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Once Upon a Tower (Fairy Tales, 5) Mass Market Paperback – May 28, 2013

by Eloisa James (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,599 ratings
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Once upon a time...
 
A duke fell in love
 
Gowan Stoughton of Craigievar, Duke of Kinross, values order and self-control above all else. So when he meets a lady as serene as she is beautiful, he promptly asks for her hand in marriage.
 
Edie--whose passionate temperament is the opposite of serene--had such a high fever at her own debut ball that she didn't notice anyone, not even the notoriously elusive Duke of Kinross. When her father accepts his offer... she panics.  And when their marriage night isn't all it could be, she pretends.
 
But Edie's inability to hide her feelings makes pretending impossible, and when their marriage implodes, she retreats to a tower--locking Gowan out. Now Gowan faces his greatest challenge.  Neither commands nor reason work with his spirited young bride. How can he convince her to give him the keys to the tower...
 
When she already has the keys to his heart?
 
 
Previous page
  1. Book 5 of 5
    Fairy Tales
  2. Print length
    416 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Avon
  5. Publication date
    May 28, 2013
  6. Dimensions
    1.14 x 4.38 x 6.66 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0062223879
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0062223876
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Gowan Stoughton, Duke of Kinross, knows time is money. Therefore, when it comes time for Gowan to select a wife, he wastes not a moment negotiating with Lady Edith Gilcrest’s father for her hand in marriage. Once Gowan has his future duchess lined up, it’s off to Brighton for an important business conference. When Gowan receives his first letter from Edith, he is delighted to discover his fiancée shares his sensible nature, since Edith spells out exactly what she expects from their marriage, though there are hints that she has a rather sharp sense of humor. Upon finally catching up with Edith, Gowan is prepared to finish ironing out the practical details of their future together, only to discover that after one kiss, he is hopelessly—and quite impractically—in love. The latest splendidly sexy fairy-tale romance from bestseller James is inspired by “Rapunzel,” with a generous dash of Romeo and Juliet. The result is a symphony of delights for romance readers, a lyrically written love story graced with richly nuanced characters and generously seasoned with the author’s incandescent wit. --John Charles

Review

Praise for ONCE UPON A TOWER “Exquisitely written, insightful, hilarious, and sometimes bawdy, this adroit, offbeat, music-laced, Shakespeare-infused take on the classic Rapunzel story will put cello-playing into a whole new light and a tower on every woman’s wish list.” — Library Journal (starred review)

“Eloisa James delights again with a story that’s both sophisticated and sweet, featuring layered characters who walk right off the page and into the reader’s heart.” — BookPage

“James’ twist on Rapunzel sweeps readers away into a fairy tale full of deep emotion while exploring the themes of self-imposed imprisonment, family relations, love, marriage and what is at the heart of any relationship. James wraps big themes in a wonderfully romantic story, beautifully written, intelligent and unforgettable.” — RT Book Reviews (top pick) 4 1/2 Stars

“a symphony of delights for romance readers, a lyrically written love story graced with richly nuanced characters and generously seasoned with the author’s incandescent wit.” — Booklist (starred review)

“Eloisa James’s writing is absolutely exquisite. She is one of the brightest lights in our genre...her writing is truly scrumptious.” — Teresa Medeiros

“Eloisa James writes with a captivating blend of charm, style, and grace that never fails to leave the reader sighing and smiling and falling in love. Her style is exquisite, her prose pure magic. Nothing gets me to a bookstore faster than a new novel by Eloisa James.” — Julia Quinn

“Eloisa James is extraordinary. With her sensuous and elegant style, inventive plotting and warm, human characters, she makes every book a treasure. A novel by Eloisa is a delicious treat that shouldn’t be missed. A wonderfully original voice in romance fiction!” — New York Times bestselling author Lisa Kleyps

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Avon; Later Printing edition (May 28, 2013)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 416 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0062223879
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0062223876
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.3 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 1.14 x 4.38 x 6.66 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,599 ratings

About the author

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Eloisa James

Eloisa James

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Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Eloisa James is a New York Times bestselling author and professor of English literature who lives with her family in New York, but can sometimes be found in Paris or Italy. She is the mother of two and, in a particularly delicious irony for a romance writer, is married to a genuine Italian knight.

