The Wild Swans (Faerie Tale Romance) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Kate Holmes (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
King Richard had had it with frivolous females filling his ears with their foolishness. Yet for all his castles and dragon-slaying, he still needed a wife. Preferably one who wouldn't plague him with womanly whining. One who knew when to shut up. So why not lay claim to the sweetly saucy silent A MAN WHO REALLY LISTENS! Princess Arianne had had it with meddling males making her life miserable. When her twelve brothers angered an ogre, she was the one stuck spinning nettles into shirts to save them from eternal servitude as swans. And she had to complete the task in total silence! To make matters worse, along came chatty King Richard, wanting to bed her, wanting to wed her. Rugged Richard made her virginal knees weak. But could even a king know a woman's mind--without her speaking it?

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Dorchester Publishing Company (June 13, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0505523833
• ISBN-13: 978-0505523839
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 3.9 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #281,772 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice, but the Story Drags, June 22, 2000

By	Nat B. - See all my reviews

THE WILD SWANS is an adaptation of the classic fairy tale by the same name, where a princess must knit twelve (or seven, depending on which version one is reading) shirts out of nettles for her twelve brothers, turned into swans. The catch is that she can't speak a word until she's finished, or her little bros will be swans forever.

THE WILD SWANS is not laugh-out-loud funny, but it is light-hearted and a nice read if one needs a diversion. However, the story drags in a lot of places, the author so caught up in the details of a scene or situation that the plot grinds to screeching halt, and it takes a while for it to start back up again. The book could have stood to loose a hundred pages or so. Also, there are very few surprises in the book, mainly because one already knows the course of events from the fairy tale, and Holmes never veers off that path. The climax was much too short, especially in comparison with some other scenes in the story, and not particularly intense or suspenseful.

That being said, Holmes is a good writer, and her strong point in THE WILD SWANS is her characterizations. King Richard is the most well-drawn character, and even the minor characters, such as Richard's best friend, Harry, and his valet, Thurgood, are strong on the page.

All in all, THE WILD SWANS was a nice read and one that I would recommend to fans of Cinderella, Snow White, etc.; but it wasn't a "keeper," and I wouldn't read it more than once.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Wild Swans, June 14, 2000

By	Jessica M. Godfrey (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

Kate Holmes has certainly captured the heart of this fairy tale. With a few twists, turns and a lot of giggles, she builds a story of how falling in love is magic.

The story is a twisted fairy tale of a princess who is being punished for her twelve younger brothers mischievious trouble-making. In order to set her brothers free, she needs to make shirts of nettles for them in complete silence. She was minding her own business and along comes a handsome king to sweep her off her feet and takes her back to his castle, where he promtply marries her.

The tone is wickedly cute, the pace, just right, and the supporting characters lend enough humor to make me laugh out loud. King Richard has a definite sense of humor, and Goldie has the patience of a saint to put up with all the men in her life that insist on causing her trouble. Namely her twelve brothers that got her in this mess in the first place.

Goldie shows that a woman's spirit isn't always trampled by a strong man, in fact hers continues to grow as she allows herself to love him. King Richard, although reverting every now and then back to the "typical" male, realizes that it makes him happier to really 'listen' to what Goldie has to say. The king learns the art of how to understand a woman, well as much as he can anyway with her not being able to speak!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Delightful Romp, October 5, 2003

By A Customer

I found this book to be a wonderful retelling of the classic fairytale. Not only did it provide romance, but one could feel the frustration of the self-imposed muteness "Goldie" had to endure. How often have you wanted to say what you think, but had to bite your tongue? Imagine that for months!

I also loved the hidden gems of sarcasm like the "pre-season jousting tournaments". Dig on the NFL? I HOPE SO! I loved it from cover to cover and will doubtless re-read it when I need a light moment!

Buy it!