Once Upon A Rose: A Cozy Fantasy Beauty and the Beast Retelling

Gabrielle Landi

Chickadee Lane Press LLC · Narrated by Jess Moran

3 reviews

Audiobook

4 hr 52 min

Unabridged

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About this audiobook

A cursed lord, a feisty librarian, and their disguised pet dragon.

Being the first librarian in their small town is everything Beatrice Montgomery has ever dreamed of–except no one in town knows what to make of her, or the library. But spending her days surrounded by books is an occupation beyond her wildest dreams, and she'll do whatever it takes to make the library a success.

Lord Alexander Dunham's time is running out. Providing for his estate and the people dependent on him before his curse ruins his life is his first priority--and that means he needs a wife, immediately. Proposing a marriage of convenience to the feisty librarian seems like the perfect plan: he gets a wife, she gets funds for her library, and the sorcerer trying to steal his estate gets nothing.

Even with his lips sealed about the curse, a transforming dragon watching his every move, and a wife who's winning over everyone on their estate, their marriage of convenience should have solved all of Alexander's problems. Unfortunately, he's falling for his wife, and it's causing a new problem: he's no longer willing to die. Can Alexander and Beatrice outwit the most powerful sorcerer in the Northlands, or will Beatrice lose the man she's growing to love?

Once Upon A Rose is a Beauty and the Beast fairytale retelling and the second book in the Galamere Chronicles. Each standalone book is a retelling of a beloved story or fairy tale, with the swoon-worthy sweet romance of a Hallmark movie, the wholesome and heartwarming feeling of cozy fantasy, and the comfort of a found family of friends, with a sprinkling of danger and a dash of magic.

Tropes:

❤️ Marriage of Convenience

❤️ Beauty and the Beast Retelling

❤️ Forced Proximity

❤️ Grumpy/Sunshine

A cursed lord, a feisty librarian, and their disguised pet dragon. Being the first librarian in their small town is everything Beatrice Montgomery has ever dreamed of–except no one in town knows what to make of her, or the library. But spending her days surrounded by books is an occupation beyond...

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Ratings and reviews

3 reviews

Danielle

December 17, 2025

I absolutely love this story so much. I read the ebook & tried the audio.i will admit i am iffy on the narrator but she is alright. the book itself was a five star read for me. I will say the narrators voice fits the cozy feel of the story, so maybe that is why she was chosen. this is the perfect story to curl up with on a winter day (and if its audio maybe color or craft). think hallmark with light magic. Sweet & charming.

Bethany Aich

December 13, 2025

If you like cozy, this book is for you. It has Hallmark vibes in the sweet romance department, and is a nice, laid back “I don’t have to think while I read this story” book. Some things are a bit repetitive, some words used frequently at times, but it has hilarious little lines sprinkled throughout that helped redeem this part for me. There were also some inconsistencies in plot that I noticed. They weren’t major, though, and most people probably wouldn’t notice or care. : )

Jennifer Whitaker

December 13, 2025

Once Upon A Rose was a cozy retelling of Beauty and the Beast. This book gave plenty of hallmark vibes with its grumpy sunshine and marriage of convenience tropes. A great pick if you are looking for a sweet and easy fantasy read with low stakes. I liked Beatrice’s character. She was kind and always willing to help others. Alexander was not your typical beast. He was on the grumpy side, but full of kindness to others. The romance was clean and had nothing more than kissing.

About the author

Gabrielle Landi lives in Southern Indiana with her husband and children and has a soft spot for every stray cat that ends up on her front porch. When she’s not writing, she spends her time chasing children, wishing there was more coffee, and eating chocolate like it’s her job. If she had to write her own love story in tropes, it would include second chance romance and a secret relationship, and would be entirely unbelievable.

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