Forging Golden Slippers

Once Upon an Enchantment #2

by Jen Lynning

A secret identity. A special shoe. And a kiss at midnight.

Princess Charmina knows her duty as the heir to the throne. But before the ball where she must choose her husband, she wants to experience life without the expectations of her title hanging over her. She wants to be just Mina. She soon discovers that life in an average village isn’t as simple as she expected.

Alan doesn’t know why the villagers turned against him, refusing to recognize his skills as a blacksmith. He is resigned to the situation. At least until Mina arrives and notices what the villagers miss. She is the first person in years to truly see him, and he begins to hope that his life could include not only happiness, but love.

But secrets have a way of ruining everything. How can Alan trust Mina when her entire identity was a lie?

***A Cinderella retelling with swapped genders, steamy romance, and a happily ever after. ***

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Retellings, Fantasy Romance, Ebooks, Romantasy, Fairy Tale Retellings

263 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 1, 2024

About the author

Jen Lynning never outgrew her love of fairy tales. (She may have studied German just so she could read the Brothers Grimm in the original.) When she wasn’t reading about life in a magical world, she was imagining it. Eventually she decided to start writing her own stories where magic and romance meet.

Jen lives in Northern Virginia with her two cats, who make their own contributions to her writing by walking across the keyboard, and her bird, who offers commentary on the whole process.

Reviews

[eclecticbychoicereads]

I think we can confidently say Jen Lynning knows how to write cozy fantasy and fairytale retellings. Forging Golden Slippers just proves my point even more. I was so happy to be chosen again as Jen's ARC reader, and I know everyone will enjoy this story just as much as I did. Get ready, Forging Golden Slippers is being released on August 1st.

I mean, how can you not?

Jen is gifting us a unique Cinderella retelling with swapped genders, a swoony & steamy romance, beautifully crafted characters, and, of course, a HEA. Her writing style is a delight; the story flows seamlessly, the pace is just right, and you can simply sit back and immerse yourself in the story.

I loved Mina & Alen's story: a princess in disguise trying to truly understand her people and do better by then, and Alen, a blacksmith with a tragic backstory, shunned by his village. But Mina will be the one to try and decipher why Alen is treated poorly; she will be the one to get to the bottom of things and expose the guilty one, Alan's stepfather. Mina was a great character; she was intelligent, charming, and honestly concerned for the well-being of others. Alan was a joy; I loved witnessing him finally remove his stepfather's shackles and embrace the love and devotion he deserves.

Forging Golden Slippers will gift you
- a Cinderella retelling with swapped genders
- hidden characters
- magic used with ill intent
- swoony & steamy romance
- low spice
- HEA
and a chance to immerse yourself in a magical world!

[Stormborn Bookshelf]

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I had the privilege of reading Forging Golden Slippers before its release, and just like Deceiving the Cursed Beast, it delivered.

Forging Golden Slippers is the second book in the Once Upon an Enchantment series and, so far, my personal favorite.

It’s a sweet and cozy Cinderella retelling in which Cinderella isn’t a girl, but a smith named Alan, who has to deal with his abusive stepfather taking credit for all his work with the help of a charm. Princess Charmina, in disguise as simply Mina, immediately notices something is off and comes to his rescue, offering her help to break the charm.

This book was relatively short and so well-written that I couldn’t put it down. I loved it from beginning to end. The plot is beautiful and engaging, and the cozy and incredibly sweet love story between Mina and Alan slowly develops over time, blooming into something more than just love: trust and partnership. The magic system is present, and this time, I found it less complicated to understand compared to the previous book.

I am very happy I was given this book as an ARC, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys fairy tale retellings with a sweet touch and a bit of (good) spice. It’s so worth it 💙

[Jenn (loves_a_good_book)]

4.5 ⭐️

I really enjoyed this cozy fantasy retelling of Cinderella. It's unique with a great twist to the story. The MCs were lovable and the side characters are great and added diversity to the story.

The plot has a mystery to be solved, deception, slow burn, overall a great read. This is the second book in the series and I think my favourite so far.

Mina, even being a princess she was very relatable and down to earth. I really liked her character, she's kind, thoughtful, smart and determined.

Alan has gotten a bad rap because of his evil stepfather. He's so talented and creative, kind and sweet and I was rooting for him from the very beginning.

This story was great and I can't wait to see what happens in the final instalment.

