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Dark Heart Forest Fairy Tales #1
No Bed of Roses
Dastardly deeds meet love, hope & humour in this fairy tale reimagining of The Princess & the Pea.
Frustrated by her commitment-shy son Romeo pulling out of yet another wedding, Queen Daphne finds a last-minute suitor. But will he land that first kiss and decide she's not the one, or will they find their Happily Ever After?
ooo000ooo
The queen of Dalmashia is at her wits' end. Just days before he's due to marry, her son Prince Romeo changes his mind, leaving the nation high and dry. This is the third wedding he's pulled out of, and if the queen doesn't do something soon, her subjects will lose confidence in the crown.
As luck would have it, the palace housekeepers find a last-minute suitor. And after the girl's royalty is verified with a special pea-under-the-mattress test, the queen is left with just one problem...
Every time her commitment-shy son meets a match, he feels compelled to test the relationship with a kiss – and inevitably, he decides she's not the one.
So when Romeo is captivated by the beautiful red-headed Rose, the queen's not taking any chances. She requests that Rose not kiss Romeo before the wedding, and she vows to hold her resolve. Unfortunately, despite a similar promise from Romeo, he's less enthusiastic – and he has some dastardly ideas about how to manipulate circumstances in his favour, too.
Will the queen's attempts to pull off a joyous royal wedding be in vain? Or will the couple find their Happily Ever After?
Find out in No Bed of Roses, a twisted fairy tale reimagining of The Princess & the Pea.
ABOUT the Author's Fairy Tale Fiction
If you love stories with a blend of adventure, humour, romance, and a touch of magic thrown in, then the author's fairy tale-inspired fiction is for you.
Written for adults, stories often call into question the 'facts' of the original tales. So whether you're reading a reimagining of a tale or an imagined sequel, it'll come with some intriguing twists.
Featuring strong female leads, each story has a flavour all its own, with varying shades of light and dark and is set in a shared world, on the same continent, with the notoriously dangerous Dark Heart Forest at its centre. And although they can be read as standalones, you may spot a few overlaps with characters and places.
Books are written in British English and contain no sex or swearing. However, there may be occasional violence or content not suited to children.
So… ready to read No Bed of Roses?
Get started NOW!
Frustrated by her commitment-shy son Romeo pulling out of yet another wedding, Queen Daphne finds a last-minute suitor. But will he land that first kiss and decide she's not the one, or will they find their Happily Ever After?
ooo000ooo
The queen of Dalmashia is at her wits' end. Just days before he's due to marry, her son Prince Romeo changes his mind, leaving the nation high and dry. This is the third wedding he's pulled out of, and if the queen doesn't do something soon, her subjects will lose confidence in the crown.
As luck would have it, the palace housekeepers find a last-minute suitor. And after the girl's royalty is verified with a special pea-under-the-mattress test, the queen is left with just one problem...
Every time her commitment-shy son meets a match, he feels compelled to test the relationship with a kiss – and inevitably, he decides she's not the one.
So when Romeo is captivated by the beautiful red-headed Rose, the queen's not taking any chances. She requests that Rose not kiss Romeo before the wedding, and she vows to hold her resolve. Unfortunately, despite a similar promise from Romeo, he's less enthusiastic – and he has some dastardly ideas about how to manipulate circumstances in his favour, too.
Will the queen's attempts to pull off a joyous royal wedding be in vain? Or will the couple find their Happily Ever After?
Find out in No Bed of Roses, a twisted fairy tale reimagining of The Princess & the Pea.
ABOUT the Author's Fairy Tale Fiction
If you love stories with a blend of adventure, humour, romance, and a touch of magic thrown in, then the author's fairy tale-inspired fiction is for you.
Written for adults, stories often call into question the 'facts' of the original tales. So whether you're reading a reimagining of a tale or an imagined sequel, it'll come with some intriguing twists.
Featuring strong female leads, each story has a flavour all its own, with varying shades of light and dark and is set in a shared world, on the same continent, with the notoriously dangerous Dark Heart Forest at its centre. And although they can be read as standalones, you may spot a few overlaps with characters and places.
Books are written in British English and contain no sex or swearing. However, there may be occasional violence or content not suited to children.
So… ready to read No Bed of Roses?
Get started NOW!
268 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 3, 2021
5 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
About the author
Alannah Foley
24 books11 followersAlannah Foley... aka 'The Pyjama Writer'
Born in Australia, raised in the UK, Alannah is a writer of both fiction & non-fiction, covering topics as diverse as capers in a campervan, the vagaries of living with an obsessive cyclist, travels Down Under, and tales ‘full of twists, turns & tickles’ based in Cornwall where she currently lives.
She lived in her Aussie birthplace for five years in her twenties, and managed to return to Old Blighty devoid of shark or snake bite. Mozzies, however, did love to use her for target practice!
