A retelling of the fairy tale where one sister is given the power to speak diamonds, the other cursed to speak toads. But in this case one is given a fortune, the other cursed with distorted speech (which generally means she propositions the one that got away from her past).

The first story, with the goodie-two-shoes sister, was a bit boring, and also skeevy since the man began by trying to fleece the sister out of her money. The second, with the bad sister (with a heart of gold) was more entertaining, mostly because the two people were honest with each other.

(Provided by publisher) ( )

2.5

*Book source ~ NetGalley

Delilah and Isadora are half-sisters. After their father was sent to prison, their family’s reputation with the crème de la crème of society plummeted into the toilet. Until the day that the Perrault family fairy blesses Delilah with riches and an engagement to the man she loves. But does he love her in return or is he just after her new-found moola? At the same time, Isadora’s mother demands Izzy find the fairy and get a blessing, too. However, the fairy curses her instead. But is the curse a blessing in disguise?

This book has two separate yet concurrent stories. Delilah’s story is first and I like this one much better than Izzy’s story. I really like Delilah. She’s spunky, dominant and not an idiot even though she’s head-over-heels in love with the asshat Chas. Not a fan of him. Not even at the end. Poor Delilah. But she loves him so I hope she’s happy with her choice. At least she gets to flog him occasionally.

Story two is Izzy and Sam’s story. Isadora is a bitch and a useless snob. I can’t stand her. Sam is a moron for loving her. I love the curse the fairy bestows upon her worthless ass. I wish it had never been lifted and that Sam came to his senses and found someone else. The end. ( )

"DIAMONDS & TOADS", by K.E. Saxon, is a 246 page story for $3.99 (digital). It is a twisted retelling of the Cinderella fairy tale, complete with the beleaguered Cinderella, nasty stepsister and evil stepmother. Hey - I'm all about the snark and really enjoy the authors that provide twists on common (& uncommon) stories. In "Diamonds & Toads" there are two mini-stories of how the good (coughing up diamonds) sister and the "bad" (inability to filter her mouth) sister are "blessed" by the family's fairy godmother. Throw in some sex scenes tinged with BDSM themes and there's the book.

When I receive a copy of a book in exchange for an honest review, I always feel badly when I don't like the book. To be honest, I stopped reading this book. TWICE. On the third time I forced myself through it. I don't know if it's just that I decided it wasn't what I was in the mood for at the time, or if I just couldn't "feel" what the author wanted me to about these characters, but I just couldn't stand to read them. The concept was cool, but I'm just not sure that the execution was what it could... or should... have been. It's gotten a more 4 & 5 star reviews on Amazon than it has 3 star or lower, so maybe it's just me. It's a 2011 release, so I'd recommend checking your library first before spending any money. But that's just me... ( )

"Once upon a time, there were two sisters, one blessed,and one cursed by fairy magic...."

If you love contemporary fairy tales with lots of hot, steamy romance, then you're going to love this book! There are two sisters in a family one who is very kind and thoughtful, and one who is very selfish and rude. Can you guess which one is blessed and which one is cursed?! The first half of the book tells the story of the kind sister, Delilah Perrault, who "is blessed with riches beyond her wildest dreams and the man she's had her eye on for ages--even though he secretly has designs on her newfound wealth instead." Unfortunately, Delilah doesn't know that Chas Regan is only after her money, and when the fairy who blessed her tells her she can't let him have it, he will have to decide which is more important - his family's company or Delilah. Oh, and Delilah has a nice little secret that she's keeping from him, too!

In the second half of the book, we get to hear the story of Delilah's half-sister, Isadora. The same fairy who blessed Delilah curses Isadora, so that every time she opens her mouth she says something awful, usually obscene, that she had no intention of saying! Her mother kicks her out of the house after one such scene, and she takes refuge with a man from her past, her ex-fiancee Sam. She is forced to cook and clean for him until she can find out how to break the curse.

This book is a very quick read because it is fast paced and more often than not hilarious! I read it one day because I couldn't put it down! I totally blamed K.E. Saxon for my lack of sleep and not getting any work done the next day! This is a really fun, really HOT book, full of magic and romance, and I can definitely recommend it :D ( )