, a new novella from Darwin's sister Rosamund Hodge!
A romantic reimagining of the classic Cinderella fairy tale, Gilded Ashes is a novella by Rosamund Hodge set in the same world as her debut novel, Cruel Beauty.
Maia doesn't see the point of love when it only brings people pain: her dead mother haunts anyone who hurts Maia, and her stepsisters are desperate for their mother's approval, even though she despises them. Meanwhile, Anax, heir to the Duke of Sardis, doesn't believe in love either—not since he discovered that his childhood sweetheart was only using him for his noble title. But when Maia's and Anax's paths cross before the royal ball, they discover that love might not be the curse they once thought. And it might even be the one thing that can save them both.This is short and gripping enough to be read in one sitting, as I can attest. Rose doesn't allow any of her characters to be one-dimensional, and her take on Cinderella gives the elements of the original story a jolt. Why is it that Cinderella never lashes out at her step-family for their cruel treatment of her? Because, in Gilded Ashes, Cinderella has to pretend to be happy all the time lest her mother's ghost do evil things to anyone who makes her little girl cry.
Two lucky commenters will get free copies when we pull names from the tasseled hat at 9 pm tonight. Don't want to wait that long? It's only $1.99, less than a cup of Starbucks and far more memorable.
UPDATE: Alrighty, to the commenters go the spoils! Kharking and Melanie, send us an email at darwincatholic (at) gmail.com to start your evening's enjoyment.
