Disenchanted - Carroll, Susan

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Résumé :
Once upon a time . . . That's how a good story should begin, or so I've been told. Sweet young maidens attending royal balls, falling in love with charming princes, and living happily ever after. That is not my story. Meet Ella Upton, a spirited young woman who's simply trying to survive in Arcady, the kingdom of happily never after, where the taxes are high, the laws are harsh, and a girl can end up in the Dismal Dungeons for merely swooning in the presence of royalty. After her heart was broken at seventeen, Ella's only goal is to keep herself and her beloved stepmother and stepsisters from losing their comfortable home and being forced to move to a hovel in Misty Bottoms. Much to her dismay, she gains a suitor in the unlikely Horatio Crushington, a handsome but harsh Commander of the Midtown Garrison. After he saves her from an ogre, Ella learns to see past his stern fa?ade and discovers the lonely, gentle man beneath. For the first time in years, Ella opens her heart to the possibility of falling in love, but it's a dangerous attraction. Horatio could threaten the safety of her dearest friend, Malcom Hawkridge, a charming rogue with a penchant for flouting laws and plans to steal a mysterious magic orb at the ball. Now, all Ella must do is avoid the threats from a jealous witch, a cantankerous wizard and a lascivious prince, help her sisters find wealthy suitors, dance with Horatio without arousing his suspicions, steal the orb for Mal without getting caught. And accomplish all this before the stroke of midnight. What could possibly go wrong?

Biographie:
Author Susan Carroll began her career in 1986, writing historical romance and regencies, two of which were honored by Romance Writers of America with the RITA award. She has written twenty-six novels to date. Her St. Leger series received much acclaim. The Bride Finder was honored with a RITA for Best Paranormal Romance in 1999 and also received the Reviewers Choice Award from Romantic Times magazine for Historical Romance of the year. Two sequels followed, The Night Drifter and Midnight Bride.Ms. Carroll launched a new series with the publication of The Dark Queen set during the turbulent days of the French Renaissance. A blend of history, romance and intrigue, these six books relate the saga of the Cheney sisters, three women of extraordinary abilities who live in constant peril of being accused of witchcraft.