A Warm Welcome to Serena Clarke
Serena shares an excerpt from In Royal Ruins, which is a retelling of the Grimms’ fairytale, King Thrushbeard.
She also shares an excerpt and her favorite recipe, Chinese Chicken Salad. (see below).
About In Royal Ruins
Appalled by his daughter’s vain and impertinent attitude, the king forces her to marry a peasant, hoping to teach her a lesson. Feeling devastated by this decree, Alora loses everything she knows and is thrust into a world she is not prepared for. The skills she learned to help her rule a kingdom have not prepared her for the drudgery of living the life of a peasant’s wife.
Larik, her new husband, is determined to help Alora and show her kindness despite her unfriendly personality. Will Larik’s example and affection towards her be enough to heal her heart of anger and grief so that she can see the beauty in the world once again? Can she let go of the past and allow herself to be loved?
Praise and Reviews for In Royal Ruins
This book is a retelling of a story from a Grimms' Fairytale called King Thrushbeard. In German it was Koenig Drosselbard. Being a native German, I hate to admit that this is a Grimms' story that I had not heard of. I really enjoyed the story how a very pampered princess learned to live a life of a peasant and was forced to marry someone against her will. This man, Larik, appears to be a most patient and thoughtful peasant and the story of their lives as husband and wife will be a great challenge for this man. It is a very engaging story, one that you will want to finish and find out what happens. Very good story! ~Sunny Reviews
“In Royal Ruins” was adventurous, exciting and romantic. All you could need from one of Serena Clarke’s books. I was on the edge of my seat with every turn of the page! I will definitely be reading this one again! ~ Kayla Rees
Princess Alora’s life changes drastically when her father is tired of her behavior. Larik is a wonderful person who is devoted to making Alora’s life better. You will be on the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens next with these characters. ~ Debbie Jamieson
Alora, a royal who was destined to rule a kingdom, loses her true love to a war. Afterward she grows bitter and hardened to love because she doesn’t want to get hurt again. Even though she has many suitors and her father tries to encourage her to marry, she finds fault with all of them and refuses. She tells her father since she can’t marry for love, she’ll marry for wealth, and he’s horrified. When Larik, a peasant with battle scars marring his face, comes to call, her father marries he and Alora. She grieves now not only for lost love, but also for the way of life she once knew. She’s unaccustomed to the work of a peasant’s wife and stays tired with aching feet and calloused hands, but Larik’s a kind, gentle husband who helps her and is determined to win her affection.
Ms. Clarke does an excellent job of pulling the reader into a fantasy world of peasantry coated with an aura of yesteryear courting and romance. Even though I thought I knew how the book would end, the twists and turns held so much interest, I couldn’t put the book down. It’s a sweet story of true love with a wonderful message. I highly recommend it to all who like fairytale romances, true love and stories with happy endings. I thoroughly enjoyed it. ~ Gail Pallotta
An Excerpt:
The king slammed his fists on the table and stood up so swiftly that his chair clanged to the floor. Alora jumped in surprise. Her usually mild-mannered father heaved in a deep breath, expanding his great girth, dominating the room and casting his shadow over his daughter.
“Enough!” he cried. “You have grown heartless and spoiled and vain. And I will have no more of it. You are not worthy of your title as a princess or as my daughter!”
“Father!” she cried defiantly. Though she was surprised by his outburst, she had never been afraid of him. “This is nonsense! He is just a peasant.”
Her father’s face grew red. “As so you shall be! You wanted to marry a rich prince so you can continue in comfort. But I declare that you will not. Instead you will marry this peasant that so repulses you!”
Alora’s gaze followed her father’s pointing finger and landed on the peasant that was now standing, a startled look on his face.
“What?” she cried in disbelief. “I will not!”
“You will!”
“You cannot make me!”
“By the power I possess as king of Danitza, you shall. To refuse is treason and you will be banished!”
The king’s deep voice rang throughout the room and Alora finally cowered in fear. She sank back down to her seat realizing that her father could not rescind such a statement, even if he wished it.
“Your Majesty,” the peasant spoke up. “I could not possibly marry the princess.”
“You can and you will,” the king demanded.
“I have just returned from war. I cannot support a wife,” he argued.
The king shook his head. “I will give you enough money to return to your home if you will take my daughter away and humble her!”
Alora sank further into her chair. What was happening? She was sure the peasant would not agree to this nonsense. She looked to him as an ally. His glare gave her hope. She was sure he held nothing but disdain for her. There was no way he would agree to marry someone so cruel as she.
“I could use the money. And an extra pair of hands will be a great help,” the peasant said brusquely.
The king chuckled. “Her pampered hands will do little to help you. But do with her what you will. Just take her away. Teach her some compassion.”
Buy on Amazon
Also look for Serena's Promises of Gold on Amazon
Chinese Chicken Salad
Serena received the recipe in a cooking class in High School (years ago). The original recipe calls for unseasoned boiled chicken but she changed it to sautéing and seasoning it instead. Instead of iceberg lettuce, she changed it to Romaine lettuce, which is her favorite. She also changed the amount of onions to six because the original was 12 and was too strong of a flavor.
1 head Romaine lettuce
3 chicken breasts, cubed
2 cups almonds, chopped
1-2 cans mandarin oranges, drained
1 package wonton wraps
Season chicken with your favorite seasoning and sauté.
Cut wontons into strips and fry in oil until crisp. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
Mix all ingredients together.
Just before serving, top lettuce mixture with Chinese Chicken salad dressing (below); then garnish with wonton strips.
Dressing:
6 green onions
1 ½ cups vegetable oil
1 ¼ cups apple cider vinegar
1 ½ tsp salt
¾ cup sugar
Blend all ingredients together in a blender.
Bio: Serena Clarke is from Sunny St. George in Southern Utah. Serena has a Bachelors Degree in Graphic Design and has taken several writing classes in college. Her favorite genre is fantasy romance. She is not only an author, but is a member of the Red Mountain Shadows Publishing team and creates book covers for Indie authors. She has three fantasy romances and two fairytale romances. Her fantasy/romance novels are The Treasure of Isian, The Alliance of Isian, and The Secret of Isian. Her fairytale/romances are Promises of Gold and In Royal Ruins.
Visit Serena’s website: https://serenaclarke.wordpress.com
Comments