Title: Once Upon A Time
Author: Irene B. Brand, Lynn A. Coleman, Yvonne Lehman & Gail Gaymer Martin
Publisher: Heartsong/Barbour
ISBN: 1577489756
More Information: www.barbourbooks.com
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
3.5 stars
A Rose for Beauty
Based on Beauty and the Beast - Annabelle Bartlett, aka Beauty, returned to her former home, now owned by Grant Palmer, to help him cataloged her father's collection. Grant Palmer considered himself the Beast after a car racing accident scarred the left side of his face. But when he got to know Beauty more, her sweet Christian spirit was slowing healing his. However, when Beauty finished her work, she was leaving. Grant knew he can't let her go.
This a pretty straightforward story with no malice or misunderstandings. The author did a really nice job of sticking to the plot of the original fairy tale. All the elements were there. Beauty is still too good to be true heroine. Despite the loss of her family wealth, she took it in stride and tried her best to comfort her father and selfish siblings. And on the rare occasion, she had a little spunk when she got angry at Grant. I liked Grant. He was super sweet. He truly wanted to make Beauty happy but wasn't sure how to go about it. He wasn't masochistic about his scars and wasn't afraid to show his face in public, which I found out character. Most people would feel more self-conscious. It felt like Beauty didn't really do anything to get him out of shell and felt contrived that everyone believe that she was the one to change him. Unfortunately, the only fault of this story was its lack of depth. I read this without really taking anything in. There was no time to delve into the feelings and the characters themselves. There was no emotions to really capture the attention and made you realize that these two were falling in love. If this story was the normal length of 180 pages and the plot was fleshed out, this story has great potential.
4 stars
The Shoemaker's Daughter
Based on Shoemaker and the Elves - Marissa Jones' father used to own a successful shoe business before he sold it to Cameron Flynn. However, the business was started to fail due to personal problems and Cameron just could not keep up. Marissa told herself that this wasn't her problem until she whacked Cameron in the face with her surfboard. Feeling sorry, Marissa decided to help with some midnight mischief and maybe absolved her guilt. However, constantly being thrown together, they slowly started to create their own successful fairy tale.
This story was a page turner. Again, the story was too short for the romance to develop fully. It felt like that they met and then fell in love because they were written to. So, it was rushed near the end. Despite that tiny fault, the story had great hero and heroine and an entertaining plot. I enjoyed Marissa's antics, especially the unfortunate way she met Cameron. It was an unusual way to repay her debt (slightly illegal but stupid mistake on Cameron's part), but it was charming and followed the true essence of the original fairy tale. Cameron was a decent hero. At first he resented the heroine (considering he broke his nose, I would be too), but after learning that she was the one to help him with his financial worries, he began to see the light. The dialogue was witty and there were just right enough side characters to help the main characters along.
3 stars
Lily's Plight
Based on Snow White - Lily White needed a job in her field and was desperate to take any job to help her jump-start her career. Even if that means taking the job with Vince Harmen and 6 other men as their secretary. As their animosity lessen, Vince and Lily started to appreciate each other. However, Grace Grant did not like the idea of a younger woman horning in her territory and she was going to do her best to be the wedge to keep the two apart.
Interesting interpretation of Snow White. I was slightly disappointed that all the men were not really showcased but with the page limit, it would have not been practical. I found Lily's name to be somewhat appropriate. She was lily-livered when the situation did not turned out well for her. Personally, I don't know how she would've survive in the advertising world if a confrontation made her cry. I wanted to slap her and tell her to defend herself. If someone questioned her trust, she should be the one to find out the truth and not wait for Vince to figure it out for her and himself. A weak-minded heroine. And then Vince was a jerk half the time. First, he didn't want to hire her because she was too pretty. (Lawsuit, anyone?) At another time, he yelled at Lily because he thought she did not do her job correctly and then realized the error was on his part, not Lily's. But he only apologized until he could put it off no longer. He expounded on Christian faith but he never really follow through on it himself. How these two fell in love makes me wonder. The only bright spot in this ho-hum cast was Grace Grant. Her character was spiteful and insecure but her emotions shone bright. Her change was the most dramatic but the most believable and the strongest. All in all, has a decent plot but weak characters.
3 stars
Better to See You
Based on Red Riding Hood - Lucy Blake aka Red was in Germany, helping her sick grandmother, when she ran into an old flame, Ron Woodson. The reason they broke up was his lack of faith but Ron was going to show her he has changed. While he was doing this, he realized that there might a be wolf hounding at Lucy's grandmother's door.
Another mediocre story. The romance was whirlwind but since they had a previous relationship, the romance seemed a little bit more natural. I found Lucy an ordinary heroine. Ron was an interesting but sometimes, a foolish hero. The plot was superficial and never pulled you in. However, I did like the author takes on the "wolf". Other than that, this story did not have much entertainment value.
All in all, the authors' intrepration of the fairy tales into modern Christian romances were very well written. However, the lack of depth into characters and plot were the most major flaws. Most anthologies have this issue. If you like a light Christian read, with fairy tales thrown in, pick it up at a cheap price. However, if you are looking for a riveting plot, pass this book up.
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