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Refurbished Fairy Tales #10
Lake Locked
Ariel is many things, but silent? Yeah, that's going to be a problem.
When a curse meant for Ariel hits her cousins instead, it's up to her to save them from their feathery fate. That shouldn't be too hard, right? Except, sewing nettles into shirts for her six cousins isn't easy. Doing it while staying silent? That's definitely much harder. And that was all before they decided to migrate halfway across the continent! Now, she has to save her cousins, follow a prince around all day, deal with some uncomfortable realizations about herself, and somehow keep her mouth shut the whole time. Simple!
This is a retelling of "The Little Mermaid" and "Wild Swans" with a few other fairy tales thrown in for good measure. It can be read as a stand-alone but will make more sense in the context of the series.
When a curse meant for Ariel hits her cousins instead, it's up to her to save them from their feathery fate. That shouldn't be too hard, right? Except, sewing nettles into shirts for her six cousins isn't easy. Doing it while staying silent? That's definitely much harder. And that was all before they decided to migrate halfway across the continent! Now, she has to save her cousins, follow a prince around all day, deal with some uncomfortable realizations about herself, and somehow keep her mouth shut the whole time. Simple!
This is a retelling of "The Little Mermaid" and "Wild Swans" with a few other fairy tales thrown in for good measure. It can be read as a stand-alone but will make more sense in the context of the series.
274 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 28, 2022
14 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
About the author
S.R. Nulton
28 books46 followersS. R. Nulton has a love of fairy tales, paddle boarding, and puns. In addition to writing, she has a degree in music from Cal Poly. In addition to being a total homebody, she is a voracious reader, descent line dancer, and a chocolate enthusiast. Her family collects people that share the same name, so she goes by Sarah Rose to avoid confusion. Do not confuse her with the other Sarahs. They are numerous. Lastly, she feels weird writing about herself in the third person. Therefore, Vin decided to spruce up Sarah Rose’s bio and agrees that it is strange to write about someone like this.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 13, 2022
Awesome
The Little mermaid crossed with wild swans! A wonderful pairing and makes for a fun tale, and the hint of another story to come. I can hardly wait for the next and to see what happens further for Ariel and River
The Little mermaid crossed with wild swans! A wonderful pairing and makes for a fun tale, and the hint of another story to come. I can hardly wait for the next and to see what happens further for Ariel and River
March 6, 2022
I will definitely be re-reading
While I don’t prefer fairy tale mash-ups usually, I loved this one of The Little Mermaid and Wild Swans.
Clean language-wise and romantically.
While I don’t prefer fairy tale mash-ups usually, I loved this one of The Little Mermaid and Wild Swans.
Clean language-wise and romantically.
March 1, 2022
I've really enjoyed the series so far. Each book has an older heroine than the typical fairy tale (Ariel is 23 instead of the typical 15 or 16, while the prince is 27) which helps to eliminate that annoying teenage angst. The characters still have flaws and have to work through emotional baggage, but are more grounded and relatable.
August 27, 2023
I received Lake Locked by S.R. Nulton from an amazing book deal a few years ago that contained many of my favorite fairy tale books. This one stood out to me because it was a retelling of my favorite fairy tale, "The Little Mermaid," and "The Wild Swans," which I had only read one other adaptation of. Both of these fairy tales have a protagonist who must remain silent for varying reasons, making them a natural choice to bring together. However, there are enough differences that a combination of the two would need to favor one over the other, and in this case, Lake Locked favors "The Wild Swans." In fact, the mermaid element is so downplayed in this book that it makes me question why it was included at all. Aside from the lack of undersea worldbuilding, the main character comes off as immature, making her difficult to relate to. However, her personal growth as a result of these experiences makes her more tolerable by the end of the book.
Ariel is a princess living in a seaside kingdom who has the ability to turn into a mermaid when she enters water. It isn't explained why she can turn into a mermaid or whether or not the other people in her family have this ability as well. It's just something she can do. The only time this is relevant to the story is a brief flashback of when she rescued a boy from drowning when she was younger. A few years later, Ariel still acts quite young despite having entered adulthood. The first-person narration does not do her character any favors. She has a reputation amongst her family as a chatterbox. When a witch curses her cousins to transform into swans unless someone will sew six shirts out of nettles and take a vow of silence to save them, Ariel is the first to volunteer. Not only does she blame herself for the curse that the witch cast as punishment when Ariel refused to make a sculpture for her, but she also wants to prove to her family that she is capable of changing her ways. During her quest to collect nettles, she encounters a prince named River who invites her and her cousins to come live with him in his castle.
