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Sierra and Cecily Monroe never did have it easy. Bounced from one foster home to another, the sisters could only rely on one thing-each other. Sierra's only focus in life has been taking care of Cecily, but that becomes difficult when a group of strangers appears in the corner booth of the diner where Sierra works herself half to death. Sierra's problems are compounded by a man who insists she and Cecily are descended from royalty, the nieces of Cinderella. Despite her troubled life, Sierra knows when she's met a crazy person and does her best to do protect Cecily. To rid herself of them once and for all, Sierra agrees to hear them out. But she never anticipated their story might match her own dreams. Sierra soon finds herself in the middle of a centuries-old war against evil. Lives are on the line as She is tasked with a huge responsibility, but as usual, she finds a way to make it work because being the hero of her own story is all she's ever known.
274 pages, Hardcover
Published December 5, 2018
43 people want to read
About the author
M.J. Padgett
74 books193 followersM. J. Padgett is first and foremost a mom. Her free-spirited daughter has quite the vivid imagination, and her antics sometimes find their way into her mommy’s work. She is a lover of all things chocolate, a Grimm and Dickens addict, a self-proclaimed smarty-pants, and an introvert to the core.
Writing is her true passion (after raising her daughter, of course), and she writes as often as possible. One of her favorite things about writing is creating a world where people can escape reality for a little while, maybe even walk away feeling hopeful about the real world around them. When it comes to reading, she loves a book that can make her forget where she is no matter the genre. If she can get lost and feel like the characters are her real friends, she’s a happy reader.
Writing is her true passion (after raising her daughter, of course), and she writes as often as possible. One of her favorite things about writing is creating a world where people can escape reality for a little while, maybe even walk away feeling hopeful about the real world around them. When it comes to reading, she loves a book that can make her forget where she is no matter the genre. If she can get lost and feel like the characters are her real friends, she’s a happy reader.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 10, 2022
So Much Fun & So Unique
Parents- PG-PG13 - this is acceptable for preteens and up
Language- None
Violence- PG13- normal to genre, nothing overly graphic, abuse mentioned but not in depth
Sexual Content- PG - normal cozy romance with kissing and snuggles, no bedroom scenes to warn of
I think technically these could be read on their own but I would also say they are much better and less confusing together and in order. So far book one lead to the this one very smoothly without ending on a huge cliffhanger (which I really appreciate), and book two ends with the same sort of lead into book three. I really am enjoying this very uniquely flipped fairy tale retelling that is really barely recognizable to the original stories other then some of the names. The author is fantastic at world building and bring characters into the stories that are relatable. I definitely had my favorite characters and then the villains are wonderfully twisted. In book two there's an added mystery thread in that ties the series together and I'm looking forward to seeing how it all unravels. Bottom line, if you like the fairy tale retellings and clean reads then this series is a perfect fit.
The narrator did a great job (4🌟) with the voices and was fun to listen to, I preferred listening at 1.2x speed.
**(Chapter 3/prologue & chapter 9- has some sound errors that weren't edited out, found in the digital chapters not book chapters)
—I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
Parents- PG-PG13 - this is acceptable for preteens and up
Language- None
Violence- PG13- normal to genre, nothing overly graphic, abuse mentioned but not in depth
Sexual Content- PG - normal cozy romance with kissing and snuggles, no bedroom scenes to warn of
I think technically these could be read on their own but I would also say they are much better and less confusing together and in order. So far book one lead to the this one very smoothly without ending on a huge cliffhanger (which I really appreciate), and book two ends with the same sort of lead into book three. I really am enjoying this very uniquely flipped fairy tale retelling that is really barely recognizable to the original stories other then some of the names. The author is fantastic at world building and bring characters into the stories that are relatable. I definitely had my favorite characters and then the villains are wonderfully twisted. In book two there's an added mystery thread in that ties the series together and I'm looking forward to seeing how it all unravels. Bottom line, if you like the fairy tale retellings and clean reads then this series is a perfect fit.
The narrator did a great job (4🌟) with the voices and was fun to listen to, I preferred listening at 1.2x speed.
**(Chapter 3/prologue & chapter 9- has some sound errors that weren't edited out, found in the digital chapters not book chapters)
—I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
August 17, 2024
WOW. What a sequel!
Hoooo bo, for those that haven't read this yet but have read Snow Kissed, buckle yourself in for one wild heck of a ride. If you thought Snow Kissed was crazy, this sequel absolutely upped the ante. I'm not sure how, but Padgett somehow managed to go darker in this book yet still kept the overall light, family feel from the first one. Spoiler alert, but people die in this one. People lose their minds. The curses are worse, and the princess is a million times more evil than Snow was. But I still found myself laughing and fawning over these characters and their interactions. I just love the tone of this book, and the plot keeps you on edge the entire way through. In a lot of ways, the plot is very similar to the first book, but the twists. Oh, they're so satisfying.
And again, these characters are absolutely WONDERFUL. I loved seeing so many new sides to Ely, Heidi, and Brody from the last book, and exploring the new characters Sierra, Cecily, and Jack was amazing. (Jack is my favorite character in this series, hands down. The man is a blessing.) Padgett really knocks it out of the park with the detail she puts into her characters and their development. How I love them.
