Tales of Enchantment 1: The Question of Royalty

Prince Frederick of Mithirien is hunting with his comrade Rodin when suddenly a wild storm blows up. They take refuge in the royal hunting lodge where, unfortunately, the queen (Frederick’s stepmother) is visiting with her daughter Giselda. The queen’s purpose is to remind Frederick of his duty to marry. She points out that Giselda is a princess and available. Frederick, having no interest in Giselda, falls back on his promise to his mother on her deathbed – he would marry none other than a REAL princess.

This is, apparently, a very busy part of the king’s forest because, on that very same night, a bedraggled waif of a girl shows up on the front steps of the hunting lodge, asking for shelter. She will only reveal that her name is Serena, and that she is a princess. Because she is running away from an unwanted arranged marriage, Serena refuses to reveal what kingdom she is from. The queen and her daughter doubt that Serena is telling the truth, but Frederick is enthralled by this beautiful woman. How can Serena prove her identity without being forced to return to her kingdom and marry to cement an alliance?

This is a new interpretation of the fairy tale of the Princess and the Pea. I thought it was very interesting, and enjoyed reading it. The original gives no motivations for the actions of the prince and the princess – this version fleshes out the outline and presents the motivations in great detail. It’s fun to read, and wonder what the queen will do next! The love scenes are quite explicit, and very erotic, but they are male/female encounters in a loving context. It should not be shocking to those who enjoy erotic romances.

The characters of Frederick and Serena seem very realistic, and are simply nice people who happen to be in an odd situation. I especially enjoyed the character of Rodin, in spite of the limited view we get of his character. If the author decides to write a sequel, I hope that she will write Rodin’s story.

Reviewed by: Jean