There are many things that happen in this story just because they were in the fairy tale and don't make sense in the context of the book or have little to no consequences. For instance, Ariel's vow of silence never gets in the way of communicating with River, nor is it explained why River decides to take her in immediately upon finding her. It also doesn't make much sense that the witch would curse Ariel's cousins instead of Ariel when she was the one who refused to make the sculpture. The curse itself is more of an annoyance than a blight since her cousins are able to regain their normal human forms every night after the sun goes down. Ariel's ability to turn into a mermaid rarely comes up, so there is none of the undersea worldbuilding that I usually enjoy in other books. There is also no direct villain threatening Ariel during her time in River's kingdom. The villain is only mentioned in passing, and her sole threat is a case of mistaken identity. Another part I struggled with was that Ariel's secret plan for the climax was not explained, forcing me to go back and reread a passage that could have easily been foreshadowed with a little extra dialogue.
There were still some elements of the book that were enjoyable. The story had a heavy focus on Scottish culture, regularly incorporating accents into the dialogue of characters from River's kingdom and describing the scenery surrounding it in a similar manner to that of Scotland. Breeze was a great character who became fast friends with Ariel. Inspired by the character from "The Little Mermaid" who stole the prince away, Breeze's inclusion adds a sense of strong female friendship to this book by its bold decision not to turn the girls into romantic rivals and fight over River. Instead, they work together to overcome each other's difficulties and lift each other up in the spirit of female empowerment. River and Ariel don't have a lot of chemistry, but they make a fine couple when they need to. While the climax adds a hint of excitement to the story, the stakes are not very high since Ariel is never in danger at any point. Despite being the protagonist, the only characters who suffer are the ones around her, including River, Breeze, and her cousins. Her sole struggle is learning to keep her mouth shut, which she seemed to be able to do just fine when it came down to it.
Lake Locked by S.R. Nulton combines elements from "The Little Mermaid" and "The Wild Swans" to create a unique retelling. However, the inclusion of the mermaid element feels unnecessary and the main character, Ariel, does not act her age, making her difficult to relate to. The story lacks depth in terms of worldbuilding and explanation of certain events, and the curse placed on Ariel's cousins seems misplaced. Despite these shortcomings, the book does have its merits, such as its focus on Scottish culture, the portrayal of a strong female friendship, and some enjoyable moments between Ariel and River. Ultimately, the story lacks high stakes and Ariel's struggle mainly revolves around learning to keep silent. I would recommend this story to fans of "The Wild Swans" because there are so few full-length adaptations of that fairy tale, but if you are little for a unique "Little Mermaid" retelling, there are better options out there.
Ariel is a princess living in a seaside kingdom who has the ability to turn into a mermaid when she enters water. It isn't explained why she can turn into a mermaid or whether or not the other people in her family have this ability as well. It's just something she can do. The only time this is relevant to the story is a brief flashback of when she rescued a boy from drowning when she was younger. A few years later, Ariel still acts quite young despite having entered adulthood. The first-person narration does not do her character any favors. She has a reputation amongst her family as a chatterbox. When a witch curses her cousins to transform into swans unless someone will sew six shirts out of nettles and take a vow of silence to save them, Ariel is the first to volunteer. Not only does she blame herself for the curse that the witch cast as punishment when Ariel refused to make a sculpture for her, but she also wants to prove to her family that she is capable of changing her ways. During her quest to collect nettles, she encounters a prince named River who invites her and her cousins to come live with him in his castle.
There are many things that happen in this story just because they were in the fairy tale and don't make sense in the context of the book or have little to no consequences. For instance, Ariel's vow of silence never gets in the way of communicating with River, nor is it explained why River decides to take her in immediately upon finding her. It also doesn't make much sense that the witch would curse Ariel's cousins instead of Ariel when she was the one who refused to make the sculpture. The curse itself is more of an annoyance than a blight since her cousins are able to regain their normal human forms every night after the sun goes down. Ariel's ability to turn into a mermaid rarely comes up, so there is none of the undersea worldbuilding that I usually enjoy in other books. There is also no direct villain threatening Ariel during her time in River's kingdom. The villain is only mentioned in passing, and her sole threat is a case of mistaken identity. Another part I struggled with was that Ariel's secret plan for the climax was not explained, forcing me to go back and reread a passage that could have easily been foreshadowed with a little extra dialogue.
