Happily

by Kim Fielding

Fairy tales always have happy endings—or so the tradition says. Sit down with Piers and enjoy a pint or two of his famous ale while he tells the real story about that beanstalk.

Genres: M M Romance

39 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 18, 2025

About the author

Kim Fielding lives in Oregon and travels as often as she can manage. A professor by day, at night she rushes into a phone booth to change into her author costume (which involves comfy clothes instead of Spandex and is, sadly, lacking a cape). Her superpowers include the ability to write nearly anywhere, often while simultaneously doling out assistance to her family. Her favorite word to describe herself is "eclectic" and she finally got that seventh tattoo.

Reviews

[Achim · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5
We're in front of a crackling fire at an inn in some kind of fairy-town while the scarred owner is telling some guy a story of his past. He's a good storyteller, charming and nice, a little flirtatious, a little jaded but obviously with a good heart. Seems he's familiar with the 7 dwarves and knows gossip about queen Cinderella. So we listen in, no harm done.

As a reader we only get Pier's voice and have to imagine the answers he's getting from his counterpart. He's talking about his life and how he got to a castle in the sky, working for giants until a beanstalk emerged from the clouds and his life got uprooted again. It's the life of some extra in the fairytale of someone else. Common people making the best out of weird situations, never the hero, never the villain, just like the 7 dwarves but different to them Pier's not remembered and living his everyday life again, a little better than before but a little lonely at times.

I love when Fielding is showing people who might be overlooked because the action happens somewhere else, the emotions flying high for someone else but they nevertheless have a story to tell on their own and I always going to listen if it's done in that charming way.

[Kim]

I do love revisiting familiar fairy tales and giving them a twist or two. Happily is my retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk, wherein we learn what really happened. It's a short story that I hope brings readers a spark of much-needed happiness.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was cleverly done, with zero angst, good for these trying times.

[Ami · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice tale that "related" to Jack and the Beanstalk. I am just not used to the style - the narrator tells the story to another character.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quirky Fairytale Retelling

Now I must begin by saying I love every story this author writes & this one is no exception but I’ve never read a book that is just one long one sided conversation before. The other characters are voices are not heard but relayed through the MC’s descriptions. Nevertheless I loved it, the humour & poignant longing in the MC’s voice trying to stay positive whilst waiting for his chance at an HEA was stunning & perfect. I was so relieved when he finally found his happily ever after which is what we want from our fairytales 😊xx

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely sweet novella, we open as being someone listening to an innkeeper telling a story by the fire Piers a kind man who wants to share his stories and maybe flirt with a man by the fire.
What happens after happily ever after or to the side characters a great tale. I want more maybe Anne next time

[Kassu · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐

I play a lot of video games. Many of them have a silent protagonist. This is exactly what you get in here, and it was funny but also disturbing - at least for me. YES, I do actually play a kind bard who jumps at the change to be gay for some silly NPC. It was a bit uncanny.

It was short, funny, and weird.

[Harrison Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever and entertaining take on a fairy tale reimagined as only Fielding can. It's a short tale but manages to be funny and moving in all the best ways, complete with some beautiful writing, particularly towards the beginning.

[M'rella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not very fond of the format, a bar owner conversing with the reader, so my first impulse was to give the book 4 stars (up from 3.5).

But after a few days I realized that the story actually managed to leave me with a warm and fuzzy feeling 😺😺😺 5 stars!

[Kobie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author never disappoints. An unusual style and lovely as always.

[Shelba · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 21%.

I’m not enjoying this particular choice in storytelling, with it literally being written as though Peirs is telling a listener-on.