3.5 stars rounded down.

Not a bad read, but the strangest, and probably my least favorite in the Tempting Tales series.

I liked that there was some diversity here, but I think I just wasn't crazy about the fantastical faerie's and their bizarre appearances. Just didn't do much for me. I was also very annoyed with how Mateo was treated by pretty much everybody (except Opalo) which made me feel frustrated at times. I thought his approach was super reasonable, tbh.

Again, I did enjoy this one overall. the writing was fabulous, and the sex scenes were super hot. But I didn't find it quite as enchanting as the first two in this series, which was a little disappointing, since I think this was the longest one.

This was a delightful retelling of the twelve dancing princesses, with Mateo as the youngest and a prince who has been left out of his sister's secret escapades to a fairy kingdom, but isn't free of the consequences. When the king offers up the hand of any of his children in marriage, Mateo feels compelled to solve the mystery himself. He meets his fated mate in fairy land, but isn't as quick to surrender his heart as his sisters, as he still has conflicted feelings and duties to the human realm. The romance grows naturally, for all that the characters fall into bed quickly. I enjoyed the creative way this problematic story of a controlling father was dealt with, and some of the unique world building. The characters were easy to cheer for, and the steamy scenes hit just right. Highly recommend for fantasy fans who enjoy fairy tale retellings with a little heat.

2.5 Stars

Definitely embodying the fairy tale structure and the obligatory happy ending, this is all about Mateo who has sworn off love, seeing as how it's brought nothing but pain to those who succumb. He's determined to not give his heart away, and struggles with this decision when he meets the charismatic fae Opalo, who claims their very existence is to be solely for the other.

There's no argument that this had an original set up and was full of smexy smex, but overall I felt mostly ambivalent. Mateo resists and cannot, will not, see that his destiny is already writ, bringing unnecessary heartache to Opalo, as he refuses to give in to his feelings. Thus this was frustrating, and I wanted a different journey and emotional outcome than what I got. Because of my own expectations and wants, unfortunately, I was just mostly bored.

Sweet twist on the twelve dancing princesses tale. I loved that it wasn’t insta love. That Mateo wanted to get to know Opalo first.

The descriptions of the fairy world were bright and imaginative.

It was a quick and easy read.

Wondrous retelling of the dancing princesses

This is a delightful retelling of the Brothers Grimm's 12 Dancing Princesses, where strangely the shoes of the princesses are worn through every night even though they never leave their rooms.

Together Keira Andrews and Leta Blake have crafted a beautiful tale of two hearts eventually finding their future together without the slightest bit of fae magic being used.

Somehow managed to enjoy this despite thinking 98% of the characters were spoiled a-holes. I found myself charmed by Opalo and Mateo even as I find the whole premise pretty gross, but that's par for the course for fairy tales I guess. I liked the birdlike qualities of the fae in this book, that was interesting. Would've loved to learn more about their society, it all seemed pretty shallow and I'm confused on if there were any other non-bird fae besides the royal family.