There were still some elements of the book that were enjoyable. The story had a heavy focus on Scottish culture, regularly incorporating accents into the dialogue of characters from River's kingdom and describing the scenery surrounding it in a similar manner to that of Scotland. Breeze was a great character who became fast friends with Ariel. Inspired by the character from "The Little Mermaid" who stole the prince away, Breeze's inclusion adds a sense of strong female friendship to this book by its bold decision not to turn the girls into romantic rivals and fight over River. Instead, they work together to overcome each other's difficulties and lift each other up in the spirit of female empowerment. River and Ariel don't have a lot of chemistry, but they make a fine couple when they need to. While the climax adds a hint of excitement to the story, the stakes are not very high since Ariel is never in danger at any point. Despite being the protagonist, the only characters who suffer are the ones around her, including River, Breeze, and her cousins. Her sole struggle is learning to keep her mouth shut, which she seemed to be able to do just fine when it came down to it.
Lake Locked by S.R. Nulton combines elements from "The Little Mermaid" and "The Wild Swans" to create a unique retelling. However, the inclusion of the mermaid element feels unnecessary and the main character, Ariel, does not act her age, making her difficult to relate to. The story lacks depth in terms of worldbuilding and explanation of certain events, and the curse placed on Ariel's cousins seems misplaced. Despite these shortcomings, the book does have its merits, such as its focus on Scottish culture, the portrayal of a strong female friendship, and some enjoyable moments between Ariel and River. Ultimately, the story lacks high stakes and Ariel's struggle mainly revolves around learning to keep silent. I would recommend this story to fans of "The Wild Swans" because there are so few full-length adaptations of that fairy tale, but if you are little for a unique "Little Mermaid" retelling, there are better options out there.
March 3, 2022
This one was cute! Not my favorite from the series, not the worst. I enjoyed the twist on the two fairytales, it felt fairly original. And I liked the characters, though I wish Ariel's cousins had a bigger part in the story. My biggest gripe is more of a personal pet peeve: the country it's set in is clearly meant to be inspired by Scotland, complete with tartan patterns in their cloth, a country made up of clans, and accents which are written out in strong Scottish brogue whenever the characters feel a particularly strong emotion. I lived in Scotland for four years when I went to university there, and I think it's ruined books about Scottish people forever for me. There's a peculiar sort of romanticisation of the Scottish culture that puts me off, and while it's not as overt here as in something like Outlander, it's still enough to make me wrinkle my nose. Especially when the country's hatred of lies (leading to a very blunt people and some "interesting" interactions with neighbouring countries) seemed like a great concept in earlier books, it feels a bit soiled now that it's apparently some sort of nod to how the Scottish are straightforward, blunt people.
I don't know, it's hard to put into words why this sort of treatment of Scottish culture makes me cringe, but it just feels uncomfortable to see any country reduced to a set of stereotypes. Even when they're largely positive ones. But especially when I know how offbase some of these stereotypes are, or at least how one-dimensional, it just rubs me the wrong way.
As I said though, it's still a fun book. I still enjoyed it despite the Scottish stuff, and it was a cute nice read.
I don't know, it's hard to put into words why this sort of treatment of Scottish culture makes me cringe, but it just feels uncomfortable to see any country reduced to a set of stereotypes. Even when they're largely positive ones. But especially when I know how offbase some of these stereotypes are, or at least how one-dimensional, it just rubs me the wrong way.
As I said though, it's still a fun book. I still enjoyed it despite the Scottish stuff, and it was a cute nice read.
February 28, 2022
This is the story of Princess Ariel of Brenlew, or Lel to her family. But this overlaps "Rivers of Gold" (her twin brother Tol's story) so you may want to read that one first. It also refers back to "The Step-Sister's Lament" (her older brother Reese's story) as well. And for those who read her extra bonus stories on her website, it also refers back to "Rumplestiltskin and Rapunzel" (her grandparent's story).
When Ariel is asked by a Fae to create a statue she refuses. The Fae is question just happens to be the "charming" female who is Cindy's godmother. One who was quite mean to Joy, who is engaged to Reese. Only this Fae decides to take revenge for the slight given to her. The only problem is that the curse ends up on Ariel's cousins instead. So, Ariel feels obligated to be the one to break their curse. Things get more complicated when the swan cousins decide to "migrate" and fly to the continent.
Another wonderful book to this series! While the end is not a cliff hanger, it does hint at the next book in the epilogue. Hopefully it comes out soon!
