Cinderella and the Beast, (or Beauty and the Glass Slipper), The Princess Swap #1 by Kim Bussing

 

What would happen if Cinderella found herself in the beast's castle, and Beauty woke up in some evil stepmother's home? Fairy tales meet Freaky Friday in this series, where there’s a magical mix-up for every princess!

Ella’s spent her life dreaming about adventure, but it’s hard to have adventures when you’re stuck with a stepfamily who treat you like a servant. When she unexpectedly wakes up in a land far, far away, she’s thrilled at the chance to embark on an epic quest. That is, until she finds herself trapped once more—this time in the castle of a dangerous beast.

Belle, meanwhile, has plans. Her family’s trading company is on the brink of ruin, and to save it, she’s going to enter—and win—a royal competition in the prince’s honor. But when she unexpectedly winds up in a cellar with a wicked stepfamily who have their own plans to keep her from the competition . . . things get complicated.

Happily-ever-after couldn’t feel farther away. Can Ella escape the beast’s clutches? And can Belle get rid of this stepfamily in time for the competition?

For other Princess Swaps, don't miss Snow White and the Dragon (or, Sleeping Beauty and the Seven Dwarfs)! ~ Goodreads

Source: Book provided by the publisher, Random House Books for Young Readers, in exchange for an honest review

Review: This is the first book I've accepted for review in over a year and I'm so glad I did! It was the lighthearted, adventure filled tale with heart that I needed. 

The plot is right there in the series title, The Princess Swap, so I won't go too much into that - but think Freaky Friday meets Disney princesses. I'm also assuming that most of you know the basics of Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast. 

This is more of a "riff" on the originals rather than a direct retelling - even with the swap - the princesses don't have the exact experience of the original.

The core of each princess is the same but several details are changed. Without getting into too many spoilers - (Cinder)Ella already knows, and is friends with, the prince and the ball is now an event for the whole village to compete in for a royal favor - rather than snagging a prince. And another ball - closer to the original Cinderella ball is to take place with the beast - for reasons. There is (hinted - sapphic) LGBQT rep and Ella has a glass leg that causes her some pain. 

Cinderella and the Beast, (or Beauty and the Glass Slipper) plays liberally with the origin stories and the Disney retellings with it's own modern spin. The blending and blurring might annoy some purists but I found it to be a lot of fun and was pleasantly surprised by some of the twists the story took. 

I've always preferred Belle over Cinderella but in this one, it was Ella (& the beast) who had the more complex (& surprising) story that really pulled me in and tugged at my heartstrings. But Belle still has her whip-smart, resourceful thinking in tact and has quite an adventure as well. 

The way the two girls stories overlap and resolve was great. This book ages the princess down to 12 years old, so this is meant for younger readers. The romance is minimal, if at all. This tale is more about resourceful thinking, being brave, and forgiveness than the sole quest to get a kiss or be married.

So much fun! Books #2 - Snow White and the Dragon (or, Sleeping Beauty and the Seven Dwarfs) and #3 Rapunzel and the Sea Witch (or, The Little Mermaid and the Tower)  sound fun too.

 

Review: The Library of Borrowed Hearts by Lucy Gilmore

 

Two young lovers. Sixty long years. One bookish mystery worth solving.

Librarian Chloe Sampson has been struggling: to take care of her three younger siblings, to find herself, to make ends meet. She's just about at the end of her rope when she stumbles across a rare edition of a book from the 1960s at the local flea market. Deciding it's a sign of her luck turning, she takes it home with her—only to be shocked when her cranky hermit of a neighbor swoops in and offers to buy it for an exorbitant price. Intrigued, Chloe takes a closer look at the book only to find notes scribbled in the margins between two young lovers back when the book was new…one of whom is almost definitely Jasper Holmes, the curmudgeon next door.

When she begins following the clues left behind, she discovers this isn't the only old book in town filled with romantic marginalia. This kickstarts a literary scavenger hunt that Chloe is determined to see through to the end. What happened to the two tragic lovers who corresponded in the margins of so many different library books? And what does it have to do with the old, sad man next door—who only now has begun to open his home and heart to Chloe and her siblings?

