Once Upon a Time by Marylyle Rogers is the story of Amethyst Danton, a proper young lady who has her whole life planned out for her by her parents.  At least she does until the day she meets Comlan, King of the Fairy Realm who steals her away from the world of mortals for a few hours and captures her heart in the process.

Comlan does not understand the love that caused his sister to leave behind their home in the fairy realm to live as a mortal.  The fairy ring near to his ancestral home, an enchanting castle is all that remains of his sister.

Amy had been staying with her Great Aunt Daffy in Ireland before returning home to England for her fourth season.  On her final day before leaving she finds herself in a ring of flowers.  She tells herself that she does not believe in the tales of the fairy folk and settles down to sketch the ruins of the nearby castle. 

Falling asleep she awakens to find that a man claiming to be Comlan, King of the Fairy Realm has appeared and the ruins of the castle are no longer such.  Believing herself to be asleep she goes to the castle with Comlan and stays with him for the festivities of the evening.

Waking back in the ring of flowers she finds that her sketch of the ruins has been joined by a second drawing, this one of the intact castle she had dreamt about.

Returning to London she tries to discard her encounter as a dream until the day she spots Comlan across a ballroom and finds that the fairy king is the latest eligible Irish Lord to join the Ton.

Being forced into a marriage with the pompous Orville Amy cannot help her growing feelings for the Irish Lord she is sure is also her fantasy king.

Tempting scandal to see him again Amy finds that her logical life is about to collide with Comlan's magical world as dangers from both England and Ireland bring them together.

Comlan meanwhile finds that he is falling for the sensible and logical Amy as he has never fallen for any of his own kind.  Her very differences to his own race draw him to her and he finds himself testing her again and again to see how she would cope with him in her life permanently.  But can either of them give up their world to be with the other?  Or will they be separated for all eternity?

This is an interesting take on the land of the fae.  Comlan and Amy are an engaging hero and heroine.  A good strong plot with a charming array of secondary characters makes this well worth tracking down.

I did find however that the viewpoint the story was being told from did change a little abruptly in some places which pulled me out of the story.  I would also have liked to have seen more of the fairy realm than the relatively brief glimpses that were afforded. 

Other than those minor points this is a charming little tale of the king of the fairy folk and the human woman he falls for.

RATING : 
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Also by Marylyle Rogers: Happily Ever After and Long Ago and Far Away

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