When Ariel is asked by a Fae to create a statue she refuses. The Fae is question just happens to be the "charming" female who is Cindy's godmother. One who was quite mean to Joy, who is engaged to Reese. Only this Fae decides to take revenge for the slight given to her. The only problem is that the curse ends up on Ariel's cousins instead. So, Ariel feels obligated to be the one to break their curse. Things get more complicated when the swan cousins decide to "migrate" and fly to the continent.
Another wonderful book to this series! While the end is not a cliff hanger, it does hint at the next book in the epilogue. Hopefully it comes out soon!
March 11, 2022
interesting and unexpected
I really appreciated the mashup of fairy tales going on here. I never really thought about it before, but the main characters in both the Little Mermaid and the Seven Swans had to lose their voices for a while, so the juxtaposition really works! I also really appreciated the ending. It wasn’t a perfect fairy tale Enid. I think more and more authors are starting to go that route, and I for one support that.
I didn’t really understand the main character’s internal conflict until later in the book, though. She felt overlooked and ignored at home? It wasn’t really evident to me. She chattered and insulted people to compensate? Again, I didn’t pick up on that at all.
Regardless, I enjoyed this interesting story and recommend it.
I really appreciated the mashup of fairy tales going on here. I never really thought about it before, but the main characters in both the Little Mermaid and the Seven Swans had to lose their voices for a while, so the juxtaposition really works! I also really appreciated the ending. It wasn’t a perfect fairy tale Enid. I think more and more authors are starting to go that route, and I for one support that.
I didn’t really understand the main character’s internal conflict until later in the book, though. She felt overlooked and ignored at home? It wasn’t really evident to me. She chattered and insulted people to compensate? Again, I didn’t pick up on that at all.
Regardless, I enjoyed this interesting story and recommend it.
March 1, 2022
Another great book from S.R. Nulton! This one combines the fairy tales of The Little Mermaid and The Wild Swans. It was a great take on both of them. Good story with a quick moving plot line.
I like how she developed and allowed growth for the main character. I also liked how she showed the different perception the other characters had of her. I like how, like in each of her previous books, that characters feel like real, flawed people.
If you haven't read any of the other Refurbished Fairy Tales then don't worry this can be read as a standalone, however you would be missing out on some other great stories if you didn't read them.
Looking forward to whatever S.R. Nulton writes next!
I like how she developed and allowed growth for the main character. I also liked how she showed the different perception the other characters had of her. I like how, like in each of her previous books, that characters feel like real, flawed people.
If you haven't read any of the other Refurbished Fairy Tales then don't worry this can be read as a standalone, however you would be missing out on some other great stories if you didn't read them.
Looking forward to whatever S.R. Nulton writes next!
March 6, 2022
I was super excited to see a new refurbished fairy tale. I loved the mash up of little mermaid and the six swans. What a great idea! It gave Ariel a reason for her silence. I found myself so immersed in the work that I felt like I couldn’t talk when not reading (because Ariel couldn’t talk). I loved Ariel’s introspection and how far she progresses throughout the book. It ends in a bit of a cliffhanger but that’s good because it means there will be more.
March 15, 2022
Loved Ariel!
I read lots and lots of fairytale retellings, and to be honest, Little Mermaid is my least favorite. However, this retelling mashed with Wild Swans, had enough twists that I didn’t know what was going to happen, which made it unique in its retelling. I have read all the books in this series, and I think this one is my favorite. While Ariel doesn’t talk out loud, her thoughts are hilarious. She is by far one of my favorite characters. There are references to the other characters and storylines in the series, but this book could be read on its own. Great story!
I read lots and lots of fairytale retellings, and to be honest, Little Mermaid is my least favorite. However, this retelling mashed with Wild Swans, had enough twists that I didn’t know what was going to happen, which made it unique in its retelling. I have read all the books in this series, and I think this one is my favorite. While Ariel doesn’t talk out loud, her thoughts are hilarious. She is by far one of my favorite characters. There are references to the other characters and storylines in the series, but this book could be read on its own. Great story!
March 1, 2022
I LOVE SR Nulton's Refurbished Fairy Tales. Her stories are brilliant rearrangements of classic fairy tales, the characters are real and witty, and her writing is so easy to read. I've waited months for this story to be available, and it does not disappoint! I stayed up later than I should've to finish it, and I don't regret it at all. Now I can't wait for the next in the series to be ready!
March 2, 2022
Thinking before speaking is a lesson
An interesting amalgam of the Swan Princess and the Little Mermaid. I like how all the stories tie together. It had been a while since I last read something set in this world, I had forgotten about something which became the twist at the end. The story was actually pretty solid even without that twist though.
