Presenting Author - Jessica Grayson

[Artemisia Thorne]

Name: Jessica Grayson
Genre: Fantasy, Sci-Fi Romance
Audience: Young Adult, New Adult
Books: Once Upon a Fairy Tale Romance series, Of Fates and Kings series, Of Gods and Fate series, Ice World Warriors series, and more.


Summary: There is very little information available regarding Jessica Grayson beyond the three sentences in her bio. It is safe to assume it is a penname. Grayson also writes under the penname Aria Winter.

Goodreads says:

USA Today bestselling author, Jessica Grayson writes scifi and fantasy romance with strong heroines and the otherworldly heroes that cannot help but fall in love with them.
She lives with her husband, cat and dog in the San Antonio, TX area. In addition to reading and writing scifi romance, she loves swimming, chai and dark chocolate.

Review: Jessica Grayson is a wonderful author. Her heroines are always strong, independent, and determined to do what’s best for their families and/or kingdoms. She seems to have made it her duty to inspire women to be their best selves and honestly I’d have to say it kind of works. Her heroes provide a strong companion to these heroines, while they are wildly unrealistic – no man could possibly be so perfect – they are a delight to read about. Additionally, the plots of each individual book is simple enough, but each series pieces together a larger plot that shows clear attention to detail.


Note: Her books are also available in German!

[Artemisia Thorne]

Title: Taken by the Dragon
Author: Jessica Grayson
Series: Once Upon a Fairy Tale Romance
Genres: Fairy Tales
Audience: Young Adult, New Adult


Summary: This is a Beauty and the Beast retelling, where the beast is a dragon. Once a year, every year, a young girl is taken from the village as a sacrifice for the dragon. None of the girls ever return and nobody knows what happens to them after they are taken. When Alara’s sister is selected only months away from her wedding, Alara doesn’t hesitate to take her place. Taken by the dragon to his castle, Alara does not accept her fate sitting down. She is determined to discover the secrets that surround the dragon. As she learns more, she finds her feelings for him growing. But a darkness surrounds them, one that is hell-bent on keeping them apart. Will Alara be able to save them both before they are claimed by a fate worse than death?

Goodreads says:

Each year during the blood moon, a maiden is chosen in my village.
Bound and blindfolded at the edge of the forest, they are left as sacrifice to the beast--a man that can take the form of a terrifying dragon.
None have ever returned.
To save my sister, I take her place. And I find myself drawn to the man behind the beast. If I want to survive, I'll have to break the curse that binds him.
But what will it take to set both myself and the dragon free?

Review: This book is phenomenal. It was the first of Grayson’s books that I read and I loved it so much I immediately purchased every other book she had published. I have since lost track of how many times I’ve read it. The characters are so well developed. Alara is strong, passionate, and everything I want from a fairy tale heroine, and Veron is so sexy and mysterious. They are the perfect pair. The plot itself is wonderful, it’s a nice quick, easy read, but it tells such a rich story that just swallows you up whole, it’s incredible. I don’t have a single negative thing to say about this book. Beauty and the Beast is my favourite fairy tale, and this is without a doubt one of my favourite retellings. I highly recommend it.

[Artemisia Thorne]

Title: Claimed by the Bear King
Author: Jessica Grayson
Series: Once Upon a Fairy Tale Romance
Genres: Fairy Tales
Audience: Young Adult, New Adult


Summary: This is a Snow Queen retelling where the love interest is a bear shifter. To save her kingdom, Anna marries the fearsome Bear King of the North. Their marriage is one of pure convenience, with Henrick offering her everything except love, and Anna accepts. But as they journey to his kingdom, Anna finds herself feeling things that she never expected for this cold bear king. When she discovers that he was cursed by the Ice Queen, his heart frozen so that it would never belong to another, she is determined to help him. But is the cost really one she’ll be willing to pay when it comes to it?

Goodreads says:

When my father made a deal to keep his throne, I did not know I was part of the bargain.
I'm given in marriage to King Henrick--the fierce Bear King of the North.
He tells me he can offer me everything but love.
When I find out that his heart was frozen--cursed by the Ice Queen, I'm determined to help him.
Now, I must find a way to thaw the ice around his heart.

Review: I don’t normally read Snow Queen retellings, but this is definitely one of my favourite books in Grayson’s Once Upon a Fairy Tale Romance series. The relationship between Henrick and Anna is beautiful, it is so well written and the growth is so realistic while still maintaining it’s fairytale energy. Additionally, Anna is such a strong character, there isn’t a single moment where her strength falters in favour of being saved by Henrick. She shows consistent resilience, and that is such a great message for readers. This series as a whole is definitely romance focused, although there are some great fantasy adventure traits, so it’s not going to be the ideal read for people who prefer epic fantasy, but for anyone who enjoys romance I wholeheartedly recommend this book and the series as a whole.

[Artemisia Thorne]

Title: Claimed by Hades
Author: Jessica Grayson
Series: Of Gods and Fate
Genres: Fairy Tales
Audience: New Adult


Summary: When Kore is pursued by the god Poseidon, she finds herself taking shelter in Hades’ temple. She never expected Hades himself to turn up and save her. Although Kore has heard many tales of the Olympians from her mother, some proved true by Poseidon’s obsession with her, Hades is different. Kore soon finds herself drawn to him in a way she had never imagined. But, the legend of Hades and Persephone is not a simple one, and this retelling is certainly not either. Greater forces than either of them imagined are invested in keeping the pair apart… and some in keeping them together. What power will win out?

Goodreads says:

Everyone fears the God of the Underworld. Hades is a name only spoken of in scared and hushed whispers.
My mother told me not to wander far from home, but I did not heed her warning.
When one of the Olympians decides to pursue me, I’m forced to hide and take shelter in Hades' Temple.
I never expected Hades to come to my aid, much less to Claim me.
The Lord of the Underworld is far from what I expected, and I find myself drawn to him in ways that I do not fully understand. Despite what I feel, I hesitate to trust him.
Hades carries a dark secret, and I am determined to find out what it is.
Now I find myself wondering, what does it mean to be Claimed by the Lord of the Dead?

Review: I love the tales of Hades and Persephone, and as a proud pagan these legends are ones I have studied extensively. I read any mythological retelling with the expectation that it will differ greatly from the myths. With this book, I was pleasantly surprised. Grayson has found a way to completely rewrite the myths while staying true to their origins. Hades remains the dark, misunderstood hero I fell in love with as a child, Kore remains the strong, determined heroine, and when she eventually becomes Persephone she is just as powerful as any myth tells. Grayson shows a lot of respect for Greek mythology with this book, I 100% recommend it to mythology lovers.

There is one warning I will give with this book, which is that it has a mature theme. As I said, it stays true to the myths. One aspect of this is that the Gods are not all kind, compassionate, and caring beings who want what is best for humanity. There are some Gods who are quite simply abusive. This book doesn’t delve too deeply into this, there is no graphic content or anything that needs a trigger warning, but for the simple reason that it is a key theme in the book, it may not always be YA suitable.