Braids and the Beast (A Rapunzel Meets the Beast Fractured Fairy Tale)

One cosmic stumble. One wrong tower. One very fumbled fate.

When an outsider shakes the master book of fairy tales, the stories unravel—and Rapunzel is dropped into a tower and a tale that was never meant to be hers.

For her entire life, Rapunzel has lived by Dame Gothel's rules: stay in the tower, keep her eyes closed, and never question the world beyond.

But Rapunzel has never been one to simply wait. She paints, she studies, and secretly funds a village she's never been allowed to see—until a twist of fate rips her from her tower and drops her into a cold, unfamiliar prison.

Gruff, cursed, and wholly unprepared for a barefoot woman who escapes his prison tower and doesn't have the good sense to fear him, Sébastien has spent years convinced his beastly exterior is the least monstrous thing about him.

Rapunzel fills his crumbling castle with warmth, curiosity, and the intoxicating scent of crushed herbs—and in her light, something in him shifts.

As Rapunzel adapts to a world beyond the only life she's ever known, long-buried truths begin to surface. For the first time, she must decide what freedom truly means. And whether love can exist without it.

Sébastien knows what she won't admit. A heart that has never been free cannot truly choose… and loving her might mean letting her go.

Braids and the Beast is a cozy, whimsical, slow-burn, forced proximity, no-spice romance about a sheltered dreamer and a cursed prince who must learn that love is not possession, but choice.

If you love grumpy/sunshine dynamics, cottagecore/hopecore/whimsycore vibes, and a heroine who finds beauty in the torn pages of a broken story, you'll love this "fumbled" Rapunzel/Beast retelling.

THE FUMBLED FAIRY TALES SERIES is a collection of reimagined stories by authors who turn fairy tales on their heads to deliver stories that speak to the heart. Inside, you'll discover bold heroines and unforgettable characters who refuse to wait for rescue, choosing instead to find their own way to a well-deserved Happy Ever After.

Book One: Bella and the Bullfrog: A Beauty Meets the Frog Prince Fractured Fairy Tale by Dorothy Callahan

Book Two:Braids and the Beast: A Rapunzel Meets the Beast Fractured Fairy Tale by Amanda Torrey

Book Three:Ruby and the Royal: A Red Riding Hood Meets Prince Charming Fractured Fairy Tale by Christine DePetrillo

...And more to come! :)

(Books can be ready in any order)