Once Upon an Ancient Curse (ebook)

I really enjoyed this fairytale retold. It was a good tale, I liked Poppy from the start, and Rowan was great. I liked the underlying romance there too. Can not wait to see what happens next. I did miss the storytelling stuff with Hilde and her niece though in this one.

Poppy lives deep in the Enchanted Forest and has been trained by her Grandmother with a bow and arrow to protect them after her parents’ death when she was very young, Poppy hunts the forest for the Wolf King, armed with just her magical red cloak and her bow and arrow. While out hunting one night, Poppy senses the Wolf King, but when she lets her arrow fly, she accidentally hits a stranger, Rowan. Was it an accident? Poppy soon learns from Rowan her Grandmother has been keeping secrets. Secrets that leave Poppy with a difficult choice, because the Wolf King may not be the big bad wolf her Grandmother made him out to be.I really enjoyed this reimagining of the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale. I loved the tie-in with the names Poppy and Ruby (her grandmother). Rowan and Poppy are clearly drawn to each other, but they're also wary of each other and I loved the slow building tension between the two of them. I really thought the story with the Wolf King was going in a different direction, so the twist definitely caught me off guard. I liked that Poppy had wanted something different for him, but I think the Wolf King was just too broken from all he'd lost. The magic and the mystery made for a very enjoyable read.If you like a cozy read with a sweet romance and fairytale magic, this is for you.

I really enjoyed the fairy tale retelling element that I was looking for and was glad it had that charm and element that I was looking for from this type of book. The characters were everything that I was looking for and was invested in what was happening. It worked well in the Enchanted Realms series and was hooked from the first page and how the characters were used in this type of book. Michelle Miles always writes a strong storyline that works in this fairy tale world and left me wanting to read more.I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Once upon a ancient curse is a spellbinding tale. A creative telling of red riding hood and the wolf. I felt as though I was there. I can't wait tobread more of the enchanted realms.

This is a retelling of the classic fairytale, “Little Red Riding Hood” with a twist. I’m someone who prides herself on being able to pretty much tell the way a story is going to unfold or end within the first few chapters. However, Michelle Miles…*slow clap There were quite a few moments that I did not see coming. I was also left with conflicted feelings in regards to The Wolf King. Like…whyyy? I won’t give any spoilers but I was sympathetic towards him until I wasn’t…but then I was. Once Upon An Ancient Curse is a novella, so a short read at 176 pages on my Kindle, and I truly wish it were longer so I could see more of the romance that eventually develops between Poppy and Rowan. I will say that I absolutely LOVE that this is a very “sweet and wholesome romance” in that this book could very well be listed as suitable for ages 13+. I know it’s listed as a YA Fantasy Romance but I’ve read a couple of YA books that had me side-eyeing if they were appropriately categorized. lol The fact that this is indeed age appropriate and it kept me actively engaged - oh, I forgot to mention that I’m not a fan of YA - is testament enough that Michelle Miles is an author who delivers on what she advertises. It was a very refreshing and enjoyable experience for me to be able to read a retelling of a classic fairytale and get the twists, the magic, and werewolves with slow burn romance. I wish Amazon allowed half-star ratings because this was a 4.3 read for me. My only critique was that some scenes felt slightly redundant. However, I can say with absolute confidence that Michelle Miles is an author I will always recommend and I will be reading another of her fairytale retellings as soon as I hit Submit on this review. I just have to decide which one.I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.