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Storming the Castle with Bonus Content (Fairy Tales #1.5)
by
Eloisa James (Goodreads Author)
An exclusive eBook original novella with bonus excerpts from "A Kiss At Midnight" and the forthcoming "When Beauty Tamed the Beast" from "New York Times" bestselling author Eloisa James. Featuring the handsome and mysterious Wick from "A Kiss At Midnight."
What Miss Phillipa Damson needs is a good, old fashioned knight in shining armor. What she has is a fiancE she never wa...more
What Miss Phillipa Damson needs is a good, old fashioned knight in shining armor. What she has is a fiancE she never wa...more
ebook, 137 pages
Published
December 21st 2010
by HarperCollins Publishers
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Community Reviews
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2,065)
Feb 07, 2011
UniquelyMoi *Dhestiny* BlithelyBookish
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
ebook-own-have-read,
4-stars,
2011-reads,
author-eloisa-james,
fairytaleesque,
format-kindle-or-kindle-compatible,
historical-romance,
masquerading-as-someone-else,
romance-historical,
runaway-bride,
social-class-plays-big-role,
starts-with-q-thru-t,
nurse-maid,
baby-sick-cries-alot-colic,
series-happily-ever-afters-e-james,
short-reads-novellas,
reviewed-by-me,
series-must-read
Storming the Castle was such a sweet, funny, touching, steamy, romantic story, and I’m so glad I read it! I had grown very fond of Wick in A Kiss at Midnight, and while this story was definitely too short, I was happy to see him in action again.
And just as we had in A Kiss at Midnight, we get another very strong, enjoyable heroine in Phillipa, who knew her own mind and isn't afraid to do whatever necessary to live her life on her own terms. Together, she and Wick made a very charming, sexy coupl...more
4.5 flames
*****SPOILERS*****
This was such a cute little sequel to A Kiss at Midnight. It's only about 67 pages and it's about Wick, Gabriel's brother. He's the illegitimate son of the Grand Duke, remember? Gabriel's half-brother.
Well, he finds the new nursemaid for his newborn nephew just absolutely intriguing.
Our new nursemaid Miss Phillipa is running from her fiance...but not for any reason we'd normally see. The story opens with Rodney lying flushed in the hay after he'd grabbed Phillipa and...more
*****SPOILERS*****
This was such a cute little sequel to A Kiss at Midnight. It's only about 67 pages and it's about Wick, Gabriel's brother. He's the illegitimate son of the Grand Duke, remember? Gabriel's half-brother.
Well, he finds the new nursemaid for his newborn nephew just absolutely intriguing.
Our new nursemaid Miss Phillipa is running from her fiance...but not for any reason we'd normally see. The story opens with Rodney lying flushed in the hay after he'd grabbed Phillipa and...more
Nov 12, 2012
Kristina
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2012-goal-60,
romance-novels
Although I have not read the story that takes place before this novella (A Kiss at Midnight), I thoroughly enjoyed this short story. It opens with a lady allowing herself to be seduced by her soon-to-be husband and coming to the realization that she doesn't love him and doesn't want to marry him. Therefore, after learning a nearby prince and his wife are having trouble with their new screaming bundle of joy, she runs away to become a nursemaid. There she falls in love with the prince's half brot...more
In this story we revisit our Cinderella castle and characters of A Kiss at Midnight. We pick up the story when the first princeling of that pairing is just born and not doing well and is in need of a knowledgeable nursemaid.
Here enters our heroine. A lady escaping a marriage to the local Baron's son who declared himself in love with her at age 9 and as a result no one ever dared offer him competition or her an alternative. Our heroine arrives at the castle and it is Jonas Berwick (brother to th...more
Here enters our heroine. A lady escaping a marriage to the local Baron's son who declared himself in love with her at age 9 and as a result no one ever dared offer him competition or her an alternative. Our heroine arrives at the castle and it is Jonas Berwick (brother to th...more
May 04, 2012
Jane Stewart
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
regency-romance
3 ½ stars. Sweet, nice, enjoyable romance story.
STORY BRIEF:
Phillipa and Rodney had been friends since childhood. Their parents want them to marry. Phillipa does not want to marry Rodney and runs away. She loves babies and hears that the nearby Prince and his bride have a newborn baby with problems. Phillipa goes there to work as the baby’s nursemaid. She meets Wick the butler. Wick is the Prince’s half brother. He feels he can never marry a lady due to his servant-station in life.
REVIEWER’S OPI...more
STORY BRIEF:
Phillipa and Rodney had been friends since childhood. Their parents want them to marry. Phillipa does not want to marry Rodney and runs away. She loves babies and hears that the nearby Prince and his bride have a newborn baby with problems. Phillipa goes there to work as the baby’s nursemaid. She meets Wick the butler. Wick is the Prince’s half brother. He feels he can never marry a lady due to his servant-station in life.
REVIEWER’S OPI...more
1 ½ stars
This novella tells the story of Wick’s happily ever after. Wick is a prominent character in the first book in the Fairy Tales series, A Kiss at Midnight. While I enjoyed the first book and the second book in the series I found this novella sort of disappointing. Maybe it was because of the length (98 pages), but I didn’t feel like the characters were developed at all. Wick, we know from A Kiss at Midnight, but we have no idea who Phillipa really is besides that she is a woman in an unha...more
This novella tells the story of Wick’s happily ever after. Wick is a prominent character in the first book in the Fairy Tales series, A Kiss at Midnight. While I enjoyed the first book and the second book in the series I found this novella sort of disappointing. Maybe it was because of the length (98 pages), but I didn’t feel like the characters were developed at all. Wick, we know from A Kiss at Midnight, but we have no idea who Phillipa really is besides that she is a woman in an unha...more
Nov 03, 2011
Sarah
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-i-own-kindle,
read-in-2011
I loved Gabriel's brother Wick in A Kiss at Midnight so I was very excited to discover that Eloisa James had released his story as a novella. While I would have loved a full length novel with these characters I enjoyed the fact that the story focused on the romance rather than separate side stories and it made for a very satisfying read.
I don't want to give too much away about the plot because it would be too easy to spoil the story so I'm just going to say that I love Wick even more now than I...more
I don't want to give too much away about the plot because it would be too easy to spoil the story so I'm just going to say that I love Wick even more now than I...more
Phillipa has a problem: she’s slept with her betrothed and knows that she never, ever wants to do it again. But he’s a future baronet and the pressure to marry him is intense. When she hears that the princess of a neighboring castle needs a nursemaid, it's the escape route she needs.
At the castle, Phillipa meets Berwick, the devilishly handsome and rather surprising majordomo of the castle. “He has lovely eyes, rather brooding, as if life wasn’t giving him what he wanted. That had to be because...more
At the castle, Phillipa meets Berwick, the devilishly handsome and rather surprising majordomo of the castle. “He has lovely eyes, rather brooding, as if life wasn’t giving him what he wanted. That had to be because...more
Okies... this might not have really been a 3... more like 3.5 or 3.75. I so need more stars, goodreads!
This story is a companion to "A Kiss at Midnight" and not really a fairy tale retelling, other than the princess falls in love with the shephard theme.
This time, the story is about a girl, Phillipa, running from her fiance to find a temporary position as nursemaid to Kate and Gabriel's croupy son. She sees Wick and it's basically love at first sight.
Yeah, I could have flagged that as a spoiler....more
This story is a companion to "A Kiss at Midnight" and not really a fairy tale retelling, other than the princess falls in love with the shephard theme.
This time, the story is about a girl, Phillipa, running from her fiance to find a temporary position as nursemaid to Kate and Gabriel's croupy son. She sees Wick and it's basically love at first sight.
Yeah, I could have flagged that as a spoiler....more
So this time Frog Princess..or Frog Prince?
I enjoy this story more than I enjoy A Kiss At Midnight. And it's not too short. This story is almost perfect.
So this the story about Wick the butler and half brother of Prince Gabriel from A Kiss At Midnight. I have to say that since I read Gabriel's story, I always think that Wick is more fun and cooler than his brother.
But when I read this book, I changed my mind. Wick is not just cooler than Gabriel, he's hotter too. He's smart, good looking, well m...more
I enjoy this story more than I enjoy A Kiss At Midnight. And it's not too short. This story is almost perfect.
So this the story about Wick the butler and half brother of Prince Gabriel from A Kiss At Midnight. I have to say that since I read Gabriel's story, I always think that Wick is more fun and cooler than his brother.
