If Wishes Were Horses by Sarah Leslie

[reviews_and_ramblings]

If Wishes Were Horses is a fantasy Cinderfella's story. Alaric is a Forge Master; among the Fey, this is an honorable work, also very important, but he is a plebeian, of a low social status. So the fact that he is in love with Valerian, a lord and the Master of Arms of Queen Titania, not only it's an impossible dream, but it could be also against the law, since Titania wants that all her noblemen marry other lords or ladies. But still Alaric and Valerian are in love and Valerian proposes to Alaric. Against all the laws and his better judgment, Alaric accepts, only to be soon after horrible scarred during an enemy attack. Now, six months later, Alaric can't even imagine that Valerian could still want him, a plebeian and a scarred man. But during the Reconciliation Ball, to every man is granted a wish and Alaric wishes to be handsome, to be worthy of Valerian's love, even if the wish will last only till midnight.

The story is not very long, less than 80 pages, but it's very sweet and romantic. Alaric and Valerian are deeply in love, and their love is never put in question. Circumstances maybe led them apart, but nor Alaric or Valerian disown their promises. Probably Alaric's worries can be considered silly, give so much weight to a ephemeral thing like beauty, but in the Fey's world, beauty is almost everything. What Alaric doesn't understand is that beauty is in the eyes of who watches, and for Valerian beauty is not a physical thing. Alaric, with his work and his good heart, creates beautiful things and inspires beautiful feelings in Valerian, and so for him, Alaric is the most handsome man ever.

A very sweet fantasy romance, flows easy and smooth, and it's also funny at some points, with the strange fairy godmothers like Lily and Flora.

http://samhainpublishing.com/romance/if-wishes-were-horses

Amazon Kindle: If Wishes Were Horses
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd. (July 1, 2008)

Reading List: http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle


Cover Art by Anne Cain