"They weren't like the others about town. They were different-cursed, even-and perhaps a little broken."
synopsis
Marcus Taylor, brother to the Duke of Westmorland, has long been troubled by recurring nightmares and vivid dreams. One sleepless night, Marcus discovers an unconscious young woman lying in the library. When Tansy awakes, Marcus learns that she is also troubled by recurring dreams and is sure that she is the key to understanding his own nightmares.
thoughts & feelings
Anneka R. Walker has done it again! I absolutely loved her second Enchanted Regency book The Dreaming Beauty, a retelling of Sleeping Beauty. In my experience Sleeping Beauty retellings are fairly uncommon and I kind of understand why. Aurora does only appear in the original movie for about fifteen minutes and spends the rest of the time sleeping. Not the most exciting of fairy tales.
Overall, I loved how Anneka changed the original story while still staying true to the main points. Our beautiful "Aurora", Tansy, lives with her three aunts and they live in the cutest cottage. If this cottage really existed I would definitely go visit...or build a cottage like it. It honestly sounds so cozy and peaceful. Tansy's three aunts might be my favorite characters in the book. Their personalities mirror the original Three Good Fairies and I loved seeing all of the small connections. It is very clear which aunt mirrors which fairy but they are still original enough to keep you guessing. Aunt Daisy is my very favorite character. I love that she believes in fairies, magic, and just wants to see the good in the world. She comes with her own setbacks and struggles but somehow they endear her to you even more.
I also loved that this felt like the second book in a series without being super obvious. Does that make sense? We get to see our beloved Masked Baron quite a bit and get a small glimpse into how his own happily ever after is going. I really really loved the "beast" and his "beauty" so getting to see them intertwine with "Prince Philip" and "Princess Aurora" was so much fun! However, I also loved that our new characters got their own story and time in the spotlight.
What I loved the most about The Dreaming Beauty was the magic and mystery that enshrouds the entire novel. Although there is no "real magic" everything still feels magical. From the aunts talking about their family curse to the mysterious dreams that haunt our main characters it all has a magical quality. I love that Anneka was able to maintain the magical fairy tale feeling without throwing any literal magical characters or creatures into the mix. The balance was perfection and it is so difficult to describe the feeling you get. I guess you'll just have to read the novel and feel it for yourself.
Want to win a paperback copy of The Dreaming Beauty? It's your lucky day! Enter the giveaway by visiting the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post. Good luck!
book tags
Steam Level: clean, kissing
Language: clean
Content Warnings: none
Trigger Warnings: death of a parent/family member
book information
Title: The Dreaming Beauty
Series: An Enchanted Regency Romance #2
Author: Anneka R. Walker
Rating: 5/5
I am even more excited to read this book now. I can’t wait!
Thank you for this summary and review!! I am for sure going to be getting this book as well as ”The Masked Baron”.