An interesting amalgam of the Swan Princess and the Little Mermaid. I like how all the stories tie together. It had been a while since I last read something set in this world, I had forgotten about something which became the twist at the end. The story was actually pretty solid even without that twist though.
June 13, 2022
Great Read!
I really like how this book approaches a lot of different aspects! While it references the original tales, Nulton weaves in her own lovely imagination and creates a beautiful original story!
The characters are great, and they are easy to relate to! And the romance is clean and realistic, which is something I greatly enjoy! Thank you for writing this!!!
I really like how this book approaches a lot of different aspects! While it references the original tales, Nulton weaves in her own lovely imagination and creates a beautiful original story!
The characters are great, and they are easy to relate to! And the romance is clean and realistic, which is something I greatly enjoy! Thank you for writing this!!!
July 21, 2022
Crossing Little Mermaid with the Swan Princes. Who knew?!
Ariel is...she's a whole mood. She's talkative and clever and helpful to a fault. I absolutely LOVED meeting her!!
Ariel is...she's a whole mood. She's talkative and clever and helpful to a fault. I absolutely LOVED meeting her!!
August 31, 2023
I got bored with this very quickly and gave up. It's a fairy tale mash up in a modern tone.
June 20, 2024
This was a clever retelling/fairy tell mashup.
March 14, 2022
Abusive character arcs
Likes
No cursing
No graphic sex scenes
Dislikes
My main issue with the book is that it lacks compassion.
The author has the heroine “grow” by shaming her for her coping mechanisms to get attention in a large family until she cyclically repeats how worthless she is for the majority of the book.
The author consistently motivates people to be better by deliberately placing them in emotional pain through verbal barbs and then shames her main characters for doing the exact same thing.
The author consistently has male authority figures take pleasure in leading by doing emotional damage instead of straightforwardly admonishing sin and setting boundaries.
The author consistently normalizes emotional abuse as part of healthy family relationships and rationalizes it with the attitude that emotions are not important. Emotional relationships are based on real chemical bonds in the brain. Your nervous system processes the pain from broken bones and broken relationships the same way according to brain scans. So, emotional pain is real pain and emotional scars are exactly as real as physical scars. Pretending emotional pain isn’t real doesn’t mitigate the damage it does to your physical brain, chronic stress levels, and ability to form relationships successfully. Everyone can heal, but pretending it’s okay to hurt people emotionally as part of a jokey family dynamic is just creepy.
**Mild Spoilers**
Nearly every other paragraph was filled with guilt trips, false self blame, and overt shaming of the heroine with no understanding or mercy at all until one paragraph at the end.
She is put in constant medical pain that is unacknowledged until the end because this somehow makes her a better person. It doesn’t build her character or help her see the light, it’s just abuse for no reason because she’s blunt and hasn’t figured out how to develop relationships where people give her the respect of hearing her before she’s in massive mental and relational pain.
She is shamed for developing attention seeking behaviors ( like talking and playing pranks like clothing animals) when her large family ignores her. She does need to learn coping mechanisms that are healthy and will heal her relationships or set her free from abusive ones. Learning coping skills that will serve her better is never addressed. There is just an overwhelming amount of shaming, blaming, and guilt tripping her without ever teaching her tools or techniques that will help her.
She is shamed for being honest and direct about communicating how she feels instead of being assisted to develop better ways to express her pain and set boundaries insisting that she be treated with respect.
She is shamed for being afraid to leave home and develop new relationships when that fear is a symptom that develops in people who were neglected or abused at home. They figure, if it’s that hard to get their needs met at home, it will be worse in the world. Kids that are not abused or neglected are willing to leave home and develop new relationships because they decide if they are able to get their needs met at home, they are likely to get their needs met elsewhere also. Obviously, due to her symptoms, the heroine was neglected though possibly not on purpose. Shaming her for fear is not okay. Admonishing her family for neglect would probably help so they don’t do it to another child.
With no evidence of pride she’s shamed for being arrogant by not asking for help when she reportedly just felt guilty after being victim blamed for the villain’s actions.
So when an evil villain sends a curse to take revenge because you were honest about disliking their evil behavior, it’s totally the fault of the evil villain because the fruit of the Spirit is self-control (Gal 5:22-23). Refusing to have a relationship with an evil unrepentant person is extremely biblical and not something that should be used to victim blame the heroine (1 Cor 5:11). If a person can commit adultery by looking lustfully, the sin occurred in their heart, and Scripture doesn’t list any sin that was committed by the person they are looking at. The villain sinned, not the heroine.
