people trying to kill her for the shiny crown that's weirdly attached itself to her head.

I've thought about it for a while, and I think I've pinpointed my issue with the book: any relationship drama is over too quickly, and from like 40% on, it's basically all external action. In some books that's a good thing, but here I just felt like they both fell for each other too quickly and too sweetly, given their pasts. I can see why that's the route Gannon chose, but it did bore me. The fact they're both Baddies who recognise each other straightaway perhaps had something to do with it too.

The external action - madcap hijinks that's a cross between Snow White and Alice in Wonderland - is also very fun but after a while wasn't enough to stop me skimming. Plus, I'm sad there's no Avenant in this book - he's one of the most wonderfully unique characters in romance, IMHO.

As always, keen to see what Gannon writes next (and I reiterate my plea for her to get a proper proofreader, failing which I volunteer!)

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not love this author, this world, or these characters more if I tried. The chemistry between Trev and Ez is so fun, funny and ridiculous that I smiled the entire time I was reading. The story in Wonderland was a little strange but that was to be expected. I loved visiting with old favorite characters, and having them be present but not steal focus from the new story. I have loved Ez since the first book and after Marian’s story I couldn’t wait to read Trevs redemption arch and this more than lived up to my expectations.

[Mira Sol · Rating 5 out of 5]

”Dragons don’t share.”

4.5 just because this was so freaking long. Honestly it felt like it could have cut so much! The last few have felt that way (books 4-6) BUT I will say that I’m not bored exactly. The author always has interesting stuff going on but it’s just that something is missing? I’m not sure what.

I really liked this book. On re-read, I LOVED this book. Liked this couple a lot. It’s the first one in the series where they are both Bad. And Trev is like super duper bad. He’s also been sexually abused multiple times and I felt like the author handled this really well. She has him digging into his own sexual history and trying to come to terms with what happened to him as well as how that led to his other sexual behaviours.

Ez was great! She was an excellent heroine who I liked and could get behind.

I really loved the reverse “Teach Me” trope here. Rather than manwhore teaching new girl about how to have sex, it was True Love teaching the True Love she was stuck with how to be a good partner in a real relationship.

Fave part of the book? The courtroom scene! It was so wild and tapped into everything Disney did right with the original Wonderland.

I highly recommend this book, just buckle in for a long ride.

Safe. MMC has had many partners, but never anything meaningful. He doesn’t like anyone and his endless stream of partners was mostly about hiding his pain over his sexual abuse. Although you don’t find this out until near the end and for most of it, he’s just very nonchalant about sex. His dragon though. Whew boy, his dragon only wants Ez and is only happy with her. There is no one else on page with him ever. No previous partners (except a run in with someone who abused him but she has amnesia now).

FMC is not a virgin but no history for her is given. No OM on page. MMC tries to say that maybe he won’t be faithful (don’t worry he gives that up VEEEERY QUCKLY!), she pushes back and says “oh well if you get a pass then I get a pass too,” and he freaks out and it’s just lovely to watch because she knows he doesn’t really want that and she’s trying to show him. He asks her to "teach me" how to be a good True Love, and she takes that seriously.

No cheating. As per quote above—“Dragons don’t share.”

[Lisi Bee (Beth) · Rating 5 out of 5]

#6 in a series that just keeps getting better and better!

4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars! Esmeralda and Trevelyan's enemies-to-lovers romance is book six in Cassandra Gannon's "Kinda Fairytale " series. I really love the concept that the villains might actually be the heroes (or at least be partly Good instead of all Bad). This book, like all the books, has great fated mates, "touch them and d-i-e" energy. Ez  and Trev are definitely more likable characters here than when they showed up in previous books, although Trev is still pretty firmly morally gray. And I'm glad we finally got to learn where Esmerelda disappeared to! This is definitely not a standalone as it builds on characters and events from previous books. Do yourself a favor and read the other ones before this one!

