Publisher's Synopsis
Including stories from Award-Winning, New York Times, and USA Today Bestselling Authors
The autumnal equinox is a celestial event that brings together harvest and celebration, symbolizes magick and transformation, and welcomes a balance of light and darkness. It's a time when those who honor the changing seasons rest and reflect.Or reap what they've sown.Once Upon an Enchanted Forest, a collection of adult fantasy romances, features ten novelettes centered around one of the most enchanting preternatural beings of the ages: the witch. With lovers, magical forests, and witchcraft, our stories are sure to warm your nights and your dark little heart.About our collection: In the aftermath of a deadly Harvest Moon festival, the valley's Witch Collector and a voiceless diviner venture into Frostwater Wood-a forest transformed into a dangerous, ever-changing maze-in hopes of saving their king from certain death.Desperate to escape her village, cobbler Rhianne braves the enchanted wood to find the Witch and her matchmaking loom. But when the loom weaves her a highborn match, the Witch flies into a rage that will set Rhianne's fate on fire.After a drunken man falsely claims his daughter can spin straw into gold, a peasant woman-accused of witchcraft and facing death at the hands of the Mad King-must manage the impossible with no more than a wooden spindle and a prayer-and perhaps the aid of a dashing Fae she never saw coming.In a place called Wolfswood, Rosaline, a talented hunter, must face cursed and deadly creatures on the night of the autumnal equinox if she's to save her people-and the woman she loves.When a wounded sorcerer infiltrates the boundary protecting her home, Thalia, Queen of the Dryads, must choose whether to trust this foreigner who's quickly claiming her heart or uproot the seeds of affection growing between them and send him away.After a fatal accident places a village in grave danger, Yula, a young woman with unpredictable magick, is guided by a handsome knight on her quest to find the only person who can help her-the legendary and evil Dark Queen.In a time of war, a witch possessing healing powers, is tasked with saving the life of her wounded king, all while trying not to lose her heart to his brutish right-hand man.A young man struggling with his own identity journeys to a modern-day witch living in a lonely forest garden, and is presented with an unexpected connection and a tantalizing choice.In an enchanted garden deep in the heart of London, the elven scout Tarah guards the portal to her realm, a boring task after so many centuries. But when a dragon awakens in the countryside, searching for his stolen hoard, life becomes anything but mundane-especially when the dragon decides that Tarah might be the greatest treasure of all.This anthology also includes a new story from the brilliant Juliet Marillier, author of the Sevenwaters Trilogy and many other historical fantasy novels, including Beautiful, an Audible Exclusive, and her coming release, The Harp of Kings.Now, sit back and let us tell you a tale. Welcome to The Enchanted Forest.