But when I read this book, I changed my mind. Wick is not just cooler than Gabriel, he's hotter too. He's smart, good looking, well m...more
My review on the entire Fairy Tale series can be found here: http://wp.me/p18lIL-1gE
As an added bonus James wrote a novella to pair with A Kiss at Midnight entitled Storming the Castle. It revolves around Wick, Prince Gabriel's illegitimate half-brother/butler. Kate and Gabriel have just had their first child, Jonas. Jonas is unfortunately a sickly baby getting thinner and thinner which has set the castle in a tizzy. Wick has sent away for nursemaids and doctors hoping someone will be able to he...more
As an added bonus James wrote a novella to pair with A Kiss at Midnight entitled Storming the Castle. It revolves around Wick, Prince Gabriel's illegitimate half-brother/butler. Kate and Gabriel have just had their first child, Jonas. Jonas is unfortunately a sickly baby getting thinner and thinner which has set the castle in a tizzy. Wick has sent away for nursemaids and doctors hoping someone will be able to he...more
I seem to have a talent for reading series in the wrong order. This is what happens when my e-reader has no way of telling me which of an author's books comes first in a series. (Also I did a search on "short", because it was bedtime and I didn't want to start something big.)
This is a sequel to A Kiss at Midnight, which is a retelling of the classic fairytale Cinderella. And the sequel was so charming, so well crafted (especially for a book that was only 140 e-book pages), and so hotly sexy that...more
This is a sequel to A Kiss at Midnight, which is a retelling of the classic fairytale Cinderella. And the sequel was so charming, so well crafted (especially for a book that was only 140 e-book pages), and so hotly sexy that...more
Nov 05, 2012
♆ BookAddict ~ La Crimson Femme
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Historical Romance Lovers
Recommended to ♆ BookAddict by:
Li
Love the White Knight saving the princess? This story is for you. In Storming the Castle, I bought it so I could read about Wick. He's the bastard brother of Gabriel in the first book of this series. I like Wick and wanted to know what happened to him.
This story is more about his future bride than about him. Or should I say, the choices Phillipa makes once she is "ruined". I liked Phillipa because she was a girl who woke and decided to take control of her life. She didn't wait for a white knight...more
This story is more about his future bride than about him. Or should I say, the choices Phillipa makes once she is "ruined". I liked Phillipa because she was a girl who woke and decided to take control of her life. She didn't wait for a white knight...more
I really enjoyed this offering. It was very satisfying, and did not feel too short at all. Perhaps the length restriction helped James keep her focus on the romance - as I keep saying, I find that her narrative wandering makes her novels feel inconsistent. Anyway, this was a fun read, quick but it also had appreciable depth. The heroine is intelligent and determined, and has a refreshingly useful skill set. The hero is a thoroughly decent man whose roguish facade somehow doesn't undermine his de...more
This was a nice story about Philippa, a gently bred lady, who has been betrothed since an early age to a man she does not love. Imagine that! He takes her virginity (with her cooperation) in a barn and it is a very bad experience for her. She runs away from home to the local castle across the forest. She poses as a nurse maid and, since she has some medical knowledge, she assists the lady of the castle in dealing with her colicky newborn.
She becomes involved with and falls in love with the butl...more
She becomes involved with and falls in love with the butl...more
I had mixed feelings about this book.
On the one hand, the characters were all pretty cute, the love story was nice, it had a happy ending. And I have to take into consideration the author had a limited amount of space, given that this was a novella.
So here are my thoughts.
I don't tend to be a fan of books where the love stories happen naturally, with no emotional roadblocks (such as friendship or hatred) to overcome, and this happened naturally.
The ending was incredibly abrupt. One minute, our...more
On the one hand, the characters were all pretty cute, the love story was nice, it had a happy ending. And I have to take into consideration the author had a limited amount of space, given that this was a novella.
So here are my thoughts.
I don't tend to be a fan of books where the love stories happen naturally, with no emotional roadblocks (such as friendship or hatred) to overcome, and this happened naturally.
The ending was incredibly abrupt. One minute, our...more
Far, far better than A Kiss at Midnight however, it is hampered by it's shorter length which is a shame because the charming Wick deserved more as the ending was uncomfortably fast and abrupt. I was appalled at Rodney's treatment of Phillipa, the chemistry between her and Wick was palpable, and I laughed and reveled in the adorable cuteness of the characters and situations. This novella has given me hope that When Beauty Tamed the Beast will be even better than the disappointing first book.
