Once Upon a Rose

A Cozy Fantasy Beauty and the Beast Retelling (The Galamere Chronicles)

By: Gabrielle Landi

Narrated by: Jess Moran

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

©2025 Gabrielle Landi (P)2025 Gabrielle Landi

Cozy Beauty and the Beast retelling

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.

A sweet treat of a read!

I loved getting to reread this book through audio! The narration by Jes is so fun and full of life and laughter which suits the story perfectly. And it turned out to be a great read for December due to its snowy, wintery setting!

I love the grumpy/sunshine dynamics between Beatrice and Alexander. And I’m a sucker for marriage of convenience stories, so watching them fall in love is a true sweet delight!

Can’t wait to get to listen to the next one!