A Spell for Susannah: A Middle Kingdoms Fairy Tale Romance

MIDDLE KINGDOMS #1

by Jody Wallace

A not-so-Grimm tale about a not-so-obedient princess and the kingdom she’s determined to save


NO BOYS ALLOWED...
Twelve bored royal daughters in a kingdom where the nobility has been cursed to bear no male children. One sly detective who's been tasked to find out where the ladies disappear to at night. What’s a princess to do?


FORBIDDEN MAGIC...
If you’re Princess Susannah, the eldest of the twelve princesses, you research inheritance laws and curse-breaking magic until you develop the ability to work fairy magic yourself—which is completely forbidden. You might use that magic to discover an enchanted land beneath your palace where hundreds of amnesiac princes dance and cavort all night long.


DESPERATION LEADS TO DESPERATE MEASURES...
If you’re the King and Queen, you hire a professional to find out how your daughters are ruining their dancing shoes on a regular basis, despite all the measures you’ve taken to keep them secure. For that delicate job, you choose the handsome detective who instantly gets under your eldest daughter’s skin.


But enchantments and dancing won’t modernize the patriarchal laws in time to prevent the Middle Kingdoms from falling into anarchy. Can Susannah outwit the detective, the patriarchy, the curse, and the fairies in time to save her kingdom—and herself?


Author’s Note to Readers: This word novel was originally published by Samhain Publishing in 2008. This edition has been reedited, reformatted, and updated with a new cover but has not been substantially altered. There are about 6000 words of endmatter after the 105,000 word novel.

Genres: Romance, Paranormal Romance

ebook

First published January 29, 2008

About the author

Jody Wallace’s 30+ titles include sf/f romance, paranormal romance, and contemporary romance. Her fiction features diverse protagonists, action, adventure, and humor. Her readers frequently comment on her great characters, suspenseful stories, and intriguing and creative world building. When describing her methods, Jody says: “There are two sides to every story. I aim to tell the third. And I add cats regardless.”

Outside of her fiction career, Jody has employed her Master’s Degree in Creative Writing to work as a college English instructor, technical documents editor, market analyst, web designer, and all around pain in the butt.

Reviews

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jody weaves a great book...with spells and intrigue. I picked this book up at a MCRW book signing...and Jody is definitely one of my favorite authors from the group. She builds the perfect world and peoples it with rich, radiant characters. Read this book, it's awesome.

[D.B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a more *cough cough* mature reader, I really appreciate the fact that the heroine is no shy, shrinking 12 year old ingenue. Instead, she older, wiser, and knows what she wants and how to get it. This delightful new spin on an old tale is perfect for the modern woman who's looking for a great romance read with a touch of magic! Been a fan of this author for a while, and this great read has got me wanting MORE!

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This clever spin on the fairy tale of the twelve dancing princesses was done with creative world building and a strong enough plot to keep you interested. It appears Princess Susannah, the oldest, has discovered a way to do magic that previously was only the domain of the fairies. These fairies have cursed her land with only female offspring, and Susannah is intent on finding a solution. Her magic opens a doorway to an enchanted land inhabited by spellbound princes. Dedicated to freeing these hapless men, who have limitations in their virility, isn’t easy when her father the king hires a detective to uncover his daughters’ secrets. This man, Jon Tom, seems very clever as he sets out to learn the princesses’ hidden charms. His attention centers on Susannah who quickly falls for this unsuitable fellow even as she realizes he may be her salvation.

[Nicole Luiken · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses fairytale--with the bad fairy from Sleeping Beauty mixed in. Susannah, the oldest princess, is no air-headed miss, but a 35-year-old woman trying to save herself, her sisters and her kingdom from a curse. Susannah also has a secret: she can do magic.
Quibble: I've grown accustomed to reading POV from both the hero and heroine. I would have liked to see more of the story from Jon Tom's POV.

[Jody Wallace]

I wrote this so I'm clearly not going to review it! But I've read it about ten billion times during edits.