Once Upon a Smile: Maria’s Story: a Sweet Retelling of the Fairy Tale “the Princess Who Never Smiled” Retellings Book

She’s tired of regrets. She’s ready for a fresh start. And if disguising herself as a knight is the only way forward, well—so be it.Maria longs to leave her past behind, but that’s hard to do when her life feels stalled and aimless. Add a string of unwelcome suitors, and she’s desperate for a way out.So when her brother decides to travel to a nearby kingdom to win the heart of a wealthy princess, Maria aches to join him. There’s just one problem: the journey is dangerous, and her family would never let her go.Her solution? Strike a secret deal to join the expedition—even if it means she must disguise herself as one of her brother’s knights.It seems like a simple enough plan—until the untimely moment her deception is discovered.Inspired by the classic fairy tale The Princess Who Never Smiled, this sweet and swoony double romance follows Maria’s journey to find her own happily ever after as she discovers the transformative power of laughter and love.Come for the disguise and danger—stay for the redemption of a girl learning to open her heart, in a story for readers who love watching a character earn her second chance.*Can absolutely be enjoyed as a standalone novel, but this story does contain significant spoilers for the first book, Princess Without a Palace: A King Thrushbeard Fairy Tale.