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To Win a Dark Heart
Falling for the Dark Mage: A Villainous Twist on "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" and "The Frog Prince"
Not yet published
Expected 27 Mar 26A mage desperate to escape. A stranger with a dark past. An alliance that could free them both.
Seraphina is a disappointment. The daughter of a dark mage, she is unable to cast curses and can only create three charms. The sole way she can benefit her mother’s criminal empire is as a bride.
The first attempt ended badly, with her mother flying into a rage and cursing the reluctant groom to be frozen into his Bear form. Now Seraphina bides her time, practising her Creative magic and waiting for her chance to escape.
When a newcomer arrives at the fortress, Seraphina’s mother takes a strong interest in his talents. On the run from cursing the crown prince of a neighbouring kingdom, Damario could provide her dark mages with the one thing that’s missing from a curse they’re perfecting.
Seraphina’s escape plans are jeopardised when a familiar figure from her past appears. She is determined to leave the fortress, but can she manage it in time? And will Damario give Seraphina a reason to stay?
Falling for the Dark Mage is the eleventh book in the To Win a Dark Heart series which retells fairytales as old as time, but this time it’s the villain’s turn to get a happy ending.
Seraphina is a disappointment. The daughter of a dark mage, she is unable to cast curses and can only create three charms. The sole way she can benefit her mother’s criminal empire is as a bride.
The first attempt ended badly, with her mother flying into a rage and cursing the reluctant groom to be frozen into his Bear form. Now Seraphina bides her time, practising her Creative magic and waiting for her chance to escape.
When a newcomer arrives at the fortress, Seraphina’s mother takes a strong interest in his talents. On the run from cursing the crown prince of a neighbouring kingdom, Damario could provide her dark mages with the one thing that’s missing from a curse they’re perfecting.
Seraphina’s escape plans are jeopardised when a familiar figure from her past appears. She is determined to leave the fortress, but can she manage it in time? And will Damario give Seraphina a reason to stay?
Falling for the Dark Mage is the eleventh book in the To Win a Dark Heart series which retells fairytales as old as time, but this time it’s the villain’s turn to get a happy ending.
Kindle Edition
Expected publication March 27, 2026
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About the author
Lucy Winton
31 books19 followersLucy Winton is a YA fantasy author. She loves to write (and read) stories with adventure, mystery, friendship, discovery...and a little romance as well. She lives in a seaside town in Devon.
She first started writing when she was four; hopefully, she's improved since then. She loves trying out new recipes, daydreaming and buying more books than her bookshelves can hold.
She first started writing when she was four; hopefully, she's improved since then. She loves trying out new recipes, daydreaming and buying more books than her bookshelves can hold.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 27, 2025
(2.5) ARC Review for Falling for the Dark Mage by Lucy Winton.
This was a nice short story, but had so much potential to be more. The world building was lacking details. I’d love to have known more about the fortress and how travelers could accidentally stumble upon it.
I also found it difficult to connect with Serephina, but I do appreciate that she was a strong FMC who didn’t cower away from mother or difficult decisions.
I felt many details within the story was left out or rushed. There were only a few moments in the book where I felt intrigued and wanted to read faster to see what’s happening, but the rest of it felt a bit vague.
We also never really get to see or know the real strength of Damario’s powers. There was one stage where she saw him use warrior magic and was surprised by his ability, but it’s never discussed further. Their relationship could have been a bit more detailed.
Unfortunately this was not one of my favorite retellings that I’ve recently read.
This was a nice short story, but had so much potential to be more. The world building was lacking details. I’d love to have known more about the fortress and how travelers could accidentally stumble upon it.
I also found it difficult to connect with Serephina, but I do appreciate that she was a strong FMC who didn’t cower away from mother or difficult decisions.
I felt many details within the story was left out or rushed. There were only a few moments in the book where I felt intrigued and wanted to read faster to see what’s happening, but the rest of it felt a bit vague.
We also never really get to see or know the real strength of Damario’s powers. There was one stage where she saw him use warrior magic and was surprised by his ability, but it’s never discussed further. Their relationship could have been a bit more detailed.
Unfortunately this was not one of my favorite retellings that I’ve recently read.
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January 23, 2026Full review and rating to come!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Rating 3.5
I was very excited when I received an ARC of Falling for the Dark Mage especially after enjoying An Ambitious Hope and The Shifter in Mage which are set in the same universe. Prior to the books announcement I had expected the next series heroine to be someone else, and although that is not the case, she is still a prominent figure in the story.
