Blog Tour: Not Your Average Fairy Tale by Chantele Sedgwick: Book Review / Guest Post / Giveaway

I'm thrilled to be the next stop in Chantele Sedgwick's Not Your Average Fairy Tale blog tour. Along with today's guest post from Chantele is my review and a giveaway! Here's Chantele!

I'm SO excited to be here on Mundie Mom's today. I've loved this blog forever, so thank you so much for having me! 

As far as my guest post goes, I've been asked several times what my favorite fairy tales are, since my book has a few little fairy tale-ish scenes in it. (Where else would I get the idea for a male fairy godmother? Ha ha. ) But in all seriousness, my favorite fairy tale would have to be Beauty and the Beast. Especially the Disney version. (Rapunzel is a close second...) As a child, I loved Belle because she loved books, and always wanted to be her when I grew up. I enjoyed her and the Beast's relationship, but now as an adult, I appreciate the love story so much more. It seriously makes me tear up every time I watch it, even though I know the whole show word for word. Songs included. ;) I just love how Belle is able to look past the physical attributes of the Beast and falls in love with the person underneath. It's a beautiful thing if you ask me. :) I also have a soft spot for this particular fairy tale because it sort of goes along with the theme of my book. Even though when I wrote it, I didn't really think it had a theme at all. When I came up with the idea, I wanted one of my main character's to be different, so I made her physically scarred from an accident. She sees herself far less than beautiful throughout the book, and people do treat her different. Even her love interest at first. But he's able to look past it very quickly as he gets to know her and realizes how beautiful she really is. 

In my opinion, fairy tales never disappoint. Good always triumphs over evil, and I always have a smile on my face when I reach the happily ever after. (Unless it's a Grimm version of a fairy tale... that's a WHOLE other blog post! ;)

Thank you Chantele for stopping by Mundie Moms today!! I totally agree, fairy tales never disappoint. 
You can find out more about Chantele and her writings by following you via her: Website | Blog | Twitter | Goodreads

By: Chantele Sedgwick

Published by: Crescent Moon Press

Released on: 8/1/12

Source: book from author to review

4 stars: I Enjoyed It

Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Armed with wings and a blue wand, being a fairy godmother should be easy ... unless your name is Ash, and you're a dude.

Ash Summerland has it all–good looks, popularity, and the best grades at The Academy of Magical Beings. Ready to complete his last assignment in order to graduate, Ash is confident he will get the apprenticeship he wants. When he opens the letter from the Council, he is shocked to discover he has been assigned to apprentice Lady Shenelle, Keeper of Happy Endings. A.K.A. the head fairy godmother. Ash is forced to grant three wishes to a troubled human girl named Kendall, and ultimately give her a "happy ever after". But Kendall turns out to be more than he bargained for. Still grieving over her father's death, Kendall doesn't want anything to do with him. And worst of all, she doesn't believe in happy endings. -quoted from Goodreads

Don't you love it when you sit down to read a book and find you're pleasantly surprised with what you read? Not Your Average Fairy Tale lives up to it's name and is definitely not your normal fairytale. One of the things I really enjoyed about this book is the spin that Chantele gave the Fairy Godmother. Not only is this story's Fairy Godmother a guy (yep, a guy as a Fairy Godmother, it's fabulous!), he's a smart, a hotty and a student to boot. I'm thinking many readers wouldn't complain over Ash Summerland being their Fairy Godmother. It's his reluctance at being the first guy to be Fairy Godmother that made Ash a character I loved reading about. I couldn't help but smirk at his sarcastic comments and his destain for becoming the Fairy Godmother, even if it's for a short time. A guy like Ash Summerland isn't someone who enjoys sprouting wings, wearing tights or using a wand, that might at first be pink. His attitude toward's his new assignment was comical, and made him a character I enjoyed reading about.

His assignment is Kendall, a broken character who once had it all, but after a serious accident all but ruined her. Ash's challenge is to grant her three wishes, and in the process hopefully grant her, her happily ever after. Easier said than done, but Ash is up for the challenge. Kendall in her own right was a great character as well. I was impressed with way she was written. It made it easy for me to understand what she was going through, even though I didn't feel an emotionally connect with her. I was also surprised at how much I adored Kendall and Ash together. These two didn't have that swoon worthy chemistry I normally love when reading YA, but what they did have was plenty of sarcasm, a lot of fun, and something sweet, which was enjoyable and, a fun change of pace for me. 

Storyline wise there are some minor things that happen through out the book, but the real plot twists and action happen within the last 20 pages providing the perfect set up for the sequel. Though this isn't a long in-depth read, it is however one of those fun, feel good, quick reads that you can easily spend part of your afternoon enjoying. I'll admit, I was pleasantly surprised with this book. It's one that's going on my shelf of books I turn to when I need a good filler, or when I find myself in a reading slump and I want to just and read something fun. If you're looking for a fun, clean, enchanting read I'd recommend picking this on up! 

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*winners will be announced via the author, on her website