As for the setting, I again enjoyed exploring more of the Black Forest, even if it was for a short time. Maybe we'll see it more of Goldene Stadt in the future. I dun know, but it would be cool to explore in more depth.
A fantastic sequel! Can't wait to read the next one.
Hoooo bo, for those that haven't read this yet but have read Snow Kissed, buckle yourself in for one wild heck of a ride. If you thought Snow Kissed was crazy, this sequel absolutely upped the ante. I'm not sure how, but Padgett somehow managed to go darker in this book yet still kept the overall light, family feel from the first one. Spoiler alert, but people die in this one. People lose their minds. The curses are worse, and the princess is a million times more evil than Snow was. But I still found myself laughing and fawning over these characters and their interactions. I just love the tone of this book, and the plot keeps you on edge the entire way through. In a lot of ways, the plot is very similar to the first book, but the twists. Oh, they're so satisfying.
And again, these characters are absolutely WONDERFUL. I loved seeing so many new sides to Ely, Heidi, and Brody from the last book, and exploring the new characters Sierra, Cecily, and Jack was amazing. (Jack is my favorite character in this series, hands down. The man is a blessing.) Padgett really knocks it out of the park with the detail she puts into her characters and their development. How I love them.
As for the setting, I again enjoyed exploring more of the Black Forest, even if it was for a short time. Maybe we'll see it more of Goldene Stadt in the future. I dun know, but it would be cool to explore in more depth.
A fantastic sequel! Can't wait to read the next one.
November 25, 2023
You know that moment when you realize everything you have been working hard towards your whole life just fell apart? Yep, that is what happened to Sierra. What started as a bad day full of odd coincidences turned into full life altering events that took her and her sister in a direction they never even dreamed possible!
This is not just another Cinderella story. There are some great nods to elements of the traditional fairy tale, but like the first in this series, this is about as far from a traditional retelling as you can get and so far fractured as to be nearly unrecognizable. Conspiracies, heists, old curses and new friends all come together to create a new story that re-frames everything you thought you knew about Cinderella.
Sierra and Cecily's story is separate, new setting etc from book 1 BUT the old gang is back. Lots of familiar faces and an excursion to the Black Forest where we learn more about what ties them all together and get a bit more of how things are going for the characters from book 1 some of whom have a lot to adjust to! Highly recommend reading this series in order. It was a bit more of a difficult read for me, went darker than book 1 but stayed very authentic. Aletha Duncan did an excellent job narrating, her voice is clear and easy to listen to.
This is not just another Cinderella story. There are some great nods to elements of the traditional fairy tale, but like the first in this series, this is about as far from a traditional retelling as you can get and so far fractured as to be nearly unrecognizable. Conspiracies, heists, old curses and new friends all come together to create a new story that re-frames everything you thought you knew about Cinderella.
Sierra and Cecily's story is separate, new setting etc from book 1 BUT the old gang is back. Lots of familiar faces and an excursion to the Black Forest where we learn more about what ties them all together and get a bit more of how things are going for the characters from book 1 some of whom have a lot to adjust to! Highly recommend reading this series in order. It was a bit more of a difficult read for me, went darker than book 1 but stayed very authentic. Aletha Duncan did an excellent job narrating, her voice is clear and easy to listen to.
June 4, 2019
I quite liked this book and I’m so ready to continue the series!
Though I liked volume one better, maybe because I just love big families (?) and the Grimm brothers too much...
I just had a little problem with this book and I still don’t understand how it stuck out because it’s just a minor detail in the story. They kept telling the kids to go do something else so they could talk. I can understand it if happened one or two times. However, I think it happened in almost every conversation they had with the children and that didn’t sit well with me, I guess.
It didn’t ruined the book for me but it was something I kept thinking throughout the book.
I received a free copy from the author (with no strings attached, not even for reviewing)
Though I liked volume one better, maybe because I just love big families (?) and the Grimm brothers too much...
I just had a little problem with this book and I still don’t understand how it stuck out because it’s just a minor detail in the story. They kept telling the kids to go do something else so they could talk. I can understand it if happened one or two times. However, I think it happened in almost every conversation they had with the children and that didn’t sit well with me, I guess.
It didn’t ruined the book for me but it was something I kept thinking throughout the book.
I received a free copy from the author (with no strings attached, not even for reviewing)
May 17, 2019
This review is freely given. This story flows seamlessly from the first book in the series, Snow Kisses, and is just as entertaining as the first. M. J. Padgett holds true to giving us what we expect is going to happen, but when you least expect it she puts in a twist that turns your thinking completely around. She makes it easy to see the characters and world as you read along. As I read this the descriptions were so good it was more like watching a movie than reading a book. Thank you for such a great read. I am heading straight into the third book of the series Deceptively Beautiful. No sleep for me tonight. Haha.
September 4, 2022
I enjoyed book 2 as much as book 1 of this series. The author has taken characters from old fairy tales and changed them so radically that they are not recognizable other than their names, and then she has written a fascinating tale that was unique and riveting. I am looking forward to the next book in this series. Aletha Duncan's narration was fine, and she was easy to understand; however, in the prologue there were a couple of times where she said "mistake" and then restarted the sentence. I was given a free copy of the audiobook, and I have voluntarily posted this review.
May 23, 2020
This has been a great series and I love seeing how the characters develop in each book. you can't help but the love the characters and the twist on the fairytales. These books never cease to entertain.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews