A Spell for Susannah

MIDDLE KINGDOMS #1

by Jody Wallace

A not-ready-for-Disney fairy tale.Princess Susannah s discovery that she can work fairy magic unlocks the door to a delicious Beneath the castle where she and her eleven sisters live, there s an enchanted palace that has an edge over the Middle Kingdoms. It s chock full of princes who just love to dance. In a world where the nobility have been fairy-cursed to bear no more male children, it s a secret they enjoy to the fullest.But without male heirs, the human lands are on the verge of anarchy. The King and Queen hire Jon Tom, a detective, to find out where their daughters are disappearing to every night. Susannah finds herself wanting to tell Jon Tom all her secrets and give him her heart.But if Susannah s secrets go public, her parents won t be happy. Worse, the fairies won t be happy. And the enchanted princes will be in danger."

Genres: Romance, Paranormal Romance

423 pages, Kindle Edition

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.