For info about books, visit www.eloisajames.com and sign up for her Five Fabulous Things newsletter. Or ask a question on Facebook (where Eloisa spends entirely too much time): https://www.facebook.com/eloisajames

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
1,599 global ratings
Precious Love Story
5 Stars
Precious Love Story
Such a sweet love story. Even better if you are a music lover. It is not your standard historical romance. It has substance without being the same old six and seven. Characters so 3D.. Fairytale Ending will take your romantic breath away.
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Top reviews from the United States

SJS
5.0 out of 5 stars Romantic, funny, very engaging
Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2013
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Eloisa James is one of the few romance authors whose books I will read, because her characters are complex and her writing is lively and remarkably free of cliche. And I can't say that I love even all of her books, but I did enjoy this one hugely. I was going to say from start to finish but that isn't quite true as I read the opening pages a few times before continuing. (Chapters were available on her website before publication.) The hero is a bit of a cold fish at the outset and the book begins with his perspective which did not captivate me. But once we met Edie and Layla, I was completely hooked. I think one of Eloisa's specialties is relationships between sisters or female friends and Edie and Layla are both great characters. Layla is just as vivid and interesting as Edie even though she is a supporting character. What stands out about this book is that things are not magical and perfect just because characters are in love or lust. Both main characters have pasts that inform their present behavior. It's quite a wonderful blend of realistic and wise on how people are and romantic and implausible. Overall, very satisfying. Once Upon a Tower is not just an airy trifle but enriched with some real insights and some great music and poetry.
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Jennifer
4.0 out of 5 stars 4.5 Stars
Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2013
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It is always impressive to me when an author has the ability to constantly surprise me by meeting my already high expectations. I adore Eloisa James's romances so I was expecting to enjoy Once Upon a Tower and I did. But, I was blown away by how different this one was from the others in her Fairy Tale series with the tone, the romance, and the characters.

Our hero is Gowan, an extremely wealthy Scottish duke, who has come to England for a business venture and always plans on finding a wife. I really enjoyed Gowan's character. I thought it was interesting that he was younger than most historical heroes (early twenties) though he shows considerably maturity due to the fact that he has held his current title since he was a young teen. Gowan has been a duke for almost ten years and has a ton of responsibilities which he is diligent about taking care of. His opinions of romance are shaped greatly by the complex relationship of his parents and it is obvious that he is desperate not to repeat those mistakes. Yet he falls for Edie and proposes rather quickly though he claims not to be an impulsive person by nature. I also need to mention another aspect of his character that I enjoyed which was the fact that Gowan is a virgin though still pretty sensual. This unusual predicament ends up being a major plot point that I don't want to spoil for possible readers, but I applaud Eloisa James for bringing it up.

Edie was a little harder for me like at the beginning. She is a beautiful lady with an amazing talent for playing the cello. Despite that, she has some self-esteem issues, mostly associated with being right for marriage and motherhood. This has forced her to have a very cynical view of love that is threatened by her growing feelings for Gowan. I started liking Edie when she began showing her more humorous side to Gowan early in their courtship and it gave me hope that she could be a worthy heroine for him since I was already rooting for him. Edie's views on love and romance have also been shaped by her observations of her father and stepmother's tumultuous marriage which helped me understand why she was afraid to address the issues that she and her husband were having in the bedroom. I did think she reacted a bit dramatically to Gowan's reaction, but I thought Eloisa James explained well enough by the end.

Gowan and Edie's relationship started off as an example of insta-lust so I was not sure about their compatibility beyond that. But, I began rooting for them when they started exchanging bawdy letters while Gowan was away on business. They seemed to connect with each other quickly and it was nice to see the balance between sexual tension (which was definitely visible) and emotional intimacy. They do have issues in the bedroom which I thought was an intriguing, and realistic, complication to their relationship. Both of them are virgins so it is to be expected that there would be some bumps on the road. Despite that, they did seem to want to work out their relationship (until a certain point) and were willing to know more about one another. There were some communication issues, but they did not annoy me the way that they usually do because of the realistic way that Ms. James showed their reactions. Also, it was nice to read a romance that focused primarily on the couple with very few subplots getting in the way.

