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Lied: A Handmaid's Goose Girl Retelling
A false princess. A crownless king. A nation on the verge of revolution.
Raised in a family that trades in secrets, Cwen has been lying for as long as she can remember. Escorting Princess Saewynn to the land of her betrothed was supposed to be a fresh start—a chance to leave the deception behind. But when their caravan is ambushed, Cwen makes a single, irreversible choice to lie once she pushes the princess to safety… and claims the royal name as her own.
Nik has been imprisoned in one way or another ever since his uncle stole the throne that should have been his. The only light that's pierced those long, dark years arrives in the form of a new the princess of Aescesdun, the woman his uncle now plans to wed to legitimize his stolen crown. But something doesn’t add up. Is she truly who she claims to be—or just another of his uncle’s schemes, sent to root out the last secrets of the rebellion?
Held captive together in the dungeon together, Nik and Cwen forge a fragile bond—one built on shared captivity, wary glances, and unexpected connection. But beneath every word she speaks is a dangerous she isn’t the princess she pretends to be. And every day that passes draws her closer to a man who believes she is.
In a situation where trust can mean survival, Cwen’s lie threatens everything. Because when the truth finally comes to light—as it must—it won’t just shatter what they’ve built. It could destroy the only chance either of them has to be free.
Raised in a family that trades in secrets, Cwen has been lying for as long as she can remember. Escorting Princess Saewynn to the land of her betrothed was supposed to be a fresh start—a chance to leave the deception behind. But when their caravan is ambushed, Cwen makes a single, irreversible choice to lie once she pushes the princess to safety… and claims the royal name as her own.
Nik has been imprisoned in one way or another ever since his uncle stole the throne that should have been his. The only light that's pierced those long, dark years arrives in the form of a new the princess of Aescesdun, the woman his uncle now plans to wed to legitimize his stolen crown. But something doesn’t add up. Is she truly who she claims to be—or just another of his uncle’s schemes, sent to root out the last secrets of the rebellion?
Held captive together in the dungeon together, Nik and Cwen forge a fragile bond—one built on shared captivity, wary glances, and unexpected connection. But beneath every word she speaks is a dangerous she isn’t the princess she pretends to be. And every day that passes draws her closer to a man who believes she is.
In a situation where trust can mean survival, Cwen’s lie threatens everything. Because when the truth finally comes to light—as it must—it won’t just shatter what they’ve built. It could destroy the only chance either of them has to be free.
352 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 10, 2025
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17 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
October 10, 2025
First you know of fairytales from the Brother's Grimm who had a bit of a dark twisted turns to them. Then they came out with fairytales that were suitable for kids that would appeal to them. Now they are either dark and clean fairytales with reading. Sarah does clean romance and not blood or gore fighting scenes that is what i like about these books she has done its simple and clean in all aspects. Its starts off with Cwen and Princess Saewynn traveling to the princess's betrothed(Not a spoiler) Getting ambushed Cwen saves the princess in a switch to take her place so the princess shall be safe from the ambush. Cwen now forced to go with the captives acts as the princess to be met by the man who wants the Princess's hand and taken over a kingdom that was not his to rule. King Iakov (the guy gave me the ick) i mean seriously kidnapping a princess and forcing her to marry him or else. Which she gets thrown in the dungeon because tells him no to the marriage. Her and Nik have a whirlwind together and its was such a beautiful story and it left me saying "Finally" "About Time" during parts. I cant wait to read more of this story. I have now put Sarah as auto read for me.(Spoilers will be from here on out so tread carefully) Where she meets Nik also a prisoner but he to keeps who he is under wraps for awhile. They talk even laugh and get to know each other. Only 2 people in the dungeon it was good that Nik was a nice prisoner. He even gave up his food and blanket to her which was very sweet. The king(which he is not the rightful king) Comes in to only see if she is ready to come to her senses which i am proud of Gwen saying no everytime. That man does not deserve to marry the princess the pretend one Cwen or the real one. He dont deserve the throne. Being in the dungeon Cwen as the princess gets to know Nik she even sings for him. Cwen now knows who Nik is and why he is imprisoned. He is Nikandr Naryshkin the son to the late kingv who si the rightful king to Kharnovka no Iakov who is his uncle. I could go on and on about this man taking a kingdom and forcing people and doing things he has no right to. Nik has a rat to send messages out to his brother who is still alive and gets messages which is very smart. Cwen as the princess agrees to marry Iakov only to save Nik and Nik escapes and wants to return the favor to save Cwen from the marriage she didnt want. It is amazing that people are loyal to Nik and help him rescue the princess(aka Cwen) They go through so much together in the little time they have known each other but are helping each other escape and leave the sights of King Iakov. When its time to come clean to Nik about who Cwen really is I was not certain what was going to happen. Lies always come out and having a lie come from Cwen before anyone else found out was the way to go. Things turn bad when someone else exposés your lie. After the lie is out in the open its all just about them getting to safety things are innocent.
In the dark, speaking so forthrightly of his fears and longings, he'd nearly told her he loved her. First touch of lips to any part of skin was on the forehead which was sweet. Their is a longing feel for them both. You can feel the tension between them till Nik comes to his senses and tells her how he feels and how she feels. They claim love for each other and even he proposes to her which just made me swoon for them. She deserves it and so does he. They both found each other in the most horrible way both prisoners and found way to jump to loving each other. But yet she harbors another secret she tells him which left him uncertain. I was hoping for them two. Iakov does not give up with everyone thinking Nik was dead and Cwen was still the princess till she was declared she was not the princess because the Princess was found safe in Caldera where her betrothed was from the beginning. As an execution was being to take place Nik reveals himself which i was happy to see it happen and him declaring the he was the rightful king. There is a fight scene but there is no blood and gore mention. Just Cwen acting like a badass and attacking King Iakov. There is mention of sword going into an abdomen but no gory details beyond that. Nik takes back the throne and rejoices that a monster that took the kingdom is no longer a threat and they will strong together. Almost over they finally share a kiss a kiss that was well deserved for them both. Knowing that Cwen was a commoner and she helped him take back his kingdom and convinced him who he really was inside. Only to ask her to marry him once again. Yes they both officially say they will marry each other and share another kiss. Finally hopefully this is it and they have no more interruptions i thought. Talking about the future kids and if not having them and the country accepting her as their queen. They do she saved the Nik the king twice and a Princess. She deserved to have praise for the courage she had. She had bravery. I loved this story and i think it will be a favorite of mine like the others. I cant wait again to read more.
In the dark, speaking so forthrightly of his fears and longings, he'd nearly told her he loved her. First touch of lips to any part of skin was on the forehead which was sweet. Their is a longing feel for them both. You can feel the tension between them till Nik comes to his senses and tells her how he feels and how she feels. They claim love for each other and even he proposes to her which just made me swoon for them. She deserves it and so does he. They both found each other in the most horrible way both prisoners and found way to jump to loving each other. But yet she harbors another secret she tells him which left him uncertain. I was hoping for them two. Iakov does not give up with everyone thinking Nik was dead and Cwen was still the princess till she was declared she was not the princess because the Princess was found safe in Caldera where her betrothed was from the beginning. As an execution was being to take place Nik reveals himself which i was happy to see it happen and him declaring the he was the rightful king. There is a fight scene but there is no blood and gore mention. Just Cwen acting like a badass and attacking King Iakov. There is mention of sword going into an abdomen but no gory details beyond that. Nik takes back the throne and rejoices that a monster that took the kingdom is no longer a threat and they will strong together. Almost over they finally share a kiss a kiss that was well deserved for them both. Knowing that Cwen was a commoner and she helped him take back his kingdom and convinced him who he really was inside. Only to ask her to marry him once again. Yes they both officially say they will marry each other and share another kiss. Finally hopefully this is it and they have no more interruptions i thought. Talking about the future kids and if not having them and the country accepting her as their queen. They do she saved the Nik the king twice and a Princess. She deserved to have praise for the courage she had. She had bravery. I loved this story and i think it will be a favorite of mine like the others. I cant wait again to read more.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 9, 2025
Another fantastic retelling by Sarah Carlisle! I love this series! Each fairytale is full of twists and unique plots. This book was captivating and had me glued to the pages! I think I read this in a day because I had to see how the story unfolded. Sarah’s take on the fairytale, the Goose Girl was intriguing. Nik and Cwen were wonderful characters. You could feel their hope and despair during captivity. Their time in captivity was realistically portray without any gore. I loved seeing how they grew and trusted each other. The romance was sweet kisses only. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series!
I volunteered to read an ARC copy of the book and all thoughts are my own.
I volunteered to read an ARC copy of the book and all thoughts are my own.
October 9, 2025
I got this as an arc and it totally did not disappoint. It's got everything: hidden identity, forbidden romance, and even villain who usurped a throne that was not his. Sarah Carlisle has taken the classic fairytale from the brother’s Grimm and made it one of two different adaptations of it. I can't wait to read the princess’s after this one!
October 13, 2025
The author's take on the Goose Girl retelling split into separate duologies about the handmaiden and the princess was fascinating and creative. The pacing was slow at times, but overall, I enjoyed the adventures and the forbidden romance between the FMC and MMC they went through together. I’m looking forward to reading the princess version of this retelling after this one.
November 16, 2025
Interesting take
I've read a LOT of versions of this story before, but splitting it apart into a duo was an interesting strategy. Remains to be seen if it'll be fully successful, but since I'm pretty sure the second book came out a year earlier than planned, I'm not expecting to wait long to find out!
I've read a LOT of versions of this story before, but splitting it apart into a duo was an interesting strategy. Remains to be seen if it'll be fully successful, but since I'm pretty sure the second book came out a year earlier than planned, I'm not expecting to wait long to find out!
December 29, 2025
I initially liked this a whole lot... until they escaped. The characters seemed real and formed a true bond. Then they escaped and it became an endless road trip of politics and almost getting caught. I even skipped ahead by a lot and it was still too long. I did not care about the 20 bazillion names of all the people they met while on the run, nor all that he had to do politically to be king.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 16, 2025
Unique but beautiful retelling
I loved seeing Cwen and Nik get to know each other and stand in solidarity. It was interesting seeing them let down their walls. And of course, chickens.
I loved seeing Cwen and Nik get to know each other and stand in solidarity. It was interesting seeing them let down their walls. And of course, chickens.
October 23, 2025
I really loved reading this wonderful book! I loved the characters and the plot! I absolutely loved this retelling of The Goose Girl I had a hard time putting this really wonderful book down! I am looking forward to reading the next book in this really wonderful series!
October 16, 2025
fantastic storytelling
Such a wonderful and fun book, with a sweet love story. I highly recommend reading the entire series of these books!
Such a wonderful and fun book, with a sweet love story. I highly recommend reading the entire series of these books!
October 22, 2025
Like the rest of the series, I absolutely adored it.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews