fairytale Archives » C.K. Beggan

Falling for the Doomed Bride (To Win a Dark Heart)

My next book release will be the villain-led fairytale mashup and pirate romantasy, Falling for the Doomed Bride, part of the To Win a Dark Heart multi-author series. (Click here to check out the entire series!) on Friday, January 23, 2026.

About Falling for the Doomed Bride:

It will be available in KU
You can also order signed paperbacks directly from my author shop here
It stars truly morally grey characters learning to have a heart
Some of the most prominent tropes are: forced proximity, morally grey characters, only one bed, slow-burn romance, finally kiss
The heat level is “just kisses”/no spice

The synopsis:

A cursed treasure.
A relentless hunt.
A doomed bride who won’t go down without a fight.

Treasure-hunting pirate Jax the Bluebeard has fallen under a curse that only his bride can break. Each of his wives has failed and been doomed by the curse, filling Jax’s days with death and hardening his heart. Yet the curse compels Jax to keep searching for new brides that can win him the deadly treasure he desires.

Fortunately for Jax, he just raided the ship of a cunning sorceress. Unfortunately for him, she just might be the woman of his dreams.

Sofie, a fairy godmother of the realm, is fleeing the kingdom after cursing a newborn princess. All she wants is to return to the safety of her wintry homeland. Instead, Sofie is tricked into becoming Bluebeard’s next bride…but not before she curses him to endless slumber if he pricks his finger on a splinter of wood—a true challenge for a man who lives aboard an empire of wooden ships.

Can Sofie beat the curse of Bluebeard’s wives and save herself and Jax? Or will these two villains do anything to avoid the warm feelings growing in their hearts—even if it means dooming each other?

Falling for the Doomed Bride combines the villains from Sleeping Beauty and Bluebeard’s Wives in a no spice romantasy adventure where the characters trade both kisses and curses. Falling for the Doomed Bride is the second book in the To Win a Dark Heart series which retells fairy tales as old as time, but this time it’s the villain’s turn to get a happy ending.

Order now

The Fox and the Briar (Once Upon a Reimagined Time #2), by Chesney Infalt (fairytale retelling; romantic fantasy)

Note: I received a free ARC and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

I’m so taken with this incredibly gentle, understated fantasy retelling! The Fox and the Briar is a fae retelling of Sleeping Beauty, with a reserved, Darcy-esque fae prince who can’t seem to find the right words to tell his princess how he feels.

Fans of the miscommunication trope will like the initial premise. Those who don’t will be pleased (and maybe squee a little) when it ends with the first quarter or so of the story. There’s an arranged marriage, a prince in magical disguise and Tristan, a wicked fae king with boldness for days. And who doesn’t love a villain with swagger?

The more I read of Tristan, the more I loved this story. While the (loveably) bumbling Seelie prince can’t find the nerve to express himself, Unseelie King Tristan casually worries about keeping a courtier from falling in love with him. The guy’s got confidence.

I really liked where the story was left, and hope to hear more from the characters, just like characters from author Chesney Infalt’s previous retelling, The Heart of the Sea, make an appearance in The Fox and the Briar. And if the Cheshire Cat is involved–included here as a denizen of faerie–you know it has to be good.

My rating:

Rated 5 out of 5

To learn more about this author, check out the interview, 10 Questions with Chesney Infalt (live 6/3/22), or visit chesneyinfalt.com.