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Fates #1
Utterly Charming
Struggling Seattle lawyer finds her life turned upside down when her latest client, a handsome but very unusual man, turns out to be the real Prince Charming. Original.
319 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 1, 2000
20 people are currently reading
1100 people want to read
About the author
Kristine Grayson
53 books83 followersA pseudonym for Kristine Kathryn Rusch, other pseudonyms include:
Kris Nelscott
Kristine Dexter
Kris DeLake
Sandy Schofield
Kris Rusch
Kathryn Wesley
Kris Nelscott
Kristine Dexter
Kris DeLake
Sandy Schofield
Kris Rusch
Kathryn Wesley
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
March 1, 2018
I read this as part of the workshop I'm attending in April, and one of the rules is that we're to read the books for enjoyment--not analyzing or looking at them like a writer. I originally decided that meant I wouldn't review the books at all, but I changed my mind last night. I did my best to follow instructions, but I don't think it means I can't look back on it and think about what I liked, or didn't like.
I liked this as a fantasy and disliked it as a romance. The story has a lot of meat to it, and I enjoyed the twist on the Sleeping Beauty story and how Grayson examines the ramifications of a woman who's been asleep for a thousand years being dropped into the modern world. So as a fantasy, it worked for me. But I never fell for Aethelstan and felt the romantic tension between him and...okay, there's the impression it made on me; I can't remember the main character's name. Anyway, I didn't feel there was a real spark between the two main characters, and one of the things I want in a romance is to fall in love with both of them, or at the very least to experience the vicarious thrill the main female protagonist has for the man. Clever, but ultimately dissatisfying.
I liked this as a fantasy and disliked it as a romance. The story has a lot of meat to it, and I enjoyed the twist on the Sleeping Beauty story and how Grayson examines the ramifications of a woman who's been asleep for a thousand years being dropped into the modern world. So as a fantasy, it worked for me. But I never fell for Aethelstan and felt the romantic tension between him and...okay, there's the impression it made on me; I can't remember the main character's name. Anyway, I didn't feel there was a real spark between the two main characters, and one of the things I want in a romance is to fall in love with both of them, or at the very least to experience the vicarious thrill the main female protagonist has for the man. Clever, but ultimately dissatisfying.
April 25, 2013
Utterly Charming is the story of Sleeping Beauty. One thousand years ago Ealhswith. the evil stepmother (err mentor) has placed a curse on Emma Blackstone tries to rescue Emma and kisses her to prevent her from dying but the kiss has an unexpected consequence and places her in a coma for one thousand years. Nine hundred and ninety years later Blackstone is in Portland OR and he is fighting with Ealhswith over who will have possession of Emma. Blackstone formulates a plan where neither one will have the body instead he hires a new attorney named Nora to guard the body for ten years. Ten years later Emma wakes up and she is bitter, upset that a thousand years has passed by and she trusts no one. For centuries Blackstone has always believed Emma to be his soul mate but then he meets Nora and now he is not so sure.
I picked this book up from the library because I love the retelling of fairy tails. This is among the worst. It is original and it does start off well and then it falls down after that.
Nora is the worst really you are a lawyer and you tell everyone you know what is best because you are a lawyer?? Then she is a total b----- to everyone, why doesn't she like Sancho? Then she is quite rude to Blackstone all the time, she shows him absolutely no respect. It seems like she believes everyone is beneath her. Then she treats Emma like a victim of domestic abuse and refuses to see any other point of view. Blackstone is the worst hero ever he has no idea who he wants Nora or Emma?? The challenge here is he sees Nora like twice and then nothing for a decade. How is this even a romance novel? By the end when they are talking about love I am confounded as to why? Even the plot sucks mostly it is about the laws of fairyland versus those in Portland.
This book was tedious and I skimmed the last third. To be fair I have heard Wickedly Charming is a great book and perhaps I will give that a go but for now I cannot recommend this book to anyone it feels like a huge waste of time.
1 1/2 stars
I picked this book up from the library because I love the retelling of fairy tails. This is among the worst. It is original and it does start off well and then it falls down after that.
Nora is the worst really you are a lawyer and you tell everyone you know what is best because you are a lawyer?? Then she is a total b----- to everyone, why doesn't she like Sancho? Then she is quite rude to Blackstone all the time, she shows him absolutely no respect. It seems like she believes everyone is beneath her. Then she treats Emma like a victim of domestic abuse and refuses to see any other point of view. Blackstone is the worst hero ever he has no idea who he wants Nora or Emma?? The challenge here is he sees Nora like twice and then nothing for a decade. How is this even a romance novel? By the end when they are talking about love I am confounded as to why? Even the plot sucks mostly it is about the laws of fairyland versus those in Portland.
This book was tedious and I skimmed the last third. To be fair I have heard Wickedly Charming is a great book and perhaps I will give that a go but for now I cannot recommend this book to anyone it feels like a huge waste of time.
1 1/2 stars
September 15, 2015
I enjoyed this book probably more than it really deserved. It's an urban fantasy version of sleeping beauty, though with liberal twists on the plot (like that the kiss is what got her into the situation, rather than what gets her out). Oh, and Emma, the sleeping beauty, has been out for 1,000 years.
The fun parts of this were that the actual central character was Nora Barr, a Portland attorney hired to watch after Emma and help her once she wakes. Nora was a fantastic heroine. She stands up against the supernatural antagonists in a fight that has been waged off and on for 1,000 years with nothing but her legal training, raw nerve, and determination to do what she feels needs to be done. I liked her immediately and cheered for her throughout.
