The story is however, slow moving at times. There are some really witty scenes, a fab coffee shop sequence springs to mind and there are some parts that unfortunately dragged. Which meant the overall flow of the book could have done with a bit more speed and a little less detail. For example, we meet some characters briefly, never to see them again. This is the first book I have read by Grayson, but I've since discovered she has written a series of these fairy tale adaptations.
While I enjoyed the story and its gentle chiding at fairytales, I probably wouldn't want to read lots of them. But perhaps that is more to do with my love of fairytales and happily ever after, than a criticism of the writing, because I did enjoy it never the less. A fun take on what happens after happily ever after with our favourite and not so favourite fairytale characters. A gentle love story that will probably appeal to people who like less spicy romances.
Mar 18, Kristina rated it it was amazing Shelves: What I Loved Retold Fairy Tales The fairy tale doesn't stop with 'happily ever after' in fact it is just the beginning of the story or in the case of our prince an the end of a hasty marriages and unhappily ever after. I love any version of retold stories be it fairy tales, Greek mythologies, or just revamped tales using characters from other classics like Shakespeare, Jane Austen etc Happy endings didn't really happen fo What I Loved Retold Fairy Tales The fairy tale doesn't stop with 'happily ever after' in fact it is just the beginning of the story or in the case of our prince an the end of a hasty marriages and unhappily ever after.
Happy endings didn't really happen for THE Prince Charming of Cinderella's story and the "evil" stepmother of Snow White isn't so evil after all she just got some very bad press. The World The worlds are all separated and and accessible through portals. The Greater World our world where mystical creatures are just fairy tales. Were people like the Brothers Grimm took the stories and embellished upon them, falsifying and unjustly labeling characters.
The Kingdoms there are a few different ones up to 6 I believe containing their own things like talking mice, unicorns or flying monkeys Theme of Books What is hotter than prince charming loving books and admitting to being a book nerd! But he is also physically still in shape with middle age man hotness and valuing his daughters above all else! Charming has a book store and goes to a book fair convention and he get stacks of books, that made me drool.
The theme of the book is based around books and what type of impact they can have on society. Perfect for any book lover. As I stated above he is a book lover and a good writer to boot, but a very passive man that doesn't like confrontation. He let his ex-wife Ella CinderElla walk all over him. You feel very sorry for this book loving geek with amazing charming abilities.
Mellie for short Melvina the female version of Melvin. She has been dealing with a lot of lies and bad press her whole life and tired of it. She tries protesting but that doesn't work so Charming suggests she write a book and change the image of stepmothers that way. Like the vampires did from Bram Stokers truer version of vampires to Twilight's version of sophisticated polite creatures. The power of books. Mellie is a not a damsel in distress, but a doer and strong willed woman that won't let herself be labeled and archetyped any longer. Romance A romance that neither of them are ready to admit to and they don't know if the other is feeling the same thing.
Some times these romances are very annoying and frustrating and it was, but I completely enjoyed their slow romance. Recommendation If you love any version of retold fairy tales this is a must read. If you love the different type of twist that authors will put on your favorite tales and make it their own, you got to check it out.
Mar 19, Jenn rated it really liked it. This is less a review and more of a question. I'll say first that I definitely enjoyed the book, it's a romance, but not your typical romance in that it takes place over a logical amount of time rather than expecting readers to believe they found their true loves and fell head over heels for them in a matter of days.
The story actually takes place over the course of more than a year and deals with realistic insecurities and misinterpretations that occur in most relationships that don't have over This is less a review and more of a question. The story actually takes place over the course of more than a year and deals with realistic insecurities and misinterpretations that occur in most relationships that don't have overconfident participants who are willing to instantly say that yes they're interested and lay out exactly what they want from you.
It accurately portrays that feeling where you're interested but you don't want to put yourself on the line and be rejected, where you hear every bad thing your ex said to you in your head and expect this new person to feel the same and where all your insecurities feel like glowing beacons that are the only thing the person facing you can see whether they actually see them or not. Yes it's woven with I guess you'd say Urban Fairy Tale elements but it's one of the most realistic romance novels I've ever read despite the magic and fairy tale character basis.
