AUTHOR: Kristine Grayson
INFO: Paperback, Fiction, 308 pages
PUBLISHED: Sourcebooks, 2011
SOURCE: Received from Publisher for Review
FROM GOODREADS: In the tradition of New York Times bestselling author Susan Anderson, comes a fresh and funny story of eternal love that already has the romance world buzzing.
In this thoroughly unique and irresistible romantic romp from a talented new author, a struggling Seattle lawyer, desperate to keep her fledgling law firm from going under, takes a case involving a strange but incredibly attractive man. Before she knows it, all of Nora's wishes come true, along with the realization that her client is Prince Charming...the real Prince Charming. There's just one problem: despite being a gorgeous hunk, he's a 1,000 year old magician who still has to deal with a Sleeping Beauty and one wicked stepmother before he and Nora can have a future together.
MY TAKE: Kristine Grayson has obviously been having fun taking beloved fairytales and legends and giving them settings in the present. She has done it again by providing the age-old tale of Sleeping Beauty and her Prince Charming several fun twists and new possibilities.
Earlier this year I read Wickedly Charming
and fell in love with Ms. Grayson's storytelling. I liked her explanation that there are several Prince Charmings! They are all from the same family and are the heroes for many of the lovely Princesses in the tales. So on to Utterly... Sleeping Beauty is really named Emma and has been in her glass coffin for 1,000 years - being fought over by Aethlelstan Blackstone the Wizard (aka Prince Charming) and her wicked witch stepmother Ealhswith. Their epic battles have been waged these many centuries and will finally come to an end when the lawyerly Nora takes charge of the situation.
This was a fun romp through fairytale land with many characters popping up. The Fates were a real hoot as they tried out modern Punk wear. One of my favorites had to be Sancho Panza. The magical dwarf was hysterical and frankly stole the show for me. I want much more of him! Another part that had me laughing was when Nora's mother's boyfriend Jeffrey Chawsir had to convince Sancho and Emma that he knew he wasn't that Geoffrey Chaucer since they had both known the famous author. The fact that Jeffrey also happened to be a professor of medieval studies just added to the humor.
The love story that was supposed to be Aethlelstan/PC and Emma/SB wasn't quite what the legends had made of it. When the wizard and his sidekick Sancho meet up with Nora for the first time, sparks start to fly and Blackstone finds out that he's met his match. The romance was sweet and made for a light, enjoyable read.
Out of 5 JEWELS, I give it:
You can find your copy at:
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~~~~~ Disclaimer: All opinions expressed on this blog are 100% my own. I do not receive monetary compensation for my reviews but do utilize affiliate links. I may receive books in order to facilitate a review, but this does not guarantee a good review - only a completely honest one. Each review post denotes how I obtained the book.
Very nice review! I have this book on my wishlist.
ReplyDeleteI think you'll enjoy it Maria. It's a fun read. Be sure to check out the others in the series too. I am really fond of Wickedly Charming!
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