The weakest part of this story was the romance. Blackstone and Nora have a vacillating professional relationship as she acts on behalf of a couple different clients—sometimes including Blackstone, himself. In addition, Blackstone has obviously misread a prophecy regarding his destiny (this is not a spoiler as at least one side character says so outright pretty much from the start), preventing him from pursuing his obvious inclination to get to know Nora better on a personal level. So there's a romantic slow-boil, and they really don't have much opportunity to explore their mutual attraction. Once things tumble together, they tumble fast and the fade to black happens barely before the end of the book (and note the lack of the steamy tag, here).
While the romance was a weak element of the story, it was present enough that I wasn't disappointed with it in the final analysis. And since the story was so good and the action both well-paced and with enough urgency to hold your attention, I was never impatient… or willing to put the book down, for that matter. I'll definitely be picking up the next in the series and hope they all hold up to this promising start.
The fun parts of this were that the actual central character was Nora Barr, a Portland attorney hired to watch after Emma and help her once she wakes. Nora was a fantastic heroine. She stands up against the supernatural antagonists in a fight that has been waged off and on for 1,000 years with nothing but her legal training, raw nerve, and determination to do what she feels needs to be done. I liked her immediately and cheered for her throughout.
The weakest part of this story was the romance. Blackstone and Nora have a vacillating professional relationship as she acts on behalf of a couple different clients—sometimes including Blackstone, himself. In addition, Blackstone has obviously misread a prophecy regarding his destiny (this is not a spoiler as at least one side character says so outright pretty much from the start), preventing him from pursuing his obvious inclination to get to know Nora better on a personal level. So there's a romantic slow-boil, and they really don't have much opportunity to explore their mutual attraction. Once things tumble together, they tumble fast and the fade to black happens barely before the end of the book (and note the lack of the steamy tag, here).
While the romance was a weak element of the story, it was present enough that I wasn't disappointed with it in the final analysis. And since the story was so good and the action both well-paced and with enough urgency to hold your attention, I was never impatient… or willing to put the book down, for that matter. I'll definitely be picking up the next in the series and hope they all hold up to this promising start.
March 28, 2017
I didn't like the book. The premise had everything to be great and I was quite eager but then the story didn't sound structured enough for me. Books can be funny without losing their structure...I think I hoped for a funny but gripping story and this sounded too superficial for me...
November 9, 2011
Originally posted on Feminist Romantic Book Reviews: http://feministromantic.blogspot.com/...
4.5 out of 5
Wait, is this supposed to be book 1 in the Fates series? Then I must be missing something, because I read Wickedly Charming first and was waiting for this book to come out. Well, I do not claim to know how the book world works, and for all I know, this could be a re-release.
I actually did not pick this book right away, even if I absolutely loved Wickedly Charming. The reason? The blurb didn't exactly appeal to me for some reason, so I let it pass by until I've noticed that this book is on special for $2.99 and I figured what's the heck. So I've bought it, and I'm glad!
I think the book blurb is rather misleading, because the book itself deals with Nora a lot more than it deal with the Sleeping Beauty. And Nora doesn't console Alex Blackstone, she spends the whole book fighting her attraction to him. And unlike many, many, many other romance books I've read, she doesn't give in to it just because Blackstone is drop dead gorgeous. This alone, was like a breath of fresh air for me. I'm so used to women simply loosing their heads in the proximity of the main hot guy, that here I was cheering for Nora.
Of course everything works out at the end, but Kristine Grayson skillfully does it without an ounce of sex involved. I was pretty impressed by that. I was also pretty impressed by Nora. She tickled my feminist mind in all the right places, by asking all the questions I want to ask so many other female characters. Like, what about what SHE wants? Is it HER decision? She also has a very strong sense of ethics, and her struggle with wanting to do what's right made her seems extremely real to me. It was almost like I could meet someone like her in person.
Blackstone was great too, because I could actually see him grow and change as the book progressed. I could relate to their romance, because I know how it feels to want someone that you're deeply attracted to, while knowing that he/she is just out of your reach for whatever reason (and while suspecting that the person is also attracted to you).
The supporting characters were great, especially Sancho Panza. I even kinda liked the main villainess in the story, and early on I thought there would be more to her than there ended up being.
Overall, it was a great read. The book kept my attention and I couldn't put it down until I finished it.
Nitpicks
At first I couldn't even come up with any, but after thinking for a while I think I know some little things that I wish were in the book. More Sancho!!! I felt like there was a lot more story to him, and while Ms. Grayson hinted at it, she never developed anything further. At the end, I felt something along the lines of BUT WHAT ABOUT SANCHO?!
Recommended For
Anyone who wants to read a romance book without having sex as a driving force in the story.
4.5 out of 5
Wait, is this supposed to be book 1 in the Fates series? Then I must be missing something, because I read Wickedly Charming first and was waiting for this book to come out. Well, I do not claim to know how the book world works, and for all I know, this could be a re-release.
I actually did not pick this book right away, even if I absolutely loved Wickedly Charming. The reason? The blurb didn't exactly appeal to me for some reason, so I let it pass by until I've noticed that this book is on special for $2.99 and I figured what's the heck. So I've bought it, and I'm glad!
I think the book blurb is rather misleading, because the book itself deals with Nora a lot more than it deal with the Sleeping Beauty. And Nora doesn't console Alex Blackstone, she spends the whole book fighting her attraction to him. And unlike many, many, many other romance books I've read, she doesn't give in to it just because Blackstone is drop dead gorgeous. This alone, was like a breath of fresh air for me. I'm so used to women simply loosing their heads in the proximity of the main hot guy, that here I was cheering for Nora.
Of course everything works out at the end, but Kristine Grayson skillfully does it without an ounce of sex involved. I was pretty impressed by that. I was also pretty impressed by Nora. She tickled my feminist mind in all the right places, by asking all the questions I want to ask so many other female characters. Like, what about what SHE wants? Is it HER decision? She also has a very strong sense of ethics, and her struggle with wanting to do what's right made her seems extremely real to me. It was almost like I could meet someone like her in person.
