Just Ella

Books of Dalthia, Book 1

By: Annette K. Larsen

Narrated by: Annette K. Larsen

A princess befriending a common gardener is bad enough. Falling in love with him is absolutely forbidden.

Ariella is royalty, a princess of Dalthia, but palace rules and the strictures of society leave her restless and longing for more. When she meets Gavin, a palace gardener who both catches her eye and challenges her authority, she feels drawn to him, but how can she befriend a commoner under the watchful eye of her royal family?

When her budding relationship with Gavin is discovered, her idyllic days spent in the gardens come to an end—and Gavin suffers the consequences. But being separated from Gavin isn’t just the loss of a friend, it’s the loss of her soulmate, the boy who knows her and understands her better than anyone. Even if their relationship wasn’t forbidden, finding her way back to his arms is more than unlikely; it seems impossible, especially when Gavin returns—betrothed to someone else.

Having him so close and yet entirely out of reach is an agony Ella has never known, but one she must learn to endure. Torn between duty and her heart, Ella can only hope she can find a way to break free of social constraints and earn a second chance with Gavin. Then maybe she’ll find the happiness that’s been so elusive. Maybe she’ll find a way to be just Ella.

"I watched in helpless horror as two guards hauled Gavin to his feet and dragged him from the room. My voice was frozen, unable to protest as another guard took hold of my arm, leading me upstairs. From the confines of my room, I stared into the darkness beyond my window, hoping to catch one more glimpse of Gavin. He was gone, and I wondered if he would have been better off if he had never met me."

Just Ella is the first book in the Dalthia series. Each book can be listened to as a stand-alone since each has a different main character. Just Ella is a clean and wholesome story of growing up and finding love even when it flies in the face of family expectation and duty to country. Filled with sweet, toe-curling romance and unexpected action and adventure, you’ll be rooting for the princess and the commoner to find their way to each other. Not quite historical, but not quite fantasy, this inspirational fairy tale without the fairies gives a nod to the medieval, a wink to the renaissance and blows a kiss to teens, tweens, young adults and women who love stories set in kingdoms and castles. Writing for teen and tween girls, young adults, and women alike, Larsen's books can be shared from mother to daughter to grandmother. Any book of hers would be a great gift idea for the book-loving women in your life. Whether she’s writing a historical fantasy series about princesses, or a romantic suspense thriller full of action and adventure, all of her novels have a guaranteed happy ending and plenty of swoon-worthy kisses.

©2013, 2017, 2023 Annette K. Larsen (P)2023 Annette K. Larsen

great narration, fantastic story!

An author with so much talent and this is my favorite book of hers! You'll be hooked right in the beginning and wont be able to put it down. Clean romance filled with plenty of chemistry! I just absolutely loved this story! I have recommended it to so many people and just can't stop singing its praises. This is the first in a series of 5 books. Each book centers around a different character in the land of Dalthia and can be read as a standalone (but also why would you only read one in the series, because they all are amazing!!) This story revolves around Princess Ariella (Ella) who is the oldest of the sisters. You'll read about her father's expectations and follow along with her as she grows up to learn what she needs to fight for when it comes to her life and love. The character development is well done and the romance and story was unique and captivating.

Clean romance, clean language, there is a scene with mild violence related to a kidnapping but it is totally appropriate for youth.
5 stars, highly recommend!!
* The audiobook was fantastic! I loved the narration and it's even better that it's done by the author because it is spoken how she meant for it to be heard.

timeless

This book has been a favorite for years in my family. This was one of the first I shared with my daughter as she grew old enough to start this genre. How I love Ella and Gavin's story, and the ones that follow.

I was a bit hesitant on how I would feel with the author narration, but I was happily surprised at how good it was.

this is so worth your time!

Loved it

It was nice to revisit this story with great narration. I read the book years ago and loved it then. I love listening to audio books that allow me to multitask. Ella and Gavin’s story is filled with ups and downs, but the deep felt love between them never faulted. Full novel, no cliffhanger and a happily ever after.

Cinderella story like I have never heard it before

This story made a kaleidoscope of my feelings. Building up and crushing me but then mading something so beautiful. Cinderella is a story that's been told so many times but this had a fresh new view on it and I truly enjoyed it. I'm excited to get the rest of the series on audible.

Loved hearing this read by the author!

I own a paperback of this books and I’ve read it numerous times over the years. But when she released it as an audio book I had to listen! She did such an awesome job! I completely enjoyed listening to the story all over again!

One of the Best

I love Annette's story of Ella. A story that keeps my attention and keeps me wanting more.

So Sweet

I happened upon this story quite a few years ago, and it remains a favorite of mine to this day. The tender love that matures from childhood to adulthood, the character development, the angst and the search for purpose — every element of this story shines through.
And I have dreamed of an audiobook version for so long!! I love that Annette, as the author, was able to record it herself: getting to hear all the inflections and nuances of voice and expression according to what she envisioned as she wrote the story was beautiful.
*I’m not going to lie, I have always heard accents when I have read the story in the past…but even with that being considered, this was very well done.
Thank you for making my audiobook dreams come true, Annette!!

AMAZING NARRATION

I don’t normally write reviews but I am OBSESSED with this narration!! It was so so so fun to hear it how it was meant to be heard. Annette did such a wonderful job; I did not want to stop listening!!! I will definitely get more if she does more narrations!

I have ALWAYS loved this story and now I’m so so so tempted to go re-read everything! LOVED IT

Beautiful Clean Romance

I read this when it first came out and I loved it then! listening to it was no different! Annette is a wonderful storyteller and also wonderful at performing her stories. I hope she continues to make all her books available for audiobook!