The Cracked Slipper

"This fantastical novel [is] well-developed... fast-paced and believable." — San Francisco Book Review "Alluring... Alexander writes sensitively about reality falling short of dreams..." — Publisher's Weekly "...a sophisticated and fantastical twist to the beloved Cinderella fairy tale." — A. G. Howard, author of the Splintered Series When Eleanor Brice loses a glass slipper, she unexpectedly gains a royal fiancé and a way out of her abusive stepmother's house. Unfortunately, eight years of mistreatment, isolation, and clandestine book learning hardly prepared Eleanor for life at Eclatant Palace, where women are seen, not heard. According to Eleanor's eavesdropping parrot, no one at court appreciates her unladylike tendency to voice her opinion. To make matters worse, Gregory Desmarais, Crown Prince of Cartheigh, spends his last night of bachelorhood on a drunken whoring spree. ...