ERIN HALBMAIER

I’ve given out a lot of copies of my prequel, Night of Dance, lately. Perhaps you’re one of the amazing people who decided to take a chance on my stories. If you loved the start of Michael and Ella’s story and you’re wondering which one of my books to jump into next, I hope this post will give you an answer.

If you prefer to read a series chronologically, you’re already out of order. Oops…That’s what happens when a planster writes a book to prove a point and then decides to turn it into a series!

Originally, Book Two was going to begin after Book One, just like a good series should. But then I decided that instead of starting with Axel and Katy already married, I wanted to show how they met…but it was too much for one book, so I split it and put a five-year gap between the two halves of their duology.

Which means that Book Two in the series comes before Night of Dance (the prequel novella) and Slippers and Thorns (Book One). But it didn’t seem right to split the duology, so I left Book Two where it was.

If you are less concerned about chronological order – or have already read Songs and Spun Gold (Book Two), Slippers and Thorns is “the rest of the story” for Michael and Ella. This book has a special place in my heart, and I hope you give it a chance, but… after receiving reader feedback, I feel like I should tell you a few things about it first.

Some readers absolutely LOVE the book. They appreciate the realism of the struggles this young couple faces and the effort they must go through to heal the wounds they’ve caused each other. They hear the message of hope that I tried to build in to the story.

But other readers didn’t appreciate the way Michael behaves in this book. And if you’re looking for a book boyfriend, you might want to skip Slippers and Thorns and move straight on to Songs and Spun Gold. Because while he attempts to fix things later in the book, Michael’s devotion to his duty has caused him and Ella to drift away from each other. And when she makes a comment in anger that he wasn’t supposed to hear, he allows his misinterpretation of her words, combined with her decision to ride next to one of her guards instead of him, to spur him into getting back at her by escorting other women around. Not because he’s interested in them, but just because he’s mad at his wife.

Yeah. Michael totally drops the ball in this story, and he’s not the most likable character. Given his choices for about two thirds of it, how could he be?

His behavior isn’t what I think of when I think of a story having cheating in it, but I know several people who are triggered by cheating who have decided to bypass this book to be safe.

If you’re one of those people, skipping Slippers and Thorns won’t mess up the rest of the series for you. These books are interconnected standalones, so while events in it are referenced in later books, it isn’t necessary to read the story to understand or enjoy the rest of the series.  I don’t want to upset readers, so if it’s best for your mental health to do that, please do!

But selfishly, if you’re on the fence, I hope you’ll give it a chance. A lot of readers don’t like Michael very much, but I can’t help caring about him because…he’s me.

I tend to throw myself into my work to the point I forget to prioritize my family.

When someone hurts me, a part of me wants to hurt them back.

I don’t always understand what I did to upset my husband. If he was unable to express himself like Ella, I would be clueless.

I don’t always realize how my actions affect those around me.

But…I’m also Ella.

I don’t like conflict.

I struggle to explain my thoughts and feelings when my husband is upset with me.

There are days when it seems easier to run away than to deal with my problems.

Slippers and Thorns isn’t the happiest book I’ve written. But when you read it, remember that’s it’s meant to be a book of hope.

Because I believe books should have happy endings…even if the characters have to work for them. Even if it isn’t wrapped up in a perfect bow. So it may feel like an uphill battle sometimes, but they do get there.