Once Upon A [Fallen] Time by Samreen Ahsan

Once Upon A [Fallen] Time is the sequel and second book in the Stolen series. I read the first book, Once Upon A [Stolen] Time a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it! I do recommend re-reading the first book in order to fully understand and grasp the situation our two main characters, Myra and Edward, are in. Samreen Ahsan once again delivers and I couldn't be happier. I adored Myra and Edward's relationship in the first book and thought Samreen did a wonderful job continuing their romance by building up even further. I can feel Edward's longing and love for Myra, which is a bonus in my opinion.

The story in Once Upon A [Fallen] Time takes place immediately after the events of the first book, which contained a cliffhanger. Myra and Edward are finally together but there are still obstacles in their path to a happy ending. Edward is still dealing with his "demons" and Myra's personality is still the same as ever. She just wants everything now. Another thing was that I thought Samreen commendably wove both past and present point of views between Myra and Edward together perfectly. Even though their romance is still in the early stage of development, Myra is now in Edward's time! However, as with the last book, there are still so many questions and not enough answers. The book does end with another cliffhanger and it is an emotional one at that.

In the last review, I didn't mention King Steven but he honestly gave me the creeps and I don't trust him at all. Looks like I was right, and so were many others. I can't wait to read the next book to see what will happen next. I really really hope Edward will find out the truth. Overall, I highly recommend this series to those who are looking for a solid romance with elements of time travel and history in it!

* This ARC was generously provided Samreen Ahsan for an honest review. *

Rating: ★★★★☆

Once Upon A [Stolen] Time by Samreen Ahsan

Thank you to Samreen Ahsan for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Samreen Ahsan's Once Upon A [Stolen] Time was my first introduction to the author and I can say I am absolutely intrigued by her. When I first started reading, I was captured by the setting and time-traveling aspect. I had hoped for a kick ass heroine, a dark and tragic hero, and an amazing love story. What I got was a little bit different but I still enjoyed it nonetheless. 

Myra was a heroine I had a hard time connecting to. It felt like I was inside a sixteen-year old's teenage brain who constantly had her head in the clouds. She's very into princes, princesses, castles... you get the drift. Basically, she's enamored with fairy tales and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. I just didn't connect with her. Edward on the other hand... I was curious about. The premise of the hero living in an entirely different time period from the heroine was quite interesting and I wanted to know how the two could possibly end up together, especially when separated by time itself. I loved reading in Edward's point of view and I felt for this complex and tragic character.

"Once upon a time, in a distant land, there lived a beast that imprisoned his prey outside of time. He captured her, unraveled her, destroyed her and never let her go."

Like many others before me, I struggled with starting this book and had a hard time getting into it. But once the ball started rolling, so to speak, I became a lot more interested and invested in the mystery as well as Myra and Edward's romance. It felt real and I was moved by Edward especially in his affection for Myra.

"There were only two people in this time. Just me and him, as the world spun into a timeless abyss."

In the end, Samreen Ahsan's unique writing and sweet romance between Edward and Myra had me looking forward to the next book. It almost had a Beauty and the Beast feel to it, one of my favorite Disney movies and stories. While the book does end in a cliffhanger and we have no idea when Samreen will write the next one, this was still a very enjoyable read and I highly recommend it for the tortured hero and his romance with our contemporary heroine.

Rating: ★★★★☆