But my question, the main reason I took the time to write this when I haven't really been writing review lately is how in the world is this book part of the Fates series. The books previously to this all include the Fates as characters and are about long lived Mages with a foray into Fairies in the second series trilogy. This book isn't about mages, the Fates or anything from that world. It's an entirely new world with I guess you'd say alternate dimension in which Fairy Tale Characters are real, much like the television show Once, but where we've gotten their fairy tales completely wrong.
I liked the book and I liked this new world Grayson has created for us almost as much as I enjoy the six Fates novels I read previous to this but I picked up the novel expecting to see at least a couple of familiar characters and rules of the world that I was familiar with and this had none of that. To place it in this series I think is a major misrepresentation and I was kind of upset by that. Mar 31, Michelle rated it it was ok. But she may be the key to happily-right-now Charming only gets to see them one week out of the year. Frustrated with his life in the Third Kingdom, Charming has moved to the Greater World and opened a book store.
Aside from his daughters, Charming loves nothing like he loves books. Mellie feels like she has gotten a bad wrap. She left the Third Kingdom years ago to escape her bad reputation - but it seems to have followed her to the Greater World. When Charming and Mellie meet neither are in a good place as far as relationships go.
But with each others help - they figure out how they can make the Greater World a better place for each other. Wickedly Charming is the first book I have read by Kristine Grayson and it was an okay read. I give Wickedly Charming 2 out of 5 stars. Sep 16, sardit rated it liked it Shelves: So I was really not expecting to like this book for many reasons. I'm a hard sell on romance, I accidentally bought the 7th book in the series good job, self!
Honestly, the only reason I started it was because if I don't start romance when I still have it on my mind, it will languish on my to-read list for decades, and I hate to be out the cost of a book without ever having read it. But this book was, well, charmin So I was really not expecting to like this book for many reasons. But this book was, well, charming. This may actually be the first incarnation in which I've ever read Prince Charming where I actually liked him, but the middle-aged and divorced balding book lover is awfully hard to dislike.
And Mellie is his perfect foil. She gives him the bite that he lacks, while he gives her the softness and empathy that she needs to get people to like her. And I do appreciate those traits being applied to the gender they were. I started off liking them immediately, and the book never gave me any reason to think that was a mistake. And the evolution of their relationship felt absolutely right to me. They're both deeply clumsy people at romantic relationships for very good reasons, and their relationship took time and probably would not have succeeded if their different passions hadn't ended up being compatible to the point of symbiosis.
I did wish that there had been more drama with Ella, since the drama was brought up and then resolved too abruptly for my taste. But I suspect that that falls into my general problem with romance of wanting a plot that isn't about romance, so that's a problem that I blame more on my taste than I do on the book.
I also wanted more dealing with his daughters and her once again being the stepmother. But realistically, when the worst you can say about a book is that you wanted more of some of its subplots, that's doing pretty damn good. This is one of Kristine Katherine Rusch's writing as Grayson, her romance pen name adult takes on fairy tales and mythology. She uses characters from those story lines and brings them into today's world, in sweet romances aimed at lovers of an off-beat mix of fantasy and romance.
There's lots of magic, a comforting Star Trek ethos of not disturbing the mere mortals in the "real" world, and always a feisty heroine and a to-die-for hero. This particular novel introduces us to Snow White's wicked This is one of Kristine Katherine Rusch's writing as Grayson, her romance pen name adult takes on fairy tales and mythology. This particular novel introduces us to Snow White's wicked stepmother, who isn't wicked at all. She's misunderstood, as, apparently, are many other archetypes from fairy tales -- thanks to those evil Grimm brothers. Mellie's trying to raise the consciousness of the maligned fairy tale characters while bringing their plight to the attention of the Great real World, her new home since she fled the Kingdoms fairy tale world after the lies, accusations, and slander aimed at her after Snow White's near death.
What better hero for a novel based in a fairy tale than a Prince Charming? This one swept Cinderella off her feet, but Ella didn't remain bedazzled for long. Dave out here in the real world, is left with two insecure daughters he's definitely going to save from the kind of upbringing his chauvinistic, autocratic father inflicted on him. What better cover for a prince than that of bookseller? If you're starting to wonder how this all hangs together, grab a copy from Amazon and find out.
The first twenty to thirty pages give every indication of a nice light read, but as the story progresses, Grayson throws some intriguing curve-balls at her characters. Let's just say her knowledge of the publishing industry gets a work-out in a way that provides a satisfying ending to the drama.
