"Wonderful retelling of the CINDERELLA tale!"

Aenna was orphaned at a very young age and raised in the Aleshan Temple Academy. Instead of staying at the Temple when she became of age, Aenna decided to make her own way in life. And that's how she ended up a barmaid at the age of twenty-one. On this particular evening, there's quite a group of men she's serving. When she hears one of the men brag of a plot to kill the Prince, Aenna decides to investigate further. She tells the barkeep she's going to the encampment to see if anyone there wants anything and sneaks into it and hears more of the plot. What to do? Aenna knows if she tells the barkeep, he won't do anything about it. So she decides the only thing for it is to go and warn the Prince herself.

She soon discovers the journey is a lot longer on foot than on horseback. She enters the outpost and warns the two men inside of the plot and promptly passes out. She comes to in a wagon. The men have decided to split up. They only have two horses and Prince Kurit will ride back to Endren. Meanwhile, Jarik will walk back, hopefully leaving a false trail for the villains to follow. Aenna decides to travel with Jarik.

During the journey back to Endren, Jarik and Aenna fall in love. She knows Jarik is way above her as cousin to the Prince and has no false hopes of his returning her love. Jarik asks her to marry him and eventually, Aenna agrees. Imagine her surprise when just before they finally come to the gates of Endren, she learns she has been traveling with the Prince himself and not Jarik. She knows there is no hope for the two of them now. A Prince cannot marry a peasant. Aenna ends up taking a bolt in the shoulder meant for the Prince and saves his life once again.

Kurit doesn't leave her side during her recovery. The King approves of the marriage, but the Queen obviously does not. Will Aenna be allowed to marry her Prince? What of the Queen? Will she just sit back and allow the marriage to take place? What of the other women that were hoping to marry the Prince? And don't forget about Jarik. How does he fit into all of this?

Kimberly Chapman has written a wonderful fantasy tale with SORROWS OF ADORATION. This retelling of the old CINDERELLA tale will pull at your heartstrings as you read of the trials and travails Aenna must face as she deals with the Queen's cruelty and plots against her time and time again. This is not an easy story to read as Aenna deals with everything thrown at her, but it is something I highly recommend.

Reviewed by Chere Gruver
Courtesy Paranormal Romance
Posted March 4, 2004

Summary

The barmaid Aenna overhears a plot to kill the heir to the throne and decides to leave her life behind to warn him. Aenna and the Prince fall in love, but this is not a fairy tale romance. Endless problems threaten to destroy the couple, including the love that grows between Aenna and her Champion, the Prince's cousin.