Review : Before Midnight (Blood Prince #1) by Jennifer Blackstream (PNR)

Goodreads

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Book Blurb

Loupe always dreamed of getting married. She yearned for a caring husband who would take her away from her servant-like existence at home with her stepmother and two stepsisters, a man who would love her forever. Those dreams ended the day she was bitten by a werewolf. Now she’s a mindless beast on the night of the full moon—a condition that forever prevents her from sharing a marriage bed. Not even the attentions of a handsome and endearingly strong prince can convince her that the life she wants is still possible.

Etienne is a prince in need of a werewolf. A werewolf himself from birth, Etienne and his family have protected their kingdom with tooth and claw—literally—for thousands of years. Unfortunately, the spell of a well-meaning witch is slowly turning him human. Only the bite of a cursed werewolf, one who was not born with the beast inside, can save him from becoming human. He has no time for anything that will not lead him to a cure for the curse. Not even the beautiful maiden whose gentle nature soothes his soul can take his mind from his goal.

Love cares little for the best laid plans or the impossible. A grand ball. The stroke of twelve. A magic “slipper.” All kinds of things can happen when you don’t leave the ball…Before Midnight.

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Toot's Review by Stacy Sabala

This is a story with a paranormal spin on Cinderella. Five blood princes from different realms are brought together. They give their blood to a magical tree that houses a woman named Eurydice. It is her plan to find mates for the five men. Her first prince is Etienne the werewolf. He has been ‘blessed’ by a witch and is losing his wolf. He has yet to find a way to stop becoming fully human.

Loupe lives with her step mother and two step sisters. She is forced to live in the cellar and skin the dead wolves that they bring her. Once when she was approaching one of the dead wolves, it reached up and bit her and then transformed into a woman. Loupe from then on was infected and became a werewolf herself. She would sneak out when the moon was to be full and chain herself up in the forest. She couldn’t let her step mother know. They would kill her.

Loupe and Etienne are brought together by three wolf cubs, a pixie and a blessing given by a witch whom knows more than she lets on.

This story was fun to read. The parallels to Cinderella were obvious but it was interesting to see what the author added to the story. The step mother was an extremely horrible person. She was beyond cruel to the point of pathological.

The relationship between Loupe and Etienne was sweet with each trying to protect the other from the wolf they held inside. Loupe was a great character once she grew courage and take what she wanted instead of cowering with fear. The Pixie, however, was my favorite. He made me laugh out loud.

This is the first as there are four more princes to have stories and I can’t wait to see what happens. I give this a 4 out of 5 for its original ideas.

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