Her Frog Prince Holiday by Cara Marsi is an entertaining read.  Ms. Marsi has given us a book that is loaded with outstanding characters.  Bella and Chad's story is full of drama, humor and spice.  I enjoyed reading Her Frog Prince Holiday and look forward to my next read by Cara Marsi.  Her Frog Prince Holiday is book 2 of the Snow Globe Magic Series but can be read as a standalone.  This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.  

I voluntarily read a complimentary copy of this book that I received from Bookfunnel.

Title:  The Frog Prince

Author:  Mike Klaassen

Genre: Fairy Tale Retelling / Historical Romance

Year Published: 2016

Number of Pages:  114 pages

 

Date Read: 9/24/2017

 

Publisher:  Bookbaby

Source:  eARC (Book Unleashed)

Content Rating:  Ages 8+ (Some Intense Moments and Rude Behavior)

 

I would like to thank Book Unleashed and Bookbaby for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Now, I have been reading the Brothers Grimm fairy tale classics for many years and I have seen many retellings of their fairy tales such as “Rumpelstiltskin,” “The Bremen Town Musicians” and “Snow White.” But, I had never read a retelling of the “Frog Prince” before and when Book Unleashed gave me a free copy of Mike Klaassen’s retelling of “The Frog Prince,” I just had to check this book out and man was I blown away by this interesting retelling of the classic story!

Young Prince Gerit was out playing around the bog near his father’s kingdom when suddenly, he falls into the bog and could not get out of the water. Then, an old woman named Wibke came along and noticed that Gerit was in trouble. Gerit desperately asks the old woman to help him out of the water and Wibke promised that she will help the prince if the prince promises her that he will take care of her for the rest of his life. Of course, Gerit does not want to take care of the woman, but he agreed to the bargain anyway and Wibke helped Gerit out of the water. Then Gerit tried to break his promise to Wibke by running off to the castle, until Wibke transformed Gerit into a frog and she states that the only way that Gerit will turn back into a prince again is if a princess comes along and kisses him three times. So, Gerit goes on a long journey to find a princess who is willing to kiss him three times and Gerit stumbles upon a kingdom that is ruled by his father, King Egon’s enemy, King Torsten and he finds out that King Torsten has a daughter named Anneliese. Now, Gerit tries to make an effort to get Princess Anneliese to kiss him three times or else, he will remain a frog forever!

Wow…just wow…I never would have thought that I would read a retelling of “The Frog Prince” with so much energy and emotion! Mike Klaassen has done a fantastic job at retelling this classic fairy tale as he gives a more contemporary and in-depth spin to the story. I loved the fact that the story is told from the point of view of the Frog Prince himself and this made Gerit into an extremely interesting character as we get to see how he was like before he turned into a frog and we also get to see his struggles in becoming a frog and trying to find a way to change himself back into a prince. I also loved the character development that both Prince Gerit and Anneliese go through as they both started off as royal brats who only thought about themselves and believe that they will get anything they want because they are of royalty. However, the events of the story caused the characters to grow and understand the harsh situations that they are thrown into, such as the fact that their kingdoms are being involved in a war and how both Gerit and Anneliese may have to sacrifice their happiness in order to save their kingdoms. I loved the way that Mike Klaassen developed Gerit and Anneliese’s relationship with each other as I enjoyed the interactions that the two had with each other, such as playing ball together and talking about their favorite books. I also felt that Gerit and Anneliese’s growing relationship with each other was developed in a natural way and it felt more real than in the original fairy tale as the two did not love each other at first, but started developing feelings for each other over the course of the story, which I found to be pretty refreshing!

The only problem I had with this book was that the ending felt a bit rushed. It felt like they wanted to quickly skip to the ending of the original fairy tale and did not developed the resolution of the story a bit further to see how the actions of the characters would affect the overall scheme of the story. 

Overall, “The Frog Prince” is a brilliant retelling of the original fairy tale and anyone who is a huge fan of the “Frog Prince” will easily enjoy this book!

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

I gave it to 11% to grab my attention but it didn't happen, my rule is 10%. I could not connect with the MC, her lines were just weird, her behavior was bizarre to me and had me wanting to skim along. The instant attraction and his reaction after the foot stabbing was unbelievable. This is not the book or author for me. Deleted and moving on

DNF at 46 percent.

Wait can I say. My patience is at the low end right now. I have no idea how I even got to 46 percent and not one damn thing has gone on in this book besides the main character whining about her life and being single.

I am all for romance novels where the good girl after breaking up with the guy who is not the one, meets the one. Instead we have the main character of Holly still mourning the end of her marriage and being angry that her now ex Jean-Marc didn't love her. I stopped at 46 percent because nothing is happening at this point.

