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Fates is a series of paranormal romance novels written by Kristine Grayson. Grayson is a pen name for Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
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Order of Fates Series
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Utterly Charming | 2000 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | Thoroughly Kissed | 2001 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | Completely Smitten | 2002 | Description / Buy | |
| 4 | Simply Irresistible | 2002 | Description / Buy | |
| 5 | Absolutely Captivated | 2004 | Description / Buy | |
| 6 | Totally Spellbound | 2005 | Description / Buy |
Kristine is a very diverse writer that has shown on numerous occasions that she has the capacity to operate within a wide variety of genres. And avid Kristine fans who have enjoyed her serious mysteries, thrillers and dramas might find the Fates series surprising because of how fluffy and lighthearted it gets.
The books are classic fairy tales reworked and reproduced within an urban fantasy setting. Most of the central characters are recognizable figures, though they are typically accompanied by a new character whose involvement forces the fairy tale to take a new turn.
For instance, Utterly Charming, the first novel in the Fates series tells the story of Nora and Prince Charming. A long time ago, Emma’s stepmother tried to kill her. The so-called sleeping beauty was saved by a man called Blackstone whose kiss left Emma in a coma.
Blackstone spent the next millennium watching over Emma’s slumbering body. When Nora meets Blackstone, he asks for her help in his efforts to both protect Emma and combat her evil stepmother.
Blackstone spent so many years nurturing his belief that Emma was his one true soul mate. However, that belief is immediately tested when Prince Charming himself meets Nora and immediately falls for her beauty, personality and spunky attitude.
This is as Emma finally awakens from her coma and struggles to make sense of a world that is wholly changed.
The Fates series initially focuses on reimagining the lives of classic fairy tale characters in modern times. They must each strive to forge new lives once they learn that the destinies they were bound to for millennia no longer matter.
The mortals, some of whom are women, some of whom are men, must come to terms with the existence of magic. Their magically inclined partners have to acclimate to life in a modern society.
Over time, the story shifts focus and throws the spotlight onto the fates, three beings that determine destiny and whose lives are eventually intertwined with the goings on of the mortal realm.
Even though the Fates books are categorized as romance, they are only mildly sensual. There is more kissing than actual sex and, more often than not, the magic and the fantastical adventures are prioritized over the love story.
The Fates books are best read in order. Later books make a lot of references to characters and events from previous books.
Fates Awards
The First Fates novel received an RT Reviewer’s Choice Award in 2000 in the category of Contemporary Paranormal.
Best Fates Books
The Fates novels are divisive; some readers think they are light, fluffy, charming stories while others hate how silly they can get, with some of the best books in the series including:
Completely Smitten: Andrew Vari is a short relatively ugly man. His real name is Darius. Darius was the sort of dashingly handsome man that could make any woman swoon. But then he got too arrogant and a curse stripped him of his appealing visage.
Now he is Andrew, and if he wants to regain his beauty, he must use his cunning and his magic to connect a hundred pairs of soul mates.
When Andrew saved Ariel Summers from mortal danger, he never expected to fall for her. But he did and she somehow saw past his ugly face, eventually falling for the real man hiding behind his eyes.
Now Andrew doesn’t know how his falling in love with his own soul mate will affect his curse.
Totally Spellbound: Megan is a psychologist who always approached life with a rational mind. But then she ended up in Las Vegas with her brother, his mysterious fiancé, a child and three women called The Fates.
Now Megan is ready to declare her brother insane, what with his claims of the three crazy women being powerful entities that must recover a magic spinning wheel from a business tycoon.
Of course, sorting out her brother’s sanity might have to take a backseat now that she’s met Robbie, a painfully attractive fellow who calls her Fair Maiden.
Other Book Series You May Like
Another fun read is the “Peri Jean Mace” Series by Catie Rhodes. Peri Jean Mace is a medium. She’s the one the ghosts of the dead come to when they need their deaths and murders solved.
Be sure to check out the “Touched Saga” Series by Elisa S. Amore as well. Gemma was just an ordinary girl living in Lake Placid who only wanted to experience the same sweeping romance she read in her books. Then she met Evan, an Angel of Death sent to kill her, and her life changed. Now Gemma is trapped in a conflict she can barely comprehend.
What Is The Next Book in The Fates Series?
There doesn't seem to be an upcoming book in The Fates Series. The newest book is Totally Spellbound and was released on August, 1st 2005.