Books like 'Once Upon A Time'
Readers who enjoyed Once Upon A Time by Demelza Carlton also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical fantasy romance paranormal retellings steamy magic fairy-tale myths
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La Vie de Guinevere by Paula Lafferty
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAfter the sudden death of her boyfriend, Vera would have been happy to spend the rest of her days curiously unnoticeable, washing bed sheets and cleaning toilets in present day Glastonbury... -
The Princess Game: A Reimagining of Sleeping Beauty by Melanie Cellier
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThey call her the Sleeping Princess, but Celeste is far from asleep… Celeste has been cursed since her sixteenth birthday--just not in the way the rest of the kingdom thinks. All they see is her breath-taking beauty, marred by her foolishness. Only she knows that she retains her brilliant mind. And it’s a secret she must keep at all costs... -
The Sleeping Beauty by Trina Schart Hyman
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsThe story of the beautiful princess who sleeps for a hundred years has captured the imaginations of children for an even longer period of time... -
Secretos de la Luna Llena 2. Encuentros by Iria G. Parente, Selene M. Pascual
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsCONTIENE SPOILERS DE "ALIANZAS".Fay de Veridian despierta entre aquellos que siempre ha considerado enemigos: los humanos. En un orfanato perdido en medio del bosque, y con la única compañía de tres escribas, la princesa deberá aprender a dejar atrás todos sus prejuicios y miedos y enfrentarse a la realidad sola por primera vez, por terrible que esta le parezca... -
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Puss in Boots by K.M. Shea
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThough she dreams of adventure, Gabrielle—a peasant girl—is given only a cat for her inheritance and is told she must marry, immediately. So when the cat, Puss, offers her a life of excitement in exchange for a pair of boots, Gabrielle jumps at the opportunity. Through Puss’s cunning and Gabrielle’s good deeds, they become celebrated heroes in small villages across the country... -
The Princess Search: A Retelling of The Ugly Duckling by Melanie Cellier
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAn outcast.A prince.And a deadly rebellion...After a lifetime of rejection, seamstress Evie can't trust Frederic, the crown prince of Lanover—not his words of friendship or the way the warmth in his eyes seems to ask for even more. But when they end up on a tour of his kingdom—one filled with increasing danger—Evie's mistrust might doom them all... -
The Frog Prince by K.M. Shea
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsCrown Prince Lucien has spent his life pretending to be a flirtatious idiot in order to manipulate his courts and hide his deficiencies. His acting backfires, however, when his father orders an enchantress to turn him into a frog for his own safety after he narrowly escapes an assassination plot. Servant. Capable. Expendable... -
A Tale of Beauty and Beast: A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast by Melanie Cellier
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsPrincess Sophia has helped her twin sister Lily save the duchy of Marin. But now Sophie faces an even greater threat when she sets out to free the cursed kingdom of Palinar from its beastly prince. Alone, and with danger on every side, Sophie must navigate a magical castle and its even more mysterious master to discover the secret to breaking the curse... -
Spindles and Thorns by Melanie Karsak
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThree blessings. One curse. A beauty whose life will change forever. When Aurora and her twin brother Aubrey were born, a dark mage cursed on their eighteenth birthday, the twins would suffer the torment of eternal sleep. Aurora and Aubrey’s parents, being sensible wizards, eviscerated the mage. Unfortunately, dark magic doesn’t go quietly. Aurora and Aubrey were left orphans... -
Destroyer of Light by Rachel Alexander
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsThe marriage of Hades and Persephone blossoms and their mysterious grove in the world below thrives……while the sunlit world withers.Demeter holds out in Eleusis, pushing both mankind and the gods to frozen starvation in order to reclaim her daughter... -
Beguiled by Jody Hedlund
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIn a land where being the fairest maiden is a curse . . .A princess rejected and hunted by her mother, and a prince who lives as a shunned outcast.Princess Pearl flees for her life after her mother, Queen Margery, tries to have her killed during a hunting expedition. Pearl finds refuge on the Isle of Outcasts among criminals and misfits, disguising her face with a veil so no one recognizes her... -
Elodie of the Sea by Shari L. Tapscott
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsHe's a king who gave up on love. She's a girl with no memory. An entire ocean is keeping them apart. Eight years have passed since the marriage tournament that decided the fate of Princess Pippa of Lauramore and strengthened alliances between the kingdoms of Elden. The competitors have moved on with their lives. Some have found adventure; some have found love... -
The Navigator by Erin Michelle Sky, Steven Brown
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsNOT EVERY ADVENTURE GOES AS PLANNED … Wendy’s troubles are far from over. Hook wants her in irons, the crew wants to throw her overboard, and Pan’s magical compass is the only thing standing in their way. But Pan himself is nowhere to be found.When a new everlost captain appears on the horizon, it will take everything Wendy has to survive... -
The Coronation Ball by Melanie Cellier
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHanna knows all about hard work. For years she’s labored to complete her apprenticeship and become a pastry chef. Driven from her home once before, she’s willing to endure whatever it takes to keep her position in the palace kitchens of Northhelm. But when she finally has a chance for all her dreams to come true, everything goes wrong... -
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Fate Be Changed by Farrah Rochon
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhat if the witch gave Merida a different spell? This New York Times best-selling series twists Disney•Pixar's Brave into a fast-paced story in which Merida is sent back in time.If you could change your fate, would you? Merida understands that as princess of Clan DunBroch, she has certain obligations—but that doesn’t mean she has to like it... -
Snow White by K.M. Shea
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsOnce upon a time, a princess and her stepmother ruled together with all happiness and joy…until the Queen’s chronic headaches and mood swings escalate to violence, and Princess Snow White is forced to flee for her life. Snow White is certain that a dark magic has pushed her once loving stepmother into madness... -
Sleeping Beauty by K.M. Shea
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsBriar Rose, a clever peasant girl, feels only pity for the mysterious Princess Rosalinda–the hidden princess who was cursed to prick her finger on a spindle and fall asleep until true love’s kiss awakens her. But her pity turns into horror when Briar learns she is the secret princess, and Isaia, her childhood friend, is really a Magic Knight sworn to protect her... -
A Midwinter's Wedding by Melanie Cellier
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsPrincess Cordelia is used to being overshadowed by her many brothers and sisters. So when she's offered the chance to attend her brother's wedding in a faraway kingdom, she leaps at it. In Northhelm, she'll finally have the chance to stand out. And maybe, just maybe, she'll even find romance. But not everything in the Northhelmian court is as it appears... -
Anastasia by Sophie Lark
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAnastasia is the princess no one needs: the fourth daughter born to an emperor without a son, and the only royal lacking a magical gift.Until she collides with a young Cossack rebel, changing both their lives forever.Damien is taken from everything he knows and raised as a ward of the Romanovs.Anastasia develops a strange kind of magic shared only by the Black Monk Rasputin... -
The Emerald Lily by Juliette Cross
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWhen Princess Vilhelmina Dragomir is awakened from her hellish sleep with a blood kiss from a handsome stranger, she learns that much has changed while she’s been away. The armies of the Black Lily and the vampire Crown have amassed and are on the brink of war.No romantic entanglements, no family. Mikhail Romanov, Captain of the Bloodguard, took a vow when he joined the Bloodguard... -
Enamored in Death: A Story of Thanatos and Makaria by Molly Tullis
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsPerfect for fans of Madeline Miller's Circe, Jennifer Saint’s Elektra, or Scarlett St. Clair's A Touch of Darkness, this story combines romance and Greek mythology in a twist of several famous myths.In the belly of the Underworld, Thanatos has reigned as the God of Death since time immemorial, disregarding his own fearsome reputation and the loneliness that comes with it... -
Pretty Little Thief by Ashlee M. Edmonds
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsI’ve never been good at being a princess, but when my father chooses me as his rightful heir over my brother, I hold my head high and prepare myself for what is to come. Only it is far more deadly than I had anticipated. My brother is a puppet at my grandmother's mercy. Which leaves us pitted against one another in a fight to rule IronHaven... -
Heart of the Sun Warrior by Sue Lynn Tan
Rated: 5.00 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsThe stunning sequel to Daughter of the Moon Goddess delves deeper into beloved Chinese mythology, concluding the epic story of Xingyin--the daughter of Chang'e and the mortal archer, Houyi--as she battles a grave new threat to the realm, in this powerful tale of love, sacrifice, and hope... -
Beast of Rosemead by Lucy Tempest
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFor fans of A Court of Thorns and Roses, comes the highly anticipated new installment in the #1 bestselling Fairytales of Folkshore series! A BOOKISH BEAUTY. A BEASTLY PRINCE. A DEADLY CURSE. Bonnie Fairborn’s wish to escape her small-town life for one of adventure is granted in the worst way when she’s flung along with her family into the unknown... -
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Echoes of Magic by Donna Grant