Holly as a character is boring. If the first 1/4 of it was about her getting her life together and then the remaining book being all about how she changes her life for the better I would be totally in for that book. Instead she's a very weak character who keeps getting bossed around by her boss and is afraid to tell her mother no. This is where we are at 46 percent. That means that we have a little more than half way for the book to go for her to somehow get past what has happened? I am doubtful that she's going to get there or at least that it will be written in a coherent manner at this point.

It seems the only goal in Holly's life was to be married to an attractive man, have babies, and be a wife and mother. She has no damn personality at all. I can't even tell you what her favorite color, book, outfit, etc. is because she's still crying in the bathroom at work about her ex.

Holly's job as an event planner seems totally uninteresting. We just have Holly's boss Olivia being super inappropriate and getting all up in Holly's personal life and commenting about her clothes and weight. I am still flabbergasted that Holly would not have pushed back or at least told her freaking boss she is out of line. But of course not, Holly let's people walk all over her.

So besides the lack of an interesting main character and a not too clear plot line, this book really is just stuck. There is nothing happening and I don't care to continue.

I stopped after Holly's mother came to visit and got angry about her leaving her husband. Because yes, she has somehow not told her mother why she got divorced from her husband because she has no damn sense.

Why in the world would you just not be upfront with your family and friends. I get that she would feel embarrassed by the whole thing, but why would you make it seem like your fault? I am not a fan of romance novels where the main character doesn't either speak up to their love interest or others. It drives me crazy.

So that's that. A romance novel with at this point no romance at all besides Holly starring at some guy she called Gorgeous Guy in her head and imagining a life with him. And her railing at the wedding industry and her friends and family for not telling her how marriage really is. Yup, totally everyone else's fault her marriage cashed and burned.

Well I hope in the end that Holly does change, that she realizes she doesn't need a man to be happy, and she stops allowing her boss to dictate what she does outside of work.

Had a lot of bad dates lately? These romances should give you hope.

 

The Frog Prince Retellings in Romance. HEA guarenteed. 

 

My lists are never in any particular order. Enjoy! 

 

1. Her Frog Prince by Shirley Jump

 

Bring together an uppity society princess with a scruffy marine biologist, then throw in a desperate matchmaker with faulty magic, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for disaster…or love. Magic and mayhem rock the boat 

 

2. The Frog Prince by Elle Lothlorien

 

It was his pheromones that did it. With one sniff, sex researcher Leigh Fromm recognizes that any offspring she might have with the mysterious stranger would have a better-than-average chance of surviving any number of impending pandemics. But when Leigh finds out that the handsome "someone" at her great aunt's wake is Prince Roman Habsburg von Lorraine of Austria, she suddenly doubts her instincts--not that she was intending to sleep with the guy. The royal house of Habsburg was once completely inbred, insanity and impotency among the highlights of their genetic pedigree. (The extreme "bulldog underbite" that plagued them wasn't called the Habsburg Jaw for nothing.) It doesn't matter that his family hasn't sat on a throne (other than the ones in their Toilette) since 1918, or that Austria is now a parliamentary democracy. Their lives couldn't be more different: Roman is routinely mobbed by paparazzi in Europe. Leigh is regularly mocked for having the social skills of a potted plant. Even if she suddenly developed grace, charm and a pedigree that would withstand the scrutiny of the press and his family, what exactly is she supposed to do with this would-have-been king of Austria who is in self-imposed exile in Denver, Colorado?

 

3. Water Song by Suzanne Weyn

 

Young, beautiful, and wealthy, Emma Pennington is accustomed to a very comfortable life. Although war rages abroad, she hardly feels its effect. She and her mother travel from their home in Britain to the family estate in Belgium, never imagining that the war could reach them there. But it does. 

Soon Emma finds herself stranded in a war-torn country, utterly alone. Enemy troops fight to take over her estate, leaving her with no way to reach her family, and no way out. 

With all of her attention focused on survival and escape, Emma hardly expects to find love. But the war will teach her that life is unpredictable, people aren't always what they seem, and magic is lurking everywhere.

 

4. Kiss the Frog by Alice Gaines

 

Pity sex with the shyest student in the lab? 

That’s what Felice Larson’s friends have blackmailed her into. Dev VonRamsberg seems nice enough, if you can see past the hair that hangs in his face, the glasses, and the corduroy slacks. It’ll be embarrassing for her and possibly humiliating for him, but if Felice doesn’t follow through, the others will let their professor know she ditched on a critical research trip. So she borrows a key and lets herself into Dev’s apartment in the middle of the night and promptly gets the surprise of her life. 

