Braids and the Beast
A Rapunzel Meets the Beast Fractured Fairy Tale
One cosmic stumble. One wrong tower. One very fumbled fate.
When an outsider shakes the master book of fairy tales, the stories unravel—and Rapunzel is dropped into a tower and a tale that was never meant to be hers.
For her entire life, Rapunzel has lived by Dame Gothel’s rules: stay in the tower, keep her eyes closed, and never question the world beyond.
But Rapunzel has never been one to simply wait. She paints, she studies, and secretly funds a village she’s never been allowed to see—until a twist of fate rips her from her tower and drops her into a cold, unfamiliar prison.
Gruff, cursed, and wholly unprepared for a barefoot woman who escapes his prison tower and doesn’t have the good sense to fear him, Sébastien has spent years convinced his beastly exterior is the least monstrous thing about him.
Rapunzel fills his crumbling castle with warmth, curiosity, and the intoxicating scent of crushed herbs—and in her light, something in him shifts.
As Rapunzel adapts to a world beyond the only life she’s ever known, long-buried truths begin to surface. For the first time, she must decide what freedom truly means. And whether love can exist without it.
Sébastien knows what she won’t admit. A heart that has never been free cannot truly choose… and loving her might mean letting her go.
Braids and the Beast is a cozy, whimsical, slow-burn, forced proximity, no-spice romance about a sheltered dreamer and a cursed prince who must learn that love is not possession, but choice.
If you love grumpy/sunshine dynamics, cottagecore/hopecore/whimsycore vibes, and a heroine who finds beauty in the torn pages of a broken story, you'll love this "fumbled" Rapunzel/Beast retelling.
Reader Reviews
3 ratings
Charlene M.
To my surprise, I quite enjoyed this fractured fairy tale. I liked the characters, the setting, the romance wasn't heavy handed, and the atmosphere was very well written. Enjoyable!
Jennifer M.
This is book two of the Fumbled Fairy Tales series. The Fumbled Fairy Tales is a collection of reimagined fairy tales that have been “fumble” to change up the original story. This is a reimagined story of Rapunzel and Beauty and the Beast. It’s cozy, sweet and whimsical. I enjoyed a different version of the two tales and would love to read more of this series. Great characters that you fall in love with. I really liked how the author built up the relationship between the two main characters. I was rooting for their happy ending through the whole book. Detail well plotted storyline that keeps your attention throughout the book. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Aneta .
"Rapunzel is dropped into a tower and a tale that was never meant to be hers."
This is the story of Rapunzel and SĂ©bastien. Tangled meets beauty and the beast. It starts on the day of her twentieth birthday when the earth shakes and she is thrown from her tower.
I was invested in the story from the beginning.
I love their story and I really love this concept. I almost prefer him with rapunzel đź¤. I understand that other stories like this one exist. I want to read them all.