Books like 'Keeping the Castle'
Readers who enjoyed Keeping the Castle by Patrice Kindl also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical fantasy romance comedy historical-fiction industrial-era regency humor retellings family
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The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 6 by Beth Brower
Rated: 4.78 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThere is bedlam, and there is delightful bedlam. This afternoon touched on the second, much to my pleasure. The Year is 1884 and Emma M. Lion has, at long last, gained her majority. Entering a golden age of friendship with Pierce, Islington, and Hawkes, Emma is confident she will manage whatever comes her way...Categorized as:
historical-fiction industrial-era victorian humor regency friendship romance fiction -
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 98 ratingsWhat happens when the most beautiful girl in the world marries the handsomest prince of all time and he turns out to be...well...a lot less than the man of her dreams?As a boy, William Goldman claims, he loved to hear his father read the S. Morgenstern classic, The Princess Bride...Categorized as:
children fairy-tale high-school historical-fiction humor royalty satire 20th-century -
Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 80 ratingsAn alternative cover for this ISBN can be found hereSophie has the great misfortune of being the eldest of three daughters, destined to fail miserably should she ever leave home to seek her fate. But when she unwittingly attracts the ire of the Witch of the Waste, Sophie finds herself under a horrid spell that transforms her into an old lady... -
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 2 by Beth Brower
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 20 ratings“I was sitting at my desk reading, with a cup of tea, my windows flung open, when I heard The Tenant enter his garret, just on the other side of the wall from myself.” The Year is 1883 and Emma M. Lion has returned to her London neighbourhood of St. Crispian’s...Categorized as:
historical-fiction industrial-era victorian humor regency romance fiction historical -
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In the Belly of the Bloodhound: Being an Account of a Particularly Peculiar Adventure in the Life of Jacky Faber by L.A. Meyer
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsThe British crown has placed a price on Jacky's head, so she returns to the Lawson Peabody School for Young Girls in Boston to lay low. But the safe haven doesn't last--a school outing goes awry as Jacky and her classmates are abducted and forced into the hold of the Bloodhound, a ship bound for the slave markets on the Barbary Coast...Categorized as:
children female-mc high-school historical-fiction humor industrial-era realistic regency -
The Legendary Inge by Kate Stradling
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAn alternative cover edition for this ASIN can be found here.Plagued by misfortune, Ingrid Norling treks into the woods to clear her head. She emerges a monster-slayer, the shaken executioner of a creature so ferocious that even the king’s strongest warriors could not destroy it... -
Goldmayne: A Fairy Tale by Kate Stradling
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsEvil witches, cursed royalty, heroes by happenstance, and happily ever after: Duncan does not believe in fairy tales, but when he runs away from his father's farm, he tumbles headlong into one. Old Dame Groach recruits him as caretaker of her crumbling estate, where he must tend her poisonous garden, beat her white horse daily, and keep far away from the mysterious closet beneath the stairs.. -
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 1 by Beth Brower
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratings“I’ve arrived in London without incident. There are few triumphs in my recent life, but I count this as one. My existence of the last three years has been nothing but incident.”The Year is 1883 and Emma M. Lion has returned to her London neighborhood of St. Crispian’s...Categorized as:
historical-fiction humor industrial-era victorian regency romance fiction historical -
Keeping Kinley by Annette K. Larsen
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratings"Rylan made me feel like things were possible. Like I was possible, and he was possible, and we could be possible together." Kinley is content tending her apple orchard, until a chance meeting with a childhood friend changes her priorities. Spending time with nobility is not socially acceptable, but Rylan rejects the norm... -
Princess of Secrets by A.G. Marshall
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAll she needs is a clue After a disastrous Princess Test, Carina tries to pick up the pieces and prove she is still a trustworthy spy. But all her evidence points to magical interference, and her father won’t believe such preposterous theories without proof... -