Jun 01, Bookaholics rated it really liked it. The hero and heroine of this story are classical well-known fairy tale characters with a twist. What happens to them after the fairy tale has ended? The story's hero is Cinderella's Prince Charming who is now divorced and living in the real world as a bookstore owner. After his disastrous marriage the last thing he is looking for is a new love. But that is what happens to Prince Charming when he meets Mellie.
Mellie has her own set of issues due to her past disastrous marriage.
This gave her as well as other stepmothers a bad reputation. Luckily she wants to change that reputation so the world can see stepmothers for who they really are. Fortunately she runs into Prince Charming who is more than willing to assist her with her project to write a book that will restore the good name of stepmothers. And in the process the two soon discover they may have love, too! This story has a very interesting mix of classical fairy tale characters that allows you to see how they might have developed if they had a different kind of ending to their beloved stories.
The two main characters of Prince Charming and Mellie are a very fun and entertaining pair. I enjoyed reading how their normal lives would be in the real world while still trying to find a new and completely different happy ending of their own. If you like a good fairy tale stories and don't mind some fun surprises on a classic you'll really love this book and enjoy reading this new take on a famous story.
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I seriously didn't expect to enjoy this story but lately, I've been interested in fairy tale retellings. This one was hard to put down even while using Kindle for PC and made me laugh quite a bit. I really enjoyed Ms Grayson's style, even with the multiple "brackets-within-parentheses" in the story. I loved the characters even when I wanted to slap them all, just to wake them up a little.
I loved the feel-good quality of the story. It left me with a happy sigh. There were typos, of cour Oh my. There were typos, of course, more than I expected, but nothing so bad as to cause frustration. My favorite line one that made me laugh out loud, much to my husband's amusement: I was also pleasantly surprised by the lack of sexual details. That's hard to find in romances, especially contemporary-set ones. There was a little bit of language, but nothing that pulled me out of the story and certainly nothing that made me consider walking away from it.
I definitely didn't take this seriously. It was entertaining, different for me, anyway , and lighthearted, though I do appreciate the underlying message. Would I read it again? I'm pretty sure I downloaded this free from Amazon. I could be wrong about the free part, but I know I got it from Amazon.
I was not paid in any way for my review. The opinions expressed here are my own. Mainly, Prince Charming and Snow white's wicked stepmother.
The couple meet at a book fair, and after talking, Charming suggests Mellie writes a book. Although she tries, she finds herself completely talentless in the author department,so Charming volunteers to Ghost write her book. The couple have a thing going on, but both have been hurt before,Charming through his awful marriage to Ella Cinderella and Mellie through the deaths of two husbands, and being accused of trying to kill Snow and neither is game to act on their feelings. This is where the book got a bit too drawn out. Its pages long, and that probably could have been cut right down if there wasn't so much personal angst going on.
Both Charming and Mellie wanted each other but neither would make the first move. They had known each other a year by the time the book is put into print and had shared nothing more than a couple of chaste kisses. Mellie's book causes problems after it is revealed she used a ghost writer, namely Charming Dave. But as is the way with fairy tales there is a happy ending and everything works out in the end.
It was an interesting take on the traditional fairytales and I enjoyed it, aside from the drawn out bits. Dec 12, Teresa rated it really liked it Shelves: This is the second novel in the sort of series by Kristine Grayson. The first story dealt with Snow White. This novel has as the hero, Prince Charming. He's Cinderella's Prince Charming, not to be confused with several other Charmings. The problem is, he's divorced. Not such a happily ever after. And, he's kinda nerdy.
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The heroine is none other than Snow White's evil stepmother. But she doesn't seem so evil and she This is the second novel in the sort of series by Kristine Grayson. But she doesn't seem so evil and she's on a crusade to change the image of stepmothers the world over. This particular book has very little magic-magic; but it does have romance-magic. Grayson does a great job with character development and gives us a wonderful story to help us and her characters believe in happy ever after, when their lives so far haven't really shown that to be true.
It's light and fluffy, just as I like them. It is well worth the read. The only downside, the "problem" that keeps hero and heroine apart seems a bit contrived. That is saying a bit considering that the evil stepmother from Snow White is the heroine, but you know. And the problem gets fixed just a bit too easily, too quickly.
