| Genre | Gay / Fantasy / Magic / Fairy Tales / Royalty/Nobility / Wizards, Witches, and Mages / Curses / Erotic Romance / Action/Adventure |
| Reviewed by | Serena Yates on 23-October-2016 |
Prince Ivan’s father believes his sons should find wives the traditional way–by going on a quest. This most fervent wish sends Ivan to his destiny. A magical forest, swamps, and strange dreams are just the beginning of the prince’s bad luck. Not only does his chosen bride prove to be a frog, she is also a he!
With an ancient magic involved, Ivan and Vasiliy the frog have no choice but to marry. But their problems aren’t over yet. First a test of worthiness threatens their blossoming relationship. Then there is the small matter of the magical curse Vasya is under. Finally, Ivan’s impatience rips the two apart.
Can the prince fulfill the impossible quest and thwart the most feared wizard in the world (aka his father-in-law) to get his frog back? And will Vasya begin an all-out magical war to return to his prince?
Fairy tales are a very rich source of story material, and I love it when an author takes one of the existing plots and adds some variation to the theme. Be it the characters, the plot, or the entire setting, each change has its own attraction and consequence for how the story line develops with that difference in place. In ‘The Prince and the Frog’, new-to-me author Sophie Martin has managed to weave bits and pieces of more than one fairy tale into a new version and has created a narrative that is funny, thought-provoking, romantic, and very entertaining.
Prince Ivan is the youngest of three sons, and he is well-known for getting into trouble on the crazy quests his father, the king, delights in coming up with. The newest scheme: Ivan and his two older brothers have to find wives but in the “traditional” way. Ivan knows this will end badly before it begins. So when he finds a frog at the end of his magic-imbued quest, and a male frog at that, he is upset, but at least he survived. And as it turns out, the frog is not just entertaining, but becomes a friend very quickly.
Vasiliy is the son of a powerful, feared wizard and currently serving forty days of punishment – in frog form - for a prank he and his friends played on some unsuspecting villagers near the magic academy Vasiliy attends. Part of his curse is that he can’t reveal who he is or why he is currently a frog, and the longer he stays with Ivan, the more difficult it becomes to hold back. He begins to like the prince, but even though they soon get married, Vasiliy’s hands are tied. Until Ivan’s patience runs out and his impulsive action gets them both in deeper trouble than either can get out of on his own.
If you like fairy tales that contain well-known elements that are combined into a new story, if you want to see how two very different men deal with their differences under duress, and if you’re looking for a read that is full of suspenseful adventures, funny, and very romantic, then you will probably like this imaginative novella.
DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by the author for the purpose of a review.
| Format | ebook |
| Length | Novella, 149 pages/44386 words |
| Heat Level | |
| Publication Date | 13-September-2016 |
| Price | $4.50 ebook |
| Buy Link | http://www.bookstrand.com/book/the-prince-and-the-frog |
