The Swan and the Slipper

All she wanted was to be useful.

Now she’s cursed to be a swan.

Seamstress Odette Cygnesson has spent her whole life striving to be useful, but her mother remains cold and critical and the people of Vespara can’t seem to look past her dubious heritage and see that she is nothing like her infamous father. When the regent offers her a spot in the Vesparan peace delegation to neighboring Montaigne, she jumps at the chance. This could finally be her chance to start over.

But an evil enchanter has other designs in mind for the delegation, and Odette finds herself cursed and her identity stolen. As a swan by day except for the hours between sunset and midnight, there is not much she can do to help Montaigne, and she despairs of finding someone willing to help break her curse.

After all, swans are not very useful.

But a chance meeting with the prince changes everything. Soon, a plot involving a baron’s daughter-turned-servant, an evil stepmother, and a royal ball comes together, and Odette discovers that perhaps she might not be as useless as she thinks. But when mistaken identities and past histories come to light, will Odette still find a way to break her curse? Or will she be doomed forever to spend life as a swan?

While this story can be read on its own, it is best enjoyed in sequence with other books in the series, as it contains spoilers for previous stories.