That's why I didn't give it 5 stars. But I'm reserving the next on the list from the library. This is a great sweet romance. Feb 17, Andrea rated it liked it. This was among a bunch of free Kindle books that I downloaded awhile back. I was a bit surprised when I noticed it in my Kindle library the cover is. I hesitated deleting it right off because I was pretty sure the site that recommended it was a site of a lady with high morals. So, I looked up what it was about. A modern day story that tells about the people who our Fairy Tales are based upon.
They live extremely long lives and age very slowly so you can't tell they're a few hundred years old. The main point is that the Grimm's Brothers and Disney got things really wrong, and some of these people are upset about being misportrayed especially Snow White's step-mother. It sounded really interesting, so I hesitantly decided to give it a try. The writing was great other than some swearing , and the characters were wonderful. I really did like it, especially because the "romance" was so tame initially.
But suddenly it wasn't just an accidental touch of the hands, and I was sad when the premarital sex was thrown in. One of those "so good except for" books. I guess in some cases you should judge a book by its cover. Apr 16, drey rated it liked it Shelves: Ever read them and wondered what happened after the Prince marries the girl?
Did they really live happily ever after? Well, here's one version where it didn't. Divorced with two children, Prince Charming now runs a bookstore. A man after my own heart--he reads! The dude on it is delicious--the parts we can see, anyway! Ok, back to the book! Prince-- Ah, fairy tales. Prince--or Dave as he prefers to be called--runs into Mellie at a Book Fair, where she's protesting archetypes. Specifically, the evil ones, as in the evil stepmother, the big bad wolf, etc.
This being a romance novel, you won't be surprised to find sparks flying between Dave and Mellie. And this being a romance novel, you won't be surprised that there are obstacles to surmount before they get their happily-ever-after. Wickedly Charming is a darling story about second chances when your happily-ever-after doesn't quite work out.
Mellie gets stuck in an insecurity rut too many times for my liking, but overall this sweet story will bring out the warm fuzzies. May 16, Diana rated it really liked it Shelves: Mellie is Snow White's evil stepmother--except she's not so evil. Sick of the label, she is crusading to redefine the role of stepmother. Cinderella's Prince Charming Dave Encanto is now divorced and a bookseller as he raises his two daughters. When their paths cross, Dave suggests that Mellie write a book that would shed new light on stepmothers and erase the "evil" label.
I have to admit, this was a highly creative take on several of the classic fairy tale stories! Many characters show up in Mellie is Snow White's evil stepmother--except she's not so evil. Many characters show up in new ways and roles, and it's all highly believable. I never in a million years would guess that I would read a romance between the evil stepmother and Prince Charming--from two different fairy tales, no less!
But that's part of the charm no pun intended of the world Kristine Grayson has created. This book spans a long time, compared to other romances, which actually supports the romance, as the relationship is allowed to progress at a more normal pace. The only quibble I have with the book is the lack of resolution regarding Cinderella's attempt with the contract. I'm hoping this is brought up in a future book. In this version of the fairy tale, Prince Charming is a divorced single father with two young girls and the evil stepmother was never evil, just maligned and misunderstood.
He convinces her that the way to change the perception of step-mothers is to write a book, like the vampires In this version of the fairy tale, Prince Charming is a divorced single father with two young girls and the evil stepmother was never evil, just maligned and misunderstood. He convinces her that the way to change the perception of step-mothers is to write a book, like the vampires have done to romanticize their story. Unfortunately, Mellie is not much of a writer, so they agree to work together. It was touching how Charming or Dave as he preferred to be called , would do anything to protect his daughters from any hurt, and showed what a sweet, caring man he was.
The romance was added with a light but tender touch and I thought the ending was even better than happily ever after. Apr 04, Jen rated it liked it Shelves: Mellie is the Evil Stepmother from Snow White, but she hates the Grimm brothers for writing their fairy tales and making her wicked. They clearly don't know everything that happened between her and Snow, and she's tired of the sterotypes these fairy tales perpetuate.
Charming's life with Cinder Ella didn't turn out to be happily ever after, after all. She's not interested in their two daughters and is selfish and spoiled. Charming would much rather spend time with his girls, or at his bookshop, Mellie is the Evil Stepmother from Snow White, but she hates the Grimm brothers for writing their fairy tales and making her wicked. Charming would much rather spend time with his girls, or at his bookshop, or reading.