Be warned, though: this book is 650 pages long, which is a mixed blessing.  The author writes so well (and clearly has a lot of fun doing it) so you don't really want the book to end, but sometimes you do get a little fatigued. My best advice is to settle in, pace yourself, and enjoy the ride. :)

Theme/tropes:

Enemies-to-lovers
Fated mates
Just one castle
Romantasy
Morally gray main characters
Found family
HEA

One final note: pay attention to content warnings if you're sensitive to certain types of content. While this book is definitely a romantasy with a lot of humor throughout, there are also a lot of darker themes and events in this book that some readers might appreciate knowing about in advance.

[Duanur · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was only a matter of time before she loved him.  After all, he was a dragon!  Who wouldn’t love a dragon?

The long awaited story of Esmeralda did not dissapoint!
The banter, the humour, the little eccentricities that are nods to Alice in Wonderland, all of it was so much fun. It was a bit too long and at times repetitive but overall, I really enjoyed it. I especially love Cassandra Gannon's humour and her creativity.

“You stole the moon?”  Esmeralda asked, not even surprised.
“I gave it back.”  Trevelyan defended grouchily.

***

“I’ll kill them all later, if you like.  For now, focus on survival.”
“You’ll kill the entire Cauldron Society for me?”
“Not just for you. I also like killing people.”

[Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 bc how fun I love Wonderland and the magic was so cool and I really enjoyed their relationship but mannnn it’s so long

[Leigh Kramer]

DNF at 78%

I just realized I have 100+ pages to go, instead of 15 like I thought. This is way too long and has a very shaggy middle. Esmeralda and Trevelyan were well-suited to one another's brand of badness, making for many enjoyable moments and a wry sense of humor. But this dearly needed to be tightened up, plus another proofread to knock out all the typos.


Characters: Trevelyan is a dragon shifter and the most bad villain. Esmeralda is a wicked witch, nail polish creator, and orphan with green skin. This is set in Wonderland.

Content notes: sexual harassment and abuse of power by prison psychiatrist (she has sex with other prisoners, which MMC uses to his advantage in order to make his escape), past teacher-student sexual relationship (MMC had sex with his teacher when he was 13; he says it was consensual but also feels uncomfortable about it; FMC points out he was taken advantage of), toxic mother (secondary character), murder, attempted murder, immolation (secondary characters), body horror, physical assault, imprisonment, psychiatric institutionalization, fire, animal death, mystical coma, misogyny, overt and casual ableism, diet culture, past murder of MMC's parents, FMC was raised in an orphanage, inbred secondary characters, mentally ill secondary character, amnesia (secondary character), unsafe sex practices (no condom for penetrative sex without discussion of STI or pregnancy prevention), on page sex, primal play, alcohol, hookah (secondary character), anti-fat bias, casual acephobia, gendered pejoratives, gender essentialist language, ableist language, hyperbolic language around addiction and suicide, casual use of colonialist language

[Adélie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well it’s official, this book is my favourite of the entire series! The banter, the smut (PRIMAL CHASE HELLOOOOOOOO), just literally everything in this book was perfect! I was hoping to see Avanant and Ez’ reunion because he had seemed so sad at the end of book 2.
This book had me dying of laughter, tapping my feet in excitement, and screaming with psychotic joy at the primal chase. Swoooooon!
This book was everything I needed right now. I did not want it to end. I can’t wait to see what Cassandra has got planned next for this series!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again, Cassandra you friggin genius, this one knocks it out of the ballpark.

Esmerelda is truly one of my favorite leading ladies. She’s so smart and realistic. She’s confident but also has plenty of self doubt. She is such a good natured person. Just all around a delight to be around.

Trev is sooooo lucky to have such a wonderful true love. And I love how over the top 100% obsessed with her he is from when he wakes up. He’s obviously an idiot who doesn’t know fuck from shit. But that’s okay. Esmerelda’s got him. And he has so much personal growth. So proud of that sociopath.

[Bea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t think you realise how long I’ve been waiting for this book!! Returning to the A Kinda Fairytale world was like being wrapped in a comforting and familiar morally grey hug. I loved it!! The humor and straight up crazy and deranged characters brought so much joy and laughter. Cassandra Gannon really is a brilliant writer I imagine her brain is almost overwhelmed with fabulous ideas popping out of nowhere. Love this series!

[veronica · Rating 5 out of 5]

he is considered to be one of the most evil fairytale characters and she has this man wrapped around her little finger. he was whipped and pathetic, and i loved every second of his misery. esmeralda’s power needs to be studied

[effin surrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

100 million stars!! I cried, laughed and fell in love with Trev and Ez. What a great book♥️♥️♥️

“With me, you are always safe, my darling. I love you more than magic jtself.” (Trevelyan😭😭)

[ree · Rating 5 out of 5]

villains in love got to be the best genre out there

[Beta The Ninth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok... 6 stars for this one too!
Here's my ranking of the series.
5. Beast in Shining Armor
4. Wicked, Ugly, Bad
3. Kingpin of Camelot
2. Seducing the Sheriff of Nottingham
1. Happily Ever Witch

Shoot, just realized I missed one so it's out of 5.
I think this book was my absolute fave in the series. I laughed out loud multiple times at the banter or situations.
This book was about Esmeralda (Ez) the level 6 witch and Trevelyan the last of the Green Dragons (level 5 but 98% Bad!).
They are both bad and so they immediately recognize each other as True Loves. That was a nice little change of pace.
I loved the craziness of the setting - Alice in Wonderland and the super kooky magic.
Ez and Trev were such good characters. It was nice to see them again from the first book in the series. I loved how their magic melded and worked with the other.
This book felt more gruesome than the previous books, there were a lot of side character deaths.

I loved that Ez was pregnant at the end with a baby dragon that was 98% Good! Hilarious.

[nat. ❦ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Habría sobrevivido sin tantas TANTAS menciones al pasado de él, pero bueno, yo ya sabía en que me metía. Aún así me estuve riendo y riendo con muchas escenas, sobre todo con el mini plot twist del final JAJAJAJA

[Guss · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I had sooo much expectations and it saddens me that I was not as obsessed I thought I would be with this book. I love a good villain and Trevelyan checked all my boxes for favorite MMC. He was possessive, felt first for her, hated everyone but her, was protective… Esmeralda also checked all my boxes for amazing FMC: intelligent, strong, cocky, outspoken, protective. But I just couldn’t connect with the story as much as i wished.

I found this book too long maybe. That’s weird coming from me since more times than not I find books shorter that I want.

Their chemistry was amazing and I loved their relationship development. It was a slowish burn when it comes to feelings but it was fast phased when it came to list for both of them which I didn’t mind (I even like it)

That’s why this review is confusing for me to make. I loooved a lot of things there was just something missing and I can’t even pinpoint what.

Safety:
No ow/om drama (they talk about sleeping with others-he brings that up because he is kinda obsessed with finding out what that spark in good people have in their eyes is but he shuts that down immediately when he realizes she can sleep with others too. It’s not like he WANTS to be with others is more like an experiment for him. Before her, sex was meaningless)
Before meeting her he sleeps with someone against his wishes to escape prisión so beware for triggers and he was groomed when he was younger by a teacher as well.

What to expect:
Possessive and protective dragon
Witty and confident witch with good and bad type of magic
Spicy scenes
Grumpy/ sunshine relationship
Mates and true loves

[Sonia · Rating 3 out of 5]

So like with every CG book yes I liked it but does it need to be 600 pages? Absolutely not. Is the premise, humor, character development, plot - unique? Well done? Yes absolutely. It’s special and in its own league. But I’m getting really frustrated bc CG isn’t a new author with only a couple books or anything but chooses to not be more serious about copy editing, proofing and editing for flow of story. There is absolutely no reason this need to be this long. And it’s just lazy. Yep I said it I think the author is being lazy and is like people will still read my books and whatnot which I think is inaccurate. Honestly I would’ve read CGs entire catalogue by now but I’ve only read maybe 50% and every book I’ve been struggling to finish. It took me 2 weeks here. Please please for the love of god do some serious editing here. There should not be so many basic spelling mistakes. Maybe it’s CG puts her word vomit to the pages (and listen I like a lot of this word vomit I’m not gonna lie! ) but then you get paid more for each book bc it’s KU and you’re paid per page. Either way it’s lazy and honestly you’re losing a lot of potential readers with how sloppy your books are. Which is a shame bc CG you’re special and unique in your writing and it’s rare!!!

[Cassidy J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really, REALLY good. Trevelyen seemed to become too Good at the end (not overly so, but it was a little much), and a repeat typo (which I guess is actually a grammatical error), which has persisted throughout this series, cropped up more than once (using 'past' instead of 'passed', when trying to say things like 'passed by the lake'), but overall this was superb storytelling. Gannon is the real deal.

[Yvonne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked so much of this book but it’s simply too long and crowded with so much…stuff. I think any problems I had with fully enjoying this story could have been solved if it had been pared down.

TL;DR:
-sweet and takes-no-B.S. heroine
-determined hero in pursuit
-True Loves who also choose each other
-hero learns to become a partner
-heroine unlocks her superpowers
-no third act breakup
-story mired in too much atmosphere, external drama, and excessively long plot

Esmeralda and Trevelyan are great likeable characters, fully-fleshed with distinctive and believable personalities. How could I not like Esmerelda? She has a spine of steel and refuses to tolerate Trev’s B.S. She gives him no quarter and outmaneuvers him whenever he attempts to force her into his self-serving idea of a relationship. She refuses to settle for less in her Happily Ever After. The heroines in this series operate with the attitude of “Hold my beer while I fix this”, and Esmerelda operates similarly. She’s intelligent and enterprising, funny and snarky, emotionally intelligent, compassionate, and for all that she identifies as a Bad, she has an enormous heart, and her deep desire for belonging was heartbreaking and relatable. She holds her Tuesday share circle found family as her true family, and when we learn her backstory it made me love her all the more. She also possesses awesome powers (that often go on the fritz), and her character arc is about her tapping into all her patenting.

Trev takes much longer to become likeable. His appearances earlier in the series portrayed him as an unrepentant villain, with an enormous ego and the sort of charm that can border on smarminess. He begins the story as a jerk. t’s a testament to Gannon’s skill that she’s able to believably make Trev into a hero deserving of the heroine. She successfully threads the needle of expanding on his earlier characterization without giving him a personality transplant. Trev goes from being an asshole to a delightful asshole…and it takes him a while to get there. He’s charmingly snarky, fluent in sarcasm, and eventually shows he is deeply loyal and protective. Trev is nothing if not stubborn and determined, so when he realizes that he needs Esmerelda to choose him, and comprehends he needs to change for that to happen, it was a delight to watch him focus all of his determination towards winning over Esmerelda. We learn more about Trev’s backstory and it gives context to his questionable actions in the earlier books; it doesn’t excuse his behaviour, but we see he’s much more than the irredeemable villain everyone—including himself—believes him to be.

All the books in the series center on an unlikely couple bound together by a power beyond their control. Es and Trev’s story felt the most like a marriage of convenience. I liked the way the True Love bond was examined and expanded, that they still have agency and being fated mates doesn’t automatically confer love. They work to develop great communication. The True Love bond isn’t enough for either of them; for true fulfillment, they both need to choose and be chosen.

That being said, their romance wasn’t entirely compelling for me. Unlike the other books in the series, since Es and Trev are both Bad they immediately recognize each other as True Loves. The friction where the Baddie is aware and the Goodie is clueless never got old for me in the previous books. The conflict here is the incompatibility of their beliefs about marriage. Trev’s beliefs are entirely self-serving and selfish, and Esmerelda needs reciprocity and love. Trev really has no idea how to be in a relationship, so over the first half of the book is a continual butting heads and two-steps-forward-one-step-back pattern. Once they clear the major hurdles in their relationship—namely, Trev gets his head out of his ass—it’s basically smoothing sailing in their romance for the last third of the story. I appreciate that Gannon went in a different direction for these two, but it made for a less than compelling romance.

As for the rest of the story, I quickly grew bored with the Wonderland storyline, as it’s bogged down by a surfeit of action and ancillary characters. I never got into the zaniness of Wonderland; for all the chaos and hijinx going on, it never came to life for me and didn’t hold my interest. I became bored with the heaps of external drama and the villains, and wasn’t invested in the Queen of Wonderland plot. One of my favorite features in a romance is witnessing the couple work well together, but watching Es and Trev work towards a goal I didn’t care about also made me less invested in their romance.
The story really drags and I struggled to finish the book.

