The Secret Story by A.J. Ponder

A horde of rats A coven of witches desperate to stay hidden A ball to die for, and a ball that must remain secret at any cost As a smithy’s daughter, Amarinda can only dream of going to the ball. She loves the fine gowns and imagines the feisty Princess Sylvalla falling in love with the visiting prince. Amarinda’s daydreaming must end when her father is injured and she discovers her family is in debt to Lady Dragonheart. With her father becoming more and more ill, she must take extraordinary measures to pay back the debt. But first, to save her father, she must infiltrate castle Avondale and steal a ‘cookbook’ with secret recipes everyone wants to get their hands on. The harder she tries, the more Amarinda is drawn into a hidden world of witches and power—not to mention Lady Dragonheart's schemes to infiltrate the Avondale ball and seize the kingdom. Will Amarinda’s father survive the night? Will she get to dance with the prince? And who will be turned into a rat? Find out by reading this secret story of a not-quite Cinderella, whose closest thing to a Fairy godmother is, alas, old Granny Earwax. For magical mayhem that flies off the page faster than a witch's broomstick, get your copy of The Secret Story today!

Adult • Fantasy • Fantasy/Mythic, Retelling, and Folklore • Fantasy/Epic and High