Marked

by Chantol C. Aspinall

Avery Montgomery, the "cursed" Princess of Clarence, has decided that the marriage treaty between her and the King of Trenton, Christopher Winters, is for the best. She may never catch her husband’s eye or hold his affection, but she knows that, like her, he is willing to do anything for the welfare of his people—even marry a complete stranger. However, after a kidnapping and an unlikely alliance later, Avery begins to question truth from deception. Will she be able to follow her heart and still save her people?

Kindle Edition

First published March 11, 2025

About the author

I’m an island girl through and through; a lover of warm weather, clear skies, and beaches. Though I was born in Spanish Town, Jamaica, I spent most of my childhood in Nassau, Bahamas where my sixth-grade teacher helped me to discover my hidden passion for stringing words together on a blank page. Regardless of the challenges and hardships I have faced in life, I have never stopped telling my story through the characters I cultivate in my head. I believe my writing has purpose and meaning and I hope to use my truth and learned experiences to give hope and share love with the world around me. When I’m not crafting another story, I’m working full-time as a registered nurse.

Reviews

[Just D · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Light Fantasy with an Open Door Ending


This had a cute, episodic feel to it. The premise is strong, and I liked the idea of a princess stepping into a political marriage while trying to balance duty and heart. It reads quickly and keeps things moving without getting overly complicated.
For me, it landed somewhere in the middle. Not bad, but not fully gripping either. I wanted a little more depth in certain moments to really connect with the stakes. That said, it’s an easy read and the setup has potential.
The ending definitely feels like it’s leading into something more. It closes on a note that suggests the story isn’t quite finished, which made me curious about where it might go next. It didn’t completely wow me, but it held my interest enough to see what comes after.

[NubianJoí · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Different World

“A whole new world 🎶…” & another pleasant literary surprise🤭‼️”Marked” was reminiscent of a love child birthed from two familiar worlds, the Book of Esther, rival twins Esau & Jacob & a classic children fairy tale. However, goodness & community prevailed. Meanwhile, Prince Cole & Princess Avery adventure was entertaining, honored tradition & unified two kingdoms for their royal HEA. …”May I kiss you, the most beautiful, intelligent & fierce woman I’ll soon have the pleasure to call my Queen?” flaws & all 👀🤩‼️It’s a different world, than were they both came from🤭🥰‼️

[Bri HS · Rating 2 out of 5]

--Could content spoiler so caution?--

This was a cute story. I liked a lot of aspect: the charcters, the strength, descriptions, and way of thinking and the general direction the plot was taking.

It has potential and realize its a short story, its only about 50pgs (10parts).
The reason its at 2 ⭐️⭐️ for me is not the writing style at all but the stark jumps from each chapter. Kidnapped to deep feeling within a chapter an a half...It felt like spark notes or phone notes on what a certain chapter would include or how itll read and then put in order.
The fluidity/flow was a bit too choppy to fall in love or want more...

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A duty bound princess is tormented about her physical appearance and goes to her fiancé, the King of a neighboring kingdom to marry him and consolidate their lands. What she discovers and how she handles her challenges are punctuated by sword play and defensive moves. The text, vocabulary, characterizations, and plot are simple. Pure good versus pure evil without nuance is presented in 67 short pages, leaving an opening for a sequel.

[Ranna (Ray) Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a sweet and adventurous read! I absolutely adore Chantol Aspinall’s writing, and she is able to make the characters come alive so easily, which is hard to do with a short story. In Marked, we get a strong and courageous female lead; a princess who can carry a sword! And we get a pure hearted and kind prince.
I can see this being a very fun and powerful fantasy/fiction series!

[Keri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy from a Goodreads giveaway.

I would give this one 3.5 stars.

My judgement may not be accurate for those who enjoy a short story; it's not really my thing. I enjoy longer stories with all the added details with rich, descriptive writing. I liked the premise and I can imagine it as a great, longer novel.

[Alexis Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a cute and quick read. It is my first book from this author and I am not disappointed. I enjoyed the quick love, and the acceptance, and the strength of Avery. I wasn’t quite expecting that, but it was such a cute twist. I absolutely adored this.

[Laksha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really adorable small romance book! A quick read, especially since I've been busy lately. I loved the romance and plot twists each page had. I recommend this book to anyone who wants a small short and simple read :)

[虹呗 · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a pretty cute story, and Avery was quite the heroine (I stan a girlie who doesn't need saving), though I was disappointed that we didn't get to see her and Cole take back their kingdoms. Overall though, it was cute :)

[Katherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a very short read, and while I know it's a short story and there's not a lot of time to flesh out details and characters... idk. It was overall pretty mid. Would've had more potential maybe with some more detail or plot points.

[Joan Ortiz · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute!

That was a rollercoaster in a short span of time! Wanted to see it go a different way but glad it didn't go as expected. Leaves lots of room for hope!
Loved that Cole accepted Avery for how she was. I think it was interesting they both had a scar.

[Cameron Garza · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very short story under 100 pages. The author could have benefited by making it longer and slowing down the pace. Cute story but also felt rushed.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marked by Chantol Aspinall – So my only thing is why does he kill the guards from her country to kidnap her? But if you ignore that, this was cute! Happy Reading!

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gave this book to my friend's daughter and she loved it!

[Library To-Go]

book talk: 05/29/25 -TG

[Laura Henderson-Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute story. easy reading

[Meshara · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a decent read. It felt incomplete.

[Brittanny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a quick read but very enjoyable and the fact it ends on a cliffhanger really got me.

I wouldn't be against to a longer story about them :)

[Klarissa]

Way too short. Nothing was fleshed out.

[Fergie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute Short 💕

For this to be dated in times I hardly read, I thoroughly enjoyed. Will be reading more from Chantol. 💕

[D.T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a giveaway!

First, I loved the presentation. The cover is beautiful and the book formatting is well done. If anyone knows me, I love princesses (and knights) and royal kingdoms, even more, when we get Black characters in these settings.

This is a self-contained short story, but I wish it were longer. The relationship could have been stronger if there were a few more scenes of bonding time between Avery and her soon-to-be king. The basis for the relationship is light Stockholm syndrome, but it still manages to be cute. Also, the male lead is NBA height, y'all lol.

"He raised his dark brows. "Not to my liking? You don't know what I like, Princess Avery."

Avery, the main character, has felt insecure about a facial disfigurement that everyone thinks means she’s cursed. She had a lot of emotional insecurity and tenderness, but she was also no pushover. Even when overpowered, she still fought back. Her relationship with her parents also shaped her. Her impending marriage brought the possibility of a new opportunity and a new fear of being rejected for her.

Male lead was pretty charming despite acting Surprise Pikachu when obviously dumb actions resulted in dumb results. Still, I liked his banter with Avery.

Overall, this was a cute story though I had a question about the worldbuilding. Did magic exist here or not, or were the people just superstitious? There were a few suggestive lines and some fight scenes, but most ages could read this with no issue (middle grade and up). I'd be interested in reading more from this author.

3.5

[Gina Trail · Rating 3 out of 5]

I absolutely love short stories! Marked has it all! Who doesn't love a strong, independent female?!