Midnight Masquerade
Stavos Voronin was not as blind-eyed as many nobles and royals. Evony’s physical gestures—even the simplest movement of her hands—revealed that she had not always been destitute. The same was true of the children—of their polished manners and the boy’s knowledge of horses and tendency to be bold and fearless of strangers.
Ah yes, Stavos enjoyed a good mystery. After all, interest in the inexplicable circumstances surrounding the royals of Abawyth was the very thing that had lured him to the kingdom—the enigma of Abawyth’s twelve sleepy princesses. And yet now—now his mind was all the more intrigued. Not only was the obscurity of what had caused the profound and baffling torpidity of Abawyth’s princesses laid out before him, but also he found his curiosity intensely piqued over the riddle surrounding the very lovely Evony and her siblings.
As Stavos strode through the village resting on the outskirts of Abawyth Castle, his mind reeled with possibilities. His musings were drawn back to why he had come to Abawyth at all—to solve the conundrum surrounding the twelve beautiful princesses of Abawyth kingdom—to solve the seemingly impenetrable crux and thereby win the hand of one of Abawyth’s princesses, as his father, King Letholdus of Ethiarien, had commanded.
(CAN I SAY I LOVE THE COVER???)
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Author Marcia Lynn McClure
Marcia Lynn McClure’s intoxicating succession of novels, novellas, and e-books, has established her as one of the most favored and engaging authors of true romance. Her unprecedented forte in weaving captivating stories of western, medieval, regency, and contemporary amour void of brusque intimacy has earned her the title “The Queen of Kissing.”
Marcia, who was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has spent her life intrigued with people, history, love, and romance. A wife, mother, grandmother, family historian, poet, and author, Marcia Lynn McClure spins her tales of splendor for the sake of offering respite through the beauty, mirth, and delight of a worthwhile and wonderful story.
Midnight Masquerade by Marcia Lynn McClure
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
For quite a while, I have seen this author’s name, and her books have been highly recommended. But this is the first of her books that I have ever read, and I had no idea what to expect. I sincerely anticipated that I would enjoy it. I didn’t even read the synopsis–I just knew I wanted to read a book by this author. Maybe not the most brilliant thing to do–I have been burned before–but I hoped that this would become positive.
From the first few pages, I was rather persuaded that I would enjoy this book. And once I realized that it was based on the lesser-known fairy tale of the twelve dancing princesses, I was even more intrigued. In fact, I somehow missed the boat (I read the author’s remarks at the end of the book), and I didn’t read any of the other versions of that tale. Hers is the only one I have read, and Marcia Lynn McClure, I am definitely a fan! The story couldn’t have been any better, and the characters were fantastically conceived. Okay, so maybe I knew how the story would end, but that honestly did not hamper my delight in this tale.
There are absolutely no “red flags” in this book. There is no profanity, and the romance is clean as can be (but that doesn’t mean it’s not romantic nor spicy). This book is acceptable for any age to read. I think even tweens would savor this book, but that’s just my opinion.
If you follow my reviews, you know that fantasy and cheesy romances do not generally resonate with me. While this doesn’t fit into the fantasy genre, it is a fairy tale adaptation. I am generally pretty quick to criticize such books, but this one does not deserve any constructive criticism, in my opinion. In addition to that, I would not place this in the cheesy romance category. Yes, it’s a fairy tale without any edginess, but I find that the author’s romance writing is sweet, involving, and definitely above average. Based on this book alone, I have become a fan of her works, and I look forward to reading more in the future!
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.
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