[Thenerdypsych]

Super cute palate cleanser! 💛

This was such a feel good read with a beautiful HEA! Looking forward to more of Jacob? Or Sam/Noel in future Enchantment Books 💖

[Book Worm]

4.75 stars. I ate this book up and I literally could not put it down! I loved the characters and thought that Mina was very relatable with wanting to be wanted for being herself and not her title! I also thought that Alan was such a sweetheart and treated Mina with the love she deserves. I could talk about those two for hours so I’m going to stop myself and talk about how amazing this Cinderella retelling was!
I personally love pretty much every fairytale retelling that I read and this was no exception! I love how the author makes the story of Cinderella that we know some thing completely different! This had parts of the original tale but this story was completely different in so many ways. Also are we going to talk about the gold slippers! I loved this part and thought that it was an amazing interpretation by the author with her own twist!
This story was able to hook my from the first chapter and I definitely recommend this for those who want a fairytale retelling that is done perfectly! This was such a joy to read! I loved every minute of reading this book! I’m so grateful to the author, Jen Lynning, for sending me this ARC! I can’t wait to see where she takes us in her next book!

[Sabrina V]

The way this reversed retelling was written was flawless. I absolutly loved reading Alan and Mina’s grow love story. The use of magic and the world building though not the focal point gave me a perfect picture. I couldn’t put it down

[Laura]

4.75 ⭐️

This book was so cozy and a joy to read. I really enjoyed this story, a gender bent cinderella retelling with all the magic and charm from Jen and this world she’s written. The second book the series, and i enjoyed it more than the first one in the series, and couldn’t put it down!

We met Princess Charmina in the first book, but we really get to delve into her life and get to know her, following her as she interacts with Alan, the muscly blacksmith and eventually falls in love with him. Mina just wants to be loved for her, not who she is.

You really feel for Alan, he’s ostracised by the town and falls in love with Mina, who shows him kindness and acknowledges his skills.

The story had great building and character development, and the conflict made me stressed! (Even though I knew it was a HEA) This was a perfect quick read to lift your spirits.

Thank you Jen for sending this arc in exchange for a review

[Sara]

A Cinderella retelling with well made characters and storyline.
Can be read as a standalone but the magic makes more sense if you read Deceiving the Cursed Beast before.

I liked Mina from the start, she was down to earth and have a kind heart.

Alan had accepted that no one would see him differently until Mina.

It was heartwarming, fun, exciting to follow them along.


Many thanks to the author for letting me read the book before release. My opinions are my own.

[leena.reader]

Rating: 2 ⭐️ DNF
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Format: ARC Ebook
Pages: 263
Spice: - 🌶️
POV: Double POV
S/S: Once Upon an Enchantment #2
Check trigger warnings for any book

Unfortunately not a fan of the writing style. We are thrown into the story with characters, as though we already know them. As though we’ve known them for over 100 pages within the first chapter.

All the side characters are also thrown at us in the second chapter, just too much in so little time.

So, it's not a match, but I'm sure it can be perfect for another reader!

Leena - Leena.reader review - @leena.reader on tiktok and instagram

[✨Im_Literary_Anxious✨]

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️.5

📚ARC Review📚

“𝑰 𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝑰 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒔𝒕. 𝑩𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒂𝒍𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒚 𝒇𝒊𝒈𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒎 𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒖𝒑. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 . . . 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍, 𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒄 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕.”

💛Mages and Charms
🌹Sweet MMC
💛"All I want is you. The rest is immaterial.”
🌹Evil Stepfather
💛Small Village
🌹"The Princess and The Pauper"
💛Mystery Solving FMC
🌹Muscles 😏



AN ✨EXTENDED VERSION✨ OF THIS REVIEW AND OTHERS can also be found on the 📝I’m Literary Anxious Blog📝 or my 📖📚Bookstagram📚📖

I don't know if it's possible to pick a favorite between this and "Deceiving the Cursed Beast" because I loved them both so much, but you guys… one word, two syllables: Alan.
My book boyfriends usually lean towards the morally grey, red-flag-toting anti-heroes, but for Alan Smythson, I will gladly make an exception.

Princess Charmina must wed a commoner by her 25th birthday. She's spending one month in the small town of Skorsa, hoping to better understand her future consort before heading back to the palace to host her engagement ball, where she'll meet and select a groom from all the eligible men. Alan Smythson is a disappointment, or so everyone in town says. When Mina sees irrefutable proof of his talent as a goldsmith, she realizes something fishy is going on. Alan's stepfather is sketchy af, and Alan has lost all hope of turning his luck around. Mina is determined to find answers. And maybe, she won't have to wait until the ball to make her decision after all.

