A Bond of Ice and Sunshine

Tales of Eukarya

By: Sarah Beran

Narrated by: Tawnya Rollingson

The Snow Queen meets King Thrushbeard…

As the crown prince of the tiny, coastal island of Kysta, Frederick had many expectations surrounding his future marriage. He had expected it to be an arranged, political match with a neighboring country. He had expected that the union would be weighed down by social and economic consequences. When his childhood friend and playmate, Princess Eliza of Nedra was announced as his intended, it was a pleasant surprise, but not unexpected.

What Freddy didn’t expect was the sudden icy temper and stone cold stares that Eliza has been gracing him with since the announcement. He also never expected to be left at the altar.

Twice.

But if there’s one thing Freddy knows, it’s that not even the coldest ice can withstand the sun. He’s willing to cross the whole of Eukarya to bring her back, and he’s determined to melt his way into the icy princess’s heart…even if it means risking frostbite to his own.

©2024 Sarah Beran (P)2025 Sarah Beran

Amazing!!

Flashbacks/dual timeline. Childhood Best Friends 🥺 Golden retriever mmc. Grumpy-Sunshine.Themes of selflessness and unconditional love. Ugh, it was so good! I've absolutely adored every story in this series! The mash-ups are SO fun and just seem to be the perfect combinations. Sweet, funny, swoony, cozy fairytales. Sigh. Highly recommend!!

I LOVE this narrator! She's wonderful.

King Thrushbeard Retelling!

“What if the reason that the princess in King Thrushbeard was so harsh towards her suitors was because her heart was frozen? And what if King Thrushbeard was as reliable as the sunshine and relentless in his pursuit of her?”

This is the first of Sarah Bean’s books I have read, though I have a few of her books on my physical TBR. Sarah has a wonderful way at creating an enjoyable setting and telling an entertaining story. There are a few flashbacks as we follow Freddy on his quest to find Eliza who has left him at the altar for the second time.
Freddy is the Sunshine in this story. He works so hard to prove himself and to do what he thinks is right. Eliza is more emotionless, she's standoffish and seems disconnected through much of the story. This

The narration by Tawnya was well done, she has an enjoyable way of making this story come to life. Her voice and tones for the characters are done nicely and not overly animated. She does well with the little hints the author puts in to give each character the right emotion and voice.

Great for all ages

This was a really cute fairy tale smashup. The characters were likable and the story developed nicely.
I thought the narrator did a great job with all the voices. Fun for middle grade and older.