Blackstone was great too, because I could actually see him grow and change as the book progressed. I could relate to their romance, because I know how it feels to want someone that you're deeply attracted to, while knowing that he/she is just out of your reach for whatever reason (and while suspecting that the person is also attracted to you).
The supporting characters were great, especially Sancho Panza. I even kinda liked the main villainess in the story, and early on I thought there would be more to her than there ended up being.
Overall, it was a great read. The book kept my attention and I couldn't put it down until I finished it.
Nitpicks
At first I couldn't even come up with any, but after thinking for a while I think I know some little things that I wish were in the book. More Sancho!!! I felt like there was a lot more story to him, and while Ms. Grayson hinted at it, she never developed anything further. At the end, I felt something along the lines of BUT WHAT ABOUT SANCHO?!
Recommended For
Anyone who wants to read a romance book without having sex as a driving force in the story.
September 16, 2009
I'm still not sure how I feel about this book even though I finished it a day ago. I was really excited about it at first, the concept of the book was so cute to me and I love Fairy Tales. But then as I started reading I wasn't able to really submerge myself into the story like I usually am. I found myself thinking that Nora and Max talked to much and had to force myself not to skip stuff because it could have been important. I also felt that Max even though he was mentioned before he came into the story was so Random. I felt confused after reading the part from his point of view. oh and I really disliked that Nora for being so ethical would take that large sum of money. I did think the Bickering between Nora and Blackstone was cute and I like how Sancho kept calling intervening . By the time i got to the NOW page I was having a hard time liking any of the characters, except for Sancho, I liked him. The Story was about Nora Barr (which I did find ironically funny, of course I think that was the point) yet the only thing I found that I thought I could connect with was her strength, determination and compassion for Emma. I also thought it was cute how proud she was of Emma she she said no to Blackstone. I did not hate Blackstone just because you were able to see underneath all the magic and man stuff to see his vulnerabilities but i did not like that he granted Nora 3 wishes and one of those wishes was MAX, and then it was never clarified that her desire was not for MAX but for him. I mean I guess in a way it was but to my liking. I did like the idea that he had a table reserved for her and that no ever set there until them. That was very cute. I didn't get a feel for Emma except that I thought the author did a great job explaining how confused and angry and scared she was. I didn't like that she acted at the end of the book either, I mean yes I get the temper but the over dramatics of it all just didn't fit into a character I would like. I also found the book to be a little to PG for me. Yet I think for the Authors first attempt at writing Contemporary Romance it wasn't bad, I am going to read Emma's story.
September 29, 2011
What can I say, the title does say it all. This was such a charming book. Nora, our heroine meets Alex Blackstone who is so hot, and she can't stop thinking of him. Too bad he is in love with a woman who he claims to be in a magical coma, but she soon realizes magic is real and fairy tales too.
I liked Nora, even if she was a bit to of a lawyer sometimes. She did not let down her guard, but then who would when meeting a 1000 year old mage, a wicked witch, and a woman in a glass coffin. And I had to like that she did not let Alex or our wicked stepmother get the upper hand of her. Instead she wanted to protect Emma.
Before you all go all oh no! What about poor Emma? Well that is a long story, and just because two kids believed they were in love a 1000 years ago does not mean that is true now. And Alex is always the gentleman, I truly liked that about him.
It is a romance that in a way is not a romance. It is always there on the fringes because he wants to protect his sleeping beauty, she thinks those two are meant to be, they are both so utterly blind to what is in front of them. The romance therefore is slow to build, but that is good since they get it when they see it.
But what I liked most is how she brought these two worlds together, Magic is real and out there. And fairy tales, well there is always a hint of truth in them, but mostly they are just sweetened beyond words and the true story is lost in time.
Conclusion:
If you want cute and sweet then look here. And if you want that romance with fairy tale vibe over it then you have found the right book. I liked it and would want more.
Rating
Cute
Cover:
Hm
I liked Nora, even if she was a bit to of a lawyer sometimes. She did not let down her guard, but then who would when meeting a 1000 year old mage, a wicked witch, and a woman in a glass coffin. And I had to like that she did not let Alex or our wicked stepmother get the upper hand of her. Instead she wanted to protect Emma.
Before you all go all oh no! What about poor Emma? Well that is a long story, and just because two kids believed they were in love a 1000 years ago does not mean that is true now. And Alex is always the gentleman, I truly liked that about him.
It is a romance that in a way is not a romance. It is always there on the fringes because he wants to protect his sleeping beauty, she thinks those two are meant to be, they are both so utterly blind to what is in front of them. The romance therefore is slow to build, but that is good since they get it when they see it.
But what I liked most is how she brought these two worlds together, Magic is real and out there. And fairy tales, well there is always a hint of truth in them, but mostly they are just sweetened beyond words and the true story is lost in time.
Conclusion:
If you want cute and sweet then look here. And if you want that romance with fairy tale vibe over it then you have found the right book. I liked it and would want more.
Rating
Cute
Cover:
Hm
December 2, 2019
So first I accidentally started rereading at book four before backtracking and then I wrote the review for book 4 in book 1's slot. I do however finally understand one of my points from book 4, why these characters appear there. I didn't actually remember they were the first couple in the series. So my bad.
I still think I was less critical as a reader the first time I read this. Because one, and I'm saying this because it's a trend in romance not because it's one for this particular writer, but blonde heroine and enough said. It's been my soapbox topic so I feel the need to mention but considering I'm pretty sure Vivian of book 4 is African American or at least that's how I picture her based on the description provided, I'm thinking Grayson is pretty good with diversity. Still if I'm going to soapbox about everyone else's blond heroine it wouldn't be right if I didn't mention this one.
However here's my thing, there's a part of me that finds the feelings between these characters more believable than Dex and Viv because their interactions took place over a ten year span rather than 24 hours. I liked their push and pull but I think it needs to be pointed out that they don't actually share a ton of scenes together. Honestly they seem to each have more scenes with secondary characters than with each other. Also they aren't actually a couple through the majority of the book so nobody really knows if they work as one.
Overall it's still an interesting series and funny, but I'm not sure I'd have put it in the four star range if I'd read it for the first time today.
I still think I was less critical as a reader the first time I read this. Because one, and I'm saying this because it's a trend in romance not because it's one for this particular writer, but blonde heroine and enough said. It's been my soapbox topic so I feel the need to mention but considering I'm pretty sure Vivian of book 4 is African American or at least that's how I picture her based on the description provided, I'm thinking Grayson is pretty good with diversity. Still if I'm going to soapbox about everyone else's blond heroine it wouldn't be right if I didn't mention this one.
However here's my thing, there's a part of me that finds the feelings between these characters more believable than Dex and Viv because their interactions took place over a ten year span rather than 24 hours. I liked their push and pull but I think it needs to be pointed out that they don't actually share a ton of scenes together. Honestly they seem to each have more scenes with secondary characters than with each other. Also they aren't actually a couple through the majority of the book so nobody really knows if they work as one.
Overall it's still an interesting series and funny, but I'm not sure I'd have put it in the four star range if I'd read it for the first time today.
January 27, 2012
After reading Wickedly Charming & loving it, I couldn't wait to read Utterly Charming. This book was a re-release & so it was written before Wickedly Charming. That fact makes me feel better about not liking this book as much as the other. The first three chapters were hard to get through. After that things picked up enough to keep me interested, but the characters were not as likeable. I felt like I never really got to know Blackstone outside of his need to protect Emma. One warning, this book is not for people looking for a hot & steamy read. This is the first time I've ever read a romance where the hero & heroine don't even kiss until the last chapter. This book is clean enough for Disney. A cute read, especially if you love new interpretations of fairy tales.
May 28, 2017
Was tempted to chuck this after the first couple of chapters which would have been a shame. I picked this series up as I was a fan of Kristine Kathryn Rusch and her fantasy books way back when and thought if she's written them they can't be that bad...
Nora has to be the most irritating character ever so the book was very nearly a rare (for me) DNF. It did pick up towards the middle but I was glad to be done with it. Apparently, the next book in the series is a great improvement so I shall dig it out at some point.
Nora has to be the most irritating character ever so the book was very nearly a rare (for me) DNF. It did pick up towards the middle but I was glad to be done with it. Apparently, the next book in the series is a great improvement so I shall dig it out at some point.
May 16, 2017
Love this book
I read Utterly Charming years ago and wanted to read it again. It's a good story with flawed characters you love. I had to search several times -only could remember the van, the dwarf, sleeping beauty- to finally finally find it again. This book is part of a series that will highlight familiar characters and tell their tale. It's the sort of good writing you keep coming back to again and again.
I read Utterly Charming years ago and wanted to read it again. It's a good story with flawed characters you love. I had to search several times -only could remember the van, the dwarf, sleeping beauty- to finally finally find it again. This book is part of a series that will highlight familiar characters and tell their tale. It's the sort of good writing you keep coming back to again and again.
May 23, 2023
Lately I seem to keep picking up books where I like the story or characters but the writing is terrible. In Utterly Charmimg was refreshing, being written by someone who clearly knows how to write. I've come to greatly appreciate a well constructed sentence. Where this book fell down the scale for me was the romance, or rather lack thereof. If this were simply billed as a fantasy, fair enough. However, I wanted to read a romance and this just wasn't it.
August 22, 2020
Quick romance read, but I wanted the character development to be a bit deeper. 1000 years was just ridiculous and no real connection between girl in glass caseand magician, which made the "love triangle" pointless. I kept wanting the book to be better than it was, but nonetheless it drew me in enough to finish.
April 14, 2018
Decently sweet. Great heroine and fun twist on fairy tale turned contemporary.
December 8, 2018
Fun story but a little heavy on the romance trope of instant attraction and how the heroine can be arguing with the hero while still being immensely physically attracted to him.
March 2, 2019
Thoroughly enjoyable romance playing with fairy tale tropes. I enjoyed the characters and the directions in which the author stretched those tropes. The twist was predictable, but I didn't mind.
June 15, 2019
This was a cute quick read. So fun now I need to read the rest of the series!
February 7, 2021
A fun, easy read.
December 17, 2022
3.5 stars
December 10, 2023
DNF around 70%
March 31, 2024
Love the book I am charmed
April 28, 2024
Cute. Magic. The romance author's name of Kristine Katherine Rusch. So, good writer. Fun.
June 3, 2019
It was amazing book to read. A loved how the book finally end. But, I'm not going to spoil it. You'll have to read it for yourself.
September 24, 2011
Originally posted at: http://longandshortreviews.blogspot.c...
If Mr. Disney and director Ron Howard could team up to update and tweak a live action story of Sleeping Beauty with more twists than a Twizzler, they’d probably choose to base it on Utterly Charming.
Nora is the skeptic who has a dash of the magical believer in her courtesy of her father. It’s that balance of independent woman with a white knight tendency and a strong moral and ethical back bone, and the little girl dreaming of princesses, magic and the power of love hidden inside that made her a delightful heroine. She confounds the hero but delights his sidekick. She annoys the villainess yet challenges her too. Nora also has to deal with her mother and an ex-husband. Add to that the responsibility she takes on when she not only wakes up the sleeping beauty but decides that the men in the story are so daft, only another woman could successfully help the poor girl. Nora had no idea what she was getting herself into.
