The Princess and the Pea by K. M. Shea

Fantasy. Pages. 4 Stars

Synopsis:

What if the true makings of a princess have nothing to do with where she’s from and everything to do with who she is?

She may hate her nickname of “Warrior Princess” but Lis stakes her reputation on her ability to protect her client’s treasures no matter what she faces.

But this job is different.

When the royal family of Torrens hires her to guard the fabled Pea of Primeorder jewel it starts out like any other job. The king is kind of eccentric (and possibly delusional) and Prince Channing is strangely pleasant towards her, but otherwise everything is normal.

Until she learns about the thief.

The legendary thief Apex has sent a letter declaring his intention to steal the Pea of Primeorder. Lis knows this is either the vainest thief in the world or there is more going on then she’s been told. But a job is a job. Lis will pass this test at all costs even if she has to stuff the jewel in her mattress while she sleeps.

But eccentricities of the Torrens royal family only intensifies as Prince Channing starts asking Lis strange questions. Like…would Lis stay in Torrens after her contract is over, and if they could learn to fight together. (What kind of royal asks that?)

A Prince, a Warrior, and a Pea. The Kingdom of Torrens will never be the same.

This novella is a prequel for the Timeless Fairy Tale series. It is not necessary to read the books in the Timeless Fairy Tales series prior to reading this story. However, if you have read that series watch for the name drops and hidden Easter eggs!

My Review:

This was a cute little prequel. A short, easy read, packed with action! The Princess and the Pea is one of my favorite fairy tales, so this was a fun one for me. I liked the characters a lot–and the nod to the snow queen! I’m excited to finally read the Timeless Fairy Tales!! 2020 threw me off my game, but I’m going to get through this series!

I feel like there were lots of nods in here that I will better understand after I read the series, so I may go back and reread this one for fun, but as it stands alone, I liked the little bit of intrigue and the peek into Lis and Vorah’s outstanding characters. The romance was a little abrupt, but I totally saw it coming and it made me grin anyway. It’s hard to do development in eight chapters, so I get that. There were a few bits that really made me laugh and I very much enjoyed the action sequences. I was surprised at how invested I was in such a short little story! Fun little read! Looking forward to Book 1!

More:

Book 1 in the Timeless Fairy Tales is Beauty and the Beast

Book 2 is The Wild Swans

Book 3 is Cinderella and the Colonel

Book 4 is Rumpelstiltskin

Book 5 is The Little Selkie

Book 6 is Puss in Boots

Book 7 is Swan Lake

Book 8 is Sleeping Beauty

Book 9 is The Frog Prince

Book 10 is The Twelve Dancing Princesses

Book 11 is Snow White

I have not read this series yet, but oh am I looking forward to it! I’ll come back and update this as I go, but for now, you can check them out and find more information with the links above! I did read the prequel duology, the Snow Queen books, which I loved, and you can find more info on those here.