In a romantic tale that spans the decades, Chloe discovers that there's much more to her grouchy old neighbor than meets the eye. And in allowing herself to accept the unexpected friendship he offers, she learns that some love stories begin in the unlikeliest of places. ~goodreads

Review: I've been a huge fan of this author for a long time (going back to her small pub/Tamara Morgan years) but this series has really struck a chord with me. Pure comfort reading! I'm so sad when I get to the end.

Although not officially a named series, they (2 books so far, another on the way in 26') are loosely called the "book club books" and center on a grumpy old man, a young girl at a crossroads, found family and a touch of romance, all connected through literature in some way. 

I adored The Lonely Hearts Book Club and looked forward to the this one but was a little apprehensive because it sounded so similar to Lonely Hearts. While the bones of the story are similar (there's even a literary shoutout to Lonely Hearts curmudgeonly hero Arthur McLachlan) The Library of Borrowed Hearts stands entirely on it's own.

Librarian Chloe Sampson is barely holding things down after abandoning her own dreams to raise her 3 siblings after their mother left them. Her sister is angry, one brother likes to blow things up with his science experiments, and the youngest, Noodle, worries her with his sweet but unique personality that keeps him a target of bullies. Then there's her crotchety old neighbor, Jasper, who yells at the kids and keeps any toys that may land in his yard. Which happens often with Noodle when he plays outside with the dog.

At work, Chloe is charged with clearing out the old books at her job which leads her to find a rare edition of Tropic of Cancer. Finding the book is an unexpected potential windfall if she can sell it at a good price. 

Chloe finds writing in the margins of the book. The notes, from the 60's, are between two star-crossed lovers. She's so intrigued by the back and forth between the pair and invested in their ending that she follows the clues to the next books in something of a book-ish scavenger hunt to solve the mystery of who the couple was and how it all ended. 

Then Jasper shows a surprising interest in the book - even offering her a blank check in exchange for it, setting in motion a possible (grudging) friendship, new love and the healing of old wounds. 

The story follows dual timelines and POV's - the couple from the 60's throughout their tumultuous affair and the present day where Chloe's struggle to let people into her life and see a future of new possibilities and happiness.

As always Gilmore weaves together an eclectic cast of characters. I felt this book was a bit darker than The Lonely Hearts Book Club, in some ways. With Chloe's mothers abandonment - how it hurt each of the kids in different ways and how they reached closure with that. The 60's timeline romance where certain things just weren't accepted - choices were made - resulting in painful consequences that reverberated for decades. 

Ultimately though, the found family, connections, forgiveness and healing through books makes this one another heartwarming, must read by Gilmore. I highly recommend the audiobook Leanne Woodward, Aven Shore, Joe Jameson, Bob Ball. 

These books get the rare 5 star rating. It's not that they are perfect but that they leave me with such happy feelings and I could stay in that world, with these people long after the story ends. 

Review: James by Percival Everett

 

A brilliant reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn—both harrowing and satirical—told from the enslaved Jim's point of view

When Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he runs away until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck has faked his own death to escape his violent father. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond.

Brimming with nuanced humor and lacerating observations that have made Everett a literary icon, this brilliant and tender novel radically illuminates Jim's agency, intelligence, and compassion as never before. James is destined to be a major publishing event and a cornerstone of twenty-first-century American literature. ~ Goodreads

Source: ALC provided by Libro.fm & Knopf Doubleday in exchange for an honest review

Review: I'm sure I read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn back in school but I have no recollection of the story, other than than scenes from the 1993 movie. In my child memory - it was just a story about a series of adventures of a young boy. Percival Everett, flips that narrative on it's head by telling the story from the POV of the enslaved Jim (James).

Jim hears that he is about to be sold to a new owner and be separated from his wife and daughter. He decides to run away and lay low while he formulates a plan to get himself out of this and reunite with his family.  

