Joan Marie Verba

This is a fairy tale retelling but it does something so different with the story. The two things I loved about it were getting to experience the peaceful, protected town along with Alden, a war veteran; and the gradual untangling of the mystery. I found the explanations to be believable and fulfilling.

The story is very slow paced; it was a good book to read at bedtime. The romance is “sweet” and not steamy.

Re: my cozy rating... Technically this is set in 1700s Asia, and it references show more real-world cities and religions, but the story takes place in an enchanted town that’s separated from the outside world. show less

An easy read, but with less plot than I'd looked for. The twelve dancing princesses were almost a B plot, but the A plot was simply Alden coming to town, getting systematically introduced to everyone there, and promptly being entrusted with everyone's secrets while they say "You know how people talk". It's a very nice town: tolerant of diverse religions and other diversities, on top of which the Enchanters keep kids from coming to trouble in the woods and heal the worst of a widower's grief show more overnight. There's practically no conflict there, and very little in dealing with the mystery of the dancing princesses either, nor much suspense. In short it'd make a very pleasant read for someone in the mood for pleasant tales. show less

After reading the first two books in this set (Countdown to Action, Action Alert), I began to notice a pattern. So far, we are being introduced to the Tracy men one by one. This book had more intense moments of rescues that coincided with the ‘warped genius’ and his antics on gathering what he needed for his own plans.
Joan has again mastered the suspense, drama and action-packed adventure to keep the reader wanting more. I was rather upset when the story ended. Even if this book was show more randomly selected to read, I think it would be enjoyable and one would be able to know the set up behind it, but with any good series I recommend starting at the beginning to have the familiarity to the roots of it.

As the reader continues in this series, I know I for one, became familiar with the Tracy’s and their International Rescue teammates. I enjoyed the banter shared with the brothers as well as the practical jokes they liked to play on each other. It is a very positive portrayal of a family sharing a bond that is not easily broken, especially when surrounded by each other day and night, as well as residing on a secret tropical island away from everyone. I hope Joan plans to write more on this fun series, and now from my reading, I want to watch the show and share it with my small son. show less

When Alden arrives in a small village seeking peace after his career as a soldier he fits into the society well and blends in with the people there. Many visitors have come to the village with the idea of solving the mystery of the princesses who live in the castle, and seeking their hands in marriage. Although he does not seek to solve the mystery, Alden is drawn in through mysterious and magical gifts that enable him to help people and use special skills and find love and acceptance. When show more outside evil threatens the town, Alden might be able to use his skills to help, and to solve the mystery of the princesses too.

I found this story to be compelling from the outset. Once I started to read, I did not want to close the book. Readers do not need to be familiar with the original story of the Twelve Dancing Princesses to enjoy this intriguing rendition of the story. The characters and events are magical yet gentle, and the ending will no doubt satisfy the most discerning reader of fantasy and fairy tale.

I received this ARC from the publisher and Early Reviewers on Library Thing. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. show less