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsHiding a secret so awful that his only hope for survival is to remain hidden, Grayson has lived most of his life pretending to be someone he isn’t. After years serving as a commander to his lord and friend, Grayson can no longer hold back the past. He leaves in search of answers only to find evil awaits him... -
Enthralling the Orc by Tracy Lauren
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsDesperate to find answers to the whereabouts of her niece, Ellyn does the unthinkable and releases a criminal brought in from the Perished Woods. Believing him to be nothing more than a man caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, she enlists his aid as a tracker... -
Shadow and Thorn by Kenley Davidson
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA Retelling of Beauty and the BeastWhen a beautiful thief meets a beastly king, it’s anything but true love.Unless a haunted castle can change their minds…Zara has always hated to steal, even from the dead, but treasure hunting is the only life she knows—until her father’s cowardice traps her in an abandoned Erathi castle... -
Thorn of Rose: A Beauty and the Beast Romance by Emily Deady
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsBeauty is a curse.It attracts the basest sort of men, even a beast.With her father deathly ill, Isabel Bielsa throws herself into their mutual passion: bookbinding. Hiding in the library also allows her to avoid the unwanted attentions of the local self-absorbed noblemen. But, there is only so many times one can read the same book... -
Shard of Glass: A Cinderella Romance by Emily Deady
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsOnce she was a noblewoman.Now she is a palace servant.Ashlin never pictured herself scrubbing floors. But with the family savings depleted and her stepmother crippled by grief, Ashlin selflessly takes a job at the royal palace. She can pursue her dreams of becoming a seamstress someday in the future... -
The End Crowns All by Bea Fitzgerald
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe second fierce, fresh and gloriously romantic YA Greek myth re-imagining, from Bea Fitzgerald, growing TikTok superstar and Sunday Times bestselling author of GIRL, GODDESS, QUEEN.Princess. Priestess. The most beautiful girl in Troy. Cassandra is used to being adored – and when her patron god, Apollo, offers her the power of prophecy, she sees an opportunity to rise even higher... -
Swan Lake by K.M. Shea
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWill she choose to save her country or free herself?Cursed to be a swan by day, Odette spends her nights leading a band of smugglers and delivering illegal goods. Though she longs for her spell to be broken, she is stuck flattering the evil sorcerer who cursed her... -
The Princess Pact: A Twist on Rumpelstiltskin by Melanie Cellier
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSpinning straw into gold was only the beginning of the story...Marie, the dutiful princess of Northhelm, chafes under the rigid protocol that governs her life. Then a growing darkness threatens the kingdom and uncovers the lie at the centre of her whole life - a single pact that changes everything... -
Girl, Goddess, Queen by Bea Fitzgerald
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsTo hell with love, this goddess has other plans...Thousands of years ago, the gods told a lie: how Persephone was a pawn in the politics of other gods. How Hades kidnapped Persephone to be his bride. How her mother, Demeter, was so distraught she caused the Earth to start dying.The real story is much more interesting.Persephone wasn't taken to hell: she jumped... -
To Ride the Wind: A Retelling of East of the Sun and West of the Moon by Melanie Cellier
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsCharlotte has always longed to be accepted by her older sisters. She would gladly exchange her vaunted beauty for their friendship. But they ask a far higher price. Pushed into marriage with a stranger, Charlotte is left betrayed and alone. All she knows of her new husband is that he has secrets—and that her heart beats a little faster whenever he calls her Lottie... -
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A Crown of Snow and Ice: A Retelling of The Snow Queen by Melanie Cellier
Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsAn unexpected gift from her godmother will give Celine enough fire to take on an entire kingdom of snow and ice. But first she needs to melt one frozen prince. Rumors have long swirled about the strange kingdom of Eldon. The only thing more frozen than its mountains are the inhabitants themselves... -
The Red Lily by Juliette Cross
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe Black Lily resistance needs a larger army if they are to defeat the vampire monarchy. In order to do so, former lieutenant and traitor to the vampire Crown, Nikolai must seek help from the red-hooded temptress he needs to avoid at all costs. The secret he carries could prove dangerous for her if she gets too close...even though keeping her close—very close—is the only thing on his mind... -
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... -
Clockwork Magician by W.R. Gingell
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsPeter has lived most of his life in the assurance of two comfortable convictions. One, that he is always the cleverest person in the room; and two, that when it comes to magic, he does not make mistakes... -
