Astryn and the Golden GooseA Princess Who Never Smiled Retelling
She is a grief-stricken princess who never laughs. He is a bumbling butcher with a heart of gold. When their worlds collide, can they find hope in each other?
Grief can build a prison, and Astryn is the warden of her own dungeon. It has been sixteen years since her mother’s death at the brutal hands of the plague that ravaged Carthage, and the princess has refused to laugh a single time since. When her father, King Erewin, announces that she must wed a man of his choosing for the sake of the kingdom, she is thrown into a spiral of doubt and melancholy that threatens to swallow her whole.
Women don’t exactly flock to Hans’ doorstep, except for the goose that loves to torment him, but when is there time for love, anyway? With a crotchety father and two buffoons for brothers, Hans works his fingers to the bone, keeping the people of Carthage fed while avoiding their angry fists. His only respite is his daily deliveries to the village church. But Hans’ luck is about to change when a disobedient goose causes a bit of mischief. When it comes to arranging chance encounters, the goose is golden.
When Hans accidentally shoves the Princess of Carthage into a slop of mud running from the flustered goose, a friendship blossoms between them. Day after day, they grow closer until Astryn is convinced she might only survive marriage with one man, her newfound best friend. When the day finally arrives for the Harvest Ball announcement, the princess is taken captive. Can Hans, the goose, and an angry village save their future queen?
A sweet, clean fairy tale retelling with threads of faith, love, and hope. Part of an eight book author collaboration sure to keep you cozy and warm this autumn! Collect all eight!
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M. J. Padgett
M. J. Padgett is first and foremost a mom. Her free-spirited daughter has quite the vivid imagination, and her antics sometimes find their way into her mommy’s work. She is a lover of all things chocolate, a Grimm and Dickens addict, a self-proclaimed smarty-pants, and an introvert to the core.
Writing is her true passion (after raising her daughter, of course), and she writes as often as possible. One of her favorite things about writing is creating a world where people can escape reality for a little while, maybe even walk away feeling hopeful about the real world around them. When it comes to reading, she loves a book that can make her forget where she is no matter the genre. If she can get lost and feel like the characters are her real friends, she’s a happy reader.
Autumn Fairy Tales
Autumn Fairy Tales is a collection of eight cozy retellings of your favorite fairy tales. Each book can be enjoyed in any order, so grab a delectable cinnamon roll and “fall” in love with the romance, pumpkin spice, and everything nice of these sweet and clean novellas!
Autumn Fairy Tales consists of 8 total books — considered a complete series. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
Reviews and Comments
This is my first book by M.J. Padgett as well as being the first time I have read a retelling for The Princess Who Never Smiled. This is a story I was completely unfamiliar with but I thought it was a very interesting book with many well written characters and an engaging story. I have enjoyed all the books in the Autumn Fairy Tales multi author series I have read so far and look forward to exploring more of them and discovering more authors I like from it in the future.