Blackstone is the hero. He’s not a very hands-on type in this story nor is he a major player. He’s supposed to be but his role for the most part is pretty passive. He is on stage to create some flash and fire and to bewilder and confuse Nora with thoughts of interest and attraction but he is not a mover and shaker of the plot. He sets the story in motion initially but then steps back to let Nora have the spotlight. When he does show a reaction to the heroine, it’s not very dramatic or pointed. It’s more a mystery to me and to the heroine. Blackstone is confused a lot during the story because the man has to face a huge reality – he’s a man of the 21st Century with magic steeped in the past and who has a frozen ideal about Emma, his sleeping beauty, and her place in his life. How he faces his actual wants and needs and what he does to change things was interesting. The hero can be romantic and he enjoys the grand gestures of romance but he has a lot of growing to do when it comes to courting the woman destined to be his.
I actually liked Sancho, Blackstone’s buddy and partner in crime. Being mysterious worked well for his character and I liked his twisted sense of humor. In fact, most of the giggles and chuckles I got were from whenever he was in a scene. I also enjoyed his knowing things that Nora and Blackstone were too clueless to notice or realize. I got a greater sense of internal emotional pain from Sancho than I did for any other character. I actually would like to know more about him.
Ealhswith is the villainess. I can’t even begin to figure out how to say that name. It drove me a bit batty. Then again, she drove everyone nuts with her evil plots and tendency to use magic to create chaos at her whim. I never got the impression that people were truly fearful of her -- just annoyed, bothered and accustomed to her petulant ways. Sure, she is a force to be reckoned with but for all her machinations and dastardly actions, her character seemed traditional and anti-climactic.
There were other secondary characters, that being Nora’s mom, and the surprise helper for Emma, the catalyst for this tale. The other character I won’t disclose is a cute touch and made Nora’s mother more interesting. I certainly liked the affect it had on the heroine. The Fates put on a brief appearance and once they got to the business at hand, they were alright. The initial scene where everyone first came upon them was unnecessary to the story and it could have been omitted.
The wrap up of the book was pure romantic fairy tale and it embraced the elements that make those stories timeless. There was the amazing revelation about the heroine, the hero’s realization of what true love really is and who has captured his heart, the evil lady vanquished for now, and even one of the cats gets its own kind of purrfect ending. The happily ever after between Nora and Blackstone is as sweet as a vanilla cream puff and just as satisfying.
Utterly Charming is a delightful and endearing tale. For readers who look for stories to read as they cuddle amongst pillows in comfort, and want to enjoy an uncomplicated romance that is entertaining and cute, they will find that and more with Utterly Charming. I credit Ms. Grayson for surprising me with this fresh and fun interpretation of one of my favorite fairy tales.
If Mr. Disney and director Ron Howard could team up to update and tweak a live action story of Sleeping Beauty with more twists than a Twizzler, they’d probably choose to base it on Utterly Charming.
Nora is the skeptic who has a dash of the magical believer in her courtesy of her father. It’s that balance of independent woman with a white knight tendency and a strong moral and ethical back bone, and the little girl dreaming of princesses, magic and the power of love hidden inside that made her a delightful heroine. She confounds the hero but delights his sidekick. She annoys the villainess yet challenges her too. Nora also has to deal with her mother and an ex-husband. Add to that the responsibility she takes on when she not only wakes up the sleeping beauty but decides that the men in the story are so daft, only another woman could successfully help the poor girl. Nora had no idea what she was getting herself into.
Blackstone is the hero. He’s not a very hands-on type in this story nor is he a major player. He’s supposed to be but his role for the most part is pretty passive. He is on stage to create some flash and fire and to bewilder and confuse Nora with thoughts of interest and attraction but he is not a mover and shaker of the plot. He sets the story in motion initially but then steps back to let Nora have the spotlight. When he does show a reaction to the heroine, it’s not very dramatic or pointed. It’s more a mystery to me and to the heroine. Blackstone is confused a lot during the story because the man has to face a huge reality – he’s a man of the 21st Century with magic steeped in the past and who has a frozen ideal about Emma, his sleeping beauty, and her place in his life. How he faces his actual wants and needs and what he does to change things was interesting. The hero can be romantic and he enjoys the grand gestures of romance but he has a lot of growing to do when it comes to courting the woman destined to be his.
I actually liked Sancho, Blackstone’s buddy and partner in crime. Being mysterious worked well for his character and I liked his twisted sense of humor. In fact, most of the giggles and chuckles I got were from whenever he was in a scene. I also enjoyed his knowing things that Nora and Blackstone were too clueless to notice or realize. I got a greater sense of internal emotional pain from Sancho than I did for any other character. I actually would like to know more about him.
Ealhswith is the villainess. I can’t even begin to figure out how to say that name. It drove me a bit batty. Then again, she drove everyone nuts with her evil plots and tendency to use magic to create chaos at her whim. I never got the impression that people were truly fearful of her -- just annoyed, bothered and accustomed to her petulant ways. Sure, she is a force to be reckoned with but for all her machinations and dastardly actions, her character seemed traditional and anti-climactic.
There were other secondary characters, that being Nora’s mom, and the surprise helper for Emma, the catalyst for this tale. The other character I won’t disclose is a cute touch and made Nora’s mother more interesting. I certainly liked the affect it had on the heroine. The Fates put on a brief appearance and once they got to the business at hand, they were alright. The initial scene where everyone first came upon them was unnecessary to the story and it could have been omitted.
The wrap up of the book was pure romantic fairy tale and it embraced the elements that make those stories timeless. There was the amazing revelation about the heroine, the hero’s realization of what true love really is and who has captured his heart, the evil lady vanquished for now, and even one of the cats gets its own kind of purrfect ending. The happily ever after between Nora and Blackstone is as sweet as a vanilla cream puff and just as satisfying.
Utterly Charming is a delightful and endearing tale. For readers who look for stories to read as they cuddle amongst pillows in comfort, and want to enjoy an uncomplicated romance that is entertaining and cute, they will find that and more with Utterly Charming. I credit Ms. Grayson for surprising me with this fresh and fun interpretation of one of my favorite fairy tales.
