An Ugly Love

Once upon a Time, Book 2

By: Maya Alden

Narrated by: Nikita Mirpuri, Saleem Udean

Once upon a time, there was a princess called Hansa Raj who just didn't fit in, not in her family or the small wine-country town of Everwood.

Overshadowed by her radiant sister Naina, an ex-supermodel turned media empress, Hansa harbors dreams, as fragrant and deep as a Pinot Noir, of crafting her signature wine with an Indian touch, paying homage to her heritage.

When she meets the Wine Prince Orion Callahan, it's love at first sight for Hansa. Orion doesn't even notice her. Most people don't, and Hansa doesn't seek attention because she has an ugly secret. Hansa has dyslexia, which makes her everyday life a struggle that she bears in silence because she's afraid that if people find out, they'll realize that she is as dumb as she is plain.

Can you blame her when her own family thinks she's less intelligent, less pretty… just less than her sister, her cousins, and everyone else they compare her to?

Orion, who unsuccessfully tried to woo the brilliant Naina in high school, has now risen as a prominent winemaker, and Naina is finally giving him the time of day. But as he gets to know Naina, he also learns more about Hansa, who is now managing his wine-tasting room at Callahan Vineyards. Instead of falling in love with Naina, whom he's always wanted, he finds that he's instead, albeit reluctantly, captivated by the unexpected strength and genuine passion of Hansa, the duckling that no one notices.

Against the backdrop of frost-kissed vineyards and with just a little magic, Orion learns that some ducklings are perfect as they are, and Hansa discovers that she doesn't need to become a swan to be loved.

I am Seraphina Vine, and I am the fairy godmother of Everwood. I bring lost souls and broken hearts together. Now, I wave my magic wand and bring you the story of an ugly duckling and a prince blinded by surface beauty. Because sometimes love is ugly.

An Ugly Love aims to challenge The Ugly Duckling's message that acceptance comes only with transformation, illustrating that not every duckling needs to become a swan. This story is about embracing the often messy and imperfect nature of being human and celebrating love as the force that truly moves our world.

©2023 Maya Alden (P)2024 Podium Audio

Excellent narration.

First, the narration was very good, especially the voice that did the Indian parents and aunties and uncles. I enjoyed large chunks of the story and was totally invested in the heroine's journey. I felt, though, that the male character was a jerk for no real reason other than that he possesses a middle school bully mentality. In my eyes, he became weak and unlikeable. I didn't feel that his sudden turn around was believable either. If the heroine wasn't such a great character and the narration so well done, I would have rated this poorly for those reasons. Also, the wine metaphors and talk was too much and began to annoy me. Still, I enjoyed a large portion of the story, and the author did a good job with the family story.

Great story with a tiny hiccup

It was a great story and, generally, very well preformed but there were a couple of mispronounced words that took me out of it.
The fact that the male narrator couldn’t pronounce syrah correctly when the character was a wine maker drove me crazy. It’s not a see-ra but a sa-ra. I know that’s nip picky but wine was a big part of the book and every time I heard him say see-ra I cringed.