At the same time, Huck fakes his own death to escape his abusive father. Huck has a friendship, of sorts, with Jim and they venture on a perilous journey down the Mississippi River to avoid capture.

I'll just touch on a few things I took note of with this novel. For one, Huck sees this trip as an adventure, not understanding the implications for Jim. 

Huck has certainly been through bad things and, even at 10 years old, understands that Jim is good and slavery is wrong, but just being a runaway slave at the same time as Huck's "death" puts Jim in extreme danger, as the likely murderer. Being found with Huck would present its own problems. While Huck might get a whipping (awful!), Jim would be hanged. 

There are times that a young Huck acts out towards Jim, as a 10 year old would, when he feels betrayed or lied to, or just isn't allowed the adventures he wants. These are life-saving acts of preservation for Jim but the actions of petulant child, without greater understanding by Huck. 

Secondly, Jim engages in code-switching for white people. He is well educated (self taught by reading most of his enslavers expansive library) and is able to write but this is something he only shares with certain people. Not even Huck. While educating a group of enslaved children, he explains why it's vital to use incorrect grammar or what he calls the "slave filter" language rather than letting the slave owners know they were educated. 

"The children said together, “And the better they feel, the safer we are.”
“February, translate that.”
“Da mo’ betta dey feels, da mo’ safer we be.”
“Nice.”

The mere idea of slaves that can become educated, teach other slaves, making the enslavers feel less than superior was a huge threat. Education was an act of defiance.

Finally, there was an instance where Jim was sold to a Minstrel Show - a troupe of singers in blackface. They needed a tenor and the owner hears Jim singing (while under the brutality of yet another enslaver he meets on his "adventure"). The troupe is very proud of themselves as "good" white people. They don't believe in slavery but aren't abolitionists and use the paper saying they own Jim to their benefit. They put Jim in better clothes and feed him so they are able to believe they are the good guys. But this is the most farcical situation of them all. 

Jim, a Black man, in blackface, singing with white men in blackface to make fun of Black people, for the entertainment of white people. While the cover of the troupe might seem safer, his natural hair and mannerisms attract the curiosity of white people. How is he SO good at playing Black? They want to touch his hair to see why his "wig" is so much better than the other singers, a woman shows interest which all poses danger for Jim. 

The owner of the minstrel show also sees an opportunity to keep re-selling Jim. In this scheme, Jim is supposed to keep running away and go back just to be sold again - as a way to make enough money for his owner and to earn enough for himself to free his wife and daughter. Provided the owner would set him free and give him the money. The gist of this experience and every other that Jim endures is - he's never truly free. 

James is a powerful, layered story filled with adventure, danger, betrayal, and a few twists. The story is scattered with songs from the minstrel show - which added a lot of depth as Jim takes the versions sung by the white people - used to mock - and tries to write a more honest version. 

There were a few things that didn't quite work for me like the hallucinations where Jim had fevered, philosophical conversations with Voltaire and John Locke. I also felt the female characters didn't have anywhere near the same nuance and agency that Jim did. They were mostly someone's wife or daughter and raped/killed, although none of it was gratuitous and it was clear that this was all horrible and an everyday part of slavery. 

I understand that a book can't be all things to all people. This was one experience of one man, so I get it, but it felt like a glaring omission in opposition to how well Jim and some of the other, male, side characters were developed.  

The book drifts from horrific to light to mundane. Sometimes that seemed off as far as pacing. While I originally felt this was a flaw, in retrospect, it felt more like the weariness and wearing down of Jim throughout the story. There were no reprieves or moments where he could let his guard down, but you grab on to those small moments of quiet or good when you can before the next blow.

I highly recommend the audiobook if you decide to read James. The narrator - Dominic Hoffman was amazing. 

Reviews: We Came to Welcome You by Vincent Tirado & This Will Be Fun by E.B. Asher

Since it seems like I'm actually/for real back(ish), I thought I would go back and review a few books I started in 2024 but finished in January of this year. 

