Fairest by Cara MaloneFairest by Cara Malone is the third book in the Sapphic Fairy Tales Series. It is also a captivating story about learning to love yourself just as you are and true love will be sure to follow.

There isn’t a person on this earth who wouldn’t trade places with Luma in a heartbeat. She can live off of her huge trust fund without ever having to work a day in her life. She can also buy whatever she wants and travel far and wide. Added to that, her stunning looks has caught the attention of a well-known modelling agency and they are going out of their way to get Luma to say yes to signing a contract with them.

The old adage is definitely true – jealousy is a killer. Tabitha would kill to have the opportunity to be wooed by the prestigious modelling agency that was anxious to represent Luma. Her ungrateful and spoiled step-daughter doesn’t know how good she has it and Tabitha wants to get rid of her competition once and for all so she hires someone to kill Luma.

Luma has no choice but to go off the grid and hide in the forest until her step-mother’s wrath blows over. She finds herself seeking refuge at a lonely cottage in the woods and she has no way of contacting her father or accessing any of her money.

Charlie decides to join her family’s lumberjack business because she wants to bury her emotions and what is left of her broken heart. She is tired of hiding the birthmark on her forehead and she’s also fed up of being rejected because of it. Charlie is so close to giving up on love until she discovers Luma fast asleep in her bed.

When Charlie and her six brothers agree to protect Luma, she finds more than a place to lay low for a while. Luma finds the love that she has always been searching for and she also finds her life’s purpose in the cozy cottage. Unfortunately for Luma, Tabitha will continue to hunt her down until she is satisfied that Luma is dead.

Will Charlie and her brothers be able to protect Luma from her malicious step-mother? Or will Charlie lose Luma when Tabitha is no longer a threat and she returns to the glamour of her former life?

The Characters

Luma White is a young socialite with a large fortune at her fingertips. She is also extremely beautiful and she possesses a heart of gold. Luma isn’t sure what she wants to do with her life but she certainly knows that she doesn’t want to be a trust fund kid anymore. My heart turned into a puddle of goo from the moment Luma was mentioned because she is so trusting and naïve about the sinister intentions her step-mother has toward her. However, Luma is also fiercely independent because she wants to earn her own money and she wants to be surrounded by people who genuinely love her.

Charlie Jacobs has recently joined the family’s lumberjack trade and she makes well-crafted pottery in her spare time. She is very self-conscious about the scar on her forehead and she doesn’t believe that anyone outside of her family could possibly love her. I don’t like to choose favorites but I really wanted to give Charlie a long, heart-felt hug because she is such a generous, affable and understanding person who will go out of her way to help a person in need. Oh, did I forget to mention that I have a thing for women who are very good with their hands? Well, I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m crushing hard on Charlie because she is starring in each of my butch goddess daydreams.

The Writing Style

Just when I thought I couldn’t be blown away by another retelling of a well-loved fairy tale, I was proven wrong. Cara Malone weaved an enthralling tale by bringing Luma, Charlie, Tabitha and the Jacobs brothers to life for me. This story entertained me long into the night and it had me laughing and shaking my head at the characters’ unique quirks and flaws. I also enjoyed the vivid descriptions of Grimm Falls and Rockledge because I was able to compare Luma and Charlie’s backgrounds and learn more about them through their surroundings.

The Pros

I’ve always loved fairy tales as a child and I’m delighted that I can still enjoy fairy tale retellings as an adult. This story pulled me into Luma and Charlie’s world as they embarked on the rugged journey toward self-acceptance and finding their purpose in life while they tried to juggle their blossoming romance at the same time.

The Cons

Zero complaints!

aprils favourite booksThe Conclusion

At first, this story may come across as nothing more than another Sapphic fairy tale but it is so much more than that. This story highlights the pedestal beautiful women are placed upon and the ways that society defines beauty and femininity. It also emphasizes the restrictive roles that families and communities expect young women to conform to whether they are from the upper, middle or working class. If you enjoy delving into fairy tales with realistic and adorable characters who will make you take a closer look at the issues all women face, then this is definitely the story for you!

Excerpt from Fairest by Cara Malone

“You have a houseguest,” Adam said.

“What?” Charlie started to ask, and then she caught sight of her bed—and the girl fast asleep in it. She had her hands tucked under her cheek and her chest was rising and falling peacefully. Her skin was like porcelain and her hair was a beautiful, silky black.

“Do you know her?” Braden asked.

Charlie gave him an Are you crazy? look. “No, of course not.”

Her hand went automatically to her bangs, rearranging her tawny hair carefully over her forehead. The girl’s eyes were shut, not a hint of tension in her porcelain face despite the fact that seven people were staring at her. Charlie thought she detected a slight smile on her ruby-red lips.

Was she having a good dream?

“She’s hot,” Adam said, and Charlie drove her elbow into his ribs. He wheezed as he asked, “What was that for?”

“For being rude,” Charlie said, although Adam wasn’t wrong – even with her eyes closed, this was easily the most beautiful girl Charlie had ever seen. In Grimm Falls, or on movie screens – there were no qualifiers necessary.

She was overwhelmingly pretty and she was sleeping in Charlie’s bed.

“What’s she doing here?” Charlie whispered.

“She’s waiting for you, obviously,” Joey smirked.

They might have drawn the line at teasing Charlie over her birthmark, but girls were most certainly not off-limits. They were one thing Charlie and her brothers could agree on, and the Jacobs siblings seemed to believe that the best way to get back on the horse after heartbreak was a good ribbing about the dismal state of one’s love life.

“Waiting for Charlie?” Adam whispered. “No way. That’s a straight girl if I ever saw one.”

Have you ever seen one?” Scotty asked him.

“Shut up,” Adam retorted.

“Both of you shut up,” Charlie said, trying to keep them quiet as the girl’s brows furrowed slightly. She stirred, but didn’t wake, and Charlie noticed that her arms – as porcelain white as the rest of her complexion – were crisscrossed with angry pink scratches. What happened to her? And what were they going to say – or do – if this strange girl woke up to find all seven of them staring at her? “Come on, let’s go out to the living room.”

“Shouldn’t we wake her up?” Joey asked. “Find out what she’s doing here?”

“Let her sleep,” Charlie said, pulling her door shut to give the girl some peace.

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Series

Sapphic Fairy Tales Series

Seeing Red: Book 1

Cinders: Book 2

Fairest: Book 3

Bits and Bobs

  • ISBN number: 9781093514872
  • Publisher: Lisbon Press
  • Cara Malone Online 

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