Once Upon A Princess (Johnson)

"I have better things to do." "Like what?" Rose asked. "Waste your life on a fool's journey, under a silly girl's orders?" "I have never considered saving your life to be the same as wasting mine, Rosary." He came and stood in front of her, the ease of his presence replaced by an unusual heat rather than familiar warmth. Rose had never before been bothered by the six inches he stood taller than her, but all of a sudden the shadow of his strength imposed itself on her. The cursed beauty of the moonlight revealed the clarity and sharpness of his eyes as she gazed up at him. "What if you did waste your life though? What if?" "If I have wasted my life, I have wasted it on you. Willingly." For four years, Princess Aurora of Rhone-Rose to her friends-has searched the world for a way to break the curse placed on her by Magdalina, the wicked ruler of the fairies at war with her kingdom. Under the curse, Rose is doomed to die on her eighteenth birthday after pricking her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel. And, time is running out. On the eve of her seventeenth birthday, Rose makes the journey home with her friends, Theo, a priest with a penchant for revenge; Mary, a young and talented fairy; and Ethan and Sophia, siblings with a troubled past, as pressure from her father, King Stefanos, leaves her with two equally unsatisfying options: Abdicate the throne, or get married.

With only weeks away from her eighteenth birthday and the fulfillment of her curse, Rose, the Princess of Rhone, faces more obstacles than ever. The kingdom, anxious over her fate, is destabilizing under her father's rule; her mother is imprisoned, and her uncle is holding a silent coup against the crown. With Theo's absence, she is unable to do more than brood over her fate as she attempts to solve the problems around her. When Theo returns with surprising information, Rose knows the time has come to risk everything. Along with her friends, she prepares to face Magdalina, the wicked ruler of the fairies, and fight the battle of her life, the battle for her freedom, her kingdom, and her heart.

THE ONCE UPON A PRINCESS COLLECTOR'S EDITION Beauty's Curse Beauty's Quest Beauty's Kiss Beauty's Gift A curse haunts the Kingdom of Rhone and the young Princess Aurora. Magdalina, the wicked ruler of the fairies at war with Rhone, decreed the princess upon turning eighteen would die from pricking her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel. Aurora, or Rose to her friends, has never known a moment apart from this prophecy. Now as her eighteenth birthday approaches, Rose defiantly sets out to find a way to break the curse, yet with the help of her friends-Theo, a priest on a quest for his own revenge, Mary, a young and talented fairy, Ethan and Sophia, siblings with a troubled past, and Prince Philip, an attractive newcomer. In this last venture, Rose will risk everything to fight the battle of her life, the battle for her freedom, her kingdom, and her heart.