"Uncharmed" (Dark Tales: #1) (Publishing March 1st, 2025)

I don't dislike anyone, I hate them.

Lady Tremaine has been groomed from the day she was born to be wed to a man old enough to be her grandfather. A pretty bird locked tight in a cage, one that would never open. Praying has become futile, escape is impossible, and she's doomed to forever be shackled by a man that she doesn't love.

I hate what I've become, but there's no turning back once it's begun.

Words hold power, far more power than Tremaine realizes. Once you start to feel that burning desire to end someone's life, and having the power to do it, there's no turning back time. And Tremaine hates herself for the awful, wicked thoughts she mutters aloud. Who wouldn't hate what they've become?

I don't hate her, I just loathe her.

Tremaine is now in charge of her step-daughter, one that never got properly named. The girl is sweet, docile, pure...everything her husband wasn't. And Tremaine doesn't know how to handle her own misfortune, let alone a foolish, naïve girl's life.

*~*~*~*
Join the dark side and fall in love with the villains who were just like you and me, but the consequences and actions took hold and produced bad apples of them.

In this reimaging of Cinderella, we take a dive deeper into realizing what it means to carry a broken spirit, a bitter heart, and a hope so strong that it showcases just how powerful words can be. And how Tremaine deals with all this and turns to the dark side to become known as "The Evil Stepmother".

© 2025 by E.J. Powell