Castle of Broken Dreams: An Enchanted Sleeping Beauty Retelling

by A.R. Kaufer

Cursed as a baby, Aurora Rose lives a sheltered life. As the fae princess, she will one day inherit the throne. At the age of ten, she discovers her best friend, Philip Greyson, knows more about her than he’s let on. She corners him and demands answers.

Rose isn’t the only one growing impatient. Some magic cannot be ignored, and it infiltrates the palace. When things turn dire, her father does the one thing he swore he would never do; he sends her to hide in the mortal realm.

Greyson searches for her, longing to see her once more. When he unwittingly brings the curse to her doorstep, everything begins to fall apart…

TW:



PTSD
Torture
Cursed sleep
Potential Drowning
Violence & Death (Including death of a parent)
Mention of Birth Control
Other potential triggers

Castle of Broken Dreams is for fans of Sleeping Beauty, The Last Unicorn, and fairytale retellings with a twist!

The Stolen Royalty Series is a series of fairytale retellings where each book can be read in any order and are standalones within the series.

304 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication October 6, 2026

About the author

A.R. Kaufer has dreamed of becoming a published author for as long as she can remember. She is a DV and SA survivor, and champions for mental health services for those in need. She lives in Indiana with her wonderful husband and furbabies. When she's not reading or writing, she enjoys playing video games, watching movies, and going for walks in the woods around her home.

She is currently working on an eight book fantasy series, The Courtship Saga, with all 8 books available now.

She also has a Beauty and the Beast retelling, Kingdom of Forgotten Curses. And she released her first novella, The Sword in the Roses, which released at #8 on Amazon's best-seller list!

Court of Lies & Cinder, a dark Cinderella retelling with wolf shifters, is available now!

Her latest release is a Rapunzel retelling. Tower of the Lost Princess, available now!

Coming this fall, she has a Sleeping Beauty retelling, Castle of Broken Dreams!

She is also working on a standalone dark romantasy, slated to come out next spring.

Reviews

[Jessica James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I dont know how she does it but each book keeps getting better and better!!!! We have our FMC Rose and our MMC Greyson, they used to be friends and now he must free her from the Curse, a fabulous nod to sleeping beauty and done so well. This book has yearning, magic, and ancient Curses so a little for everyone. Can Greysom reach her in time, will they break the Curse? So many questions i guess you will have to just read it to find out.

[Misty Blackburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this retelling of sleeping beauty. A curse separated them but love and determination brought them back together. Such a great retelling, Unique twist to it. There is action, found family, love, some spice and so much more. A must read!!

[Deanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another reviewer said Kaufer’s writing has improved with each new book in this series. I agree with that, the growth is obvious! If you are a fan of fairytale retellings this series is worth checking out.

[Rosie Brady · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this! sleeping beauty mixed with a unicorn shifter as the mmc.
The yearning is amazing! I swear this author loves to make me cry😫
4.5⭐️
2🌶🌶

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coming soon....

***Beta/Arc Review***

Childhood friends to lovers
He falls first
Deadly trials & a Loki-coded villain
Fae courts & Arranged Marriage
Unicorn Shifters

What more so you want on a sleeping beauty retelling! The story is great; there is a bit spice. The action is great.

[Sherry Norris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic! I absolutely love this story. It’s so well done. The storyline, characters, and world building is simply outstanding. I just can’t find the words to describe how amazing Castles of Broken Dreams is. Autumn really knows how to take a fairytale I read growing up and flipping everything upside down and have me fall in love with an adult version. I cannot wait to see what Autumn has for the next book in her Stolen Royalty series.