Tour Post: Desperately Ever After

Today we're taking part in the blog tour for Laura Kenyon's Desperately Ever After, hosted by Fiction Addiction Tours. I love a good fairy tale character, don't you? Let me know what you think and don't forget to enter the giveaway! 
Enjoy x

DESPERATELY EVER AFTERby Laura Kenyon

One part Sex and the City. Two parts Desperate Housewives.

Three parts Brothers Grimm.

Pages: 296

Publication Date: February 2014

Received From:  Fiction Addiction Tours

Summary 

“If you are looking for a fun and gossipy story to satisfy the holes left when Sex and the City and Desperate Housewives had their series finales (or even if you’re going through Once Upon a Time withdrawal come season finale time) look no further than Desperately Ever After.” ~ Chick Lit Central

Imagine what might happen if our most beloved fairy tale princesses were the best of friends and had the dreams, dilemmas, and libidos of the modern woman. How would their stories unfold after the wedding bells stopped ringing? Set in a fictional realm based on New York City, DESPERATELY EVER AFTER sprinkles women’s fiction with elements of fantasy, and encourages readers to rethink everything they know about happy endings.  

Years after turning her husband from beast back to man and becoming his queen, Belle finds out she’s finally going to have a child. But before she can announce the wondrous news, she catches him cheating and watches her “happily ever after” go up in flames. Turning to her friends for the strength to land with grace, she realizes she’s not the only one at a crossroads: 

Cinderella, a mother of four drowning in royal duties, is facing her 30th birthday and questioning everything she’s done (or hasn’t) with her life.  

Rapunzel, a sex-crazed socialite and one-woman powerhouse, is on a self-destructive quest to make up for 20 years locked away in a tower.  

Penelopea, an outsider with a mother-in-law from hell, is harboring a secret that could ruin everything at any moment. 

Review

"We didn't thrive because of magic. We survived in spite of it."

I think the first thing that needs to be said about Desperately Ever After is that it is NOT a fairy tale retelling. No, it's more like what happened after the last page was turned. After the happily every after. It's this perfect mix of past and present with mobile phones and magical kingdoms. It's the perfect book to be reading this summer and it's completely unputdownable!

I'm not going to lie, I was a little dubious when I first started reading DEA. I loved the idea of the book, as I've often wondered about what happens after true loves kiss but when I was reading the first chapter I was starting to wander whether or not I really wanted to know. The idea of a happily ever after is something I think everyone dreams of - even if it's just a little bit and what Laura has done is turn our magical fables into something very real. It's gritty at times and humorous at others and after the first two chapter's I was hooked! The journey's and the growth of all our leading ladies is down right inspirational and makes for that warm fizzy feeling.

I think the fact that we know the character's going into the book makes it a lot easier to connect with them. Every single event that happened throughout made me feel something. Even within the first couple of chapters, I wanted to smack Donner (The Beast) and wrap Belle into a massive bear hug. These are my beloved fairy tale character's and you go into it caring what happens to them. And even though Laura has given each character their own new, stronger and empowering voice there is no denying these are our princesses.

Also, can I just say that I love Laura's choice of princesses! Yes we have the traditional ones, such as Cinderella (Cindy), Belle, Rapunzel and Sleeping Beauty (Dawn) but she's also thrown the Princess and the Pea in there (Pen) too. Not to mention odd snippets of the original Grimm fairy tales, like the little mermaid, giving the whole book a much more colourful and rich concept than if she had just stuck with the Disney Classics.

The story is full of twist and turns and moments that will have you picking your jaw up of the floor. There's a real sense of girl power and nostalgia to DEA that will have you captivated. It is brilliantly written and was a real joy to read. The character's are endearing. The story compelling. It's Once Upon a Time meets Desperate Housewives. The perfect chick-lit that will have all readers smiling, laughing, cursing Donner and cheering on Pun. I can't actually recommend this enough and I can't wait for DAMSELS IN DISTRESS!

READ THE BOOK PEOPLE! READ. THE. BOOK.

 

**I received this book as an ARC from Laura Kenyon through Fiction Addiction Tours to read & review. This is a 100% honest review.**

About Laura

Like so many women today, I grew up on Disney films and fairy tales. But as wonderful as these were at the time, they always left me wondering what came next. How did Cinderella feel ten years down the road, when her iconic ball gown no longer fit and she had four kids, royal duties up the wahzoo, and a husband who was hardly ever around? How long did it take Beast to return to his old ways when he no longer needed Beauty to break the curse? 
My debut novel, Desperately Ever After, takes our most beloved fairy tale princesses, makes them the best of friends, and imagines what happened when the wedding bells stopped ringing. At its core, it’s about honesty and friendship, and how one can never work without the other.
In addition to writing books, I am a freelance journalist and blogger, and enjoy traveling, hiking, and playing with my 92-pound, ridiculously energetic, four-year-old puppy.

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