Mailbox Monday – 10/12

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I used to read a lot of Mercedes Lackey books back when she wrote her Valdimar series. Then I didn’t like the series she started after that one. I got the below books on a deal on paperbackswap.com. Hopefully I will like this (kind of) new series of hers 🙂

“The Fairy Godmother” (Tales from the 500 Kingdoms, Book 1) by Mercedes Lackey

First Sentence: “This is not the way to spend a beautiful spring morning.”
From Amazon.com: “The prolific Lackey (the Valdemar series) draws on the darker, Brothers Grimm side of fairy lore for her enchanting tale, the first title under a new Harlequin imprint to spotlight romantic fantasy. In the land of the Five Hundred Kingdoms, the Tradition, that ineffable magic, holds the promise of happily-ever-after for all deserving young maidens and courteous princes charming. But the Tradition also leads some in its thrall to pain, suffering and gruesome death. Feisty 19-year-old Elena Klovis seems destined to be an Ella of the Cinders (Cinderella), at the mercy of her wicked stepmother and greedy stepsisters. To escape their clutches, Elena tries to get work as a maidservant, but her fairy godmother, Madame Bella, has other plans for her. Elena becomes Madame Bella’s apprentice, doing her best, among other challenges, to ensure that evil does not subvert Tradition. The only problem is that fairy godmothers are not themselves allowed to fall in love. It’s up to Elena, who has vowed to reform a wayward prince, to tease out the threads of a new Tradition. Lackey has created an intelligent, self-possessed heroine with whom many readers will identify.”

“One Good Knight” (Tales from the 500 Kingdoms, Book 2) by Mercedes Lackey

First Sentence: “Princess Andromeda stood on the very edge of a ledge three-quarters of the way up the cliff above the Royal Palace of her motherm Queen Cassiopeia of Acadia, holding her arms to the wind.”
From Amazon.com: “When a dragon storms the castle, what should a (virgin) princess do? Why, turn to her studies, of course! But nothing practical-minded Princess Andromeda of Acadia finds gives a definitive solution. The only Traditional answer, though, is soothing the marauding dragon by a virgin sacrifice. Things are going fairly smoothly with the lottery — except for the women chosen, of course — until Princess Andromeda herself is picked! But facing down the dragon doesn’t go quite as planned, and now, with the help of her Champion, Sir George, Andromeda searches for the dragon’s lair. But even — especially — in the Five Hundred Kingdoms, bucking Tradition isn’t easy. It takes the strongest of wills, knowledge, quick wits and a refusal to give up, no matter what happens along the way . . . “

“Fortune’s Fool” (Tales from the 500 Kingdoms, Book 3) by Mercedes Lackey

First Sentence: “Shafts of golden light pierced the green twilight, penetrating the waving fronds of the forest to leave pools of light on the ground.”
From Amazon.com: “The seventh daughter of the Sea King, Ekaterina is more than a pampered princess—she’s also the family spy. Which makes her the perfect emissary to check out interesting happenings in the neighboring kingdom…and nothing interests her more than Sasha, the seventh son of the king of Belrus. Ekaterina suspects he’s far from the fool people think him. But before she can find out what lies beneath his facade, she is kidnapped!Trapped in a castle at the mercy of a possessive Jinn, Ekaterina knows her chances of being found are slim. Now fortune, a fool and a paper bird are the only things she can count on—along with her own clever mind and intrepid heart.… “

That’s it for this week! I hope that everyone has a wonderful week 🙂