Neither were WOW books - but it will clear them out of my reader brain & keep up my posting momentum lol 

The Other Black Girl meets Midsommar in this spine-chilling, propulsive psychological adult debut from highly acclaimed author Vincent Tirado, in which a married couple moves into a gated “community” that slowly creeps into a pervasive dread akin to the social horror of Jordan Peele and Lovecraft County—We Came to Welcome You cleverly uses the uncanny to illuminate the cultish, shocking nature of systemic racism.

Where beauty lies, secrets are held…ugly ones. ~ Goodreads

My thoughts: Sol and her wife, Alice are accepted into a gated community called Maneless Grove - thanks to a recommendation from Alice's co-worker, who also lives in the exclusive community. 

Sol is on leave from work because of a plagiarism accusation and tensions are thick between her and Alice due to her drinking and keeping Alice at arms length, including not letting Alice join her on visits to her aging, bigoted, father at the nursing home.

We Came to Welcome You touches on a lot of subjects including racism, microaggressions, white washing, assimilation, PTSD from child abuse, alcoholism and just plain old WTF-ery from the Maneless Grove home owners association. They were told that they weren't required to join but it's clear - you need to join. Or else, lol

Without spoiling too much, the community has a Stepford Wives like grip on the residents and Sol and Alice's resistance to joining has consequences. The more they resist, the more something messes with Sol & Alice's minds and relationship.

This book is sufficiently creepy & keeps upping the stakes but ultimately falls flat with an ending that doesn't live up to the tension the author spent so long creating. Tirado wades into interesting waters but never fully immerses herself and the ending felt like, to me, and easy way out with more telling than showing.

Decent read but but the ending didn't fulfill the premise. I read a similar YA story, The Honeys by Ryan Las Sala, and that one really delivered on the ending in a way that I wish this one did. 

And oh - DO NOT sign a homeowners agreement or move into a community without looking a it FIRST lol

The Princess Bride meets People We Meet on Vacation in this cozy quest romantasy about a group of friends who once defended their magical land together but haven’t spoken since, reuniting to attend a royal wedding, and ending up on a new adventure to save the realm—and hopefully themselves. ~ Goodreads

My thoughts: Pardon my brief rant...

Marketing matters. You cannot promote a book as The Princess Bride, "cosy quest" - title it This Will Be FUN, then deliver something entirely different and then be surprised when readers, looking for those every elements, don't like it because this is a totally different book than how it's pitched.

This Will Be Fun is the story of after the heroes save the realm and their lives have gone to shit. The legend of the four lives on in Mythria but the four (minus their now deceased leader, Galdwell) haven't even spoken in a decade. 

When they are summoned by the Queen to attend her wedding, they are forced to face each other again. A new threat to the Queen has them banding together once again to save Mythria. Old wounds don't make this an easy task between their trust issues and squabbling over tactics.

Ok, there is adventure - as in they have banded together to save the realm - stuff happens. They are in a small village with "cosy" elements and magic. Silliness and light adventures surround them. But these four are so far up their own asses in self loathing, self pity and old grudges that this book is draining. I thought at some point they have to clear the air and move on right? Nope. They are stuck in this mode until almost the bitter end and that point I didn't really care what happened to them. 

So why did I keep reading? I kind of liked the concept of what happens to heroes after they save the day and have to go back to reality. The Four had such different personalities and reactions to what happened and I thought that might be interesting. But really, I stuck around for Vandra - the love interest of Elowyn (one of the Four) and a former adversary/assassin turned ally. She was a ray of light and snark in this story.  Otherwise, this was almost 400 pages of wallowing then a completely implausible (yet happy) ending.

If you are looking for a story about processing trauma with a dash of adventure, magic and romance then this might be a good book for you. Just adjust your expectations from the publisher pitch. I also don't recommend the audio version of this one. It's just hours and hours of listening to them whine and it feels so much more intense on audio lol 

Review: Lost & Lassoed (Rebel Blue Ranch #3) by Lyla Sage

She thrives in chaos. He prefers routine. The only thing they have in common? How much they hate each other. From the author of Done and Dusted and Swift and Saddled, the highly anticipated next book in the Rebel Blue Ranch series, a small town romance featuring enemies to lovers and forced proximity.