Falling for the Dark Mage is a retelling of East of the Sun, West of the Moon and the Frog Prince staring the two original stories villains: the troll princess who stole away and tried to force the prince cursed to be a polar by day into marrying her (although she's not a troll in this case) and the sorcerer who cursed another prince into becoming a frog. While this book works well as a retelling of East of the Sun West of the Moon, I can't say the same for The Frog Prince as that plotline is regulated to a character's history and doesn't have much impact on the story being told.
Seraphina is the daughter of a criminal who is expected to marry the man her mother chooses to bring in gold and riches. She lives a lonely life, in an isolated fortress, kept away from the other dark mages in her mother's organization. One day a fugitive from a neighboring kingdom Damario arrives seeking sanctuary after the prince he cursed into the shape of a frog is freed from the spell. Although he is told stay away from Seraphina the two can't seem to stay away even as Seraphina plans to escape the fortress and her mother controlling behavior. When a new prisoner from her past comes back into her life and secrets are revealed the pair must work together to save the day before it is too late.
Sadly, I had a hard time connecting with the protagonist Seraphina even though I sympathized with her plight. Her love interest Damario was somewhat more interesting, but I would have liked the book to be longer so they could be developed further. It was however nice to see the return of previous characters from An Ambitious Hope and The Shifter and the Mage and to find out what happened to the villain from the former.
In comparison the previous works set in the world of Vorgravia this one was probably my least favorite, but I would still recommend it to those who want a quick overall enjoyable read and fans of the fairy tale East of the Sun, West of the Moon. This is actually Lucy Winton's second retelling of the tale (the first one is titled Winter Wolf and is a prequel to her Roses series) and between the two of them Falling for the Dark Mage is definitely the better one. The story is told from the perspective of the villain of the original story and if you enjoyed it or are looking for something similar, I would recommend reading To Ride the Wind and its sequel To Steal the Sun by Melanie Cellier. I'll also give a mention to the audiobook Beautiful by Juliett Marilliar which also features the troll princess as the protagonist.
I was very excited when I received an ARC of Falling for the Dark Mage especially after enjoying An Ambitious Hope and The Shifter in Mage which are set in the same universe. Prior to the books announcement I had expected the next series heroine to be someone else, and although that is not the case, she is still a prominent figure in the story.
Falling for the Dark Mage is a retelling of East of the Sun, West of the Moon and the Frog Prince staring the two original stories villains: the troll princess who stole away and tried to force the prince cursed to be a polar by day into marrying her (although she's not a troll in this case) and the sorcerer who cursed another prince into becoming a frog. While this book works well as a retelling of East of the Sun West of the Moon, I can't say the same for The Frog Prince as that plotline is regulated to a character's history and doesn't have much impact on the story being told.
Seraphina is the daughter of a criminal who is expected to marry the man her mother chooses to bring in gold and riches. She lives a lonely life, in an isolated fortress, kept away from the other dark mages in her mother's organization. One day a fugitive from a neighboring kingdom Damario arrives seeking sanctuary after the prince he cursed into the shape of a frog is freed from the spell. Although he is told stay away from Seraphina the two can't seem to stay away even as Seraphina plans to escape the fortress and her mother controlling behavior. When a new prisoner from her past comes back into her life and secrets are revealed the pair must work together to save the day before it is too late.
Sadly, I had a hard time connecting with the protagonist Seraphina even though I sympathized with her plight. Her love interest Damario was somewhat more interesting, but I would have liked the book to be longer so they could be developed further. It was however nice to see the return of previous characters from An Ambitious Hope and The Shifter and the Mage and to find out what happened to the villain from the former.
In comparison the previous works set in the world of Vorgravia this one was probably my least favorite, but I would still recommend it to those who want a quick overall enjoyable read and fans of the fairy tale East of the Sun, West of the Moon. This is actually Lucy Winton's second retelling of the tale (the first one is titled Winter Wolf and is a prequel to her Roses series) and between the two of them Falling for the Dark Mage is definitely the better one. The story is told from the perspective of the villain of the original story and if you enjoyed it or are looking for something similar, I would recommend reading To Ride the Wind and its sequel To Steal the Sun by Melanie Cellier. I'll also give a mention to the audiobook Beautiful by Juliett Marilliar which also features the troll princess as the protagonist.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I absolutely LOVED this retelling of "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" and "The Frog Prince!" I have to say, though, that it was definitely not what I was expecting. The MMC was the villain who cursed the prince to be a frog (which was more of a backstory rather than being central to the plot) while the FMC was the daughter of the witch-queen who cursed a potential suitor that she wanted her daughter to marry. This was a really interesting take on both of these tales and it was nice to see this from the villain and witch-princess's perspective, as I don't think I've read any fairy tale retellings that have either of these villains as main characters.