I enjoyed the twist on the typical "has to wed, host a ball" plot. The detail that each generation rotates between noble, commoner, and foreigner for their royal consort is a unique and interesting twist. I love how down-to-earth Mina is (as well as her family, tbh!).

Mina and Alan were adorable, and I couldn't get enough of them. I loved seeing Alan open up and fall for Mina. What can I say? The man is *swoon*.

I 10/10 encourage everyone give this HAE a read.

Forging Golden Slippers is out August 1st!

[Wandering Seal]

This is a gender reverse Cinderella story - I've never read one before, and I really, really enjoyed that idea for a story. We met Mina In the first book, Deceiving the Cursed Beast, and now we get to see her experiencing life as a commoner in the run up to her marriage.

I can't help but compare this to it's prequel. I read advances of them both. I was so delighted by the world-building there, the complexity of the magic and the enjoyable banter between the two MCs. Those elements were not as present here. The magical aspect of the story is a lot narrower in focus, and the secondary characters don't really help further the plot in the way they did in the other book. The MCs were very different - that's a good thing, I don't want to read the same types of people over and over again! - but they didn't have enjoyable snippiness I liked so much and their attraction felt a bit too instantaneous for me. I think if I had read the stories the other way round I wouldn't have this feeling of slight dissatisfaction. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, for there to be a twist to add another layer to the plot, but it didn't happen. I was eyeing up the secondary characters, waiting for them to reveal their part in the plot, and it just never rreally came about.

Now this is not to say I didn't thoroughly enjoy reading this story. The magic system is still very interesting, and I loved the way it was executed here - I don't want to spoiler it with explaining how it works, but it was good. I also really enjoyed Mina as a character - her intelligence and the way she worked through the mystery. And like I said at the top, I really enjoyed that this is a gender reversed Cinderella. Why not have a blacksmith in distress! The reasoning behind why he behaved the way he did really worked for me as well, more so in many Cinderella retellings.

A solid retelling in a really interesting world.

[Ené]

I long to be seen, like how they’ve seen each other.

This could be read as a standalone from the series proper, as only the main character was really the only one mentioned from the previous story. But of course, the same magic system, universe, and country. This Cinderella re-telling starts off immediately with its first twist, as we have our genderbent characters.

First off, let me wind back to the magic system. In my review about the first book, I gushed about the magic system and this sequel did not disappoint. We learn more about the unique types of magic that the world has which makes me want to know just more about it. Jen, if ever, mayhaps would you make a book on magical theory based on your world? I’d buy it in a heartbeat.

Plot. In the first book, we had mentions of Princess Charmina’s quest to find her husband to be from the commoners. And that’s exactly what we’re following here. We get to learn so much about another village in this universe, about the other mechanisms of the magic system, and about Mina. And it’s definitely worth the read!

Charmina, our resident princess, heir to the throne. She’s strong willed and never gives up. She’s smart and knows her flaws well, but that doesn’t stop her. She’s every bit the character we got to meet over at Leort, and so much more.

Alan, our resident blacksmith. He had much to endure which made him hard to reach, but when he opens up he’s the sweetest ever. He’s caring, he’s attentive, and easy to love. His attention to detail is second to none. He’s doing his best in a world where he’s always been ignored.

Romance isn’t slow, but it isn’t instant either. It’s just right. It’s very sweet, intimate, and wholesome to read. They needed someone who would see them, and that’s what they found. And of course our steamy spice hits perfectly.

On to read the next one!

[Susmita Dhara]

Princess Charmina, longing for a mundane life before her ball, disguises herself as Mina and moves to a village. There, she meets Alan, a skilled but outcast blacksmith. As their bond grows, Mina’s true identity becomes a barrier to their budding romance. When Alan learns the truth, trust becomes a significant challenge. Can they overcome the lies and build a real relationship?

👩🏼‍❤️‍👨🏻 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 & 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞
I can’t choose between this and the 1st book of this novella because both are phenomenal, but one word: Alan. 😍 A talented but outcast blacksmith, Alan is sweet and kind. Mina, or Princess Charmina, is a strong and bright character, but she is also quite ordinary at the same time. This romantic aspect is well done and it is nice to see Alan step out of his shell and accept Mina into his life.

🪄 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐓𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐭
I loved the fresh twist on the “marry, wed, and host a ball” cliché, where each generation’s royal consort alternates between noble, commoner, and foreigner. Mina’s undercover village journey showcases her remarkable depth and relatability.

✨ 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 & 𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜
The charms and curses magic system is unique and interesting. The quirkiness of the villagers brings some extra dimension to the storyline. Lynning’s descriptions of the slipper and the necklace are very detailed, makes them easy to imagine. With twists on the glass slippers, ball, and midnight curfew, the story brilliantly reflects the essence of Cinderella.

💭 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬
Some parts are slow-moving, but FORGING GOLDEN SLIPPERS is a gem. 💎 With strong character development, a well-portrayed romance between Mina and Alan, and an intriguing fantasy world, it’s a must-read. If you enjoy fairy tale retellings, magic, romance, and a bit of spice, this book is for you.

Thank you Jen Lynning for the ARC 💖

[Melissa Widener]

Forging Golden Slippers by Jen Lynning
Once Upon an Enchantment Book 2

4.2⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Fairy Tale Retelling/Fantasy
Format: ebook ARC

Loved:
*Fairy tale retelling with gender swap
*Fabulous character evolution
*Villagers
*Little curse words
*Magic system

Loved Less:
*A little slower paced at times

Description:
Princess Charmina knows her duty as the heir to the throne. But before the ball where she must choose her husband, she wants to experience life without the expectations of her title hanging over her. She wants to be just Mina. She soon discovers that life in an average village isn’t as simple as she expected.
Alan doesn’t know why the villagers turned against him, refusing to recognize his skills as a blacksmith. He is resigned to the situation. At least until Mina arrives and notices what the villagers miss. She is the first person in years to truly see him, and he begins to hope that his life could include not only happiness but love.
But secrets have a way of ruining everything. How can Alan trust Mina when her entire identity is a lie?
***A Cinderella retelling with swapped genders, steamy romance, and a HEA.***

My opinion:
Awesome narrative with well evolved characters who continue to develop throughout the book. Mina and Alan are both lovable as main characters, and I rooted for them continuously! I always love a good fairy tale retelling, and Lynning does not disappoint...again...in the 2nd book of this trilogy. I really enjoyed all the villagers and their idiosyncracies. The magic system with charms and curses is interestingly different. My only complaint is that the story can be a slower paced at times. I definitely recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys fairy tale retellings and/or fantasy.

[Barnali]

𝙵𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚐𝚘𝚕𝚍𝚎𝚗 𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚋𝚢 𝙹𝚎𝚗 𝙻𝚢𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 👠🪷
✨" 𝒂 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒌 𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒓. "𝑴𝒊𝒅𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕", 𝑰 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅, 𝒔𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝑴𝒊𝒏𝒂'𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒊𝒔𝒕. "𝑨 𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒅𝒂𝒚". 𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒆."𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖.”✨

 𐙚🔹𝓔-𝓐𝓻𝓬 𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀🔹⁀➴

🪻ғᴏʀɢɪɴɢ ɢᴏʟᴅᴇɴ sʟɪᴘᴘᴇʀs is the second book in the ᴏɴᴄᴇ ᴜᴘᴏɴ ᴀɴ ᴇɴᴄʜᴀɴᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ series. With a secret identity🤫, a special slipper 👠 and a kiss at midnight👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨, the story is a Cinderella retelling, but reversed role, instead of the poor girl, cinderella here is a blacksmith, Alan🧑🏻, and the prince is Princess Charmina Devaoile 👸🏼 aka Mina.

 I loved the reversed role! 💓.


🧚🏻Author Jen lynning has beautifully developed the love between Mina and Alan. Mina is a very down-to-earth, intelligent, strong character. I immediately fell in love with her❤️ and Alan is such a talented smith, but due to his abusive stepfather and magic, his talent was not appreciated or rather his talent was unseen. The author has amazingly written the entire story with a twist but keeping the main essence of the fairy tale i.e. "the slippers", "the ball" and the time  "midnight" intact.

Her detailed description of the gold necklace and the golden slipper is amazing, it's like you can visualise them!


🌿Overall I loved the read!❤️it's a gem ! 💎. As I am a sucker for fairytale retelling, this read has kept me completely in. I loved the touch of magic, romance, smut and the fairy tale essence. I couldn't keep myself from turning the pages! 


🫧So, If you love magic and charms, some spice🌶️, mystery-solving FMC, sweet and hooot MNC🔥 and found family. Then don't forget to check it out on the 1st of August! A 💯 recommendations🤓

.

.

Thank you Jen Lynning  for giving me the opportunity to read the gem in exchange for an honest review.❤️😇

[Kaja Salsman]

I'm a sucker for a sweet romance with dark elements, and a happily ever after. This story has all of it, as well as action, a mystery, and some interesting problems to solve before everything is wrapped in a nice little bow.

I fell in love with Mina, and it didn't take me long to really like Alan, either.
Mina is a strong, intelligent, determined, and overall kind female protagonist. She came to the village to be a normal person, but left with her heart changed and a new understanding for her kingdom.
This story is a new take on cinderella, except the mistreated village girl is a man, and he is an incredible blacksmith and goldsmith.
Mina is the first person in many years to actually *see* Alan for who he is, not who he is seen to be through the village. She is determined to help him, and, unintentionally realizes that the man she sees is a man she can't get out of her head.
I loved that Alan got past his own his issues and got his head out of his ass and went after who and what he wanted. He realized he deserved happiness, and deserved to live a life that he felt accomplished and cherished within.

The fairy tale aspect of this book is excellent, and the build up of the romance is awesome. The smut level is low, and we have to wait a very long time for it to happen, but it's worth it for the butterflies, the adventure, the mystery, and the eventual HEA.
The magic system in this series is interesting, and I love that those without magic aren't see as lesser than.

The world building is great, and I was easily able to see the village, the city, and everything in between due to the awesome detailing of the locations, and the characters.

[Julisa]

The author Mrs.Lynning's creative spin on the classic Cinderella story is both heartwarming,and enchanting. 

In this charming retelling of Cinderella the author's vivid imagery,and magical storytelling truly made me feel as though I was in the beautiful fantasy world she created.  

         Please read this charming,and romantic story if you are a fan of:
         1.Secret identity 
         2.Found family 
         3.Cinderella retellings 
          4. Magical mystery
           5.Princess and blacksmith.
           6. HEA in one book.
            7. Love at first sight
             8. Steamy romantasy 
              9. Dual pov
             10. Cozy vibes
      
             This retelling provides the perfect blend of romance,detailed world building,mystery,and an amazing cast of characters. 

           The backstory for the main characters Mina,and Alan is an important aspect of the story because it shows how they each overcame obstacles,and how both of them never stopped believing in happily ever after.

      I loved reading the slipper scene it made me get teary-eyed,and it is truly a beautiful scene. This scene is also an important reminder that love is patient, and it always finds a way no matter what. 

        I want to say thank you to the author Mrs.Lynning for allowing me the opportunity to read this heartwarming story,and for being a member of her arc team. 
 
         For anyone that is looking for a Cinderella retelling I highly recommend Forging Golden Slippers by Jen Lynning. Thank you for reading my spoiler-free review,and I hope that readers will love this beautiful story,and share it with others.

[Ana]

This is the second book I'm reading by Jen Lynning and I love it just as much as I did reading Deceiving the Cursed Beast.

It's the second book in the Once Upon an Enchantment series and, although Cinderella is not one of my favourite Princesses, this one certainly became one, due to its charming twist.

Cinderella isn't a girl at all, she's a smith called Alan, someone somewhat bullied by the whole village, due to his stepfather's influence.

Mina is Princess Charmina, in disguise as a commoner to know the people. Once Mina meets Alan, she realizes something is amiss and decides to help him, to free him from what troubles him.

The issue is, Mina hasn't told her true identity to Alan, plus she needs to get married before her birthday, and she has to present her future Prince Consort at the Ball.

What can possible go wrong?

I really enjoy having a fierce, brave princess fighting for what is right, that isn't afraid to speak her mind and blindly trust Alan's abilities despite everyone's contrary opinion.

There's mention of magic and charms, and the magic system, as in the previous book, easier to navigate.

I absolutely love that she got Golden Slippers! A "touch of Midas", since everything he creates with gold turns out golden and beautiful.

It's a cozy romantic retelling, with hints of magic, reverse gender roles, love and companionship.

I'm quite curious about the third one.

I could only read this prior to its release thanks to Jen Lynning that has kindly accepted me as one of her ARC Team Members.

This is my voluntary and honest review

[Victoria Scozzafava]

ARC Review:

Forging Golden Slippers by Jen Lynning is book 2 in the Once Upon An Enchantment series. I really liked this story! I liked these characters more than the characters in the first book. I am sucker for a fairytale retelling and I loved how this one had some twists from the original story. This is a Cinderella retelling with swapped genders, some spice, and magic. I thought the storyline was fun and interesting. I really liked the two main characters and loved that this was dual POV. This was such a cute and fun fairytale retelling.