Masque by W.R. Gingell
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsBeauty met the Beast and there was . . . Bloody murder? It’s the Annual Ambassadorial Ball in Glause, and Lady Isabella Farrah, the daughter of New Civet’s Ambassador, is feeling pleasantly scintillated. In the library is Lord Pecus, a charming gentleman whose double mask hides a beastly face, and who has decided that Isabella is the very person to break the Pecus curse...Categorized as:
fairy-tale female-mc historical-fiction humor industrial-era regency retellings action-adventure -
The Savage Damsel and the Dwarf by Gerald Morris
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsHer castle under siege by an evil knight who keeps beheading all her would-be rescuers, Lady Lynet sets out for help and finds assistance from an odd dwarf named Roger and a scruffy kitchen hand named Beaumains...Categorized as:
children fairy-tale female-mc high-school historical-fiction humor retellings 21st-century -
Unlocking the Spell by E.D. Baker
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsNow that Annie has helped her sister Gwendolyn (a.k.a. Sleeping Beauty) wake up from the 100-year curse by finding her beloved prince, you would think that things would get back to normal. Think again! That beloved prince, Beldegard, is stuck in the body of a bear and the only way that Annie can be free of the two irritating lovebirds is to help-by finding the evil dwarf who cast the spell...Categorized as:
children coming-of-age fairy-tale friendship humor retellings royalty action-adventure -
The Ordinary Princess by M.M. Kaye
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsAlong with Wit, Charm, Health, and Courage, Princess Amy of Phantasmorania receives a special fairy christening gift: Ordinariness. Unlike her six beautiful sisters, she has brown hair and freckles, and would rather have adventures than play the harp, embroider tapestries . . . or become a Queen...Categorized as:
children coming-of-age fairy-tale family female-mc friendship historical-fiction humor -
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The Wide-Awake Princess by E.D. Baker
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsIn this new stand-alone fairy tale, Princess Annie is the younger sister to Gwen, the princess destined to be Sleeping Beauty. When Gwennie pricks her finger and the whole castle falls asleep, only Annie is awake, and only Annie-blessed (or cursed?) with being impervious to magic-can venture out beyond the rose-covered hedge for help. She must find Gwen's true love to kiss her awake... -
The Squire, His Knight, and His Lady by Gerald Morris
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsSquire Terence and Sir Gawain are off questing again, but this time their journey is overshadowed by their ultimate destination: Gawain is to meet up with the Green Knight in a contest that could easily lead to Gawain's death. Along the way the two have a slew of hair-raising adventures and encounter the usual odd assortment of characters, including the plucky Lady Eileen...Categorized as:
children fairy-tale high-school historical-fiction humor retellings 20th-century action-adventure -
Tearmoon Empire: Volume 5 by Nozomu Mochitsuki
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsMia’s summer cruise has turned into a full-blown adventure! Stranded on a deserted island sans boat and supplies, she and her friends need to figure out how to survive. Well, she and most of her friends, because Esmeralda has gone missing! The group decides to split up to look for her, and Mia gets paired up with Abel... -
Gossip and Gorgons by Tilly Wallace
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsOne look could turn you to stone...The newly married Lord and Lady Wycliff are cordially invited to a house party--to be mocked and ridiculed as entertainment. Wycliff insists on attending to discuss business with their host, while Hannah longs to hide in the library with its rare volumes on the Fae...Categorized as:
family friendship historical-fiction humor industrial-era regency action-adventure adult -
The Disabled Tyrant's Beloved Pet Fish: Canji Baojun De Zhangxin Yu Chong (Novel) Vol. 3 by Xue Shan Fei Hu, 長樂 (Changle)
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA FINE KETTLE OF FISHWhen Prince Jing is sent to quell the disturbance at the western border, there’s no question that Li Yu will accompany him—as his boyfriend and as his pet fish! Li Yu’s mission is to help Prince Jing secure his position as heir to the throne... -
Princess Ahira by K.M. Shea
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsOnce upon a time? Please! What a joke.Princess Ahira is not your average damsel in distress. She hates being a princess and constantly tries to flee from her mother and her lectures. Pleasantly, her life is shattered on the eve of her sixteenth birthday when she is kidnapped by dragons... -
Magicians of Quality by Patricia C. Wrede, Caroline Stevermer
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFor country-bred cousins Cecelia Rushton and Katherine Talgarth, something extraordinary is afoot besides the constant whirl of Regency balls - something Young Ladies of Quality rarely come in contact with: magic. Oh, not the mere love spells used by country folk, but real sorcery capable of thwarting ambitions and destroying life... -
Heart of the Dragon by Jamie Sullivan
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe greatest thief captures an unexpected prize. Madfall is the greatest thief in the kingdom, stealing crowns off the very heads of kings. His hoard is legendary. Simply put, he’s a dragon through and through. So, when he steals a basket of “gold” from the king’s castle but finds a baby inside, he’s at a loss... -
The Red Dragon Girl by Lea Doué
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA cursed land. A tenacious sorcerer. A dagger-throwing princess out to prove her worth. Princess Melantha is done with court life. After suffering humiliation at her sister's wedding, she's determined to find her place outside palace walls and far away from fickle princes... -
残疾暴君的掌心鱼宠 [The Disabled Tyrant’s Pet Palm Fish] by Xue Shan Fei Hu, 雪山肥狐
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsOne day, Li Yu transmigrated into a fish. Furthermore, this fish even had a master. This master was the sinister and terrifying, mute tyrant from a novel. The system gave Li Yu a task. If he wanted to change back into a human, he had to obtain the tyrant’s heart.Li Yu full of tears: System, please wake up. I’m only a fish. He can’t even speak. How can we interact?System: Stop jabbering... -
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Dragon Kiss by E.D. Baker
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsAudun is a teenage ice dragon in love...with a human princess. Can he become human and win Millie's heart? Audun is on a quest to find Princess Millie, and to become human in order to win her heart. But The Dragon King has set out a number of tasks Audun must perform before he is permitted to even try to woo Millie...and each one is filled with E. D... -
Once Upon a Curse by E.D. Baker
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsMany years ago a slighted fairy placed a curse on a beautiful young princess--a curse that caused her and all her female descendants to turn into mean, ugly witches if they ever touched a flower after turning sixteen. Now, Princess Emma, who is about to turn sixteen herself, is determined to break the spell once and for all... -
Dragon's Breath by E.D. Baker
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsEmma and Eadric have no sooner turned back into humans (from being frogs) than Emma's mother is in a panic, Aunt Grassina is distracted because she's found her true love turned into an otter, and Emma's magic is so out of control she sends herself to the dungeon by mistake...Categorized as:
children coming-of-age fairy-tale friendship humor retellings royalty action-adventure -
Blackfoot by W.R. Gingell
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsBad luck is the least of their worries…Annabel has never wanted a cat. She certainly didn’t want a secretive, sarcastic black cat who takes over her pillow and makes remarks that no one else ever seems to hear. Despite that, Blackfoot manages to slink into her life like a small, furry shadow. Now Annabel and her friend Peter are being over-run by cats...Categorized as:
coming-of-age fairy-tale humor industrial-era retellings action-adventure book christian -
Path of Secrets by Kenley Davidson
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA Retelling of Little Red Riding Hood There are no wolves in the woods, they said.You’ll be completely safe, they said.They lied.Batrice Reyard has everything she’s ever wanted—a fabulous job, an understanding mentor, and the freedom to be herself. Or so she thought…Suddenly, she’s being sent off to visit her ailing grandmother for the sake of keeping up appearances... -
The League of Gentlewomen Witches by India Holton
Rated: 3.95 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsJust when you thought it was safe to go back into the teahouse...Miss Charlotte Pettifer belongs to a secret league of women skilled in the subtle arts. That is to say—although it must never be said—witchcraft. The League of Gentlewomen Witches strives to improve the world in small ways...Categorized as:
family historical-fiction humor industrial-era regency victorian action-adventure adult -
With This Ring by Amanda Quick
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsLeo Drake, the "Mad Monk of Monkcrest," is notoriously eccentric and unquestionably reclusive. But he is also a noted antiquities expert, which is why Beatrice Poole has demanded his reluctant assistance. The freethinking authoress of "horrid novels," Beatrice is searching for the Forbidden Rings of Aphrodite, a mythic treasure she suspects played a role in her uncle's death...Categorized as:
family female-mc historical-fiction humor industrial-era regency victorian action-adventure -
When Beauty Tamed the Beast by Eloisa James
Rated: 3.98 of 5 stars · 43 ratingsMiss Linnet Berry Thrynne is a Beauty . . . Naturally, she's betrothed to a Beast.Piers Yelverton, Earl of Marchant, lives in a castle in Wales where, it is rumored, his bad temper flays everyone he crosses. And rumor also has it that a wound has left the earl immune to the charms of any woman.Linnet is not just any woman...Categorized as:
fairy-tale female-mc historical-fiction humor industrial-era regency retellings adult -
My Contrary Mary by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWelcome to Renaissance France, a place of poison and plots, of beauties and beasts, of mice and . . . queens?⠀⠀Mary is the queen of Scotland and the jewel of the French court. Except when she's a mouse. Yes, reader, Mary is an Eðian (shapeshifter) in a kingdom where Verities rule. It's a secret that could cost her a head—or a tail.⠀⠀Luckily, Mary has a confidant in her betrothed, Francis...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family friendship historical-fiction humor retellings royalty action-adventure -
To Court a Queen by H.L. Burke
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsHe doesn't want to get married, but he wants to be a frog even less.Knight errant, Devin, takes a shortcut through the woods, only to be captured by fairy forces. The fairy queen has run out of breathing males to fight for her hand, and Devin, while not ideal fairy stock, is breathing--for now... -
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Dreaming by Jill Barnett
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsEVERY WOMAN LONGS TO FIND THE HERO SHE HAS SEEN IN HER DREAMS ...Ever since she was a spirited hellion of a child, Letitia Olive Hornsby has been certain that Richard, the dashing and disreputable son of the Earl of Downe, is the white knight of her dreams. So certain, in fact, that Letty, now fully grown and unexpectedly beautiful, plans to save Richard from himself ... by marrying him... -
The Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey
Rated: 3.95 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsIn the land of the Five Hundred Kingdoms, if you can't carry out your legendary role, life is no fairy tale...Elena Klovis was supposed to be her kingdom's Cinderella--until fate left her with a completely inappropriate prince! So she set out to make a new life for herself. But breaking with "The Tradition" was no easy matter--until she got a little help from her own fairy godmother... -
The Smoke-Scented Girl by Melissa McShane
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIn a world very much like our own Victorian England, the country of Dalanine is at war. The implacable, unstoppable Despot has been pushing northward for over a year, conquering everything in his path with military and magical force, leaving nothing but destruction in his wake...Categorized as:
historical-fiction humor industrial-era victorian action-adventure adult book comedy -
The Night Queen by Denise Daye
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThey call me the Night Queen, with a heart as dark as the night itself. And as such, I will rule my future kingdom. No light shall ever touch my broken heart again. On her twentieth birthday, the beautiful but arrogant Princess Mina von Rhine crosses the point of no return...Categorized as:
retellings historical-fiction fairy-tale royalty humor female-mc industrial-era victorian -
Met Een Teder Gebaar by Amanda Quick
Rated: 3.89 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIt isn't easy making a living as a lady's companion when one possesses a sharp tongue and an original mind. That's why Emma Greyson has gone through three such positions in six months. Her current post at a tiresome country house party has her bored to tears—until an extraordinary encounter with the legendary Edison Stokes leads to a secret position as his assistant...Categorized as:
historical-fiction humor industrial-era regency victorian action-adventure adult audiobook -
Cinnamon and Gunpowder by Eli Brown
Rated: 3.95 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsA gripping adventure, a seaborne romance, and a twist on the tale of Scheherazade—with the best food ever served aboard a pirate’s shipThe year is 1819, and the renowned chef Owen Wedgwood has been kidnapped by the ruthless pirate Mad Hannah Mabbot. He will be spared, she tells him, as long as he puts exquisite food in front of her every Sunday without fail...Categorized as:
female-mc historical-fiction humor industrial-era realistic retellings action-adventure adult -
The Unhandsome Prince by John Moore
Rated: 3.80 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrom the back cover:And they lived happily never after...Caroline's plan to live happily ever after has hit a snag. She's spent months mapping the swamp, building tadpole nets, and kissing every wriggling frog she could get her hands on, and one has finally turned into a prince. Unfortunately, Prince Hal is not, as promised in the fairy tales, particularly handsome... -
A Kiss to Remember by Teresa Medeiros
Rated: 3.89 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsAWAKENED BY A KISS Laura Fairleigh needs a husband. If she is to keep a roof over her siblings' heads, the prim rector's daughter must wed by her twenty-first birthday. When she finds a mysterious stranger with the face of an angel and the body of Adonis unconscious in the forest and with no memory of his name or his past, she decides to claim him for her own...Categorized as:
children fairy-tale family female-mc historical-fiction humor industrial-era regency -
The Fairy's Return by Gail Carson Levine
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsBoy meets princess, and it's love at first sight. Both laugh at the same jokes. Both are named after birds. His name is Robin, hers is Lark. Could there ever have been a more perfect match?But alas! King Harrumphrey won't let Lark marry a baker's son. And Robin is betrothed to someone else... -
For Biddle's Sake by Gail Carson Levine
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThere she was, chartreuse and warty and smiling at him. Such a nice smile. Something in his heart fluttered. The young maiden, Parsley, will eat nothing but parsley, which in Snettering-on-Snoakes grows only in the fairy Bombina's garden. All is well -- until Bombina is released from the fairy queen's dungeon. Her crime? Failing to get along with humans... -
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Charming the Prince by Teresa Medeiros
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsHe never lost a battle until he met the one woman who might succeed in...Charming the Prince.Dear Reader,My enemies know me as Lord Bannor the Bold, Pride of the English and Terror of the French. Never in my life have I backed down from any challenge or betrayed so much as a hint of fear—until the war ended and I found myself a reluctant papa to a dozen unruly children...Categorized as:
children fairy-tale family historical-fiction humor industrial-era regency retellings -
One Good Knight by Mercedes Lackey
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsReturn to the Five Hundred Kingdoms, where a damsel can rescue herself, thank you... Princess Andromeda knows that any problem can be solved with a bit of research. So when a dragon storms the kingdom of Acadia, she decides it's time to hit the books... -
Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton
Rated: 3.87 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsA tale of love, money, and family conflict--among dragons. A family deals with the death of their father. A son goes to court for his inheritance. Another son agonises over his father's deathbed confession. One daughter becomes involved in the abolition movement, while another sacrifices herself for her husband. And everyone in the tale is a dragon, red in tooth and claw...Categorized as:
family historical-fiction humor industrial-era regency retellings victorian 21st-century -
The Frog Princess by E.D. Baker
Rated: 3.87 of 5 stars · 40 ratingsPrincess Emeralda a.ka. Emma isn't exactly an ideal princess. Her laugh is more like a donkey's bray than tinkling bells, she trips over her own feet and she does not like Prince Jorge, whom her mother hopes she will marry...Categorized as:
children coming-of-age fairy-tale family friendship historical-fiction humor retellings -
Cinderellis and the Glass Hill by Gail Carson Levine
Rated: 3.80 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsRalph said, "Rain tomorrow." Burt said, "Barley needs it. You're covered with cinders, Ellis." Ralph thought that was funny. "That's funny." He laughed. "That's what we should call him-- Cinderellis." Burt guffawed. In this unusual spin on an old favorite, Cinderella is a boy! He's Cinderellis, and he has two unfriendly brothers and no fairy godmother to help him out... -
Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep by Gail Carson Levine
Rated: 3.80 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsIn this hilarious retelling of "Sleeping Beauty, " Princess Sonora, who is ten times smarter than anyone else, vows to choose for herself the best time to be pricked by the spindle. Full color...
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