I really loved the FMC, Seraphina, very much! Even though she grew up under her mother's thumb and was unable to cast curses to help her mother's criminal empire like her mother wanted, she had a really good heart and cared about others. She also had a really strong determination and a plan of her own to escape from her mother's clutches. She is definitely really brave and resilient.
I also really loved her love interest, Damario. He seems to be a really powerful mage and I really wished that he could have used his powers for something much bigger. That said, he was a really great character. I love how supportive he was of Seraphina and how he trusted her completely. I wish that we got to see a bit of the story from his perspective since he really is a good person at heart and only cast that curse on the prince because he deserved it. It would be nice to get to see his perspective and get to know why he decided to seek out her mother's criminal empire to become a villain.
Despite this, however, the book was AMAZING! It was very short, but the plot and the characters felt really well-developed and the story was well-paced. I loved getting to see Adriel and Shyla again, as well as mentions of Ruby and other characters I'd already met before in Lucy's previous books.
I also really enjoyed all of the side characters, namely Alvar and Khione, the actual main characters of the original "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" fairytale. I really hope that they get their own story one day!
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it! It was such a fun, short, and sweet read!
I really loved the FMC, Seraphina, very much! Even though she grew up under her mother's thumb and was unable to cast curses to help her mother's criminal empire like her mother wanted, she had a really good heart and cared about others. She also had a really strong determination and a plan of her own to escape from her mother's clutches. She is definitely really brave and resilient.
I also really loved her love interest, Damario. He seems to be a really powerful mage and I really wished that he could have used his powers for something much bigger. That said, he was a really great character. I love how supportive he was of Seraphina and how he trusted her completely. I wish that we got to see a bit of the story from his perspective since he really is a good person at heart and only cast that curse on the prince because he deserved it. It would be nice to get to see his perspective and get to know why he decided to seek out her mother's criminal empire to become a villain.
Despite this, however, the book was AMAZING! It was very short, but the plot and the characters felt really well-developed and the story was well-paced. I loved getting to see Adriel and Shyla again, as well as mentions of Ruby and other characters I'd already met before in Lucy's previous books.
I also really enjoyed all of the side characters, namely Alvar and Khione, the actual main characters of the original "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" fairytale. I really hope that they get their own story one day!
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it! It was such a fun, short, and sweet read!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Read and loved this 90-minute mashup retelling.
Seraphina is a dark mage who makes disguises in her mother’s criminal clan. Why don’t we ever think about those kind of jobs, just about main heroes and the usual protagonists? Enter Damario, the one who cursed a prince to be a frog. What if he had good reason? What if the princess destined to marry the bear was forced into it by her mother?
I loved how Seraphina managed to stay a good soul in her mother’s black market clan and how Damario was drawn to her goodness from the moment they met. Such a sweet story where the “evil” princess helps the bear’s betrothed out of the goodness of her heart and not to receive baubles she desires. Throughout this whole series I’m getting more and more convinced that the villains have always been simply gravely misunderstood - lovely twists galore!
Recommended for lovers of mixed gen (YA/NA) mashup retellings told from the viewpoint of villains, especially of the Frog Prince and East of the Sun, West of the Moon.
Seraphina is a dark mage who makes disguises in her mother’s criminal clan. Why don’t we ever think about those kind of jobs, just about main heroes and the usual protagonists? Enter Damario, the one who cursed a prince to be a frog. What if he had good reason? What if the princess destined to marry the bear was forced into it by her mother?
I loved how Seraphina managed to stay a good soul in her mother’s black market clan and how Damario was drawn to her goodness from the moment they met. Such a sweet story where the “evil” princess helps the bear’s betrothed out of the goodness of her heart and not to receive baubles she desires. Throughout this whole series I’m getting more and more convinced that the villains have always been simply gravely misunderstood - lovely twists galore!
Recommended for lovers of mixed gen (YA/NA) mashup retellings told from the viewpoint of villains, especially of the Frog Prince and East of the Sun, West of the Moon.
Review of advance copy received from Author
This is a re-telling of 'East of the Sun, West of the Moon' from the point of view of the villainess' daughter. Added to the mix is the sorcerer who cursed the 'Frog Prince' to act as the love interest. Although the premise is interesting and the writing is quite readable and engaging, I did find it a bit lacking in depth. The author could have taken more time to elaborate on ideas and more fully explore the situation and made the book a full novel as opposed to the novella it is. It is probably great for a younger reader, say around 12 years old, but as an older reader it lacks a degree of sophstication that would make it great. Still, it is a sweet, clean and swift read great for some light entertainment.
