Utterly Charming

Originally published in 2000, the second visit to Grayson’s fractured fairy tale world (after Wickedly Charming) is just as endearing as the first. Emma, the legendary Sleeping Beauty, is caught in the middle of a vicious custody battle between her evil witch mentor, Ealhswith, and her “Prince,” wizard Aethelstan Blackstone. Aethelstan enlists the help of down-on-her-luck lawyer Nora Barr, who is hesitant to get involved in the world of magic. When Emma finally wakes, the reunion doesn’t go as planned. Angry at losing the last 1,000 years of her life, Emma wants nothing to do with Blackstone or Ealhswith and asks for Nora’s protection and help navigating the modern world—but all Nora can think about is her attraction to handsome Aethelstan. Grayson (science fiction author Kristine Kathryn Rusch) uses smooth prose and humorous, human characters to create a delightful, breezy tale perfect for anyone who truly enjoys happy endings. (Oct.)