You can find out more about the author and where she got her Pyjama Writer nickname on her website at www.thePyjamaWriter.com/about
Born in Australia, raised in the UK, Alannah is a writer of both fiction & non-fiction, covering topics as diverse as capers in a campervan, the vagaries of living with an obsessive cyclist, travels Down Under, and tales ‘full of twists, turns & tickles’ based in Cornwall where she currently lives.
She lived in her Aussie birthplace for five years in her twenties, and managed to return to Old Blighty devoid of shark or snake bite. Mozzies, however, did love to use her for target practice!
You can find out more about the author and where she got her Pyjama Writer nickname on her website at www.thePyjamaWriter.com/about
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 29, 2021
What a wonderful twisted fairy tales read!!! This one grabbed me right away, with Romeo and how different he is from the fairy tale. This one is a womanizer who finds fault with all women so far after he has that first kiss and he dumps them rather rudely. He is very self centered and pompous who overall thinks of only himself. He is supposed to take over rule of the kingdom on his 21st birthday, but so far he has already canceled 2 weddings and now #3 is scheduled and he has chased away that bride to be also! What is the Queen to do with her spoiled son? Rose and her father, stop in the town by the castle and are robbed by a street urchin and left with no funds. Two of the castle workers hear their plight and assume (mistakenly so) they are Royals because their last name is King and Author is always calling Rose, princess and take them to the castle to ask the Queen to possibly help the pair as they are Royals and no one can miss how beautiful Rose is. The first night the Queen has Rose on a pile of mattresses with a pea under them and when she has a sore back the next morning automatically assumes she is proven to be a Royal. This story involves snippets and parts from other fairy tales and how Alannah intertwines them is amazing and so entertaining. The characters are wonderful, very well introduced and developed and I really enjoyed the storyline as it drew me in right away and kept me turning the pages to the very end! It sure takes a great mind to do such a great job in changing ages old fairy tales and stories and intertwining them the way Alannah did and have yet another great tale!
June 1, 2025
Not for me...
I'm sorry to say, but this story wasn't for me. I thought it would be a cute fairytale romance retelling... and it was somewhat... I guess. It was less about Rose and Romeo and more about their parents. We didn't really get many scenes with Rose and Romeo until towards the end. The story itself was a bit all over the place. It's references a lot of different fairytales - the princess and the pea, Hansel and Gretel, snow white, princess, and the frog, along with a few others. It also has elements of romeo and juliet.
I honestly didn't like Romeo at ALL (which I feel we weren't supposed to like him). He was narcissistic, mean, and had no morals. He drugged/slipped the MFC a love potion so she would "be in love with him" and then forced a kiss on her after she asked him to leave her alone. He also got angry at her when she didn't do what he wanted. He was honestly just a really terrible character.
The romance in this was focused mainly on the queen and Rose's father - Arthur. Even with their romance, though, it was forced. They had supposedly fell in love within 3 days, but even in those 3 days, they hardly spent any time together. There really wasn't much reason for us to believe they were in love.
Overall I wasn't a fan of this story. I had high hopes for it, but I feel it fell short.
I'm sorry to say, but this story wasn't for me. I thought it would be a cute fairytale romance retelling... and it was somewhat... I guess. It was less about Rose and Romeo and more about their parents. We didn't really get many scenes with Rose and Romeo until towards the end. The story itself was a bit all over the place. It's references a lot of different fairytales - the princess and the pea, Hansel and Gretel, snow white, princess, and the frog, along with a few others. It also has elements of romeo and juliet.
I honestly didn't like Romeo at ALL (which I feel we weren't supposed to like him). He was narcissistic, mean, and had no morals. He drugged/slipped the MFC a love potion so she would "be in love with him" and then forced a kiss on her after she asked him to leave her alone. He also got angry at her when she didn't do what he wanted. He was honestly just a really terrible character.
The romance in this was focused mainly on the queen and Rose's father - Arthur. Even with their romance, though, it was forced. They had supposedly fell in love within 3 days, but even in those 3 days, they hardly spent any time together. There really wasn't much reason for us to believe they were in love.
Overall I wasn't a fan of this story. I had high hopes for it, but I feel it fell short.
June 22, 2022
A fun mashup of Princess & A Pea and Frog Prince retelling that’ll make you laugh
Why haven’t I read this before? It’s got humour, kickass dialogue and it’s a fairytale retelling - all the things I love! Well, better late than never. Prince Romeo has a commitment problem - pulling out of a 3rd wedding already and the Queen is at her wits end. Enter Rose King, daughter of a wine merchant. With Romeo’s kisses turning out to be “kisses of death” for the brides, can the queen keep them apart until the wedding? I loved Rose’s sassy comebacks, the comedy of errors over the name/title and the healthy dose of realism over “mirror, mirror” queries. References to the Bard were also a chuckleworthy treat. Foley keeps you entertained and rooting for the characters until the very end. Brilliant! Gimme more! I may have found a new fave indie author, yay!
Recommended for lovers of fairytale retellings & British humour. Since Rose is 18, this still qualifys as YA, but can also be enjoyed by adult audiences.
Why haven’t I read this before? It’s got humour, kickass dialogue and it’s a fairytale retelling - all the things I love! Well, better late than never. Prince Romeo has a commitment problem - pulling out of a 3rd wedding already and the Queen is at her wits end. Enter Rose King, daughter of a wine merchant. With Romeo’s kisses turning out to be “kisses of death” for the brides, can the queen keep them apart until the wedding? I loved Rose’s sassy comebacks, the comedy of errors over the name/title and the healthy dose of realism over “mirror, mirror” queries. References to the Bard were also a chuckleworthy treat. Foley keeps you entertained and rooting for the characters until the very end. Brilliant! Gimme more! I may have found a new fave indie author, yay!
Recommended for lovers of fairytale retellings & British humour. Since Rose is 18, this still qualifys as YA, but can also be enjoyed by adult audiences.
August 4, 2021
I got hooked with these rewritings after reading Fool's Gold and 'No bed of roses' did not disappoint !
I was glad to dive back into this world and the story was very entertaining. I was intrigued by the idea of a rewriting of The princess and the pea as when it comes to fairy tales, it is a very short and simple one. All the best, because it allowed for developments.
Just as in the previous book from this 'series', the writing was very pleasant and the reading was effortless. Exactly what you need for a summer reading.
The characterizations were very well handled. It's easy to loathe or to love characters.
But again, there are some loose ends that need to be tied. Maybe (probably?) in a future novel!
I will definitely recommend this book for lovers of the genre.
I was glad to dive back into this world and the story was very entertaining. I was intrigued by the idea of a rewriting of The princess and the pea as when it comes to fairy tales, it is a very short and simple one. All the best, because it allowed for developments.
Just as in the previous book from this 'series', the writing was very pleasant and the reading was effortless. Exactly what you need for a summer reading.
The characterizations were very well handled. It's easy to loathe or to love characters.
But again, there are some loose ends that need to be tied. Maybe (probably?) in a future novel!
I will definitely recommend this book for lovers of the genre.
February 13, 2022
Honestly this was frustrating as it wasn't one of the better retellings I've read. While it followed along the lines of Princess and the Pea, I found this book to be so anticlimactic. Other than the fact that the ending will have this leading into another book, Romeo was such a jerk that I don't care to know his story and Rose who was the main focus has her story ending up in the air. There is no happy ending for her. But hey, why not get her dad and Romeo's mom to fall in insta-love? There was just too many inconsistencies through this book and so many things that just didn't add up or make sense.
July 3, 2021
A Medieval Love Story
A medieval love story with a 20th century twist. Forget Romeo and Juliet, here are Romeo and Rose. Do they marry like they are expected to? The wedding is all arraigned, do they go through with it? Are all the wedding arraignment for naught? This book was very well written. It was a very enjoyable story to read.
I volunteered an honest review in exchange for an ARC copy of this book.
A medieval love story with a 20th century twist. Forget Romeo and Juliet, here are Romeo and Rose. Do they marry like they are expected to? The wedding is all arraigned, do they go through with it? Are all the wedding arraignment for naught? This book was very well written. It was a very enjoyable story to read.
I volunteered an honest review in exchange for an ARC copy of this book.
July 6, 2021
I thoroughly enjoyed this twisted retelling of The Princess and the Pea. The characters are wonderfully entertaining and the plot gives you enough twists and turns to keep you turning page after page. I loved it!
I had voluntarily read an Advance Reader Copy of this wonderful book and just had to buy it for myself. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a great story.
I had voluntarily read an Advance Reader Copy of this wonderful book and just had to buy it for myself. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a great story.
July 7, 2021
This wonderfully twisted retelling of a beloved fairy tale has it all - the laughs, the snobby royal, the commoners, and the ever after. Ms. Foley has crafted an imaginative story that is turned on its head. I look forward to her next twisted fairy tale. I received an ARC and this is my honest opinion.
July 15, 2021
A Twisted Fairy Tale Reimagining of the Princess and the Pea a story that had me smiling as I read. Romeo got what he deserved. I especially liked the twist at the end. I received a copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 29, 2022
A delightful reimagining
So you think you know the story of the Princess and the Pea? Well, Alannah Foley has turned the story around into a delightful remaining of the classic fairy tale. It's full of twists and turns and humor.
So you think you know the story of the Princess and the Pea? Well, Alannah Foley has turned the story around into a delightful remaining of the classic fairy tale. It's full of twists and turns and humor.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews