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A Simple Tale of Sugar and Shadows
Darkness has never tasted so sweet
Bronwen Elwell knows how to craft magic in the form of spun sugar and delicate cake. She knows the carnival circuit and every town up the coast and back. She knows how to make her sister smile and when to direct patrons to darker attractions. She knows she swore off love ages ago and hasn’t regretted the decision a day of her life. What she doesn’t know, is how she went to bed an elderly confectioner and awoke a young woman in her prime.
When Colger & Sons plant their tents and wagons in an abandoned sheep farm on the outskirts of the tiny seaside village of Feyport and a man known simply as Darkness turns up to buy a box of her renowned cherry lime bonbons, memories come streaming back. Unfortunately, those memories aren't all sweetness and light. Despite her vow to never fall in love, she feels a tug toward the dangerous man who wears gloom and shadows like a second skin. Torn between memories of things best left buried and the mystery of the carnival she calls home, Bronwen soon finds love and deceit may go hand in hand.
A Simple Tale of Sugar and Shadows is a cozy celtic folklore inspired fantasy romance that returns to the extraordinary world of Feyport. Overflowing with unforgettable characters, unique friendships, and fey creatures both lovely and dark, each book may be read as a standalone, however readers may find spoilers for earlier books in the series.
Bronwen Elwell knows how to craft magic in the form of spun sugar and delicate cake. She knows the carnival circuit and every town up the coast and back. She knows how to make her sister smile and when to direct patrons to darker attractions. She knows she swore off love ages ago and hasn’t regretted the decision a day of her life. What she doesn’t know, is how she went to bed an elderly confectioner and awoke a young woman in her prime.
When Colger & Sons plant their tents and wagons in an abandoned sheep farm on the outskirts of the tiny seaside village of Feyport and a man known simply as Darkness turns up to buy a box of her renowned cherry lime bonbons, memories come streaming back. Unfortunately, those memories aren't all sweetness and light. Despite her vow to never fall in love, she feels a tug toward the dangerous man who wears gloom and shadows like a second skin. Torn between memories of things best left buried and the mystery of the carnival she calls home, Bronwen soon finds love and deceit may go hand in hand.
A Simple Tale of Sugar and Shadows is a cozy celtic folklore inspired fantasy romance that returns to the extraordinary world of Feyport. Overflowing with unforgettable characters, unique friendships, and fey creatures both lovely and dark, each book may be read as a standalone, however readers may find spoilers for earlier books in the series.
218 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 2, 2025
4 people are currently reading
1806 people want to read
About the author
Kami King Larsen
7 books54 followersLover of stories, writer of fiction, doctor for children, and enjoyer of wine and whimsy
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
November 15, 2025
This standalone, that is part of a larger series concept, is just delicious. The writing feels comforting, the characters so interesting, and the vibe a bit mysterious. "Darkness" is its own character!
One of my favorite quotes:
"Darkness sighed, bored of the games people played when they had no idea of the rules."
A definite read if you like your fantasy romance with a folklore feel or with some cozy mystery.
One of my favorite quotes:
"Darkness sighed, bored of the games people played when they had no idea of the rules."
A definite read if you like your fantasy romance with a folklore feel or with some cozy mystery.
December 5, 2025
Once again Dr. Kami King Larsen has created an amazing story with many layers of intrigue and surprise, with a little magic and a love story thrown in. I thoroughly enjoyed this tale that has a few unexpected twists about a carnival family and some unexpected visitors who aren’t unfamiliar to the family after all. An enjoyable read to be sure!
December 8, 2025
Sweet, whimsical, and surprisingly emotional, blending cozy magic with heartfelt character moments that left me completely charmed from start to finish.
January 8, 2026
Another lovely book in The Simple Tales series. Darkness has returned and got his part of tale. Magic can be for good or have a dark turn.
Loved this story with its magic twist.
Loved this story with its magic twist.
January 4, 2026
I have been charmed by the story, the characters (especially Shadows), the universe and its magic and tales.
October 6, 2025
ARC Review
Wow, such a beautiful story! A Simple Tale of Sugar and Shadows is definitely not simple, but is sweet and dark all the same. It is so delicious and delightful and I could not put is down!
The background where the story takes place is a carnival and the plot keeps going round a magic carousel that holds people together despite their differences and resentment.
The main characters are Bronwen, a beautiful and talented candy maker, that works in her father's carnival, and Darkness, the handsome dark son of The Witch, the master of dark and shadows, who finds love in the most unexpected place.
This carnival is a dark and creepy place, and endures through murder and deception, yet only Darkness, Evil and Violence are the ones that bring order, by making justice. Even so, thos book is like a patch for the soul!
Thank you Kami King Larsen and Booksirens for being part of the ARC team for this book, it made my day!
Wow, such a beautiful story! A Simple Tale of Sugar and Shadows is definitely not simple, but is sweet and dark all the same. It is so delicious and delightful and I could not put is down!
The background where the story takes place is a carnival and the plot keeps going round a magic carousel that holds people together despite their differences and resentment.
The main characters are Bronwen, a beautiful and talented candy maker, that works in her father's carnival, and Darkness, the handsome dark son of The Witch, the master of dark and shadows, who finds love in the most unexpected place.
This carnival is a dark and creepy place, and endures through murder and deception, yet only Darkness, Evil and Violence are the ones that bring order, by making justice. Even so, thos book is like a patch for the soul!
Thank you Kami King Larsen and Booksirens for being part of the ARC team for this book, it made my day!
December 13, 2025
The title is exactly true- this is a tale of Bronwen and Darkness, and the magic in both their lives. Bronwen makes confections at the carnival and Darkness has never felt this way about any woman.
I liked that there wasn't too much explanation in the story- the mythology of Darkness and his family is revealed in bits and pieces, rather than being laid out plainly. This felt more natural to the story, more immersive to an alternate land. There is darkness in the story, as there is in all our lives, but it isn't scary.
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. The characters are well developed and a this is part of a series I haven't read, I didn't feel lost.
I liked that there wasn't too much explanation in the story- the mythology of Darkness and his family is revealed in bits and pieces, rather than being laid out plainly. This felt more natural to the story, more immersive to an alternate land. There is darkness in the story, as there is in all our lives, but it isn't scary.
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. The characters are well developed and a this is part of a series I haven't read, I didn't feel lost.
November 13, 2025
Bronwen has always lived on the road, creating sugary treats for the carnival. But as much as she knows the ebb and flow of the traveling circuit, she doesn't understand how she suddenly woke up much younger than she should be and with no memories. When a mysterious man named Darkness visits the carnival on its stop at Feyport, she can't shake the feeling that she knows him. But as she slowly recovers her memories, it becomes clear that not only is Darkness vitally important to her, there's something horribly wrong happening at the carnival.
A Simple Tale of Sugar and Shadows is an expertly written fairy tale-like fantasy told in snap shots of memory. Darkness is a mythologic embodiment of the dark, but Bronwen reveals the humanity within him, as she discovers what truly matters most. A hauntingly poignant story of loss and recovery.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
A Simple Tale of Sugar and Shadows is an expertly written fairy tale-like fantasy told in snap shots of memory. Darkness is a mythologic embodiment of the dark, but Bronwen reveals the humanity within him, as she discovers what truly matters most. A hauntingly poignant story of loss and recovery.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
November 12, 2025
This was such an interesting read. What I thought would be light and mystical turned out to be a little dark and cryptic. I thoroughly enjoy both male and female main characters and didn't mind the back and forth between past and present time. Enid the FMC sister was difficult for me to like although the lack of a filter had me laughing. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 21, 2025
Sweet and dark and cozy and beautiful! I can’t wait for you all to read this magical book!
October 22, 2025
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
A Simple Tale of Sugar and Shadows is another sweet (pun intended) love story from Kami King Larsen. This is a standalone, but each of the "A Simple Tale of" tales builds off the previous ones and usually have cameos from a couple of the previous stories' characters.
Bronwen and her sister, Enid, were born into the carnival life and feels like they have been around for a very long time. There is something sinister about the carnival's carousel, but Elizabeth can't figure out what it is. There are a lot of things about the carnival that just don't feel right to her, but she has blank spots in her memory. Then a mysterious man comes along and she can't shake the feeling that she knows him. She can't stop thinking about Darkness, although she isn't sure that that is really his name.
This is a story of enduring true love, learning to break away from domestic manipulation, and trust in yourself and stand on your own feet.
A Simple Tale of Sugar and Shadows is another sweet (pun intended) love story from Kami King Larsen. This is a standalone, but each of the "A Simple Tale of" tales builds off the previous ones and usually have cameos from a couple of the previous stories' characters.
Bronwen and her sister, Enid, were born into the carnival life and feels like they have been around for a very long time. There is something sinister about the carnival's carousel, but Elizabeth can't figure out what it is. There are a lot of things about the carnival that just don't feel right to her, but she has blank spots in her memory. Then a mysterious man comes along and she can't shake the feeling that she knows him. She can't stop thinking about Darkness, although she isn't sure that that is really his name.
This is a story of enduring true love, learning to break away from domestic manipulation, and trust in yourself and stand on your own feet.
December 25, 2025
Recommended: sure
For a light and simple story, for a campfire tale feel
Thoughts:
Well this lives up to it's name, because it really is a simple story. That's not a bad thing, it's just not one with much complexity to it. The bulk of this is a dual-timeline mystery trying to figure out what happened in the past. The main character has amnesia (or generic memory loss) so we have to get her memories of the past in fragments alongside her. That said, it did seem like there was some obvious foreshadowing that she just straight up ignored. There was a guy who was ready to just tell her the answers to her questions, but she never got around to actually asking him, yet complained regularly about how annoying it was that no one would tell her what was going on. Sigh.
There were technically chapters from the point of view of Darkness as well, but far fewer. Maybe 25% Darkness and the rest with Bronwen. She gets frustrated with him about his inability to answer a straight question, and honestly same. xD It did feel like it was a bit overly obtuse sometimes, just for the sake of the book's vibe. Like once again, if people would have just talked to each other and been honest, there would be no story. It required a little bit of just rolling with it.
The plot is pretty light. Beyond the "what happened in the past" mystery, it's pretty obvious what's happening in the present. The conflict is minor and there isn't really a main climactic moment. Well, there is, but it's so calm and without drama that it didn't feel all that exciting. This is overall a very mild story with more telling than showing as far as emotions. In a way it almost felt like a novella, in that it was a bit surface-level feeling.
I feel like this all sounds negative, but it genuinely wasn't. I enjoyed reading this. It was pleasant enough. It certainly didn't blow me away, but I do think I will read more books in this world since they are standalones set in a similar series as I understand it. It was a very easy gentle story, and felt perfect for reading in cold, tired, dark December nights.
Thanks to LibraryThing and the author for a free copy. This is my honest review.
For a light and simple story, for a campfire tale feel
Thoughts:
Well this lives up to it's name, because it really is a simple story. That's not a bad thing, it's just not one with much complexity to it. The bulk of this is a dual-timeline mystery trying to figure out what happened in the past. The main character has amnesia (or generic memory loss) so we have to get her memories of the past in fragments alongside her. That said, it did seem like there was some obvious foreshadowing that she just straight up ignored. There was a guy who was ready to just tell her the answers to her questions, but she never got around to actually asking him, yet complained regularly about how annoying it was that no one would tell her what was going on. Sigh.
There were technically chapters from the point of view of Darkness as well, but far fewer. Maybe 25% Darkness and the rest with Bronwen. She gets frustrated with him about his inability to answer a straight question, and honestly same. xD It did feel like it was a bit overly obtuse sometimes, just for the sake of the book's vibe. Like once again, if people would have just talked to each other and been honest, there would be no story. It required a little bit of just rolling with it.
The plot is pretty light. Beyond the "what happened in the past" mystery, it's pretty obvious what's happening in the present. The conflict is minor and there isn't really a main climactic moment. Well, there is, but it's so calm and without drama that it didn't feel all that exciting. This is overall a very mild story with more telling than showing as far as emotions. In a way it almost felt like a novella, in that it was a bit surface-level feeling.
I feel like this all sounds negative, but it genuinely wasn't. I enjoyed reading this. It was pleasant enough. It certainly didn't blow me away, but I do think I will read more books in this world since they are standalones set in a similar series as I understand it. It was a very easy gentle story, and felt perfect for reading in cold, tired, dark December nights.
Thanks to LibraryThing and the author for a free copy. This is my honest review.
January 16, 2026
Not for me, but should be
3.5 stars. I really wanted to like this more.
Spooky carnival where nothing is as it seems? An immortal feared witch with three equally feared immortal sons? Forbidden love? Sounds great, right?
There was something about it that didn’t connect for me. I think it’s probably more of a me problem than the book, but it just wasn’t for me. I nearly DNFd it multiple times but forced myself to push through. I didn’t connect with any of the characters right until the end. Something clicked in the last few chapters for me and I couldn’t put it down. When I finally felt interested it was over. So I don’t know, do with that what you will. I think it’s just not the book for me.
3.5 stars. I really wanted to like this more.
Spooky carnival where nothing is as it seems? An immortal feared witch with three equally feared immortal sons? Forbidden love? Sounds great, right?
There was something about it that didn’t connect for me. I think it’s probably more of a me problem than the book, but it just wasn’t for me. I nearly DNFd it multiple times but forced myself to push through. I didn’t connect with any of the characters right until the end. Something clicked in the last few chapters for me and I couldn’t put it down. When I finally felt interested it was over. So I don’t know, do with that what you will. I think it’s just not the book for me.
November 23, 2025
ARC Review.
A Simple Tale of Sugar and Shadows is a dark and sweet story that captures the fantasy world of carnival. Picture eerie, hypnotic music and darkness that parts just enough for the darkness to seep through. Although a place of mystery, this is also a place for love.
Follow a captivating candy maker and her love story that is found in the least expected places.
A Simple Tale of Sugar and Shadows is a dark and sweet story that captures the fantasy world of carnival. Picture eerie, hypnotic music and darkness that parts just enough for the darkness to seep through. Although a place of mystery, this is also a place for love.
Follow a captivating candy maker and her love story that is found in the least expected places.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews