The Night Queen

Romantic Fairy Tales for Adults, Book 1

By: Denise Daye

Narrated by: M.K. Blackwood

They call me the Night Queen, with a heart as dark as the night itself. And as such, I will rule my future kingdom. No light shall ever touch my broken heart again.

On her 20th birthday, the beautiful but arrogant Princess Mina von Rhine crosses the point of no return. Unwilling to be married off to a warmongering Northerner, she defies her father, the mighty King of the Rhine, and ridicules all her potential suitors.

Furious at her appalling behavior, her father vows to give Mina's hand in marriage to the first unmarried man who walks through the palace gates—be it nobleman or beggar. And when an impoverished Northern soldier arrives at the castle the following day, the king stands by his word and offers Mina to him.

This ill-suggested match, however, might prove of use to Mina after all. The Northern soldier doesn’t seem too fond of the marriage himself, so Mina offers the handsome but insufferable warrior enormous riches if he helps her escape into the North.

But the journey through war-torn lands forces the princess to realize that if she can’t melt her frozen heart, marriage might be the least of her concerns.

From the author: This is a beautiful, dark, and romantic reimagining of the long-forgotten German fairy tale King Thrushbeard, which was one of the very first stories to use the enemies to lovers trope. It was first published by the beloved Brothers Grimm (whose works include such classics as Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, and Rapunzel. The Brothers Grimm invented many modern-day romance tropes). If you’d love to listen to an adult version of a compelling old fairy tale and enjoy romances with sizzling passion, this book is a must-listen.

This is the first book in a series. The second book, Queen of Ashes, will be released in September.

©2022 Denise Daye (P)2023 Denise daye

New fairy tale for me!

This new to me fairy tale is a good listen. I was astounded at the changes in Mina as the story rolls along. I went through many emotions while seeing this happen. I really liked all the characters and though this is not a completed story it still has a good storyline. I look forward to the next in the series to see what happens. I listened to this in audio. MK Blackwood did a great job with the narration.

Excellent Story & Narration🎧Fascinating Retelling

This is an imaginative retelling of the Brother Grimm’s “King Thrushbeard” fairytale, a fairytale I was not familiar, though I read it before I started this book. Denise Daye did the tale justice by adding her now own unique spin and continued to build on the story to make it grander. Princess Mina von Rhine had everything she could ever have wanted and needed, except the love of her father, no matter how hard she tries to get it. He was only like that after her mother’s sudden death on her seventh birthday, a day that forever changed her. She became a shell of her former self, and the older she got the worse she got, building a reputation as the “Night Queen”, amongst other things. The talk did not bother her, instead she gave them more to talk about. And when her father approached her about arranging a marriage to help curb the turmoil in the land, she went off the rails and acted up with every suitable prospect, embarrassing her father and the kingdom. Her father needed to do something, not just for his land but for his daughter too, get her back to how she was when she was a young girl, a humble and caring person. Alrick Willbrandt, was one of the suitors who approached her and the king, she laughed him off. She had not remembered him from when he and his parents gifted her a horse, a horse she still cherished. With some help, her father puts his plan into action, she takes the bait and leaves with a carpenter and his sister to head north before being forced into an arranged marriage. This leads to more than an adventure, the going was not an easy one for them, she is in for a culture shock and Alrick has to keep the peace between Mina and his sister. The turmoil of the land continues, and an enemy makes a power move, one that puts a target on her back and it is Alrick who battles them to keep her alive while they are on the run. This well written and cleverly plotted story has plenty of drama, angst, thrilling suspense, heartfelt emotions and a slow burn romance. It is the first book of the series and the story continues in the second book, “Queen of Ashes”, I hope it comes to audio soon with M.K. Blackwood as the narrator. Denise Daye, thank you for this amazing story and wild and adventurous, and emotional rollercoaster ride. 

🎧📚🎧 And for the amazing narration, Denise Daye cast the perfect narrator to bring her characters and story to life. M.K. Blackwood is a wonderfully talented narrator, and she did an awesome job portraying the characters, giving each their own distinct voice and personality. She is great at covering both male and female roles, making it easy to follow along knowing who is who. She set the perfect tone for the story, captures all the character’s emotions and projects them into her performance, having you feel every single one. Blackwood is an entertaining storyteller and her narration enhances an already great story to another level. Thank you for another fabulous listen. 

Fantastic Book

I loved this audiobook narrated beautifully by M. K. Blackwood. This story deals with a princess who becomes humbled by poverty, humility and the need for kindness. She was determined to not wed as per her father's orders so she flees the castle. Her journey finds her hungry, dirty and not living in comfort. This book ends on a cliffhanger. I lookforward to the next book.

starts slow

starts off slow and boring. after awhile and give it time you get interested.