Mina was a sweet and determined FMC. She is a princess who is hiding her identity while she is living in a village to see how people treat her without her title. She meets Alan, a blacksmith who is ostracized since his village believe he is a disgrace to his family’s blacksmithing reputation. Mina soon learns that not all is what it appears and magic is amiss in this small village. Alan is resigned with the fact he will never have the recognition for his talent. That is until he meets Mina. Mina and Alan form a friendship as they try and get the village to realize Alan’s talent. This friendship blossoms into love. I thought these two characters complimented each other really well. I really liked them and this story. If you like a fairytale retellings then I would give this book a read!

Thank you @jenlynning for the ARC of Forging Golden Slippers! This was such a cute and fun read.

📚 Forging Golden Slippers is available now to preorder!

🗓️This book will be released on August 1st , 2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

HAPPY READING

[Morgan]

"My hope had always been to find a man I could respect, one who would work hard for the good of the kingdom, whom I could get along with comfortably. But comfort no longer sounded all that appealing compared to the passion of kissing Alan."

If you're looking for a sweet, low-stakes fantasy romance, this is the book for you!

It was really refreshing to read a fantasy where we weren't out to save the world. The book centers around an undercover Princess trying to learn the ways of her people and find a commoner to be her consort and a blacksmith whose evil stepfather has used magic to ruin his reputation in their small town. As such, this was mostly character-focused which I really enjoyed.

I liked the mystery of discovering how Alan's stepfather had turned the town against him, and loved Mina's indignation on his behalf. She's so caring, and it was sweet seeing him realize another person cared about him for the first time in so long. As such their romance developed quickly, but since the book was such a quick read I didn't mind that at all.

Another refreshing part of the book was how maturely their disagreements were handled. Alan understood when he needed to take time to process things, and Mina was willing to give him that space. When they had discussions, it was them versus the problem, not versus each other.

Overall, this was a sweet fantasy romance that I devoured in a day and was a lovely palate cleanser from more serious reads.

Thanks to the author for the copy of the book. This review was left voluntarily and all opinions are my own.

[C]

Thank you to Jen Lynning for the opportunity to read an ARC of Forging Golden Slippers.

This is the second book in the Once Upon an Enchantment series. I loved the first book "Deceiving the Cursed Beast" and I had high expectations for this one. Jen Lynning definitely delivered on these expectations, but in a way that was fresh and different from the first book, while still being great.

I loved this book. It is a sweet, role reversal version of the Cinderella story. It is a low angst book filled with enjoyable characters that you can relate to and cheer for. In this story, Princess Charmina must wed a commoner by her 25th birthday. She wants to know how commoners live and doesn't want folks to know she is the princess. She has been with commoners in several settings and is spending a month in the small town of Skorsa where she meets Alan. Everyone thinks Alan is a disappointment, but Mina sees the truth - how skilled of a goldsmith is and figures out that something weird is happening. There is a bit of a mystery and a problem to be solved as well as getting to know the two main characters and how they get to know each other. I loved that no one in the book acted stupidly just to advance the plot. Their reactions made sense in context.

I really enjoyed this book and encourage others to read it (as well as other books by Jen Lynning).

[Barnali]

✨" 𝒂 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒌 𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒓. "𝑴𝒊𝒅𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕", 𝑰 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅, 𝒔𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝑴𝒊𝒏𝒂'𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒊𝒔𝒕. "𝑨 𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒅𝒂𝒚". 𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒆."𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖.”✨

 𐙚🔹𝓔-𝓐𝓻𝓬 𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀🔹⁀➴

🪻ғᴏʀɢɪɴɢ ɢᴏʟᴅᴇɴ sʟɪᴘᴘᴇʀs is the second book in the ᴏɴᴄᴇ ᴜᴘᴏɴ ᴀɴ ᴇɴᴄʜᴀɴᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ series. With a secret identity🤫, a special slipper 👠 and a kiss at midnight👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨, the story is a Cinderella retelling, but reversed role, instead of the poor girl, cinderella here is a blacksmith, Alan🧑🏻, and the prince is Princess Charmina Devaoile 👸🏼 aka Mina.
 I loved the reversed role! 💓.

🧚🏻Author Jen lynning has beautifully developed the love between Mina and Alan. Mina is a very down-to-earth, intelligent, strong character. I immediately fell in love with her❤️ and Alan is such a talented smith, but due to his abusive stepfather and magic, his talent was not appreciated or rather his talent was unseen. The author has amazingly written the entire story with a twist but keeping the main essence of the fairy tale i.e. "the slippers", "the ball" and the time  "midnight" intact.