The author just badgers the heroine to death at every turn like she’s looking for something to guilt trip her for because Shame brings about new life and salvation. Love does on the cross and rose to sit on the right hand of God to give Grace to those who would receive salvation as new life. The shame needs to stop. It’s miserable to read about and it’s not going to save anyone.
Likes
No cursing
No graphic sex scenes
Dislikes
My main issue with the book is that it lacks compassion.
The author has the heroine “grow” by shaming her for her coping mechanisms to get attention in a large family until she cyclically repeats how worthless she is for the majority of the book.
The author consistently motivates people to be better by deliberately placing them in emotional pain through verbal barbs and then shames her main characters for doing the exact same thing.
The author consistently has male authority figures take pleasure in leading by doing emotional damage instead of straightforwardly admonishing sin and setting boundaries.
The author consistently normalizes emotional abuse as part of healthy family relationships and rationalizes it with the attitude that emotions are not important. Emotional relationships are based on real chemical bonds in the brain. Your nervous system processes the pain from broken bones and broken relationships the same way according to brain scans. So, emotional pain is real pain and emotional scars are exactly as real as physical scars. Pretending emotional pain isn’t real doesn’t mitigate the damage it does to your physical brain, chronic stress levels, and ability to form relationships successfully. Everyone can heal, but pretending it’s okay to hurt people emotionally as part of a jokey family dynamic is just creepy.
**Mild Spoilers**
Nearly every other paragraph was filled with guilt trips, false self blame, and overt shaming of the heroine with no understanding or mercy at all until one paragraph at the end.
She is put in constant medical pain that is unacknowledged until the end because this somehow makes her a better person. It doesn’t build her character or help her see the light, it’s just abuse for no reason because she’s blunt and hasn’t figured out how to develop relationships where people give her the respect of hearing her before she’s in massive mental and relational pain.
She is shamed for developing attention seeking behaviors ( like talking and playing pranks like clothing animals) when her large family ignores her. She does need to learn coping mechanisms that are healthy and will heal her relationships or set her free from abusive ones. Learning coping skills that will serve her better is never addressed. There is just an overwhelming amount of shaming, blaming, and guilt tripping her without ever teaching her tools or techniques that will help her.
She is shamed for being honest and direct about communicating how she feels instead of being assisted to develop better ways to express her pain and set boundaries insisting that she be treated with respect.
She is shamed for being afraid to leave home and develop new relationships when that fear is a symptom that develops in people who were neglected or abused at home. They figure, if it’s that hard to get their needs met at home, it will be worse in the world. Kids that are not abused or neglected are willing to leave home and develop new relationships because they decide if they are able to get their needs met at home, they are likely to get their needs met elsewhere also. Obviously, due to her symptoms, the heroine was neglected though possibly not on purpose. Shaming her for fear is not okay. Admonishing her family for neglect would probably help so they don’t do it to another child.
With no evidence of pride she’s shamed for being arrogant by not asking for help when she reportedly just felt guilty after being victim blamed for the villain’s actions.
So when an evil villain sends a curse to take revenge because you were honest about disliking their evil behavior, it’s totally the fault of the evil villain because the fruit of the Spirit is self-control (Gal 5:22-23). Refusing to have a relationship with an evil unrepentant person is extremely biblical and not something that should be used to victim blame the heroine (1 Cor 5:11). If a person can commit adultery by looking lustfully, the sin occurred in their heart, and Scripture doesn’t list any sin that was committed by the person they are looking at. The villain sinned, not the heroine.
The author just badgers the heroine to death at every turn like she’s looking for something to guilt trip her for because Shame brings about new life and salvation. Love does on the cross and rose to sit on the right hand of God to give Grace to those who would receive salvation as new life. The shame needs to stop. It’s miserable to read about and it’s not going to save anyone.
April 3, 2022
This was an interesting combination of The Little Mermaid & Wild Swans. I appreciated how the author was able to bring these two stories together in such a seamless manner!
***Spoiler alert***
I don't want to give away the story too much, but her reaction to his proposal was one of the BEST I have ever read! It really showed a depth of maturity that I think is missing in most romance books.
***Spoiler alert***
I don't want to give away the story too much, but her reaction to his proposal was one of the BEST I have ever read! It really showed a depth of maturity that I think is missing in most romance books.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews