After her father uproots the family to the northern duchy of Brackenhurst, Grace Eldon and her four younger sisters struggle with a new life of hardship. Desperate to keep a roof over their heads amid mounting debts, she and her youngest sister seek employment in the Duke of Brackenhurst’s household despite fearsome rumors.
Scarred and maimed from a terrible fire Silas Isling, Duke of Brackenhurst, buries himself in his work to avoid the stares of pity and fear. When one of the new maids shows no fear at his appearance, he is intrigued. That is until his meddling steward gives her the task of cleaning Silas’ bookroom. It is a most unwelcome disruption since he prefers to be alone.
While a thief plagues his castle, an old nemesis reappears, and enemies invade in the guise of guests. Amidst the distractions and chaos, Grace brings some unexpected order. Once convinced his scars had stolen all hope for love, Silas finds his life forever changed by the quiet maid. Could she love a scarred Duke?
Inspired by Beauty and the Beast
Top Ten List
Rachel Rossano’s Top Ten Favorite Fairytales
In no particular order:
- Beauty and the Beast (no surprise, right?)
- East of the Sun West of the Moon (Also in its other forms, Cupid and Psyche, etc)
- The Month Brothers (Something about twelve men representing the months of the year willing to bend the rules for a poor lost child as appeal)
- Seven Swans (Something about her vow of silence always fascinated me)
- Stone Soup (More of a folk tale than a fairytale, but still, I like the message)
- Rumpelstiltskin (Gotta love that the bad guy gets his just reward, and it all ends well for the girl despite everyone’s manipulations.)
- Snow White and Rose Red (Two sisters overcoming with kindness)
- Rapunzel (I really wanted super long hair as a kid. It is very impractical sounding now.)
- Bluebeard (Yeah, this is a strange one, but somehow it always fascinated me.)
- Thisbe and Pyramus (There is something appealing about falling in love with a person’s soul instead of their exterior. I really would like to give them a happy ending.)
Rachel Rossano is a happily married mother of three children. She spends her days teaching, mothering, and keeping the chaos at bay. After the little ones are in bed, she immerses herself in the fantasy worlds of her books. Tales of romance, adventure, and virtue set in a medieval fantasy world are her preference, but she also writes speculative fantasy and a bit of science fiction.
Thank you for featuring my book. 🙂
You are so welcome!