The Midnight Blizzard by Mary Mecham
Fairytale Retelling. 218 Pages. 5 Stars
Synopsis:
An ice slipper wasn’t the only thing left behind at midnight…
Noelle Frost only has one chance to reclaim the inheritance stolen from her after her father’s death. With her stepfamily plotting to win the prince’s heart during his bride competition to secure their own power, Noelle must infiltrate the royal ball to confront her stepmother and reclaim her birthright before time runs out. But in order to get close enough, she must compete for a crown she doesn’t want—and a prince she doesn’t love.
The real danger lies in her growing feelings for Jack, the prince’s enigmatic mage advisor. As their forbidden romance ignites, Jack becomes Noelle’s only ally in a world of treachery, with access to the records that could restore her to her rightful place as the heiress of the Frostwood estate. The closer Noelle gets to Jack, the more impossible their future seems.
As the competition heats up and the prince’s attention turns to Noelle, her stepmother offers a risky bargain that Noelle can’t turn down if she wants to protect Jack, even if it means leaving the castle forever. After all, if Noelle and Jack can never be together, does she have any reason to stay?
As midnight approaches, Noelle must decide if she can truly leave her heart behind.
This is a Cinderella retelling, filled with forbidden love, dog sleds, blackmail, and an illegal courtship set in a snowy kingdom. Perfect for a cozy Christmas read, fans of Melanie Cellier, Tara Grayce, and Deborah Grace White will love this no-spice romantic fantasy book.
This book is a part of The Christmas Chronicles, a collection of festive novellas filled with clean romance, chilly weather, and cozy adventure.
My Review:
This was freaking adorable! Totally opened the book planning to just read the first few pages to see if I’d want to read it next and then looked up at 1am after finishing it realizing I’d just completely unintentionally just binged the book. I don’t remember the last time I binged a book like that.
Y’all know I’m a sucker for Cinderella anyhow, but this gives all the Jack Frost x Elsa vibes we always wanted, but Cinderella instead of Snow Queen. This book is everything you love about winter wrapped into a delightful story – snow, cozy, warm fires, dog sleds, sweet treats, and of course, a forbidden romance, mages, a marriage competition, and very headstrong entrepreneurial maidens 😀 (Side note, I breezed past dog sled, but I just have to say I blame Balto for my obsession with huskies and mush dogs and boy does this story scratch that itch!)
The nods to the traditional Cinderella story seemed strategically selected and woven into the story well. I appreciated the little bit of twist with the stepfamily’s motives – and, guys the glass slippers!! *melts into a puddle* This story had so much humor, heart, and just…a lightness to it that we need desperately in such a broken world.
Jack was adorable and I loved him. Need I say more? And I really enjoyed Beryl and his family, too. Noelle was headstrong, but just. I loved her sass. I enjoyed the political intrigue of the mages in the kingdom. And the prince was sweet <3 I spent so much of the story wondering what on earth we were going to do about the romance cause clearly Jack and Noelle were meant for one another, but it’s a Cinderella retelling! She had to win the prince’s heart, right? If not her, then who? It was a fun little dilemma that had me chewing. I can’t believe I danced all around the solution without actually figuring it out until it came to pass – a fun little twist Mecham pulled off pretty well if you ask me.
I’ve been wanting to check out Mary Mecham’s work for a while and there could not have been a better book to start with to hook me in deep. I’m quite looking forward to her other books now, but it may be hard to top how truly delightful this one was.
Content: no swearing, not really any violence, and an adorably sweet and clean romance. Suitable for preteens.
On GraceBought
If you enjoyed this story, you may also like:
Cinderella and the Colonel, Heart of Ice, Cinders, Stars, and Glass Slippers, Fated: Cinderella’s Story, Ellie and the Prince, and The Princess Companion
Don’t miss the FREE CINDERELLA RETELLING GUIDE here with 30+ Cinderella Retellings!