Cursed King: A Contemporary Beauty and the Beast Retelling Romance

Once Upon Ever After, Book 1

By: Julie Saman, J. Saman

Narrated by: Sean Masters, Desiree Ketchum

A deliciously steamy, suspenseful, and darker contemporary royalty Beauty and the Beast retelling. Welcome to the cursed kingdom of Messalina....

When my sick father wanders into the off-limits palace where the widowed king of Messalina lives with his three children, I know we're in trouble.

Locked away since the tragic death of his wife, the whispers of an ancient royal curse are more alive than ever.

And when my father is taken prisoner and I accidentally break a priceless statue, I learn first hand that the rumors of the callous beast king with his gorgeous face and frosty disposition are true.

Especially when he gives me an ultimatum: become the nanny for his children or my father goes to prison.

It isn't until I move into the palace that I see there's life in the walls, passion lurking beneath smoldering glances and forbidden moments, and endless love for three beautiful children—the king's one soft spot.

The longer I stay, the more in love I fall with the children and the man who does all he can to keep his distance. Until one night he shatters my innocence and shows me exactly what it means to be owned by the king.

But this is no fairy tale, and no matter how we feel, we can never be together.

On top of that, there's a darkness we can't escape. A danger lurking, waiting to kill again.

And when it comes for us, there will be no stopping it until it succeeds.

Cursed King is a STEAMY contemporary (NOT romantasy or paranormal) fairy tale retelling. It is the beginning of a series of four fairy tale retellings with a heavily interconnected plot and is best read in order. Cursed King ends on a CLIFFHANGER with the resolution in Cursed Queen. The remaining books in the series will be standalone couples. This book was previously published through Yonder as The King's Forbidden Nanny.

©2022, 2025 J. Saman (P)2025 Julie Saman

Perfect contemporary retelling of Beauty and the Beast!

Audio:
I’ve only recently been able to get into audio books, because my brain doesn’t usually let me focus to audible books. This one had me hooked from the get go though. I read this one with both my eyes and my ears and it made for an incredible experience for me. The narrators did a fabulous job bringing these characters to life in my head. There were certain lines with the female narrator that I could hear Belle from the original cartoon which added a nostalgic touch to the audio.
Story:
There is a perfect balance of elements from Beauty and the Beast woven into a completely new contemporary story. This story had me torn between having my heart twisted from chest to ready to combust, to laughing my head off at the superb banter. Bellamy is fabulous, full of snarky comebacks that had me snorting with laughter. She has this mix of optimism while being realistic. Sebastian captured me from page one. His fear for his family was palpable to me throughout the story. The character growth that both of them experience is stunning to read. Their spice was hot and had me constantly needing to refill the ice in my water. Many times I feel like children within a book are almost like a prop for the story, but that is not the case here. Phaedra, Sabrina, and Zayer are integral characters within the storyline that had me laughing one moment and then yanking my heart out of my chest the next. I absolutely love this storyline, these characters, and this world. I cannot wait to see what happens next.

A phenomenal modern twist on a classic

This one is Julie’s modern twist on the classic beauty and the beast. The king believes he his family is cursed and locks them away in the safety of the palace until one day an unwell old man finds his way inside. When his daughter comes to collect, his children mar a chance encounter with her and convince their father to make her the new nanny. Some believed she could break the curse but she didn’t believe in such a curse. She is somehow able to bring this reclusive king back to his people just as a dark secret emerges and puts everyone in jeopardy.
This book does come with trigger warnings so make sure you check those. While darker than her usual type, this one shows Julie’s amazing talent and every time she outdoes herself. I truly believe there isn’t any trope she can’t write.
Sean and Desiree do a spectacular job of bringing life to these characters. Each character having their own unique voice. Amazing narrator bringing a talented authors piece to life. Cannot wait for book 2- luckily it releases in January so not long to wait.

Counting down to the next book!!

Cursed King by Julie Saman was an incredible book, and I’m already counting down to the next book. The story delivers a perfectly growly king who falls hard for the nanny, blending lust, desire, and fierce protectiveness in a way that completely hooked me. This book is clearly written for mature audiences and brings just the right amount of spice while still keeping the characters and tension compelling. Julie Saman is an amazing author, and I’m so glad this series is available on Audible. it made the experience even more enjoyable. Highly recommend for those who love a powerful, protective hero and a sizzling romance.

Bellamy and Sebastian 🥰 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wow! Very intense, sad , happy , Spice and more. The life of a Cursed King and the woman he falls in love with and hopes it breaks the curse. Narration by Sean and Desiree was awesome, they brought the characters to life. 👏🏻👏🏻

The accents…

The accents were all over the place…when he spoke, it was giving Spanish, when the kids spoke it was bad French….when she spoke as him it was really bad French…so distracting