The only major plot, besides Gowan and Edie's relationship, was a sweet secondary romance. It involved Edie's father and stepmother trying to get back to their initial feelings for another which was easier said than done. I thought this was a great choice because of the influence that this relationship had on Edie's outlook on romance. I love troubled marriage story lines so I definitely enjoyed this one.

One thing that I love about this series is the fact that Eloisa James is influenced by the original fairy tales, but she doesn't force herself to follow them literally. Once Upon a Tower is a retelling of Rapunzel and there is a tower involved, but it was a pretty minimal plot point and I didn't actually mind that. Most of the book was taken up by the events that forced Edie to go into the tower which is part of the Rapunzel fairy tale that I am always intrigued by though I loved the way she did the hero climbing the hair aspect at the end. Very clever and shows how dangerous that really can be!

In conclusion, I absolutely loved this romance and think it is in my top two from this series (the other being When Beauty Tamed the Beast). I definitely am looking forward to whatever Eloisa James comes up with next!
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CKFashant
5.0 out of 5 stars Not exactly what he bargained for
Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2014
Verified Purchase
Gowan Stoughton of Craigievar, Duke of Kinross, has no time for romance. That is not to say he is not romantic, but when you are in charge of one of the largest and most prosperous estates in Scotland, you need to prioritize. Time is money, and any time spent on "useless" pastimes is completely wasted.

Lady Edith Gilcrest's world revolves around one thing, and only one thing...music. To her, any time spent not playing her cello is completely wasted. In fact, she even travels with it.

The minute Gowan sees Edie at her comeout ball he knows that she is the one he will marry. Dancing with her only cemented his resolve, so he expediently bargains for her hand and checks that off of his to do list. Problem is...she isn't exactly what he bargained for.

The back and forth between these two throughout the book is pure gold. From the letters at the beginning to the groveling at the end every word drips of genius and wit.

As usually is the case, James does include some wonderfully written subplots about supporting characters that not only move the story along, but make you wonder which hero/heroine you are cheering for more. Not many authors could manage this feat without drowning or stalling the storyline, but James handles it like the master that she is!

I loved the Shakespeare references (fitting, as James is a Shakespeare professor), and cheered madly at the end when a certain character got what was coming to him in spades (no spoilers, but if someone hadn't hit him I would have been very well put out).

Overall, the story was delightful and heartbreaking at the same time. To know that you are trying your hardest at something and not succeeding is the worst feeling in the world, but then to have the person you love turn around and lay you bare by throwing it in your face is everyone's secret and darkest fear.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Cliente Kindle
5.0 out of 5 stars Não acredite
Reviewed in Brazil on April 11, 2019
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Se eu fosse acreditar no comentário de outra leitora, dando só 2 estrelas, teria perdido de ler uma obra beeem bonitinha. Não precisa acreditar em mim, também. Tire suas próprias conclusões.
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bookaholic
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 26, 2013
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Eloisa James is one of the best writers of historical novels but with a contemporary twist. Her books are always beautifully written; funny, engaging, intelligent and with enough spice to be hot. Her leading ladies are thoroughly modern in their outlook, so whilst I'm sure that they are not historically correct, they are highly enjoyable. Gowan is just brilliant. What begins as a stuffy, aristocratic character soon becomes a witty and then heart twistingly loveable man. I'm genuinely surprised by some other reviews saying its not up to her usual standards. Whilst not as good as the Ugly Duchess, I thought this much better than Seduced by a Pirate
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maMadame
4.0 out of 5 stars Schöne Entwicklungs-Story. Die Nebencharktere sind herrlich!
Reviewed in Germany on June 16, 2013
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4,5 Sterne
Gowan ist seit seinem 14 Lebensjahr ein schottischer Herzog und jetzt gerade mal 22 Jahren. Er will heiraten und entscheidet sich für Lady Edith (Edie, 19), die Tochter eines englischen Earls. Edie ist einen grandiose Musikerin auf dem Cello und war immer viel alleine, was ihr nichts ausmachte, da sie am Tag immer lieber stundenlang übte als irgendetwas anders zu machen, was eine Lady eigentlich sonst so machen sollte. Die Musik ist für sie immer die einzige Gefühlskommunikation gewesen, eine andere hatte sie nie praktiziert, vor allem mit ihrem Vater. Gowan ist ein Workaholic durch und durch, weil er nie etwas anderes kennen gelerntet hatte. Gefühle haben im Leben eines Dukes keinen Platz und kann damit auch gar nicht umgehen. Gefühle zu äußern ist ihm völlig fremd. Die Leidenschaft , welche er sofort für Edie hat, will er kontrollieren, nun ja, soll er mal versuchen...
Nun, die beiden heiraten, ohne sich wirklich kennen gelernt zu haben, nur auf einer Hochzeit treffen sie sich kurz und sind beide von einander angetan, so das sich beide auch auf die Hochzeit und die drauffolgenden Intimitäten freuen. (Schön ist, das Elisabeth James hier die Hochzeit vom Marcus und Honoria aus Julia Quinns "Just like Heaven" verwenden durfte.) Aber es wäre ja kein James, wenn jetzt alles fröhlich weiter gehen würde. Die Hochzeitsnacht ist für Edie alles andere als schön und auf der direkt darauf folgenden Hochzeitsreise auf das Schottische Anwesen, was ca. 10 Tage in Anspruch nimmt, wird es leider nicht besser. Zwar ist Gowan ein netter Mann und auch sehr zuvorkommend, aber auch ein Herzog durch und durch. Er verabscheut es Zeit zu verschwenden, z.B. reist ein Angestellte in der gemeinsamen Kutsche um während der Fahrt Geschäfte mit den Herzog zu erledigen, was Edie mit der Zeit immer mehr nervt und auch das sie immer von Domestiken umgeben sind und nie alleine... und dann funktioniert das Ehebett für sie auch nicht und und und... doch vor allem sie kann ihre Enttäuschung auf der Reise über alles nicht durch die Musik herauslassen... dann kommen sie im schottischen Anwesen an und das Leben der beiden beginnt...

Toll ist, das hier die ganze Problematik einer jungen Ehe zur damaligen Zeit ausführlich beschrieben wird und hier ist auch mal der Mann nicht der tolle Draufgänger, der seine Frau sofort zum Orgasmus bringt, wenn er sieh nur am Ohrläppchen kitzelt... Gowan ist eben so unerfahren wie Edie in der Hochzeitsnacht.
Mein Liebling in der Geschichte ist Lady Layla Gilchrist, die Stiefmutter von Edie! Alleine für den Charakter hätte ich mir das Buch schon gekauft. Die ist irgendwie wie ein Mischung aus dem Charakteren Samantha und Carrie aus Sex and the City in der Regencyepoche. Herrlich witzig die Dialoge mit ihr!!! (Ich glaube Miss James hat hier, wie schon bei "Beauty and the Beast" sich wieder bei einer Fernsehserie gekonnt bedient.) Die Liebesgeschichte von Layla zum Vater von Edie hätte ich gerne gelesen, obwohl diese hier zum Teil ebenfalls in diesem Buch stattfindet, vielleicht gibt es ja mal einen Prologe dazu!?!

Ich gebe zu, dass das Buch seine Längen hat, da es sich in der ersten hälfte intensive mit dem Kennenlernen auf der Fahrt beschäftigt, aber es ist für das Bild der Charaktere und der Entwicklung notwendig. Ich finde es auch mal schön, dass sich eine Autorin damit mal Zeit gelassen hat, eine Entwicklung genauer zu beschreiben.
Allgemein eine witzige Lektüre für die man sich Zeit nehmen sollte.
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lisa
5.0 out of 5 stars Bedroom problems in a Scottish castle
Reviewed in Australia on January 23, 2016
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In romance novels the sex is always perfect with multiple orgasms and nobody smells bad or sweats too much. So it's a refreshing change to read a book that tackles the bedroom problems of a newly married couple.

Edith is a dedicated cellist. On her debut she is instantly betrothed to Scottish duke Gowan who thinks she is everything he wants in a bride. Their attraction grows each time they meet.

I won't spoil the plot by detailing what happens next but there are marital difficulties. If you are looking for pure unrealistic escapism, this book isn't it. It's an empathic look at common relationship problems.

As with all books from clever Eloise James there are entertaining side characters including a flirty step mother and an angry child. Highly recommended reading.
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Alison Thompson
2.0 out of 5 stars Not my favourite
Reviewed in Australia on August 6, 2018
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I found this book a bit boring, didn't even read it all..skipped to the end. Not like the other fairy tales. Don't bother.
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