Chronicles of Curses

Books 1-3 Box Set (H. L. Macfarlane's Fairy Tale World)

By: H. L. Macfarlane

Narrated by: Alexander Bevan

Adored fairy tales as a kid and never quite grew out of them? Love your fantasies written with hard-working heroines, snarky heroes, and a dash of romance? Look no further!

The Chronicles of Curses omnibus compiles together the first three fairy tale retellings in this twisted, imaginative series by H. L. Macfarlane into one all new package!

The books contained in this omnibus are:

Big, Bad Mister Wolfe

Snowstorm King

The Tower Without a Door

Book blurbs:

Big, Bad Mister Wolfe

A young girl with an uncertain future. A deceitful conman with something to hide….

When Scarlett Duke discovers the truth about her birthright, she’s whisked away to live with her grandmother in the dark depths of the woods. Desperately trying to reconnect with her estranged family, Scarlett soon finds herself increasingly drawn to the mysterious wandering merchant who saved her life two years prior.

Adrian Wolfe is a merchant and conman with a dark secret. Cursed by Scarlett’s grandmother for one of his tricks, he’s determined to do whatever it takes to rid himself of the spell. And when he lays eyes on Scarlett, he knows he’s found his chance. But as he tries to seduce her and force her grandmother’s hand, they stumble upon something much bigger–a murderous plot involving the entire Duke family.

As they begin unravelling the truth, Adrian can’t help but start falling prey to the shy, innocent charms of the young woman he sought to betray….

***

Snowstorm King

What do you do when winter never ends?

Tempestuous, hedonistic Kilian Hale does not wish to be king. Only a curse cast by his father on his deathbed ties him to the throne until his elder brother, Gabriel, returns from war.

Spurned for not possessing the blonde hair and blue eyes of the people of Alder, Elina Brodeur seeks to win their approval by requesting an audience with their cruel, lazy king. But Kilian is not interested in the town’s pleas for extra provisions to help them through the particularly harsh winter, and time and again turns Elina away.

Yet the king soon discovers that he’s met his match in Elina, who strikes a deal with Kilian to get what she wants. But as provisions run low and tensions run high, Kilian struggles to get rid of the crown he never wanted whilst Elina tries to deny her growing feelings for the king she swore to hate.

The appearance of a pair of travelling magicians may just change everything….

***

The Tower Without a Door

Eventually, talking to yourself gets a little boring.

After being locked away for twelve years in an enchanted tower, Princess Genevieve finally decides that enough is enough. She’ll climb out of the window of the tower and….

And that’s where her plan ends. For Genevieve knows nothing of the world—not even the way back to the royal palace and her beloved mother. But when a tired and angry wizard magically appears in the tower just as Genevieve is trying to escape it, she is provided with a very reluctant guide back home.

©2020 H. L. Macfarlane (P)2023 Macfarlane Lantern Publishing

A new twist on loved fairytale retellings

The Chronicle of Curses Box Set
HL MacFarlane
Audiobook


The Chronicle of Curses box set is a wonderfully curated set of three books with HL MacFarlane's artful and distinct take on some beloved fairytales. I love fairytale retellings, and these stories were right up my alley as they were full of drama, mischief, strife, romance, and, of course, the bones of the original tales we love so much. We have Big, Bad Mister Wolfe, Snowstorm King, and The Tower Without a Door in this box set. The first three books are in HL MacFarlane's Fairy Tale World. There was a bit of open-door spice but nothing overwhelming or out of place.

Big, Bad Mister Wolfe was a fun take on Little Red Riding Hood, full of curses, magic potions, red capes, and romance. The sudden revelation of Scarlett's true heritage is seen in her living with a grandmother she's always loved but in a place where a secret and deadly wood surrounds her. Owing her life to the mysterious merchant, she spends the next few years trying to learn as much as she can about him while fending off offers of marriage from the other men of the small town. The mysterious merchant, Adrian Wolfe, is a sneaky conman selling tricks and potions that land him cursed without any way of removing said curse until Scarlett comes into his life. I loved the secrets and underhanded actions of some of the characters and the plot twists that arose towards the end of the story. It pulled me in and kept my attention piqued.

Listening to the Snowstorm King was an introduction to A Snowqueen, a fairy tale I had never heard of before, and I enjoyed the author's gender-swapped take with Killian cast as the Snowstorm King. I enjoyed listening to  Kilian and Elina's problems, as one was misunderstood and forced into a life he never wanted. She was an outcast, the terms of her birth setting her on a path of being ridiculed, ignored, and disliked by the town due only to her paternal DNA. Elina refused to give in to Kilian's childish demands, and he routinely found himself surprised by her independent nature.

Of the three novels in this omnibus, A Tower Without A Door was my favorite. Princess Genevieve and wizard Julian Thorne were the couple that quickly rose to the top, and their story was one I immensely enjoyed. Having been locked in a tower without a door, Evie spent the last several years alone, with only herself for the company, until one day, when she tries to escape, a man's arms come through the window to grab her from her perilous position hanging off her hair against the tower. Then, she meets the wizard Julian Thorne, whom the building is named after. She asks him to take her back to the palace to be reunited with her family, and against his initial decision, he agrees to take her, and they set off. Their journey back to the palace is one of adventure, excitement, and realization of a conspiracy that could tear them apart. I liked that their relationship grew slowly as they got to know each other and were full of relatable behaviors. I, like Evie, would also be trying all the food I could in the small towns on the way to the palace.

"He resorted to finding constellations in her freckles just as he had done the first day he'd met her."

Alexander Bevan is a narrator whom I was not familiar with before this audiobook, and I enjoyed his narration. His voice was even and easy to listen to, and the inflections were perfectly placed throughout the reading. His voice is simple and smooth-toned at average speed, but it also sounded great, sped up to 2x where I was listening. He has a British accent that fits well with the characters and different emotions in the book, and I enjoyed his narration enough to look for more of his work.

Overall, I enjoyed the stories from HL MacFarlane and the narration of Alexander Bevan.

the chronicles of the curses

this had all 3 books in one. I enjoyed each book. I also enjoyed the narrator.

Awesome Retellings of 3 Fairy Tales of Old

I was entertained by these three retellings of three fairy tales contained in one box set. I liked that the author kept some of the elements of the three fairy tales so each story could be recognized as to which fairy tale they were originally. I, also, liked that the author's creative twists produced new stories which I enjoyed. I appreciated that all three love stories were tempestuous and emotional, and that the protagonists were varied and personable. There were some steamy scenes in each of the tales, so I don't feel that they would be acceptable for younger audiences. I enjoyed Alexander Bevan's narration as his performance enhanced my enjoyment of the stories. I was given a copy of the audiobook. I volunteered, without financial gain, to post this review which reflected my honest opinions regarding this audiobook.