Teddy Andersen doesn't have a plan. She's never needed one before. She's always been more of a go with the flow type of girl, but for some reason, the flow doesn't seem to be going her way this time. Her favorite vintage suede jacket has a hole in it, her sewing machine is broken, and her best friend just got engaged. Suddenly, everything feels like it's starting to change. Teddy's used to being a leader, but now she feels like she's getting left behind, wondering if the life she lives in the small town she loves is enough for her anymore.

Gus Ryder has a lot on his plate. He doesn't know what's taking care of his family's 8,000 acre ranch, or parenting his spunky six-year-old daughter, who is staying with him for the summer. Gus has always been the dependable one, but when his workload starts to overwhelm him, he slips up, and he has to admit that he can't manage everything on his own. He needs help. His little sister's best friend, the woman he can't stand, is not who he had in mind. But when no one else can step in, Teddy's the only option he's got. Teddy decides to use the summer to try and figure out what she wants out of life. Gus, on the other hand, starts to worry that he'll never find what he needs. Tempers flare, tension builds, and for the first time ever, Gus and Teddy start to see each other in a different light. As new feelings start to simmer below the surface, they must decide whether or not to act on them. Can they keep things cool? Or will both of them get burned? ~ Goodreads

Source: Libro.fm ALC in exchange for an honest review - (audiobook) Narrated by Jason Clarke, Samantha Brentmoor

Review: Once my go-to genre, I have struggled with romance the past few years. Not too many have kept my attention past the first one or two chapters but I saw someone I trust give this one a rave review on Instagram and had it pop up on Libro.fm for review at the same time, and thought I'd give it a go. I'm SO glad I did! 

Aside from being off romance the past few years, I really hate romance on audio - yet this one worked for me - even with a growly hero. I usually hate hearing that lol

Gus, the aforementioned growly hero, is drowning under the weight of responsibility. He has his 6 year old daughter, Riley, for the summer, while her mom, Cam is away for work. He runs the family 8000 acre Rebel Blue Ranch and feels the pressure to live up to his dad's legacy as he takes over, while moving the ranch forward to meet modern times.

Gus can't be everywhere at once and he slips up, big time, when he forgets to pick up Riley at an after school practice. His family forms an intervention and proposes a solution in the form of Teddy Anderson - his little sister's best friend and, in the words of Gus, a chaos demon.

Teddy is creative, flirty, bold and yeah - a little chaotic but she's at a crossroads after her best friend, Emmy becomes engaged, she loses her job and she worries about her aging/ailing father.

Gus offers Teddy the job of watching Riley on the days he's working the ranch, which includes staying at their place a few nights a week so she can be with Riley first thing in the morning. 

To say these two are oil and water would be an understatement. Where Teddy is spontaneous and flirty - Gus is measured and controlled. They have fought for years & most of their friends and family - despite suggesting this arrangement in the first place - aren't sure they won't kill each other lol

Hate to lovers is my favorite trope and this one was done so well! They truly don't like each other but slowly come to understand how similar they are. They love big, often sacrificing their own dreams and happiness and neither asks for or accepts help easily. 

There is conflict, but this is, thankfully, pretty low drama. While it starts as hate - it's more of gentle needling on Teddy's part and grumpy grunts from Gus. Neither is actually cruel - they just don't like each other and that's fine. But over time, they start to see the burden the other carries and step up to share some of the load.

I love how once they got past the - oh shit - I actually like this person stage - they never really pulled back. They kept being there for each other and admitted when they were confused or scared. There's also no drama when it comes to Cam, Riley's mom, and I adored that! 

I have not read the first two books in the series but that wasn't necessary - other than missing some of the bonds they share - like Emmy and Teddy's friendship. Emmy came off as selfish to me despite being told they were best friends. I'm sure I would have had better context had I read Emmy's book first. 

Another highlight of Lost & Lassoed was Teddy and her dad's relationship. It's just been the two of them and he has a few health scares that rock Teddy and, as someone who mostly grew up with just my dad, I got that. 

My minor, reader specific nitpick, is the there's a lot of dirty talk for the sex scenes. I'm not a prude, I like a good sex scene lol but I'm, personally, not a fan of explicit dirty talk - but to each their own. I also didn't love the from out of nowhere nickname - Teddy Baby.

All the love for this one and bonus points for an illustrated cover that doesn't blend into the sea of illustrated covers! It's unique and fits the story perfectly. 

Review: The Life Impossible by Matt Haig

When retired math teacher Grace Winters is left a run-down house on a Mediterranean island by a long-lost friend, curiosity gets the better of her. She arrives in Ibiza with a one-way ticket, no guidebook and no plan.  

Among the rugged hills and golden beaches of the island, Grace searches for answers about her friend’s life, and how it ended. What she uncovers is stranger than she could have dreamed. But to dive into this impossible truth, Grace must first come to terms with her past.

Filled with wonder and wild adventure, this is a story of hope and the life-changing power of a new beginning. ~ Goodreads

Source: ALC in exchange for an honest review via Libo.fm

REVIEW: A review!!!! Do I still know how to do this??? lol I picked a tough one too. The summary doesn't give too much away and I don't want to either so, proceed with caution if you hate spoilers. I will stay vague about details but will reveal more than the synopsis above.

Grace, a retired math teacher, in her 70's, inherits a home on the island of Ibiza. After losing her son in a bike accident, then later, her husband, she's drowning in decades of guilt and grief and curious as to why a casual friend, Christina, whom she hasn't seen in decades, would leave a run down house to her. With absolutely no attachments and nothing to lose, she travels to Ibiza for answers.

Instead, she unravels mysteries of the universe itself in the deep waters off the Mediterranean coast.

There are legends about the water surrounding Ibiza. "Gifts" that are imparted upon certain people that enter the water. Grace becomes one of the recipients of those gifts. I won't say what they are, but I will say it gives her a heightened awareness of both the beauty of and danger to the environment and people surrounding her. 

Grace is a perfect, skeptical, foil for this touch of supernatural. She's stubborn, set in her ways, and guilt has made Grace deem herself unworthy of happiness, never mind gifts of such magnitude and responsibility. As a math teacher, everything must be mathematically proven and represent patterns and this is certainly beyond that scope.

The Life Impossible is about many things - human interactions that send seemingly random ripples of interconnectedness for generations, deep grief and guilt that stop you from living a full life and the beauty and possibilities of the world around us.

There are a quirky set of characters, an island rich with history, beauty, magic, danger and mystery. It could be, in turns, funny, gut wrenching, heartwarming and action packed - yet - something about it didn't really pack the punch the author was going for.

So much of what was going on with Grace could have been even more magical but mostly happened within her inner monologue, as she worked through everything as if it was a math problem. Not dry, because Grace is a fascinating character, but not as impactful.

For example SPOILER -> she could hear the thoughts of animals, feel the earth in ways no one else can but that was rarely seen in action (although she does use these gifts in big ways) - just her in awe that she COULD do it and what that means for her <- END SPOILER 

I wouldn't say everything was tell and not shown but so much was about Grace coming to terms with her past and how her new found gift impacted that. I loved that for what it was - but then it missed the mark as a transformative LIFE IMPOSSIBLE feeling, if that makes sense. I understand how Haig needed both the magical & logical to spur the Grace's healing. Both - independently were wonderful - but they didn't always flow seamlessly together.

This would be a book for fans of Fredrik Backman or stories about how random people seem to connect and change each others lives. Also, for anyone dealing with guilt, grief, aging. It was refreshing to read about an older woman finding new purpose and doing things that women "her age" shouldn't do - like traveling alone, diving, dancing. She has limitations but you can still find new purpose at any age.

This was a lovely story, beautifully narrated by Joanna Lumley - gentle, life affirming. I'm glad I listened to it but it did miss the mark as a great read - in comparison to a similar book and favorite 2024 read of mine - Remarkably Bright Creatures.