Princess Elisianna wasn't gifted at birth. No, she was cursed. While her body may be weak and easy to bruise, what she did have was a strong intelligent mind. But a strong mind isn't easily seen, especially with a nickname like "Fragile Princess." Elise isn't sure she'll ever break her curse, for who could see past her weak frail body to who she truly is? Her curse, after all, can only be broken if someone falls in love with her strength and who would find her strong?

The first three fairy tale retellings from the Return to the Four Kingdoms series: The Secret Princess: A Retelling of The Goose Girl, The Mystery Princess: A Retelling of Cinderella, and The Desert Princess: A Retelling of Aladdin. These interconnected fairy tale retellings each feature a different heroine who finds herself friendless in a strange land and who must fight to save her new home and win her happily ever after.

Lacey Arachne has been cursed since she was a child to only speak lies and wants nothing more than to keep it unknown. As a common handmaiden, she’s learned how to navigate her twisted words fairly well. But that all changes when her mistress makes her switch places with her in the prince’s bride competition.

The fae snatch humans as playthings to torment. The Primrose steals them back. Vowing that no other family would endure the same fear and pain she felt when her older sister was snatched by the fae, Brigid puts on an empty-headed façade while she rescues humans in the shadowy guise of the Primrose, hero to humans, bane to the fae. Her only regret is that she can’t tell the truth to Munch, the young man in the human realm who she’s trying very hard not to fall in love with.

Crown Princess Taryn is fully prepared to marry the man her parents have chosen for her in order to save her kingdom from ruin—until she falls for the son of her family’s greatest enemy, Crown Prince Xander. Despite their struggle to be the enemies expected of them, they cannot resist the secret friendship that transforms into a forbidden love. Regardless of their fear of discovery and the obstacles barring their way, they’re determined to find a way to be together, no matter the cost.

The human kingdom of Escarland and the elven kingdom of Tarenhiel have existed in an uneasy peace after their last wars ended with both kings dead. As tensions rise once again, desperate diplomacy might be the only way to avert war. If only negotiations between elves and humans were that simple. When a diplomatic meeting goes horribly wrong, Essie, a human princess, finds herself married to the elf prince and warrior Laesornysh. Fitting in to the serene, quiet elf culture might be a little difficult for this talkative princess, but she’s determined to make it work.

Delphine possesses great power—too much power for the daughter of farmers. The Mage’s Guild would eagerly take her, but she wants nothing to do with its arrogant and self-centered members. That is, until her friend is abducted in front of her. Now Delphine needs her power, but to access it, she’ll have to apprentice herself to a traveling master. Amara is willing to take Delphine, but Delphine has a secret—one that will cripple her apprenticeship before it even begins. And once she leaves home, the secrets keep mounting.

Prince Ryland has his own reasons for agreeing to the hasty union, for the magic in the princess’s royal bloodline is his last chance to save his kingdom from ruin. However, his careful schemes don't exactly go according to plan when his unconventional wife proves thoroughly uncooperative and seems to be hiding secrets of her own. As the two navigate the façades, deceit, and dangers threatening them, the lines between enemies and lovers soon begin to blur...yet their growing love comes at a price.

When Persis Ophne travels to Gelaira to heal the dark elf prince, the young dune elf stumbles into a kingdom brimming with prejudice and treachery. Her oath—and heart—are further tested when her mistress orders her to kill Prince Haryk. When she discovers the blind prince is under a malignant curse, she taps the deepest reserves of her sand magic to confront the sentient affliction devouring his body and soul. But trying to break Haryk's curse unearths long-buried secrets and an ancient evil that threatens to consume the Shadewood Forest.

Eileen has never been interested in love. Ever since her father's abandonment, she's vowed to never experience such pain again. But the enchanted forest has different ideas. When the continuously shifting pathways lead her to a mysterious stranger, Eileen finds her promise to fiercely guard her heart increasingly difficult to keep. One night when she becomes lost in a storm, the enchanted forest's pathways lead her to the castle, home to the kingdom's Dark Prince, where Eileen finds herself entangled in what many consider an opportunity but which Eileen believes to be a curse.