Her detailed description of the gold necklace and the golden slipper is amazing, it's like you can visualise them!

🌿Overall I loved the read!❤️it's a gem ! 💎. As I am a sucker for fairytale retelling, this read has kept me completely in. I loved the touch of magic, romance, smut and the fairy tale essence. I couldn't keep myself from turning the pages! 

🫧So, If you love magic and charms, some spice🌶️, mystery-solving FMC, sweet and hooot MNC🔥 and found family. Then don't forget to check it out on the 1st of August! A 💯 recommendations🤓

Thank you @ jen lynning  for giving me the opportunity to read the gem in exchange for an honest review.❤️😇

[bookishpadawan]

tropes:
▸slow burn
▸dual POV
▸magical mystery
▸secret identity
▸cozy vibes
▸clean romance
▸small town
▸standalone

Princess Charmina had to marry before she turned 25th, and those same laws decreed that she must marry a commoner. that's why she hides her identity and lived one month in Skorsa to learn how to live as someone without rank and influence, to experience life as a commoner that her future husband would know. then Mina met Alan, the smith that all the villagers said as 'a disappointment' while she sees irrefutable proof that he's a talented smith. Mina realises something wrong was going on with the villagers and she determined to solve this mystery before she returned home.

Cinderella is my least favorite fairytale, but it's Jen Lynning's book that we're talking about, and I loved this version waaay more than the original fairytale story. I enjoyed the interactions between Alan and Mina and how cute and sweet they were to each other. the spin the author placed on this reversed retelling of Cinderella is so great, make the whole fantasy aspect of this book very unique. not too much intrigue and mystery, it's cozy and refreshing, I absolutely adored this book! highly recommended!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you to Jen Lynning for the opportunity♥️ it's an honor and privilege to me.

[Lia ☾]

Story rating: 4.0 ⭐️ | Romance lvl: 3.0 ⭐️
Spice lvl: 1.5 🌶️  | Smut frequency: Low ⏳

----------------------—

Tropes:
✨ Cinderella retelling
👑 She's the princess and he's the "pauper"
💗 Strong and intelligent FMC
🫂 Emotionally damaged MMC
🔏 Magical intrigue & small town mystery
🕯️ Slow burn

----------------------—

~ STORY & PLOT 📝 ~

Man, I LOVE THAT SERIES! Those retellings are always on point, with short stories, the best FMCs, and the perfect plots.

The pacing is smooth, the story is angsty and the love story is very sweet. ✨

And now I'm gonna be out of character and say: the smut is what I liked less? 👀
Let me be clear: it's very light and absolutely done right! BUT I just felt like it would have been better as closed-door since everything else is so sweet? 😂

Like, if the book was longer and we had more time for the romance to develop into spice I wouldn't feel like that. But here the romance and the spice kinda merge ( even tho it is a slow burn ) and that felt just a little off for me. 🤷🏽‍♀️

ANYWAY, it's very much a good book, and absolutely recommend for anyone who wants an interesting retelling with a magical plot and light smut✨




---------------------—

This is an arc review. Thanks to the author for the advanced ebook copy 🙏💖

---------------------—

[Nicole M]

📚ARC Review

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Forging Golden Slippers is the second book in Jen Lynning’s Once Upon an Enchantment series. It follows Princess Charmina, who has traveled to the village under the alias of Mina to find a husband. She falls for Alan, the local blacksmith. The only problem is, the villagers have all seemed to turn against him and refuse to recognize his talent. Mina is determined to help Alan regain his rightful role as blacksmith. The pair grows closer until Mina’s identity is revealed and Alan is hurt by her secret. Will they ever figure out why the villagers have all turned on Alan? Will Alan forgive Mina for hiding her identity?

I really liked this story! It’s a Cinderella retelling where the roles are reversed - Mina is a Princess while Alan is the one dealing with an abusive stepfather. Mina and Alan are likable main characters and I enjoyed that the story is dual POV. While this book is the 2nd in the series - we met Mina only briefly in Deceiving the Cursed Beast - it can definitely be read as a stand alone.

Thank you @jenlynning for the ARC! Forging Golden Slippers is releasing August 1, 2024. If you enjoy stories that have cozy vibes, secret identity, magic, HEA, and/or Cinderella retellings, give this book a chance!

[Kaitlyn Roschke]

Jen Lynning knows how to write a cozy romantasy. This Cinderella retelling was absolutely adorable. It was slow to start but well done. Jen did a great job of putting in the details and keeping everything consistent.

