Category: Fairytale Retelling

The South Wind by Alexandria Warwick

On By TracyIn Fairytale Retelling, First Person Narrative, New To Me Author, Paranormal / Fantasy, Part of a Series, Romantasy, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

The South Wind (The Four Winds, #3)The South Wind by Alexandria Warwick

Tracy’s Rating: 2.5/3 of 5 stars

Series: The Four Winds, #3

Release Date: May 27, 2025

Princess Sarai of Ammara has less than three months to live before death claims her. Cursed as a child to die on her twenty-fifth nameday, she will do whatever it takes to secure her realm’s future, including an arranged marriage to Prince Balior, a handsome young noble from a neighboring kingdom. But another man vies for her attention as well: Notus, the South Wind, god of the desert breeze, and Sarai’s ex-lover.
Sarai is determined to stay away from the god who betrayed her and honor her father’s plan. But Prince Balior has an agenda of his own, and as Sarai learns more about her betrothed, she realizes he might be a dangerous threat to her people. So despite her hatred for Notus, she fakes their engagement to escape the arranged marriage and unearth Prince Balior’s true motives surrounding his obsession with the menacing labyrinth that sits in the palace’s grounds.
But darker forces are at work, and time is running out. Together with Notus, Sarai must face the horrors dwelling inside the labyrinth to save herself and her realm—but in order to succeed, she must confront her pain and the monsters she carries within herself…

My Thoughts:
I loved the idea of this story, a mix of myth and fairytale, featuring a fake betrothal and a slow burn second-chance romance with a bit of intrigue to keep the pages turning. Unfortunately, it just didn’t work for me for several reasons, the primary reason being that the book is written in the first person (this is obviously a personal opinion, I dislike reading books written in FPN, so if you like that style please disregard my bias) the second reason was the lack of chemistry between Notus and Sarai and finally, Sarai herself annoyed me, she was whiney for most of the book and while she does redeem herself, it was too little too late for me. Overall, I think my dislike of the FPN tainted this book for me and while I liked the idea of the story, I didn’t like the execution and felt like it was more of a YA story than adult romantasy, however, I did like Notus and enjoyed the mythic elements of the story and I thought the intrigue was very well done. This is the third book in the series, but I believe they can each be read as standalone titles without diminishing the reader experience.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *

Sophia White and Her Seven Promises by Anastasia Hayward

On By TracyIn Check Content Warning/Triggers, Fairytale Retelling, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Movie / Story Retelling, New To Me Author, Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820), Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Sophia White and Her Seven Promises (Historical Ever After Book 1)Sophia White and Her Seven Promises by Anastasia Hayward

Tracy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: No Series Name Given

Release: March 16, 2026

Lady Sophia White is the only and most cherished child of the Earl of Winland. When her mother was dying, Sophia made a promise that she would only marry for true love. And keeping to that promise she ran away with a man that her father would never approve of, but one she believed loved her. Her dream of happily ever after is dashed when the young man was easily bought off by her father and she learned that her mother had passed away. Heartbroken, Sophia and her father mourn for a time, but eventually her father remarried, and Sophia’s stepmother pressed Sophia to marry. Sophia promises to try and find a husband, but her efforts are cut short when she is abducted and left for dead. When she wakes, she cannot remember who she is or how she came to be in Painwick. She was taken in by the local doctor and his family, and slowly she falls in love with all of them and makes promises that she has every intention of keeping. But when her past catches up with her and she is forced to return to her former life, will she be able to keep the promises she has made and the love she has found? And what of the villain who has tried to kill her? Clearly, Sophia’s future hasn’t been determined, and true love may yet prevail.

Dr. Faine Knight is the youngest son of the Marquess of Ashbury but turned his back on his family many years ago when he was forced to choose between them and the woman he loved. He chose love and married Mary, a healer in Painwick, together they had three children and led a life of contentment. But sadly, Mary died and with her Faine buried his heart, or at least that is what he believed until he found a badly beaten and unconscious woman in the forest. He brings her home and nurses her back to health. When she finally wakes with no memories, they name her Cecilia, he tries to keep her from his family. But Cecilia and his children ignore his dictates and begin to form a bond. Little by little, the walls he had built around his heart begin to crumble, but loving Cecilia terrifies him, and when her father shows up to claim her, he gives her up without a fight. But letting her go is not as easy as he thought it would be and when her life is once again in peril, he knows that he loves her and will do whatever is necessary to save her and keep her forever. But has he waited too long?

This was a well-written, very loose retelling of Snow White by a new to me author. I liked this story, but I will admit I found Faine to be difficult to like; he was quick to judge, moody and wishy-washy. I understood his pain and his reluctance to risk his heart, but it just dragged on for way too long in my opinion. Sophia was delightful and my heart broke for her time and time again. I think the thing that bothered me the most was (view spoiler) Overall, this was a good start to a new series with interesting characters, steamyish love scenes, a truly nasty villain, a HEA complete with an epilogue and the potential of more books. And while I did have some issues with this book, I did like the author’s writing style and would certainly read the next book in the series.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *