At First Sight
~a modern fairytale~ inspired by Aladdin

by Katy Regnery

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Blurb

I fell in love with her the first moment I saw her.
That’s the truth.
Does it sound corny?
Maybe.
Superficial?
Probably.
Impossible?
Yeah. Yeah. Okay. I know.
The thing is?
I don’t really care what you lot think.
I know what I know.
Love at first sight is possible.
I’m positive because I’ve lived it.

I am Ian Ladd,
a street rat from the back alleys of Limerick.

She is Valentina Yasmina De’Medici,
Her Serene Highness.

This is our story.

Find At First Sight on GOODREADS

Review

4 stars!

Inspired by the story “Aladdin,” we have Ian and Tina, a “street rat” and a princess, who fall in love in a single night only to be torn apart the next day. It wouldn’t be a fairytale if they don’t find love again, and so with At First Sight, we get a heartwarming second chance romance with a classic fairytale ending

When Ian and Tina meet as teens, their lives couldn’t be more different. There is a spark though that blurs the line between worlds and Tina and Ian share a life changing night with each other. Then stripped of a future together, there is little hope that they will ever see the other again. As they grow up, things for both of them change drastically, and the only thing that remains the same is the memory of the unforgettable and passionate night long ago.

Fifteen years later they are brought together again, and pain and anger aren’t the only things that resurface. The connection they had at first sight is as strong as ever and they have to decide if they can have a future together, or if the past is too hard to overcome.

Though At First Sight is only a novella, it gives us a wonderful story full of emotion. It’s both heartbreaking and heartwarming, painful and full of healing. I loved seeing Tina and Ian together as teens because they grow so much as they become adults. The things they go through to finally make it back to each other are hard but they wouldn’t change a thing because of the life they’ve made when they were apart.

The character growth is well developed. Ian changes so much from the hot tempered child and takes his second chance to become the patient man he was always meant to be. Tina’s idea of love was crushed years ago, and it takes time to break down the walls she built up around her heart but Ian doesn’t give up. I love watching them trust again and seeing them together. It’s beautiful how they fit into each other lives and I loved that they knew what they wanted went after it.

“You were the brightest light my dark life had ever known. Because I didn’t know what beauty was, what love was, what was possible, until I met you. Because when God sees fit to place an angel in your life, you don’t ask how much it’ll cost.”

This story is not angsty but there is conflict that the characters must face. Everything is resolved rather quickly but I liked the way the story progressed. It’s sweet, swoony, and uplifting, and a wonderful addition to the Modern Fairytale Collection. I really enjoyed this one!

Note: Though you don’t need to read Shear Heaven before At First Sight, I am glad I did. Tina’s brother’s story takes place between the time Tina and Ian first meet as teens and when they reconnect as adults. I loved getting a glimpse of Tina’s life in that novella because I saw everything in a whole new light when I finally got her complete story.

*ARC generously provided by the author*