A Dream Not Imagined – Review and #BlogTour

Howdy!

Today I am so very pleased to welcome back Ms. Shantelle Hannu and her novella A Dream Not Imagined! After helping with the cover reveal not too long ago, she contacted me and asked if I’d be willing to help with the blog tour. Obviously I said yes and we eventually decided that I would do a review. There was a lot of arm-twisting involved, let me tell you. 😛

First a bit about the book again before we get to the review!

 

A MAID, a PRINCE, and a DUKE. A GARDENER, a STEPMOTHER, and a secret…

Ellie Abbington, a beautiful yet unassuming young woman, quietly longs for her life to change. Too privileged to associate with the servants—too underprivileged to associate with her own family; she dreams a dream of a prince and a happily ever after.

But it could be that her own stepsisters, conniving Dezmarie and easily-influenced Adelaide, are dreaming the same dream…of the same prince.In the end, are dreams even all they’re made out to be? Especially with deep and long-hidden secrets about to be unearthed? A Dream Not Imagined is a non-magical fairytale novella based loosely on the classic tale of Cinderella.

Review!

I’m always excited to get a hold of fairy tale re-tellings and I was especially eager for this one after all the positive buzz I’d seen surrounding it. And I was not disappointed! As the synopsis says, Ellie is caught in awkward middle ground when it comes to her family and her station in life. Despite any trials she has faced, she maintains a positive outlook on life and falls back on her faith to get her through the hard times. When a chance encounter in the village leads to an invitation to a royal ball, she thinks her problems have been solved only to have her dream for the night play out rather differently than expected. I’ll say no more because I’m treading spoilery ground here.

My thoughts? This was a really sweet and touching story. There was no magic but I loved the nods to the original story. Shantelle takes the story in a different direction than expected and spins a mystery over the whole affair. There was a wonderful cast of characters all with their own plans and plots. I thought I had it almost figured out towards the end and it was a joy to see everything come together with some of the pieces I missed in a spectacular ending! Everything was described so well and it really had its own sort of magic as Ellie faced each new turn armed only with her trust in God.

Highly recommended for those who enjoy fairy-tale re-tellings and stories of faith and overcoming adversity. I thoroughly enjoyed this short story and am looking forward to reading future works by Ms. Hannu!

Buy On Amazon!

About the Author!

Shantelle Mary Hannu was born in the mountainous west, spending her golden childhood years there. Since then, she has relocated time and again with her parents and seven siblings, making cherished memories in both the South and Central United States.

A Christian homeschool graduate, Shantelle has a passion for writing and all things books. From a young age she’s been penning tales with a hope of sharing with the world adventurous and soul-stirring stories that bring glory to God.

A Dream Not Imagined, a fairytale novella, is her first published book. She’s currently preparing a full-length fantasy novel for publication as well, and working on its sequel.

Shantelle blogs at A Writer’s Heart about her stories, favorite books and movies (with reviews), healthy wheat-free recipes, and hosts fellow authors, among other things. One of her joys is connecting with fellow writers and readers! You can also find her on

Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Google+ | Pinterest 

Giveaway!!!

Enter the rafflecopter form for a chance to win a kindle copy of A Dream Not Imagined and a $5 Amazon giftcard!

One winner will be chosen May 31^st, and I will send the kindle book and gift card to their email.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don’t miss the rest of the blog tour! Click the banner below to find the rest of the schedule!