These may come across as harsh criticisms, but I truly adore Gannon’s writing. She crafts compelling characters and romantic pairings I become invested in. She has an ear for dialogue, and her stories are infused with a sense of fun, humor and snark, while still maintaining sincere emotional stakes. The heroines are strong and intelligent, usually leading the way while the hero works alongside and labours to smooth the way for the heroine (How often to do we see that in romance?!). She really knows how to write a swoon-worthy smitten hero who is deeply into the heroine’s competence.
I hope she continues with the Kinda Fairytale series. I’m invested in the Tuesday share circle family!

[Cassandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Wonderfully Wicked Story

I'm a sucker for Wonderland retellings. This one was a lot of fun and worked extremely well with the existing cast of characters. I loved that a not so wicked, wicked witch and a (mostly) evil dragon were the protagonists instead of a certain blonde stick in the mud. (Ha!) It just dawned on me that I am drawn to these types of stories possibly because my ADHD appreciates the zany randomness. I also completely sympathize with being labeled "bad" for something you were born with. This story was definitely not boring to me.

I am mostly satisfied with how a certain sensitive subject was handled. The FMC states it is wrong and illegal and frames it in such a way for the MMC that he is able to see the double standard. I will try my best to add TWs at the very end of my review. ***

I felt like there was great character growth for both MCs but especially for Trevelyan. Esmeralda was very patient with him while he figured things out for himself (with a lot of nudging and maybe a little manipulation) and wisely knew when to push back and when to let things go. The MCs overall seemed to have really good communication. I also loved that Esmeralda stayed true to her wicked witch self to the bitter (sweeter?) end, even if she had to be creative with her goodness in order to do so. I also cracked up laughing when Trev figured out how to psychologically torture Marrok with friendliness. They are such a nice example of evil couple goals. 💚


Now let's talk about the nail polish ...

Some people have playlists to accompany their reading material, I gleefully painted my nails while reading this book. I briefly considered using ILNP Poison but alas operating a Kindle and using a magnet felt far too fiddly even for me. (Magnetics are TV show polishes) I was coincidentally already rocking a Mooncat "A Very Merry Unbirthday" pedicure but I thought it was too funny if I painted my nails "Mermaid Bait" in solidarity of a certain poor desicated corpse. (I was reading this scene while picking my color and I was absurdly tickled). It clashes but in a good way? (Plus it's March and the month for breaking out the greens- green adjacent polishes) I loved reading the names and descriptions of the different nail polishes at the beginning of each chapter.

Speaking of greens, I also felt like the unimaginable color "Crimson-y Olive Sixish" from Chapter 19's polish is exactly the color I wished LynBDesigns "Thank God I Don't Breathe" to be. (Sadly it is not) I need this color. I think BKL's "God of Idiocy" comes closer to the contrast I want, but it's more emerald-y, brick brownish? ILNP "Legacy" has too much yellow and the holo is orange. I just really, really want a deepish olive-y green with a glowy crimson red shimmer with maybe a scattered holo. Someone needs to make the color "Crimson-y Olive Sixish" a polish in reality please.





*** Trigger Warnings ***


This book contains:



• Sexual harassment by a magical prison warden/mental institution director towards inmates/patients.

There is unwanted touching, attention and verbal sexual harassment towards a secondary character (the MMC of the first book). - off screen, no graphic details

• Sexual assault of other male prisoners/patients by the same female prison warden/director. -offscreen, no graphic details, no description

• General threat of possible sexual assault of secondary character. - ongoing threat

•MMC is sexually harassed verbally by the female prison warden/director and has evaded her unwanted touch so far. -no detailed description of verbal harassment

• Sex trafficking of wolfball players is acknowledged. -no details in this book

• Coercion and power imbalance between the MMC and the female prison warden/director. MMC makes the decision to sleep with her in order to facilitate his escape, but as he is a. prisoner b. patient and c. under the threat of foretold future death by said prison warden/director, it is not consensual in any way you slice it. -no graphic details, no detailed description, off screen (a previous book has a scene with limited details, mostly the aftermath and a description of what happened)

• There are mentions of Statutory Rape of the MMC as a 13 year old student by his female teacher. - no explicit details