The key would unlock his future and the safety of his kingdom, but he never imagined the sorceress would unlock his heart…

Antiques restorer, Rowena Lindstrom, finds herself the owner of an ancestral armoire containing a hidden key and a magic mirror leading to another realm!

But the handsome warrior prince waiting on the other side is truly the final straw. This must be an elaborate joke, right? As she struggles to discover the truth, Rowena learns Prince Caedmon Austiere needs the key to save his kingdom. In the end, she cannot deny him anything. Including her heart.

This is the first book in a series, and starts with Rowena regretting buying an armoire which certainly looked better on the internet but now it's sitting in her bedroom, it doesnt look so good, even after a few drinks. The back is warped, the drawers are swollen shut, and she is considering taking a crowbar to parts of it in the morning. There's one secret drawer that opens however, which contains an ancient looking key. It doesnt open anything however, so she takes to her bed.

It opens more than she realises however, and she meets Prince Caedmon, the second, bastard, son of the King, who is as shocked to see Rowena (predicted to appear as The Sourceress) as she is him.

Despite not being the chosen one, it soon transpires that the legitimate Prince is not the one destined to work with the Sourceress to protect the kingdom from the enemy at the gates. Rowena and Caedmon then spend the next three nights locked in seclusion, where Caedmon is not allowed to tell any lies. At the end of the three nights, Rowena needs to decide whether she is going to hand over the key. She doesnt know everything, so her decision has to be made on what she has learnt whilst stuck in the seclusion.

The alternate world is sketchy in this story which perhaps isn’t a bad thing for this book – the story is restricted to the Rowena’s view through the mirror, which is fairly static in the room, apart from one wander round the room.

There are a number of extra characters – some better sketched than the others (Ollie) but this is ultimately about Rowena and Caedmon.

The last few chapters set up the story well for the following book(s) and does make the reader (me) tempted to read at least the next story in the series. I'm being particularly vague here to prevent spoilers.....

The key would unlock his future and the safety of his kingdom, but he never imagined the sorceress would unlock his heart…

Antiques restorer, Rowena Lindstrom, finds herself the owner of an ancestral armoire containing a hidden key and a magic mirror leading to another realm!

But the handsome warrior prince waiting on the other side is truly the final straw. This must be an elaborate joke, right? As she struggles to discover the truth, Rowena learns Prince Caedmon Austiere needs the key to save his kingdom. In the end, she cannot deny him anything. Including her heart.

This is the first book in a series, and starts with Rowena regretting buying an armoire which certainly looked better on the internet but now it's sitting in her bedroom, it doesnt look so good, even after a few drinks. The back is warped, the drawers are swollen shut, and she is considering taking a crowbar to parts of it in the morning. There's one secret drawer that opens however, which contains an ancient looking key. It doesnt open anything however, so she takes to her bed.

It opens more than she realises however, and she meets Prince Caedmon, the second, bastard, son of the King, who is as shocked to see Rowena (predicted to appear as The Sourceress) as she is him.

Despite not being the chosen one, it soon transpires that the legitimate Prince is not the one destined to work with the Sourceress to protect the kingdom from the enemy at the gates. Rowena and Caedmon then spend the next three nights locked in seclusion, where Caedmon is not allowed to tell any lies. At the end of the three nights, Rowena needs to decide whether she is going to hand over the key. She doesnt know everything, so her decision has to be made on what she has learnt whilst stuck in the seclusion.

The alternate world is sketchy in this story which perhaps isn’t a bad thing for this book – the story is restricted to the Rowena’s view through the mirror, which is fairly static in the room, apart from one wander round the room.

There are a number of extra characters – some better sketched than the others (Ollie) but this is ultimately about Rowena and Caedmon.

The last few chapters set up the story well for the following book(s) and does make the reader (me) tempted to read at least the next story in the series. I'm being particularly vague here to prevent spoilers.....

Review of eBook

An antique armoire purchased from England [and in much poorer condition than she’d anticipated] creates some buyer’s remorse for antique restorer Rowena Lindstrom until she discovers a golden key [bearing her initials] dangling on a necklace in a secret compartment. And the mirror happens to be a portal to another world . . . .

In the land on the other side of the portal, uber-charming [and swoon-worthy] Prince Caedmon Austiere believes her to be a powerful sorceress who holds the key to the future of his entire kingdom.

Rowena finds herself drawn to Prince Caedmon and agrees to join him in his realm by passing through the mirror portal. But prophecy wins out and Rowena finds herself separated from the prince and unsure of the dangers and challenges that lie ahead.

Prince Caedmon, held captive in the dungeons of Seviere’s Keep, learns the secret of Rowena’s key. But many would wish to see Caedmon and Rowena fail; they flee to the future to escape the evil Wizard Gaelleod. Was it fated for Caedmon and Rowena to meet? Will they find a way to unravel the significance of the prophecy of the golden key?

This novella introduces the Golden Key Chronicles as it chronicles the beginning of a modern fairy tale. With well-defined characters and an interesting plot, fantasy fans will find much intrigue here. The world-building is believable. There’s a good bit of humor as sarcasm is often Rowena’s first response and, of course, there’s the requisite cliffhanger ending to encourage readers to continue with the series, but the launch of the Golden Key Chronicles is likely to encourage further reading by fantasy fans.

Highly recommended. ( )

Not my cuppa tea.

Rowena's newly-purchased antique armoire comes with a secret compartment containing what appears to be a valuable key necklace. It also comes with a mirror that's a portal to another world, and inside that portal is a handsome man who thinks she's a powerful sorceress. Or the whole thing is a very clever prank by her best friend. Either way, Rowena continues talking to this man, learning all about his world (or the amazingly scripted world created for this prank) and in the process learns all about him. When the time comes for Rowena to act as if she believes it's true or close the door on this forever, Rowena takes a leap that sends her through the mirror and into another world.

The only real thing I have to say about this is it was too short! By the time I felt I was really understanding things everything changed in preparation for the next novella.

(Provided by publisher) ( )