Christian Devlin Philippe Pascal VonRamsberg, Crown Prince, and Heir Apparent to the Throne of Danislova, has lusted after his co-student, Felice Larson, for months but hasn’t followed through because of his obligations back home. But now that she’s literally snuck into his bed, he takes full advantage, much to their mutual delight. Dev’s been hiding out in plain sight in the United States so he can get his graduate degree and enjoy a more or less normal life before he has to return to Danislova to fulfill his duties to his country. He never expected to fall for an American woman, but now that he has, how can he give her a happy ending? 

Felice discovers that she’s kissed a frog and won a prince, complete with a whirlwind tour of his lovely homeland in Eastern Europe. She falls in love with Danislova and the current Prince Royal, Dev’s father—a man closer to a father figure for her than her own parents. Unfortunately, Dev’s duties to his country require that he marry the right sort of woman…the wife his father has already selected for him. Will Felice and Dev face heartbreak, or can love triumph over tradition? 

 

5. The Frog Princess by E. D. Baker

 

Princess Emeralda isn't exactly an ideal princess. Her laugh is like a donkey's bray rather than tinkling bells, she trips over her own feet and she does NOT like Prince Jorge, whom her mother hopes she will marry. But if Emma ever thought to escape her life, she never expected it to happen by turning into a frog! When convinced to kiss a frog so he might return to being a Prince, somehow the spell is reversed and Emma turns into a frog herself! Thus begins the adventure - a quest to return to human form.

Fascinating and hilarious characters ranging from a self-conscious but friendly bat to a surprisingly loyal snake and a wise old green witch confirm that readers won't soon forget this madcap story! A fantastic debut from the talented E.D. Baker.

 

6. Kiss That Frog by Cate Rowan

 

A cynical Los Angeles artist reluctantly pet-sits for her young niece's frog and discovers magic in the terrarium--in the form of a sexy enchanted prince.

 

7. Kissing Frogs by Laura Marie Altom

 

Shunned by the scientific world because of her erroneous reporting of the discovery of a new breed of frogs, biologist Lucy Gordon is reduced to teaching science in a British boarding school, but the worst of her downfall is the damage done to her esteemed biologist father. Then one day a frog the likes of which she's never seen appears. Excited because this time she's really found a new amphibian, Lucy kisses it and immediately finds herself with a naked man claiming to be a medieval prince. If only Prince Wolfe Graye had married the sorceress' daughter! Now that he's been kissed, Wolfe must convince this modern woman to declare her love for him before the next full moon in order to break the spell. Otherwise, it's back to frogdom. Lucy is in a real quandary. If the prince stays human, she'll lose her chance at fame and her father's forgiveness. If not, Lucy may lose the man of her dreams.

 

8. Enchanted by Alethea Kontis

 

It isn’t easy being the rather overlooked and unhappy youngest sibling to sisters named for the other six days of the week. Sunday’s only comfort is writing stories, although what she writes has a terrible tendency to come true.

     When Sunday meets an enchanted frog who asks about her stories, the two become friends. Soon that friendship deepens into something magical. One night Sunday kisses her frog goodbye and leaves, not realizing that her love has transformed him back into Rumbold, the crown prince of Arilland—and a man Sunday’s family despises.

     The prince returns to his castle, intent on making Sunday fall in love with him as the man he is, not the frog he was. But Sunday is not so easy to woo. How can she feel such a strange, strong attraction for this prince she barely knows? And what twisted secrets lie hidden in his past—and hers?

 

9. Frogs & Toads by Stacy Lynn Carroll

 

One kiss can change the future, for better or for worse. Belle and her cousins have conquered their fears. Now as they navigate their way through the dating world, they start to see a "happily ever after" on the horizon. But when an unexpected school assignment forces them to examine their past, the Princess sisters realize they have a lot of questions about the fathers they've never met. Secrets are revealed, long lost family members are discovered, and now the girls must decide who belongs in their future and who should be kept in the past.

 

10. Prince of Kisses by Colleen Shannon

 

Daughter of wealth and privilege, lovely Charlaine Kimball was known to Victorian society as the Ice Princess. But when a brash intruder dared take a king's ransom in jewels from her private safe, indignation burned away her usual cool reserve. And when the handsome rogue presumed to steal a kiss from her untouched lips, forbidden longing set her soul ablaze.

Illegitimate son of a penniless Frenchwoman, Devlin Rhodes was nothing but a lowly bounder to the British aristocrats who snubbed him. But his leapfrogging ambition engaged him in a dangerous game. Now he would have to win Charlaine's hand in marriage- and have her begging for the kiss that would awaken his heart and transform him into the man he was always meant to.

 

Vote for your favoite on my Goodreads list: The Frog Prince Romance