Summary How to Buy Reviews Excerpt
The Rebelliously Single Prince
in Bedknobs and Beanstalks from Ravenous Romance
Summary:
The kingdom of Celestrina has never been more prosperous thanks to the efforts of its ambitious King Ludovico. The King has only one goal left to achieve, and that is to find a wife for his son, the Crown Prince Kieran. The problem? Prince Kieran would vastly prefer to have a husband.
When the King's scheme to procure a bride for his reluctant son goes awry, he resorts to extremes, locking Kieran into his room every night until he agrees to take a wife. The Prince's room is high up in a tower, and there's only one door. The King has the only key. And yet, every morning there's evidence that the Prince has had company of the intimate kind. So King Ludovico turns to his trusted minion Dalmazio to spy on the Prince and discover his secret. What Dalmazio learns is that nothing is more powerful than love, not even a King.
How to Buy:
Available in various ebook format from Ravenous Romance
Reviews:
Rainbow Reviews gave Bedknobs and Beanstalks 4.5 out of 5 stars
Carole said:
Fairy tales are not just for children anymore! In this deftly edited collection of very adult stories, E.M. Lynley has put together nine stories based on the classics if the heroes really liked cock. Each story is loosely based on a commonly known fairy tale. The stories include:
- "Jack and the Peenstalk" by Clancy Nacht
- "The Rebelliously Single Prince" by Lenore Black
- "Cry Wolf" by Mercy Loomis
- "Kintaro" by S.J. Frost
- "Ashes and Crystal" by Jason Rubis
- "Handsome and Grateful" by Kilt Kilpatrick
- "Swan Made" by Mina Kelly
- "King?s Honor" by J.L. Merrow
- "The Merman?s Tail" by Jay Di Meo
It's always hard to rate an anthology because the writing skill and enjoyment potential is different for each story, but here the stories are of uniformly high quality. All of the stories are cleverly fleshed out, using the original tale as a skeleton and branching out into new and imaginative territory.
Jenre at Reviews By Jessewave said:
Overall, I greatly enjoyed this set of stories. Recently, my main complaint about anthologies has been that many of the stories have been too similar in theme. I was pleased to find that this anthology had a set of diverse stories whilst also sticking to the theme of the book. I highly recommend Bedknobs and Beanstalks, with a grade of 'Excellent', to those readers who like fantasy and inverted fairy stories and also who are looking for a set of well written, amusing tales which nevertheless give us the emotion and happy endings that all good romance should contain. 4.5 out of 5 stars
About "The Rebelliously Single Prince," she said:
There were a couple of stories with similar themes about young men who refused to conform and marry the princesses. "The Rebelliously Single Prince" by Lenore Black was one such story where the king is so despairing of his son who sneaks out each night to cavort with the stable boys that he locks him in his room with a guard outside. Every morning the prince is still debauched, so the king makes a hidey hole for his most trusted advisor to watch over the prince at night. What followed was a delicious mix of a beautiful, tender sex scene and voyeurism which I found both amusing and romantic.
Coffee Time Romance gave Bedknobs and Beanstalks 4 out of 5 cups
Danielle said about "The Rebelliously Single Prince": Ms. Black writes the Rapunzel story in a unique way and with a voyeuristic flair. I liked seeing the original tale intertwined with scientific inventions, it made it thoroughly enjoyable.
Excerpt:
Long ago, in a land not entirely unlike our own, there were four kingdoms, each with a different claim to fame. In Azurelee, people pointed with pride to the beauty of their hanging gardens. The mines of Stednemham kept noble households well supplied with silver and precious stones. Darjhan was famous for its horses, spirited beasts unparalleled for speed and strength.
Perhaps the grandest kingdom of all was Celestrina, envied far and wide for its architectural wonders, scientific inventions, and the richness of its coffers. Celestrina's prosperity came in no small part from the obsessions of its current king. Ludovico was as ambitious as he was unscrupulous, a born schemer with one goal in life: to be the wealthiest, most powerful man in all the world. He devised crafty plots to ruin anyone he considered a rival, sneakily filched valuable resources from neighboring kingdoms, and amassed so much treasure even his spare change could have paved the streets of Celestrina with gold.
Now in his mature years, the king had at last reached the point in life when he could look around, survey his dominion, and feel well satisfied with everything?well, almost everything.
King Ludovico had but one heir, the Crown Prince Kieran. The prince was a sensual youth, tall and lithe of body, with chestnut curls, sculpted features, and dark blue eyes. He was so fetching he could have charmed a maidservant out of her bloomers with one of his sultry smiles if he?d been so inclined?and this was precisely the cause of the king's great consternation. Prince Kieran had no interest in the maidservants' unmentionables, but instead was likely to be found down at the barn coaxing the stable boys out of their breeches. The prince's valet often discovered stray bits of straw in his master's clothes and sawdust clinging to the soles of the royal boots.
"It will not do!" King Ludovico berated his son one morning at breakfast, smashing his hand down onto the table with such force that a decanter of wild pomegranate juice nearly upended.
"I'm sorry you feel that way," Prince Kieran said, with an expression that was anything but apologetic.
"You will be the ruler of this land one day. You must find a suitable woman, marry, and produce the next generation to carry on our noble name."
Prince Kieran yawned.
Never one to be thwarted by his son's contrariness?or anything else for that matter? King Ludovico petitioned neighboring kingdoms and found for his son three of the most lovely and sought-after ladies in all the lands. Princess Esmeralda, heiress to the throne of Azurelee, painted still lifes, sang arias, and cultivated rare orchids?as accomplished a young lady as ever could be. Lady Helene, daughter of the Right Honorable Lord Bryce, was not only fair of face, but also quick of wit, a most estimable trait in the mother of a future king. Dame Desideria, known to enchant men with a single glance, had graced the court in Darjhan since her debut at fifteen.
"Any one of these ladies will make you a fine queen. You will spend time with them, get to know them, and choose one for your bride."
Prince Kieran lifted his chin. "We'll see about that."
The king glowered at his son, not at all pleased with his attitude, but one of the great joys of being king was that he gave the orders. Therefore, the royal decree went forth that on three successive nights there would be a ball in each lady's honor and the prince would act as escort on each occasion.
Not even the Crown Prince dared to defy one of the king's decrees, and so Prince Kieran squired each of the ladies to her ball, treating them with perfect politeness, if no actual interest. He danced with them and made small talk, fetched punch, and even went so far as to engage in some mild flirtation. Raising his father's hopes only to dash them was great sport for the young prince. At the end of each evening, he bade each lady goodnight with a formal bow and not even the least bit of regret. In the morning, there was straw in his clothes and sawdust on his shoes, just as there always was.