The Musician and the Monster by Megan Van Dyke
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMusic says things words never can. I love you. I miss you. I’m sorry I killed you.Every night, Ceridwen Kinsley plays music on her rooftop for the spirit of her dead mother. A peaceful if odd ritual, until she witnesses a murder by something not quite human. The monstrous encounter earns her notoriety within the city and a visit from the reclusive Lord Protector Drystan Winterbourne... -
The Queen of Gold and Straw by Shari L. Tapscott
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsGreta knows two things to be true. The first: trolls don't venture into the forest, especially during the day. The second: kings don't save peddler's daughters from those trolls, and they certainly don't deposit them atop royal horses and personally escort them home.But sometimes, they do. And sometimes afterward, life gets very complicated.. -
Prisoner by Sylvia Mercedes
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsDon't miss book II of this romantic "Beauty and the Beast" retelling.A new light shines into the darkness of his heart . . .After fifteen years of imprisonment and solitude, Soran Silveri's life is rudely interrupted by the arrival of one brash, headstrong, flame-haired girl. He cannot refuse her appeals for sanctuary—but he can resist her pleas for him to teach her magic... -
Goldheart by Kenley Davidson
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA Retelling of RumpelstiltskinKidnapped, abandoned, and betrayed.At least no one’s asking her to spin straw into gold…Elaine was happy with her quiet, simple life. But after the death of her parents, the disappearance of her fiancé, and a traumatic kidnapping, quiet and simple are out of the question.Her father left debts, and now his creditors mean to collect... -
The Enchanted Sonata by Heather Dixon Wallwork
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsClara Stahlbaum has her future perfectly planned: to marry the handsome pianist, Johann Kahler (ah!) and settle down to a life full of music. But all that changes on Christmas Eve, when Clara receives a mysterious and magical nutcracker... -
The Marquise and Her Cat by Shari L. Tapscott
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFinding your happily ever after is complicated when your matchmaker is a cat...Etta's happy with her simple life in the mill, but when her aunt passes and leaves her a very peculiar cat, everything goes awry. Now, determined to find her place in the world, Etta's learning to hunt, having audiences with a king, and falling for a man who's keeping something from her... -
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Princess of Shadows by A.G. Marshall
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThis is the alternate cover edition of The Princess and the Pea by A.G. Marshall with the ASIN number B01M0MKH7Q.Only a true princess can save the kingdom. Alaric wants to be king. He wants to continue the peace and prosperity his father created in Aeonia. But with enemies questioning his bloodline, he’ll have to put his heart on the line and marry a stranger to secure his right to rule... -
Happily Ever Afters: A Reimagining of Snow White and Rose Red by Melanie Cellier
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSometimes a fairy tale ending is only the beginning... Sarah and Evelyn have already risked everything to help Ava win a crown. But they soon learn that a coronation is a beginning, not an ending. Not everyone in Rangmere is happy to see the young queen on the throne, and intrigue and danger lurk all around... -
A Question of Magic by E.D. Baker
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSerafina was living the normal life of a village girl, when she gets a mysterious letter--her first letter ever, in fact--from a great aunt she's never heard of in another village. Little does 'Fina know, her great aunt is actually a Baba Yaga, a magical witch who lives in an even more magical cottage... -
The Princess Fugitive: A Reimagining of Little Red Riding Hood by Melanie Cellier
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsPrincess Ava used to be a weapon - sharp, strong and beautiful. But when she fails at her most important task, she’s forced to flee from her own family.Only her personal bodyguard, Hans, remains loyal. Hans claims to know the real Ava but she finds that hard to believe – after all, she’s been the villain so long that she can’t remember anything else... -
What Once Was Mine by Liz Braswell
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe 12th installment in the New York Times best-selling series asks: What if Rapunzel's mother drank a potion from the wrong flower?Desperate to save the life of their queen and her unborn child, the good people of Corona search for the all-healing Sundrop flower to cure her—but mistakenly acquire the shimmering Moondrop flower instead... -
The Firethorn Crown by Lea Doué
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsPrincess Lily, the eldest of twelve sisters and heir to a mighty kingdom, desperately seeks a break from her mother's matchmaking. Tradition forbids marriage with the man Lily loves, so she would rather rule alone than marry someone who only wants the crown...
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