Never After

Never After (2009) — Anthology

Genre and Sub-Genres[]

Urban Fantasy / Fantasy / Fantasy Romance

Theme[]

"Feminist Faerie Tales" — spinning off the classic idea of the “faerie tale wedding".

Description[]

The bonds of love...

The bonds of matrimony...

The bonds between husband and wife...

Let's face it-some bonds are made to be broken.

Here, for the first time ever, are four stories from today's most provocative authors that take the classic idea of the "faerie tale wedding" and give it a swift kick in the bustle. ~ Goodreads

Editor and Authors[]

Editor: Laurell K. Hamilton

Contributors: Laurell K. Hamilton (UF), Yasmine Galenorn (UF, PNR), Marjorie M. Liu (UF, PNR), Sharon Shinn (Fant-Rom)

Supernatural Elements[]

Selkie, Merman, magical forest, magician

List of Stories[]

Story Title	Series and Order #	Author	Gen	Supe / Fantasy Element	Lead(s)
"Can He Bake A Cherry Pie?"	none	Laurell K. Hamilton	Fant	"fairy tale" Rom	Elinore, Prince True
"The Shadow of the Mist"	Sisters of the Moon	Yasmine Galenorn	UF	Selkie, Merman, different powers	Siobhan, Prince Terrance, D'Artigo sisters
"The Tangleroot Palace"	none	Marjorie M. Liu	Fant-Rom	magical forest	Princess Sally
"The Wrong Bridegroom"	none	Sharon Shinny	Fant-Rom	magician,	Princess Olivia, Harwin, Gisele

To expand the table, right-press on a row of the table or (Control-press on a Mac)—choose add row.

Synopsis by Story[]

"Can you bake a cherry pie?" - Laurell K. Hamilton

This is written like a fairy tale. Kinda of take off on Rapunzel only the prince was the captive not the princess. ✥ The protagonist Elinore has been promised to an old and lecherous earl by her father for political gain and she only sees one way out: save Prince True from the sorceress who trapped him fifty years ago or die trying. ✥ Ellinore is a noblewoman whose father offers her in marriage to a depraved old man in order to grow his fortune and get closer to the throne, but Ellinore is sickened by the bargain. But when she decides to go and try to free Prince True, who tried to best a sorceress and lost her father is angered. The Witch has him, still imprisoned, forever young and handsome. ✥

"The Shadow of Mist" - Yasmine Galenorn Otherworld universe (no #)

✥ Siobhan Morgan, a friend of the D'Artigo sisters, has a hidden past. A selkie, Siobhan has told everyone she was sent to the United States because inbreeding was wiping out her people. What she didn't tell anyone was that a dark presence from her past who has been stalking her for a hundred years, since she first left the shores of Ireland. A man who will stop at nothing to possess her. With the help of the D'Artigo sisters, Siobhan must stop him before he destroys everything she loves and everything she's built in her new life. Yasmine Galenorn ✥

✥ Merman Prince Terrance is a real asshole. He raped selkie Siobhan and then expected her to marry him. She escaped and 100 years later he finds her again and the terror begins anew. Kinda rushed but not a bad story and could have been great if there was time to develop the characters. ✥ Siobhan, a Selkie with a secret past, is happy with her upcoming marriage and the birth of her first child when her past literally calls her and turns her world upside down. Now Siobhan must enlist the help of her friends the D'Artigo sisters if she wants to save herself, her child, and the man she loves. ✥

"The Tangleroot Palace" - Marjorie M. Liu

Princess Sally is being forced to wed an evil warlord. She refuses and flees into the magical forest to find a troupe of actors and mercenaries intent on killer her. ✥ story reminiscent of age old fairy tales involving a rebellious, headstrong princess set to be married to a warlord said to be fierce and deadly by her aging father the king. As the time draws closer for Sally to meet her future husband, she begins dreaming of the forest beyond her home with a queen and children, and decides an expedition is in order that will not only introduce her to secrets long hidden by her deceased mother, but also to an interesting troupe of "actors" that will change everything in her life forever. (hint of the paranormal) ✥

"The Wrong Bridegroom" - Sharon Shinn

The Princess is being forced to marry. The winner of a triple challenge gets the princess. However, the princess doesn't want the man expected to win as he's boring and dull. The escapades of the winning man and the princess are entertaining. ✥ We find Olivia, princess and heir to the kingdom her father the king now holds, watching as would-be suitors battle against one another for her hand in marriage after she refuses to be wed to the man her father had chosen. She was dazzled by the magician who passed all the tests and thought him to be the prince of her dreams. Of course, the other victor of the tests was none other than her disgarded fiance and he has no intention of letting his princess toss him over without trying one last time to show her he would be the perfect husband for her. ✥

~ Sources:

Cover Artist[]

Artist: Carlos Caetano / Shutterstock — Carlos Caetano / Shutterstock - Summary Bibliography ~ ISFdb

Publishing Information[]

Publisher:
Book data:

Cover Blurb[]

Four tales of treacherous, tumultuous, passionate entanglements from today's most provocative authors.

The bonds of love. The bonds of matrimony. The bonds between husband and wife. Let's face it-some bonds are meant to be broken.

Here, #1 New York Times bestselling author Laurell K. Hamilton, New York Times bestselling authors Yasmine Galenorn and Marjorie M. Liu, and national bestselling author Sharon Shinn, spin four stories of dark powers and fiercely feminine heroes who aren't going to wait for Prince Charming to show up and save them-especially when they can do it themselves. ~ Never After–FF

External Links[]

Book:

Excerpts and Freebies:

Author Pages for Book:

Series & Story Pages:

Author Websites:

Goodreads Author Pages:

Artist: