Posted on  20/08/2024 17:16:32

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A sweet fantasy romance with a fairy-tale feel.

Lizette, a 34 year old attorney, flees to a small village in Mexico to escape her job, cheating boyfriend and hectic life. Settling in at a rustic little inn she discovers a mysterious castle that only she can see as beautiful and well kept. For everyone else in the region, the place is nothing but abandoned ruins, and Lizette seems to be the only one who can interact with its inhabitants.

Prince Feliciano, the master of the castle, is a cursed man. He believes he is destined to live an eternity alone. He cannot return home until he finds his soulmate. She must be pure of heart, with a link to his old world, thereby allowing him to know his queen to be and return home.

And this is how Mary Jaimes-Serrano sets together a fairytale-like romance between two people from different cultures and different times.
The setting is perfect. An abandoned castle in the mountains, strange beasts in the forest, statues that come to life, goddesses, a cursed handsome prince and of course, a love story. We do get a sort of Beauty and the Beast vibe in the beginning, which further on spins into another different tale. And it is charming!

Unfortunately, the story falls short mainly due to the characters and their interactions. They felt unreal and unnatural and that made it impossible for me to even like them.
For example, I found it a bit difficult to believe that a 34 year old woman wasn't aware that her boyfriend had been cheating on her for years. And I found her reaction to the news, as well as the boyfriend's reaction to her behaviour quite unbelievable.

And everyone was always so very polite! Not that I mind politeness, but it just doesn't work when 21st century women, who have become close friends talk to each other.
There is also a very distinctive line in between politeness and stiffness in both day to day talk and a declaration of love. Both the prince and his 21st century love were stiff here. So neither their feeling nor their love shone.
The gentle scenes of tenderness were also a little bit off-putting at times because of the use of phrases like: "she cradled her head in the cavity made between his chest and shoulder..". And that too, took a little more off from the charm of the tale.

And yet, despite all this, I found myself not wanting to set the book down because I was curious to know how it will all end. And I wasn't disappointed in the Happy Ever After. Despite the need of editing and character flaws, this was a beautiful tale that I enjoyed. Because it is a tale of the heart!

Always remember to follow your heart.

Check out this book and more of Mary Jaimes-Serrano over at mjaimesserrano.com