So when Charming runs into Mellie who is going to be protesting fairy tales at a book fair, he decides to change her mind about the evil of books, and teaches her instead to harness their power -- why not write a book - a la Wicked - to change everyone's idea of what stepmothers are? But Mellie can't write. So the two join forces to tell the true story behind the fairy tale. But they find they might be getting more than just a book out of it - they might be falling in love as well.
A cute, fun paranormal romance for light reading. Feb 21, Elizabeth rated it liked it Shelves: Generally speaking, I don't read romances they're just not my thing. I am, however, generally unable to resist re-told fairy tales. Especially after the Google Preview feature in the Frisco Public Library catalog let me read the first Generally speaking, I don't read romances they're just not my thing.
Especially after the Google Preview feature in the Frisco Public Library catalog let me read the first 30 pages online. The writing was good enough more telling than showing in places and the plot pure romance novel formula, but the back-stories Grayson created for the characters and the re-imagining of the fairy tale world was a lot of fun. As a light read, it was quite enjoyable. I will say, though, that the cover is not very representative of the book.
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Mass Market Paperback Verified Purchase. Wickedly Charming is new spin on two different fairytales. Charming agrees to help her write a novel to show that the villains in some fairytales are not the bad character they seem to be. This story was just too silly and unbelievable. Mellie's character seemed to be unadjusted to the real world. I often thought if I met her character I would be a little scared of her because she seemed crazy. I also thought it would take the same premise as the first novel, Utterly Charming, which had the characters living on our world, not some fantasy world that you used portals to go though to get to our world.
I guess some of my disappointment is in the fact I had some preconceived notions of what the book should be like. The romance was very light, this is definitely not a steamy romance novel. I know that there are supposed to be more re-releases in this series, I don't know how many, I look forward to reading them even thought this one was a bit of a dud.
Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. I sort of feel like I've been glamoured by Charming himself. I don't like retelling the book here, you'll have to read it for yourself, and I do recommend it as a very clever book. I would have loved to have given it a perfect 5 stars, but there were a few potholes for the pumpkin carriage on the way to the ball. For me the story started out slow.
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I really didn't understand where it was headed, but I stuck with it and I strongly suggest you do as well if you decide to step into the Greater World with Dave and Mellie. I was consistently amazed at how clever the author was in telling her story and using the fairy tale elements. I also thoroughly enjoyed peeping into the world of book publishing she provided. Finally, I really liked how the characters came to life for me. I would have preferred an ending that didn't wrap up like a word count had been met. There was so much more story there that should have been developed, especially if far fewer words had been spent on the angst the characters repeatedly expressed about their relationship and situation this was my one other, major pothole.
I got the book for free on my Kindle, am purchasing a paperback copy for a non-kindling friend that wants to read it, and will look up more from this author. It was so refreshing to read something "different" when it came to a romance. This is more like a 3 and a half stars. I liked the new spin on two of the most beloved fairy tales especially on how many the princesses were not as innocent as they are portrayed in the stories we grew up with.
However it wasn't as fantastic as one would think from the description and the idea. It took awhile to get the actual story going; there was a lot of build-up and a lot of sowing seeds but then it took so much time to get there that not many people may take the time to finish the book. Bottom line is it took too long to get to what the story was actually about. It felt like the author just wrote the story as a stream of consciousness and then realized that they actually had to go somewhere with the story.
That doesn't make the book bad or unbearable just a bit tedious in parts and I feel that it took me longer to finish the book because I had to press through. Read it for a light read because it is that. I would be interested to read other books in the series to see what other stories are taken for a spin. But be advised that it tends to get a bit repetitive, tedious, and the there's a lot of romantic build up.
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It's clean though so no raunchy scenes here. This had several bad reviews, the whole fairy tale thing sounded hokey, and I am not a fantasy fan. I downloaded it anyway for some reason when it was offered as a freebie. And was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Where she meets Prince Charming.
They both have left the magical kingdom and are trying to live in our world. And both have issues-his ex-wife Cinderella is a really bad guy who dumps his two daughters on him, who have a hard time adjusting to the non-magical world. And the Evil Stepmother Mellie has devoted her life in our world to correcting the misconceptions and bad image women, stepmothers in particular, have in fairy tales.
Yes, it all sounds strange and silly. But what the book really was about is lovely HEA romance. See all 45 reviews. Most recent customer reviews. Published on February 27, Published on April 16, Published on December 3, Published on November 10, Published on October 30, Published on October 21, Published on May 2,