Romancing Snow White: A Prince Charmaine Story

by Karen Kiefer

When the dashing (or so he thinks) Prince Charmaine has a chance encounter with Snow White, he thinks all his prayers have been answered! The perfect, pale-skinned beauty is everything he could want in a woman, and he'll stop at nothing to make her his girlfriend!

But there is a problem. Seven problems, to be exact. The dwarves aren't going to make it easy on him!

Romancing Snow White is a romantic comedy novelette, approximately 9,000 words. While it is a stand-alone story, Prince Charmaine is a character in the full-length novel, Aurora Abroad.

Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Fairy Tales, Chick Lit, Short Stories, Retellings, Novella

54 pages, Nook

First published August 6, 2011

Reviews

[Maia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was very excited to read this story when I started off. The idea of the prince having to work for Snow White's love seemed amusing to me and is a great concept... if done right. This story was not done right.

Reading this story was like reading really badly written fan-fiction. The characters had no layers to them and no redeeming qualities. The writing was sloppy and grammatically incorrect, which worries me.

The only thing redeeming quality of this story was how quickly it ended so I did not have to read it for long.

[Heather Belleguelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This hilarious take on Snow White and the Seven Dwarves had me grinning and chuckling practically the whole way through.

It's written in a very tongue-in-cheek style, with over-the-top Disney overtones. Snow White is a sweet innocent who loves the cute forest animals (a la Disney). When I pictured Prince Charmaine I saw Gaston from Disney's Beauty and the Beast: a man totally in love with himself who thinks that he's God's gift to women. And the dwarves, well, they're just so grumpy and overprotective.

I thoroughly recommend this little tale, and shall be looking out for more from Karen Kiefer.

[Christine Cherry · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfortunately I can't say that I like Karen Kiefer's book "Romancing Snow White: A Prince Charmaine Story". There was absolutely nothing special to me about this read. This story could have been made up and retold better by just about anyone. However, this does not discourage me from reading any of Karen Kiefer's other books. This typical new take on an old fairy tale didn't do it for me, but I am willing to give another book written by her a try. Hopefully she will peak my interest.

[Damona · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was a cute little story. your basic Snow White tale with a little extra snark. Snow herself was kind of vapid, the Prince was ridiculously vain, Bones the dwarf was definitely the best character, but it all came together alright. it took me less than half an hour to read it.

[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite a "charming" short story.

[Terri M. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Huge fan of fairy tale retellings here and this short story, which I started and finished over my lunch hour, certainly fits the bill. However, it falls short of being a true retelling.

Basically, Keifer took Snow White’s story, changed the character names slightly (and not very creatively, IMO) and then attempted to tell the story from the point of view of self-centered, vain Prince Charming.

There’s nothing new except for injecting a feisty, almost offensive personality into Bones (Doc). Snow White comes across as weak damsel who everyone is obsessed with. Beyond her beauty, there’s not much in her head.

This is a lighter read and if you are looking for a palate cleanser that might deliver a couple of chuckles, this might be a good read. But if you are looking for a fresh take on a classic fairy tale, keep moving along. There’s nothing new here.


This review was originally posted on Second Run Reviews

[Carolyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a very quick, easy read, probably geared more towards young adult but still enjoyable for adults. Taking the interesting side to the Snow White fairy tale, we get the point of view from Prince Charming (aka Charmaine in this short story). Think what Wicked did to the Wizard of Oz. You think you know the story, but the author puts her own twist on it.

Again, you can easily read this story in about an hour, if you really want to. Prince Charmaine might come across as a bit of a ditz. The dwarf's names have been updated to Bones, Madden, and Silly. And the huntsman, who really had the best intentions for Snow White, assumes the less evil role of the wicked witch.

Cute, but no Grimm brother's fairy tale.

[Valerie · Rating 1 out of 5]

So a tale whose title begins with the "R" word is not generally on my "to read" list. However, I do love a tale that revisits familiar characters in a new way, (Bridget Jones, Pride & Predjudice & Zombies, The Chosen . . .).

Alas, this one did not live up to my expectations. It was pretty shallow & silly really, and did not provide much to hold my interest. In the end, I just didn't see the point.

At least it was a quick read, so I did not invest much time in it.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was intrigued by the title and wanted to read another e-book so last week I read this one. It wasn't quite what I was expecting. The prince is nowhere near as likable as he is in the version I am used to and the dwarves all have some odd names, not the ones we are accustomed to either. It was a quick read that had some comic elements. It would be interesting to see what the prince is like in the full length book. This e-book is currently free on both Amazon and Barnes and Noble

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wish I could give it just one and a half stars. It was just ok...not great, and ended rather abruptly. I read it to my husband as we were making a long drive. After it ended we looked at each other and said a collective, "Ooooooook"! If you're looking for a quick, silly read, this one's for you!

[Sonia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I only got through one chapter and couldn't go on. Just bad - as in poor - as in the writing was so over-the-top, almost tongue-in-cheek, I couldn't keep reading. You were literally told everything from feelings to thoughts to actions. It was almost a study in extremes - the prince was extremely narcissistic and egocentric and the princess was extremely stupid and naive.

[A.J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars - Kinda cute, had a couple good ideas, probably would have been better served as a slightly longer story with a little more character development...what happened to the entire wicked queen plotline? At least a nod to that might have been nice.

[Faithann · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story had a few funny spots, but overall it was just ok. Prince Charmaine was kind of a pathetic lead male, and Snow White was made out to be a complete air head. The best character in the entire story was Bones.

[SJ]

Interesting

Interesting read. Very different from the classic story. I'm not sure how I feel about it because the Prince starts off as a character I don't really like but a classic ending and in the end I did end up liking the Prince so yeah I guess it wasn't bad!!

[Amancay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ni fu, ni fa, really... But I guess for a short it fits the bill.

[Maria Claudia · Rating 2 out of 5]

A silly book. It was fun in the beginning but get bored.

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, sweet, easy read. Definitely read Aurora Abroad first though.

[Issa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a very creative or interesting story.

[Chrissy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring :(

[Carol Rivera · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have no clue how this story made it to print. This was one of my free books from Amazon and I regret ever spending time reading it.

[Kimmy]

After reading & enjoying Aurora Abroad, this was a disappointment.

[Jacob Bembry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious

[Jean · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stupid!

[Christen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Virtuously short, and while it turns the classic Snow White fairytale on its head it offers no redeeming dimensionality for any of its characters.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's like a chick flick in book form, a little over the top but an enjoyable read.

[Melody · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story about egoistic prince charmaine and his antics to seduce snow white who seemed to be innocent or dumb.

It was a fun read.

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny!

[Diane · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank goodness this was a short story. It was pretty terrible.

[Summer Peterson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Free book.