A swan, a bird catcher, and the plot they both intend to keep from hatching…

Working under her father as the Assistant Keeper of the Menagerie, Odessa Rothchild has always believed two things to be true: animals are much better listeners than people, and Boris Rothchild is the most brilliant man in all of Kovskia. All of that changes when an unfortunate discovery in her father’s workroom leaves her the recipient of a curse. Stuck in the body of a swan until the sun sets, Odessa begins to think that her search for the truth is hopeless—until, that is, a mysterious man crash-lands in the middle of her lake.

If there’s one thing in life that Jax should understand, it’s birds. As the fourth generation of a family of bird catchers, his future nest egg should be secure—and it would be, if he didn’t have his sights set on a different kind of winged creature. But after his search for a rare and elusive dragon egg goes wrong, Jax wakes up to find himself in the company of the one kind of bird he can’t seem to understand.

She needs his help to break her curse. He needs her to get his dragon. But as they work together, secrets are uncovered that create ripples bigger than either of them could have imagined, and they both must decide whether or not a happy ending is worth the climb…or the fall.

Torn from one fairytale and trapped in another: the Displaced Fairytales series is a multi-author fairy tale retelling series of standalones from your favorite no-spice, closed door young adult romance authors. CURSED CLIMB is Jack and the Beanstalk meets Swan Lake with He Falls First, Found Family, and a dragon companion who doesn’t understand why he can’t be a swan.

Published
March 17, 2026
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Displaced Fairytales

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10/10

I love the way this story blends the stories for Jack and the Beanstalk with Swan Lake so well as well as how the beginning of this story connects with Falling for the Winged Witch. This story is about Jax & Odessa and I thought both were wonderful characters that I enjoyed getting to know as well as the adorable dragon "Bean" that hatches from the egg Jax had. This story was a lot of fun with some surprising plot twists and amusing bird puns. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

Steam Rating: Glimpses & Kisses

I received a free advanced reader copy of this book from the author and am voluntarily leaving a review.

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