I read this book in one sitting and I never do that. It is on the shorter side so if you’re looking for a quick read that will make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, this is the story for you.

I loved that Mina chose to hide her identity in order to see what it was like living as a commoner before she had to marry one. She is one of the most considerate FMCs ever read about. I understand her reason for hiding her identity and why chose not to reveal it but I also feel for Alan. Poor guy has been through it with his whole situation and he just can’t catch a break. Luckily Mina decides to visit his village and discovers exactly was has been happening and the two of them work together to make things right.
I love that Alan is the commoner in this story and not the prince. It’s nice to see it the other way around. Alan is such a big sweetheart, he melts my heart. I love that he gets the recognition he deserves.

Cinderella Retelling
Slow burn
Magical mystery
Super cozy
HEA

[Reema]

Review: Forging Golden Slippers by Jen Lynning
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Forging Golden Slippers is the second book in the Once Upon an Enchantment series by Jen Lynning.

I LOVED this story! This Cinderella reworking which although had elements we all love from the original stories was so unique and individual. This was such an amazing read which I ploughed through in a day! To say I couldn’t put it down is an understatement!

Princess Charmina (Mina) returns in this book to find a consort but ends up finding so much more. She is such a kind hearted, funny, intelligent character who you will instantly love.
Alan, the son of a blacksmith, finds himself wrapped up, unbenowing, in plot to discredit him and his work. He is handsome but wholesome and I could see why Mina would for him - I would too!

The story and plot flowed smoothly to create an enchanting story that was gripping. The love story which developed between Mina and Alan was sweet and I found myself routing for them the entire way. This was such an easy read where I was transported into another world. A fantastic summer read which I would highly recommend. 💕

Thank you so much to Jen for the ARC, I cannot wait for what’s next!

[Ashley Watson]

I loved everything about this story. Mina's desire to learn everything about how people in the kingdom live as one of them. Not all try to understand that and it makes her even more of a people's princess. Her final stop in the village of Skorska proves to be the most interesting and challenging one yet when all is not right in the village. There she meets Alan the blacksmith who seems to be disliked by everyone, along with undervalued, but Mina sees through it. The story of Mina trying to help the village and Alan see what she sees is quite the journey but worth the ride!

I felt like this kept the true feelings of a fairy tales in all the ways possible and like you were right there in the village with the characters. The descriptions were amazing and story moved at a pace that you never wanted to put the book down. By the end, I felt like we were leaving friends behind without getting to know if we would see them again. Lynning continues this amazing series in the best possible way with this book and I can't wait to see what comes next!

Grab this book if you love: Fairy tale retellings, Cinderella with a twist, he falls first, magic, intrigue, romantasy, grumpy/sunshine

[Rikke's Reading Nook]

Another fantastic fairytale retelling! I enjoyed the reversed gender roles, wherein the original Cinderella is the poor woman, and the prince rescuing her, but in Jen’s story, it's the Princess doing the rescuing. And instead of an evil stepmother and stepsisters, we have an abusive stepfather. We still keep the “ash” aspect of the story by Alan being a smith, which I really liked. A lot of small nods to the original but with an interesting twist!

The characters are all very much their own and I like the interwoven scenes of ‘normal village life’ that takes place to really showcase the cast. I think we’ve all met these people before somehow.

I really enjoy this world so much, and I like how all the stories are standalone and you can read them in any order. I think that’s such a clever way of approaching this - Jen is clearly writing her own fairytale collection, and I’m here for it! This is such a cozy read, and definitely something I’d read in autumn when you just want to snuggle up with a sweet fairytale romance and a hot cop of chocolate.

[Lorraine]

ARC review, all opinions are my own:

I won't lie, I went into this book concerned about the golden slippers. I'm not sure if it's my Sci-Fi-loving background or my overly-literal brain, but I was bracing myself to get some hand-wavy, "it's ~MAGIC~" cop-out for shoes made out of gold. Imagine my delight when pretty much the first thing out of the goldsmith's mouth when the idea came up was that it would never work because the metal was too soft. It's that kind of attention to world-building that I really appreciate when I'm reading and Jen Lynning did not disappoint!

Once again we have a book full of fun, funny, wonderfully-competent characters and a story that swept me along so well, I was embarrassingly far into it before I connected the dots for the evil stepfather.

I love that the author is taking the time to truly make these stories her own. Everyone knows the story of Cinderella, but trust me when I say, you don't know this story and you will have a wonderful time following its twists and turns and falling in love with its characters along the way. I know I did.