Some Interesting Titles from Circlet Press

Three from Circlet Press, www.circlet.com, edited by Cecilia Tan and Sarah Desautels LIKE A QUEEN; LIKE A PRINCE; and LIKE A THORN, various formats including Kindle, reviewed by Barry Hunter.

We all know that the Brothers Grimm version of the tales have gone through clean-ups and re-writes to make them acceptable for children. Some of our writers have re-written them or re-versioned them to fit a more adult audience. In these three volumes , they are redone as alternate lifestyle versions. Although some things are changed, they are still entertaining and well written.

LIKE A QUEEN has taken five tales and retold them from a lesbian viewpoint. Clarice Cline’s “Mirror” takes Snow White to a new and different ending. “Queen’s Jewel” by A.D.R. Forte shows how it wasn’t a pea that kept the Princess awake all night. Kaysee Renee Robichaud shows that “Gretel’s Dilemma” lies inside the gingerbread house and her desire to remain there. “After the Hunt” by Michael M. Jones tells of the twelve hunters of Matthias who all happen to be women and an enchanted lion. Quatre Grey’s “The Stepmother’s Girl” is a retelling of Cinderella with her coming to an understanding with her stepmother.

LIKE A PRINCE has taken the gay route ion retelling the tales herein. Julie Cox has written a unique version of Beauty and the Beast in “Captivated”. Alexandra Erin takes the story of Cinderella and tells why it took “Two Balls” for the Prince to find his one, true love. ”Le Petite String Rouge” by Kiernan Kelly modernizes Little Red’s Riding Hood in to a G String and a really bad wolf. “Goose Boy” by Monique Poirer is the story of a Prince brought down by magic and his reinstatement by the King he was sent to serve under. In Elizabeth Schechter’s “To Market”, Conn must travel to the Goblin Market in order to find a cure for Bess who has tasted the wares of the market and now has the sickness that comes from visiting there.

LIKE A THORN finishes out the trilogy with stories that have a BDSM twist. Mari Ness tells of how Cinderella got those small feet in “Cinderfeet”. “The Princess and the Peony” by Merry Loomis is another version of how it takes more than a pea to bruise a Princess. “The Last Mistress of the Chatelaine” by Kieran Wyn Dewhurst appears to be a modern retelling of the Blackbeard legend. “That Wicked Witchcraft” by Sunny Moraine is the story if Han and Greta who get the best of the witch, Circe. Shawna Germain’s “Skin Deep” is the story of a Dominant Beauty and a submissive Beast.

Interesting and amazing stories that show the other places that imagination can go and make a fresh look on what has become common place.