The Secret Princess: A Retelling of The Goose Girl
The Mystery Princess: A Retelling of Cinderella
The Desert Princess: A Retelling of Aladdin
The Golden Princess: A Retelling of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
The Rogue Princess: A Retelling of Puss in Boots
Intended audience: Young Adults Visit Melanie Cellier's home page for information about her current works-in-progress. The Secret Princess: A Retelling of The Goose Girl (Book 1)
Princess Giselle is excited to be leading her first royal delegation—until everything goes wrong before they even reach their destination. With her rank and authority stripped away and her people scattered, she’s left with nothing but a gaggle of geese.
Giselle is determined to prove herself a true princess—in action as well as in name. But to do so she must uncover a conspiracy that threatens far more than her own future. With her life in danger and only a talking horse and an irritable goose boy at her side, she needs assistance. One of the servants is willing to help her, but Philip’s attractive smile hides yet more secrets, and Giselle is running out of time.
In this reimagining of the classic fairy tale, The Goose Girl, the wronged princess must prevail in a deadly game of identities with the fate of kingdoms at stake. Publication History The Secret Princess eBook (ISBN: 978-1-925898-29-3) is the first novel in the Return to the Four Kingdoms series. It was published on the Amazon Kindle Store on May 22, 2020. A print edition (ISBN: 978-1-925898-30-9) is available from Amazon and also from a wide range of online booksellers worldwide. An audiobook version is currently available on most audio retail sites, including Amazon, Audible, and iTunes, as well as in libraries. The Mystery Princess: A Retelling of Cinderella (Book 2)
Daria has spent her whole life caring for others, so when she’s rescued by traveling merchants while fleeing for her life, she’s more than happy to work for them in return for her safety. But danger follows her, as does Prince Percy.
Daria thought she’d left the complications of balls and royalty behind her, but she can’t hide as a servant forever—not when whole kingdoms are at risk. Publication History The Mystery Princess eBook (ISBN: 978-1-925898-31-6) is the second novel in the Return to the Four Kingdoms series. It was published on the Amazon Kindle Store on May 9, 2021. A print edition (ISBN: 978-1-925898-32-3) is available from Amazon and also from a wide range of online booksellers worldwide. An audiobook version is currently available on most audio retail sites, including Amazon, Audible, and iTunes, as well as in libraries. The Desert Princess: A Retelling of Aladdin (Book 3)
Cassie knows she was made for more than a life buried away in her uncle's remote forest estate. Eager to meet the great spymaster, Aurora, she jumps at the chance to travel to her distant kingdom. But meeting Aurora isn't enough—Cassie wants to prove her worth. So when she's presented with an opportunity to gather intelligence, she acts.
When her plans go awry, Cassie finds herself living on the streets in a distant city. But despite the failure that brought her here, Cassie can't afford to give up. Kingdom-shaking danger is brewing in these lands, and she may be the only one who can save the Four Kingdoms. Cassie won't let anything stand in her way—not the biting heat of the desert, not the distracting way her heart responds to the mysterious, attractive stranger who insists on staying close, not the layers of secrets hiding beneath the surface of her new home.
In this reimagining of the classic fairy tale, Aladdin, a girl from the streets must navigate treasure caves, palaces, and a magic lamp if she wants to rescue herself and save four kingdoms as well. Publication History The Desert Princess eBook (ISBN: 978-1-922636-00-3) is the third novel in the Return to the Four Kingdoms series. It was published on the Amazon Kindle Store on August 27, 2021. A print edition (ISBN: 978-1-922636-01-0) is available from Amazon and also from a wide range of online booksellers worldwide. An audiobook version is currently available on most audio retail sites, including Amazon, Audible, and iTunes, as well as in libraries. The Golden Princess: A Retelling of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (Book 4)
Exiled from her old life as the daughter of a vizier, Zaria still grieves the lost friends of her childhood. She’s grown accustomed to her new role as a servant, though—up until the day she stumbles on the fabled lost cave of treasures.
The wealth inside is enough to transform anyone’s life, but Zaria isn’t the first to find it. A gang of cutthroat thieves got there first, and their behavior makes Zaria question everything she sees. With an unknown enchantment at work, and forty criminals desperate to protect their hoard, she doesn’t want anything to do with the gold.
But when her royal friends reappear, Zaria discovers the cave is the key to defeating a threat to the entire kingdom. She can’t turn her back on her people, even if that means facing thieves and traitors with Crown Prince Tarek at her side. Zaria thought she’d found peace with her past, but now she isn’t sure if she’s more in danger of losing her life or her heart.
In this reimagining of the classic fairy tale, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, a servant girl must outwit a cunning adversary before she can claim the treasure her heart truly desires. Publication History The Golden Princess eBook (ISBN: 978-1-922636-52-2) is the fourth novel in the Return to the Four Kingdoms series. It was published on the Amazon Kindle Store on November 4, 2022. A print edition (ISBN: 978-1-922636-53-9) is available from Amazon and also from a wide range of online booksellers worldwide. An audiobook version will also be available soon. The Rogue Princess: A Retelling of Puss in Boots (Book 5)
Kali has always dreamed of adventure, but she never expected to find it in the company of a talking cat. Puss definitely has an agenda, but he isn’t sharing it with her. All she knows is that he wants a miller’s child to accompany him across the Great Desert to the mysterious lands beyond. Kali doesn’t mean to let her opportunity go, even if she doesn’t understand the purposes of the mysterious creature at her side. But when she encounters thieves and misadventure, she realizes something bigger is underway. Her people are under threat, and she can’t turn her back on them—no matter how irritated she is by the fellow traveler who turns up wherever she goes. Kali knows Xavier isn’t to be trusted, but she and Puss need his help. Only together can they avoid the traps laid for her and uncover the truth. In this reimagining of the classic fairy tale, Puss in Boots, a miller’s daughter will have to trust a tricksy cat and a handsome young man if the three of them have any hope of saving her people.
If you enjoy clean romance, adventure, and intrigue, then try the books in the Return to the Four Kingdoms series now! 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. Publication History The Rogue Princess eBook (ISBN: 978-1-922636-55-3) is the fifth novel in the Return to the Four Kingdoms series. It was published on the Amazon Kindle Store on December 26, 2022. A print edition (ISBN: 978-1-922636-56-0) is available from Amazon and also from a wide range of online booksellers worldwide. An audiobook version will also be available soon.