3.5 s...more
3.5 s...more
Jan 16, 2012
Viohlet
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-in-2012,
3rd-person-pov,
anticlimatic-end,
being-forced-to-get-married,
career-maid-butler-servant-etc,
determind-to-not-get-married,
fast-paced,
forbidden-love,
friends-to-lovers,
genre-historical,
get-over-it-already,
hero-2-g-l,
hero-emotionally-retarded,
hero-i-liked,
hero-is-too-noble-for-is-own-good,
hero-to-heroine-class-difference,
heroine-3-m-r,
heroine-5-blonde,
heroine-i-liked,
heroine-strongwilled-headstrong-etc,
historical-1800s,
non-aristocracy-historical,
on-the-run-or-in-hiding,
opposites-attract,
series,
publisher-avon,
read-3-liked,
series-follows-family,
set-in-english-country,
stars-4,
sucky-family,
we-can-never-be-together-angst,
heroine-engaged-married
I quiet enjoyed this, although I didn't rate it as highly as the rest of the series.
This is because the hero was way too noble for his own good. He refused to marry the heroine because he didn't believe himself worthy of her, and this was a major bone of contention between them and the novella just dragged and dragged because of it.
I thought the heroine was passive towards the end. I would have been suspicious of her father suddenly saying he needed HER to personally deliver something to the vic...more
This is because the hero was way too noble for his own good. He refused to marry the heroine because he didn't believe himself worthy of her, and this was a major bone of contention between them and the novella just dragged and dragged because of it.
I thought the heroine was passive towards the end. I would have been suspicious of her father suddenly saying he needed HER to personally deliver something to the vic...more
Jul 05, 2011
Anna
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Fans of light historical romance
Recommended to Anna by:
Amazon
This was a very charming novella about my favorite character, Wick, from EJ's book A Kiss at Midnight. Honestly, I enjoyed A Kiss at Midnight but I liked Wick better than Gabriel, the hero of that book.
So glad Wick got his own story--and what a delightful lady he wins--although he takes some convincing that he actually deserves to have her. Philippa is a self-starter: when she realizes her longtime betrothed, Rodney, is really not meant to be her life mate, she runs away from home and finds hers...more
So glad Wick got his own story--and what a delightful lady he wins--although he takes some convincing that he actually deserves to have her. Philippa is a self-starter: when she realizes her longtime betrothed, Rodney, is really not meant to be her life mate, she runs away from home and finds hers...more
This was a fun, sexy short story that follows A Kiss at Midnight and gives us the yummy Wicks happily ever after. Phillipa has been betrothed to Rodney since they were children and he proclaimed his love for her, but as the story opens and they consummate their engagement...in the stables....Phillipa realizes she can not marry him. Ever. As she does not want to do that ever again! She hears how the new prince and princess are having difficulties with their new baby and runs off to help with the...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
The first couple of pages were a bit, well, seedy.
Which is good, I guess, as I also used to the word "seedy" to describe some passages from "A Kiss at Midnight," which this one branched off of. However, once Phillipa (whom I called Pippa in my head the entire time I read it. I love the name Pippa. It is the only reason I would ever consider cursing a child with the name Phillipa.) reached the castle, the story fleshed out and was quite enjoyable.
The ending was, well, hokey.
In conclusion, if th...more
Which is good, I guess, as I also used to the word "seedy" to describe some passages from "A Kiss at Midnight," which this one branched off of. However, once Phillipa (whom I called Pippa in my head the entire time I read it. I love the name Pippa. It is the only reason I would ever consider cursing a child with the name Phillipa.) reached the castle, the story fleshed out and was quite enjoyable.
The ending was, well, hokey.
In conclusion, if th...more
Maybe my Pride & Predjudice craving has worn off. Historical romance is not at the top of my favorite genre list, but after watching some P&P lately I had the urge and light and quick reads authored by Eloisa James fit the bill.
Alas, the best word I can use to sum this one up is trite. Historical romance is not known to be the deepest of genres, and the novella length did not help matters. It is a shame, as the characters were likeable. However, the short length resulted in a story that...more
Alas, the best word I can use to sum this one up is trite. Historical romance is not known to be the deepest of genres, and the novella length did not help matters. It is a shame, as the characters were likeable. However, the short length resulted in a story that...more
Philippa Damson has been set to marry the local scion since she was seven years old. He was nine and announced that they would wed. However... she's not so keen on the fella. When she hears that the local prince and princess are having problems with their baby, she takes the chance to go help out. She can become the nanny.
Mr. Jonas Berwick is the majordomo of the castle (and the illegitimate brother of the prince.) He knows that Philippa isn't what she seems, but she's also helping to save the y...more
Mr. Jonas Berwick is the majordomo of the castle (and the illegitimate brother of the prince.) He knows that Philippa isn't what she seems, but she's also helping to save the y...more
I really enjoyed Wick in Eloisa James's A Kiss at Midnight and I was really hoping that he would have his own book. Sadly she only gave him a short story lenght to find a HEA but I have to say that it was an enjoyable read.
I particurlaly enjoyed as the heroine is quite different from our usual heroine fare. First she manages to lose her virginity with the wrong guy (this is at the very beginning so not really a spoiler), than she is quite resourseful once she decides to change her life and then...more
I particurlaly enjoyed as the heroine is quite different from our usual heroine fare. First she manages to lose her virginity with the wrong guy (this is at the very beginning so not really a spoiler), than she is quite resourseful once she decides to change her life and then...more
This was a fun short ebook and is the story of Wick, Gabe's illegitimate half-brother from A Kiss At Midnight. This was a sweet little romance as well. Ms. Phillipa realizes that she is going to be marring a frog if she doesn't go find her prince...or at least run away from the prince of a frog.
When she hears that the local princess is having issues with her baby prince, Phillipa knows how she can escape. She hurries off to the castle to hide...errrr...to help the princeling, but man did you ge...more
When she hears that the local princess is having issues with her baby prince, Phillipa knows how she can escape. She hurries off to the castle to hide...errrr...to help the princeling, but man did you ge...more
Phillippa runs away from home when she realises she can't marry her intended. She ends up at Pomeroy Castle after hearing the baby prince is ill and she thinks she can help. After actually helping with the baby she becomes part of the staff even though they know she is a lady. She starts to get close to Jonas and slowly falls for him but he is determined not to encourage her feelings as he believes he is not worthy of a lady because he is just a servant. But he can't ignore his own feelings for...more
A short & simple novella, that is a sweet love story. Nice to have a charming addition to the series that gives us Wick's HEA, he deserves one. I loved Wick in 'A Kiss at Midnight', so when I discovered this was his story I was so excited. Wick is a genuinely sweet & tender spirit who is full of love; and Mrs James gave him the perfect heroine to love when she thought up the strong spirited & kind hearted Phillipa. Such a charming story. Easily a 3.5 read.
P.S. Loved, loved, LOVED se...more
P.S. Loved, loved, LOVED se...more
Mar 24, 2013
Lucy Hargrave
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-romance,
novellas
Obviously this is only a short novella and therefore the character development and plot line isn't as good as James full length novels but still definitely worth a read.
I particularly liked the insights we were given into Kate's and Gabriel's marriage and the new baby.
Both Wick (Jonas) and Phillipa were characters you could connect with and James allowed them and their relationship space to grow in the novel even with all the strong secondary characters.
Overall a really good novella and a nice e...more
I particularly liked the insights we were given into Kate's and Gabriel's marriage and the new baby.
Both Wick (Jonas) and Phillipa were characters you could connect with and James allowed them and their relationship space to grow in the novel even with all the strong secondary characters.
Overall a really good novella and a nice e...more
*3.5 STARS.
(Review originally posted here at Fictionally Inclined.)
As I'm not generally the biggest fan of Cinderella retellings, I was surprised by just how much I enjoyed A Kiss at Midnight by Eloisa James when I read it last year. During the reading, there was one secondary character who stood out: Wick, the major domo/butler who had some additional relationship to the prince that was quite the mystery for a while. I unfailingly loved him in every scene in which he appeared. When I later saw...more
(Review originally posted here at Fictionally Inclined.)
As I'm not generally the biggest fan of Cinderella retellings, I was surprised by just how much I enjoyed A Kiss at Midnight by Eloisa James when I read it last year. During the reading, there was one secondary character who stood out: Wick, the major domo/butler who had some additional relationship to the prince that was quite the mystery for a while. I unfailingly loved him in every scene in which he appeared. When I later saw...more
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New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James writes historical romances for HarperCollins Publishers. Her novels have been published to great acclaim. A reviewer from USA Today wrote of Eloisa's very first book that she "found herself devouring the book like a dieter with a Hershey bar"; later People Magazine raved that "romance writing does not get much better than this." Her novels have repeat...more
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“Gabriel actually laughed. "Luckily for Philippa, she's beautiful enought that another man will come along who has the balls to accept what she's offering.”
—
3 people liked it
“I have bought a house, but not possessedit." She was quite sure that the look in her eyes rivaled that of any light skirts on the streets of London. "And I am sold, but not yet enjoyed.”
—
3 people liked it
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