I received an ARC and voluntarily leave an honest review.
I received an ARC and voluntarily leave an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I arc read this for Lucy Winton. Thank you for letting me to do so!
Falling for the Dark Mage is the 11th book in the series, To Win a Dark Heart. It is a fairy tale retelling of East of the Sun, West of the Moon and The Frog Prince. I loved this one! It was full of intrigue, and it started off so good!
I loved that the FMC wasn’t born of a hero, but rather a dark mage. I loved all the characters, especially Seraphina.
Seraphina is desperate to escape her home with her evil mother. Dario is a stranger with a dark past. Both have to lean on each other to set them both free.
I loved how the fairy tales were retold. It’s interesting to see what authors come with. And this was amazing!
Falling for the Dark Mage is the 11th book in the series, To Win a Dark Heart. It is a fairy tale retelling of East of the Sun, West of the Moon and The Frog Prince. I loved this one! It was full of intrigue, and it started off so good!
I loved that the FMC wasn’t born of a hero, but rather a dark mage. I loved all the characters, especially Seraphina.
Seraphina is desperate to escape her home with her evil mother. Dario is a stranger with a dark past. Both have to lean on each other to set them both free.
I loved how the fairy tales were retold. It’s interesting to see what authors come with. And this was amazing!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Creative and refreshing combination of the Frog Prince and East of the Sun West of the Moon
This novella is an excellent addition to the To Win a Dark Heart series. I love the characters and the magic system. Seraphina's determination and artistic spirit captured my attention. Despite her circumstances and mother, she doesn't cower and give up. Her quiet inner strength is powerful. I liked that she is a female main character who is strong but not obnoxious and arrogant about it. Damario makes for a rather interesting character as he seeks refuge with a bunch of dark mages without actively wanting to fully embrace the role. Between the characters, plot, and detailed magic system, this book swept me away. Clean in language and content, I highly recommend it.
*I received an ARC. All opinions are my own.
This novella is an excellent addition to the To Win a Dark Heart series. I love the characters and the magic system. Seraphina's determination and artistic spirit captured my attention. Despite her circumstances and mother, she doesn't cower and give up. Her quiet inner strength is powerful. I liked that she is a female main character who is strong but not obnoxious and arrogant about it. Damario makes for a rather interesting character as he seeks refuge with a bunch of dark mages without actively wanting to fully embrace the role. Between the characters, plot, and detailed magic system, this book swept me away. Clean in language and content, I highly recommend it.
*I received an ARC. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Author
The 11th book in the too Win A Dark Heart, A Villainous mashup of East of the Suun, West of the Moon and the Frog Prince by Lucy Winton is captivating and intriguing. There is action, adventure, twists and turns, and surprises you don't see coming. The MC's Seraphina and Damario are great characters with depth and are engaging from the beginning. I absolutely enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it!
Review of advance copy received from Author
A very unique story full of its own magic. I enjoyed the fast-paced plot that continued to thicken as the pages went on. The characters had strong backstories, though they didn't have much of an arc. The complexity of the characters mostly came from the plot, but the progression of the turn of events made them interesting. The magical element was a perfect aspect of the story, adding another layer of complexity to the world and turn of events.
Thank you for the arc!
Thank you for the arc!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Oh, I do like Seraphina! I like her patience, her planning, her desire to be free - and her ability to take real risks to be able to help and fly. How many children are trapped in their parents' bad decisions? This daughter figured out how to escape. That is inspirational. That she also finds true love along the way? I practically hugged my ebook as that HEA happened.
I received an ARC from the author and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received an ARC from the author and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
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December 21, 2025A delightful blend of East of the Sun, West of the Moon and the Frog Prince! I enjoyed the fresh take on the villainous twist on these two fairy tales! This story gives you YA fantasy vibes!
I received an ARC from the author and all opinions are my own.
I received an ARC from the author and all opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I liked this book, but I really wish it would have been longer. Especially, with the MMC and MFC and their romance. I feel like it should have gone at least a few more pages more to into them both before ending like it did.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I love that Seraphine does not let her mother control by appearing weak and obeying every whim of her mother, while planning her escape. Damario knows he is a villian but still feel bad about it all. I love the secret meetings! 😍 I love how they both try to be better than their surroundings ❤️
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews