“A tin ballerina. A brass soldier. A porcelain princess.
What does it matter who you are, if people only look at what you’re made of?
Twenty-four-year-old Lorelle Jimenez thrives under the spotlight. She’s trained all her life to be a principal ballerina, and now, with a performance before the princess of Monte Rico, her dream is within reach . . . only if she can keep her secret: her tin arm. The stage is the only place she’s called her home, but with the spotlight comes scrutiny and a jealous rival that will stop at nothing to expose her—and even end her life.
For Capitán Antonio Fuentes, failure isn’t an option . . . again. Even though he’s recovered from the accident that took his leg two years ago, he won’t show weakness. When rumors of an upcoming attempt on the prince’s life reach Antonio, he won’t fail to protect his kingdom. Not this time.
When Antonio sees a young ballerina in danger, he saves her life. Now, swept far from home, they must work together to get back to the castle. She can’t lose her only chance at her dream, and he’s the only one with the coveted information that will save the prince. But danger nips at their heels, testing their strength and resolve . . . When put to the fire, will they melt under the heat? Or come out as gold?”
Series: Book #1 in “The Toymaker’s Chronicles”.
Spiritual Content- 2 Corinthians 12:9 at the beginning; Scriptures are remembered, mentioned, discussed, & quoted; Prayers & Thanking God and Jesus; Talks about God, Jesus, Scriptures, God using us, & trusting Him; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God and Jesus; Lorelle has a strong faith and relies on God for her strength; Antonio hasn’t opened his Bible since before his accident and feels like God would be disappointed in him, but Lorelle speaks the truth from Scriptures about himself; Mentions of God, Jesus, & trusting Him; Mentions of prayers, praying, & thanking God; Mentions of those & events in the Bible; A couple mentions of Bibles; A couple mentions of miracles; A mention of a blessing;
*Note: A few mentions of “ghosts” (Antonio having nightmares of “ghosts” from a past event; a figure of speech).
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘shut up’ and two ‘stupid’s; A bit of eye rolling & sarcasm; Being held at gun- and sword-point, Being tied-up, Fighting, Being trapped in a fire, Nearly drowning (x2), Saving someone from drowning, Injuries, Pain (including chronic pain that Teresa has), Blood/Bleeding, & Passing out (up to semi-detailed); Lorelle faces a couple mean girls’ sneers, negative comments, and is pushed by them (due to their jealousy); Both Lorelle and Antonio receive negative comments about their missing limbs from others (including someone calling Lorelle a “cripple”); Many mentions of treason/terrorist attacks that caused the deaths of many, fighting, weapons, fires, & threats; Mentions of deaths (including through illnesses and attacks), grief, & feeling abandoned by family members; Mentions of drownings & others planning to drown their enemies; Mentions of injuries & pain; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of jealousy; Mentions of nightmares; A few mentions of arrests; A couple mentions of thieves; A couple mentions of animals being smuggled; A couple mentions of an animal possibly being abandoned or injured by something; A couple mentions of a fermented drink & someone drowning his sorrows in drinks; A mention of wine; A mention of a man thinking about kicking an animal;
*Note: Antonio has signs of PTSD from being involved in an attack/battle and having to heal from a major injury (such as being taken back to that day when hearing a gun go off); Lorelle feels like her aunt and uncle didn’t want to raise her after her parents’ death and sent her away (*Spoilers* When she suddenly meets them again, she tells them her feelings and slams the bedroom door; Antonio finds out that her aunt and uncle sacrificed to send her to a dancing academy and love her; Towards the end, Lorelle finds this out as well and that they were trying to reach her dream *End of Spoilers*).
Sexual Content- A cheek kiss; A few touches, embraces, flutters, nearness, & blushes (barely-above-not-detailed); A bit of noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); Lorelle and Antonio are questioned about staying in inns during their journey, but sleep in separate rooms; Very light love, falling in love, & the emotions.
-Lorelle Jimenez, age 24
-Antonio Fuentes
P.O.V. switches between them & Teresa
233 pages
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Early High School Teens-
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My personal Rating-
This was really neat! The topical, Spanish-Caribbean influence added in a unique element to the story that I haven’t seen much in books. I also really liked our main characters and their personalities—they were all characters that I wanted to hug! Each one of our main characters, Lorelle, Antonio, and Teresa—and the wolf pup, , too—were good characters that have strengths and weaknesses. I’ve read a couple retellings of “The Brave Tin Soldier” before and liked those, but I would say this is my favorite so far because of the world building, faith content, and main characters.
I did have to read a few parts a couple of times to understand the political/world significance of different reveals and other happenings, but I was instantly interested in this setting. A map of the world would have been a great addition to the book as I was curious about the general area of the places and countries/kingdoms that are featured and mentioned throughout the story.
The romance was light and towards the end, but super sweet and clean. I particularly loved Lorelle’s heart, faith, and how both of those parts of her affect how she views difficulties in life and others. Both Lorelle and Antonio had their struggles, but were a great match in more ways than one.
While most everything is wrapped-up in this book, you can tell it’s the first book of series because it ends with more lingering out there for some of our characters. I look forward to reading the second book when it releases in February!
See y’all on Wednesday with a new review!
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
*I received this book for free from the Author for this honest review.







