You do not get to determine your worth to me.
Apples Dipped in Gold
Scarlet St. Clair
Fairy Tale Retelling, book two
audiobook, ~6 hours
ebook, 240 pages
Published October 29, 2024
ASIN B0CT4RB99N
ISBN 9781464216886
He was her curse―and her only salvation.
Samara has spent years enduring cruelty at the hands of her brothers, surviving on nothing but hope and the fierce belief that she deserves more. When a royal engagement promises her freedom, her fate changes in a single night when she is intercepted by Lore, the enigmatic Prince of Nightshade.
Feared for his poisonous touch and shrouded in secrets, Lore is haunted by seven years of longing for Samara, the one mortal who makes him vulnerable.
Thrust together by fate and old wounds, their slow-burning desire threatens to unravel everything in a kingdom where magic is a weapon and trust can mean ruin.
Apples Dipped in Gold is a dark fairytale retelling and enemies-to-lovers romance, weaving a gothic Cinderella story with intoxicating tension, forbidden passion, and immersive world-building. Scarlett St. Clair delivers a tale of heartbreak, healing, and love against all odds. Step into the shadows and discover a romance that will haunt you long after the last page.
My, oh my, what did I stumble upon here.
A fairy tale retelling of... Cinderella meets Snow White with a blend of other tales from Brothers Grimm? I couldn't exactly say, but it's so good I didn't care to further analyze it, and the author does explain the sources of her inspiration at the end of the book.
Samara is an orphan left to the abuse of her three brothers who keep her "protected" so long as she toils away with the cooking and the cleaning. Until the day comes when she's had enough and climbs to the cliffs with a mind to throw herself off.
Enter a handsome prince. One whom is on a quest to find his brother who has entered the forests in search of a golden apple in order to win his lover's hand in marriage. So handsome prince (Henry) becomes quite taken by Samara and her verbally combative beautiful self and offers to take her away and show her a life of kindness and care with hope that one day she would agree to become his wife. He pays her brothers a dowry (after trying to bargain her for a ring, rose, and a lark) and off they go.
Only for thieves to attack their carriage and plant an arrow straight into the handsome prince's eye socket.
And yet, oh yes, she's saved once more. On this occasion by a fox and a fae. A fae prince to be exact. A fae prince named Lore.
It's a story of whimsy and twirls as we go this way, then that way. A talking fox. Singing flowers. A besotted prince. A goblin king. Dryads. Pixies. Ballroom dances. A magic mirror. A terrible witch. And brothers galore.
This fantastical tale of love-this right here-is what makes me kick my feet. In the middle of the book, in the middle of my happy place, where I can't wait to turn the next page but equally can't bear to have it end. ::sigh::
“Would I have been such a terrible choice?”
Oof, my heart. But the way he pines for her.
I had tried to think of anything else. I’d gone to the very edge of the world and sat with the sun, moon, and stars and still thought of nothing but her. She was unmatched—brighter than the sun, more beautiful than the moon, sweeter than the stars. I loved her more than anything in this terrible world, and I hated it.
The banter hit a sweet spot. Banter with each other. With Fox. With Cardic. Brotherly love expressed with harsh tongues and physical blows just does it for me. Although the nun thing was quite odd. 5 out of 5 stars. Immediately ordered a hardcopy for the shelves.
Available in ebook | paperback | audiobook
Also in the series:
2026/18