October 27, 2020
Anther fairy tale retelling I loved. Modern day Sleeping Beauty that was fast paced and got to the point. Instead of just saving Emma, he saved himself and someone else he truely was meant to be with, his true soul mate.
June 3, 2014
This isn't really a romance novel. Well, it is, but it isn't.
First of all, the description is a bit off. Nora Barr is hired by Sancho Panza to guard a woman Alex Blackstone, a wizard, is trying to keep from her evil step-mother/mentor. It's pretty clear from the start that something should happen between Alex and Nora. The problem is, I'm not sure why they should.
Before I go on, I do want to make it clear that I liked this book.
Nora is the best thing about this story. She believes just enough to be willing to go along with Sancho and Alex's plans, but not to the point where she loses her cynicism and doubt. She's no starry-eyed girl, wowed by a wizard. In fact, I loved how the novel started out with a conflict I thought was interesting: she has a fantastic mind, trapped inside a petite body that screams high school cheerleader. Her baby-face and smallness make her job as a lawyer more difficult, at least in the beginning when she's still in her twenties.
Emma, the girl in a glass coffin, is also very well-written. Instead of being eternally grateful to Alex for keeping her from dying all that time, she's furious. He's a very powerful wizard. There had to be a way to break the spell, especially given the fact that she was asleep for one thousand years. She has a point, but it's never really explored.
However upset the modern world makes her, though, Emma keeps trying to learn. She sees Alex's offer to help her through magic as a superficial solution to a very serious problem and tries to live in the modern world without relying on him or his magic. It's a pretty bold move, and she doesn't do half bad.
Those are the best things this novel has going for it, and they're strong enough to carry it as a fantasy novel with a bit of romance.
But that's not how this is advertised. It's supposed to be a sweet romance. It kind of is, but not really.
Again, I liked this story. It was interesting enough to keep me reading, it had some great scenes and some great lines, and it had enough romance to satisfy me.
The hero is the biggest drawback to this book. It's not that he's annoying. He's not. It's not that he's a jerk. He's definitely not. Incompetent at times, maybe, but not a jerk. I'm not entirely sure why I couldn't root for him. He's a typical romance hero, at least when it comes to a physical description. Though he seems like an alpha, he's really not. He seems to be passionate about Emma, but he's really not. In fact, I don't get the feeling he's passionate about much of anything. Maybe that's the problem.
I really wish I could have been introduced to his perspective early on in the novel, just after he's met Nora for the first time. I think that might have helped. Maybe.
Finally, for those who are curious, there are some sweet moments between Nora and Alex. I liked them. Others, however, who are looking for a bit more heat and definitely a full-fledged kiss in the first third of the book (instead of almost at the end) might be disappointed with the lack of typical key moments. The brief touches (nothing risque), awareness of each other, and emotional angst were enough for me. (Still, I really wish I could have been in his head earlier in the book.)
One last time, I liked this book. I think I'll be reading the rest of the series, if only to catch up to Wickedly Charming.
First of all, the description is a bit off. Nora Barr is hired by Sancho Panza to guard a woman Alex Blackstone, a wizard, is trying to keep from her evil step-mother/mentor. It's pretty clear from the start that something should happen between Alex and Nora. The problem is, I'm not sure why they should.
Before I go on, I do want to make it clear that I liked this book.
Nora is the best thing about this story. She believes just enough to be willing to go along with Sancho and Alex's plans, but not to the point where she loses her cynicism and doubt. She's no starry-eyed girl, wowed by a wizard. In fact, I loved how the novel started out with a conflict I thought was interesting: she has a fantastic mind, trapped inside a petite body that screams high school cheerleader. Her baby-face and smallness make her job as a lawyer more difficult, at least in the beginning when she's still in her twenties.
Emma, the girl in a glass coffin, is also very well-written. Instead of being eternally grateful to Alex for keeping her from dying all that time, she's furious. He's a very powerful wizard. There had to be a way to break the spell, especially given the fact that she was asleep for one thousand years. She has a point, but it's never really explored.
However upset the modern world makes her, though, Emma keeps trying to learn. She sees Alex's offer to help her through magic as a superficial solution to a very serious problem and tries to live in the modern world without relying on him or his magic. It's a pretty bold move, and she doesn't do half bad.
Those are the best things this novel has going for it, and they're strong enough to carry it as a fantasy novel with a bit of romance.
But that's not how this is advertised. It's supposed to be a sweet romance. It kind of is, but not really.
Again, I liked this story. It was interesting enough to keep me reading, it had some great scenes and some great lines, and it had enough romance to satisfy me.
The hero is the biggest drawback to this book. It's not that he's annoying. He's not. It's not that he's a jerk. He's definitely not. Incompetent at times, maybe, but not a jerk. I'm not entirely sure why I couldn't root for him. He's a typical romance hero, at least when it comes to a physical description. Though he seems like an alpha, he's really not. He seems to be passionate about Emma, but he's really not. In fact, I don't get the feeling he's passionate about much of anything. Maybe that's the problem.
I really wish I could have been introduced to his perspective early on in the novel, just after he's met Nora for the first time. I think that might have helped. Maybe.
Finally, for those who are curious, there are some sweet moments between Nora and Alex. I liked them. Others, however, who are looking for a bit more heat and definitely a full-fledged kiss in the first third of the book (instead of almost at the end) might be disappointed with the lack of typical key moments. The brief touches (nothing risque), awareness of each other, and emotional angst were enough for me. (Still, I really wish I could have been in his head earlier in the book.)
One last time, I liked this book. I think I'll be reading the rest of the series, if only to catch up to Wickedly Charming.
July 28, 2012
Synopsis - At the beginning of the book, Nora Barr is 25, fresh out of law school, and dangerously close to shutting down her private practice. She meets two men who claim to be mages and ask her to store a VW microbus for 10 years. Magic was a point of contention between her practical mother and magician (not mage) father, but the events of that day were enough to suspend her disbelief.
After the allotted 10 years, nightmares about waking up in a glass coffin compel Nora to open up the microbus, where she finds Emma - the inspiration behind Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. It turns out that one of the mages who hired her (Aethelstan Blackstone) and a witch named Ealhswith have been stealing Emma back and forth for over a thousand years. Aethelstan believes that Emma is his true love, as prophesied by the Fates, but Ealhswith has more nefarious plans for her.
Nora sees that Emma has definitely gotten the short end of the stick in this battle and offers to help her learn to navigate this new world. Aethelstan is conflicted between his centuries-long conviction that Emma is is soul mate and his overwhelming attraction to Nora. The attraction is mutual, but a nasty divorce and her uneasiness about Aethelstan's magic leave Nora wary. Ealhswith refuses to give up, which brings the lawyer and the mage together to save Emma.
Review - This is the first book in Kristine Grayson's Fates series. I have wound up re-reading these books so many times that I eventually bought the first 6 (and the 7th as an ebook when I learned about it). Utterly Charming and Totally Spellbound are my absolute favorites, but there's not really a bad one in the bunch.
Nora and Aethelstan are a great match - both strong personalities, intelligent, but with their respective insecurities. Their reactions are completely understandable and they are admirable individuals who complement each other. There's a scene between the two of them in Nora's office where he finally realizes what he has done to Emma, despite his good intentions. My initial reaction to Nora's response was negative (can't she give the guy a break?), but it becomes clear that she's confused by her own feelings and what she's observing in Aethelstan. After all, how can you trust someone with that kind of power, or trust your reactions around him?
Grayson's magical universe is very interesting, more so as the series progresses (although I'm not sure the 7th and 8th books should really be included, since they seem to involve other realms). The mages are human, they just have more years and more powers with which to make the same mistakes. Most of them gain wisdom and perspective over those centuries, but the impulses are the same when they are vulnerable, which makes them more compelling.
After the allotted 10 years, nightmares about waking up in a glass coffin compel Nora to open up the microbus, where she finds Emma - the inspiration behind Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. It turns out that one of the mages who hired her (Aethelstan Blackstone) and a witch named Ealhswith have been stealing Emma back and forth for over a thousand years. Aethelstan believes that Emma is his true love, as prophesied by the Fates, but Ealhswith has more nefarious plans for her.
Nora sees that Emma has definitely gotten the short end of the stick in this battle and offers to help her learn to navigate this new world. Aethelstan is conflicted between his centuries-long conviction that Emma is is soul mate and his overwhelming attraction to Nora. The attraction is mutual, but a nasty divorce and her uneasiness about Aethelstan's magic leave Nora wary. Ealhswith refuses to give up, which brings the lawyer and the mage together to save Emma.
Review - This is the first book in Kristine Grayson's Fates series. I have wound up re-reading these books so many times that I eventually bought the first 6 (and the 7th as an ebook when I learned about it). Utterly Charming and Totally Spellbound are my absolute favorites, but there's not really a bad one in the bunch.
Nora and Aethelstan are a great match - both strong personalities, intelligent, but with their respective insecurities. Their reactions are completely understandable and they are admirable individuals who complement each other. There's a scene between the two of them in Nora's office where he finally realizes what he has done to Emma, despite his good intentions. My initial reaction to Nora's response was negative (can't she give the guy a break?), but it becomes clear that she's confused by her own feelings and what she's observing in Aethelstan. After all, how can you trust someone with that kind of power, or trust your reactions around him?
Grayson's magical universe is very interesting, more so as the series progresses (although I'm not sure the 7th and 8th books should really be included, since they seem to involve other realms). The mages are human, they just have more years and more powers with which to make the same mistakes. Most of them gain wisdom and perspective over those centuries, but the impulses are the same when they are vulnerable, which makes them more compelling.
October 13, 2013
I was going through a stressful time when I picked up this book and was utterly charmed. It's a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, which is a hard story to work with because the "heroine" is sleeping throughout the story. In this case poor Emma (yes, that was Beauty's real name, who knew?) has been sleeping for a thousand years in a glass casket, ultimately becoming little more than a prop in a war of good vs evil.
I don't think I'm giving away any spoilers by saying that Emma isn't the ultimate heroine, because Grayson set up the chemistry between Nora, the struggling lawyer in Portland (although the blurb on the GR book page says Seattle) and Alex, the hot, mysterious guy who wants to hire her in the early scenes when they first meet. Reading other reviews, some people didn't warm to Nora, but since one of my sisters was a young, struggling lawyer in Portland, I could recognize much of her situation and empathize. Having grown up in Oregon, it was also fun to recognize so many places. And as a PNW foodie, I would so love to eat at Alex's restaurant!
I'm not going to cover all the plot points because the story we all grew up with is turned on its head, like a fractured fairy tale from Rocky and Bullwinkle and I don't want to ruin any surprises. Alex won me over right away. I love alpha male heroes who are so clueless about women that, as intelligent as they are, they can do really stupid things they eventually have to end up apologizing for. Sancho Panza was sly, smart, and snarky; the Fates were a riot; I didn't think I was going to like Nora's mother, but she turned out to be a great ally and friend and there was a fun, out of the blue surprise with her, too. The professor reminded me of a professor I had during my lit major days, and Emma, when she did wake up, surprised everyone. Including me. Emma's evil "stepmother" mentor was part Snow White's Disney stepmother and part Cruella de Ville and despite her dramatics, was the least interesting character to me, though, without her, Alex and Emma would've married a thousand years earlier and there'd be no story.
The dialogue was bright and clever, especially when all these disparate characters were all in a room together, The romance was sweet, albeit delayed due to Alex believing that the Fates had determined he belonged with Emma, but it was worth waiting for. Utterly Charming is a fast, easy read, meant to entertain (despite a bit of examination of modern women's roles) and after following along on the twisting, turning journey that culminated in the requisite happy ending, I was left smiling and felt a lot less stressed out.
I don't think I'm giving away any spoilers by saying that Emma isn't the ultimate heroine, because Grayson set up the chemistry between Nora, the struggling lawyer in Portland (although the blurb on the GR book page says Seattle) and Alex, the hot, mysterious guy who wants to hire her in the early scenes when they first meet. Reading other reviews, some people didn't warm to Nora, but since one of my sisters was a young, struggling lawyer in Portland, I could recognize much of her situation and empathize. Having grown up in Oregon, it was also fun to recognize so many places. And as a PNW foodie, I would so love to eat at Alex's restaurant!
I'm not going to cover all the plot points because the story we all grew up with is turned on its head, like a fractured fairy tale from Rocky and Bullwinkle and I don't want to ruin any surprises. Alex won me over right away. I love alpha male heroes who are so clueless about women that, as intelligent as they are, they can do really stupid things they eventually have to end up apologizing for. Sancho Panza was sly, smart, and snarky; the Fates were a riot; I didn't think I was going to like Nora's mother, but she turned out to be a great ally and friend and there was a fun, out of the blue surprise with her, too. The professor reminded me of a professor I had during my lit major days, and Emma, when she did wake up, surprised everyone. Including me. Emma's evil "stepmother" mentor was part Snow White's Disney stepmother and part Cruella de Ville and despite her dramatics, was the least interesting character to me, though, without her, Alex and Emma would've married a thousand years earlier and there'd be no story.
The dialogue was bright and clever, especially when all these disparate characters were all in a room together, The romance was sweet, albeit delayed due to Alex believing that the Fates had determined he belonged with Emma, but it was worth waiting for. Utterly Charming is a fast, easy read, meant to entertain (despite a bit of examination of modern women's roles) and after following along on the twisting, turning journey that culminated in the requisite happy ending, I was left smiling and felt a lot less stressed out.
December 13, 2022
This book had a really good idea - take the Sleeping Beauty story, twist it up a bit and put it in modern times. Add a female lawyer just starting out, a mysterious magical little man, evil witch and a couple of supposed lovers from the Middle Ages, and see what you get. Unfortunately what you got didn't ever gel for me. I never felt like I really got to know the MCs, and the minor characters were more interesting than those two. The romance didn't work and the story definitely isn't finished with this book. So 2.5 stars which I'll round up because I'm feeling nice. And I might try the next book sometime to see if it works a bit better.
October 16, 2011
Original 3.5 JEWEL review can be read at One Book Shy of a Full Shelf
Kristine Grayson has obviously been having fun taking beloved fairytales and legends and giving them settings in the present. She has done it again by providing the age-old tale of Sleeping Beauty and her Prince Charming several fun twists and new possibilities.
Earlier this year I read Wickedly Charming and fell in love with Ms. Grayson's storytelling. I liked her explanation that there are several Prince Charmings! They are all from the same family and are the heroes for many of the lovely Princesses in the tales.
So on to Utterly... Sleeping Beauty is actually named Emma and has been in her glass coffin for 1,000 years - being fought over by Aethlelstan Blackstone the Wizard (aka Prince Charming) and her wicked witch stepmother Ealhswith. Their epic battles have been waged these many centuries and will finally come to an end when the lawyerly Nora takes charge.
This was a fun romp through fairytale land with many characters popping up. The Fates were a real hoot as they tried out modern Punk wear. One of my favorites had to be Sancho Panza. The magical dwarf was hysterical and frankly stole the show for me. I want much more of him! Another part that had me laughing was when Nora's mother's boyfriend Jeffrey Chawsir had to convince Sancho and Emma that he knew he wasn't that Geoffrey Chaucer since they had both known the famous author. The fact that Jeffrey also happened to be a professor of medieval studies just added to the humor.
The love story that was supposed to be Aethlelstan/PC and Emma/SB wasn't quite what the legends had made of it. When the wizard and his sidekick Sancho meet up with Nora for the first time, sparks start to fly and Blackstone finds out that he's met his match. The romance was sweet and made for a light, enjoyable read.
Kristine Grayson has obviously been having fun taking beloved fairytales and legends and giving them settings in the present. She has done it again by providing the age-old tale of Sleeping Beauty and her Prince Charming several fun twists and new possibilities.
Earlier this year I read Wickedly Charming and fell in love with Ms. Grayson's storytelling. I liked her explanation that there are several Prince Charmings! They are all from the same family and are the heroes for many of the lovely Princesses in the tales.
So on to Utterly... Sleeping Beauty is actually named Emma and has been in her glass coffin for 1,000 years - being fought over by Aethlelstan Blackstone the Wizard (aka Prince Charming) and her wicked witch stepmother Ealhswith. Their epic battles have been waged these many centuries and will finally come to an end when the lawyerly Nora takes charge.
This was a fun romp through fairytale land with many characters popping up. The Fates were a real hoot as they tried out modern Punk wear. One of my favorites had to be Sancho Panza. The magical dwarf was hysterical and frankly stole the show for me. I want much more of him! Another part that had me laughing was when Nora's mother's boyfriend Jeffrey Chawsir had to convince Sancho and Emma that he knew he wasn't that Geoffrey Chaucer since they had both known the famous author. The fact that Jeffrey also happened to be a professor of medieval studies just added to the humor.
The love story that was supposed to be Aethlelstan/PC and Emma/SB wasn't quite what the legends had made of it. When the wizard and his sidekick Sancho meet up with Nora for the first time, sparks start to fly and Blackstone finds out that he's met his match. The romance was sweet and made for a light, enjoyable read.
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