The Frog Duke by Chelsey Noelle Review

 The Frog Duke by Chelsey Noelle Review 

After reading Arabella and the Cursed Prince I decided to read its prequal The Frog Duke. I had enjoyed Arabella and the Cursed Prince but hadn’t loved it. I had wanted to see the two main characters spend more time getting along together. I knew they loved each other by the end but the journey to it wasn’t as satisfying as I wished it to be. I was also curious to see more of the ugly faerie who despite seeming to have good intentions tries to achieve her goals in a not so nice way. Needless to say, I did enjoy this book more than its predecessor. 

The book begins on a bit of a downer note with future Duke Francis as a kid being told by his father to end his friendship with Princess Colette, the second daughter of the king. Instead, he is instructed to befriend the older princess, Gabrielle, with the hope that one day she will marry him. Although reluctant to hurt Colette’s feelings Francis ultimately does so without telling her the reason why leaving poor Colette heartbroken and confused. Years later, Colette now a young woman returns to the kingdom after being away for so long. She knows her reputation of being an oddball is still well known throughout the palace and she is not treated with the respect she deserves. By accident she drops her golden ball (the last present Francis had given to her before breaking their friendship) in a pond and is bitterly sad. However, she discovers a talking frog claiming to be none other than Duke Francis who offers to get her golden ball if she can help him get a kiss from her sister. Duke Francis had met with the ugly faerie who offered to grant him a wish but the potion he took turned him into a frog instead. He must get a kiss from a princess before Princess Gabrielle's birthday passes or he will remain a frog forever. The two must work together to get near Gabriel who is utterly disgusted by Francis now that he is a frog. Will Francis get Gabrielle to kiss him and marry her? Or will he discover love with the princess who he should never have turned his back on. To find out you must read the book! 

I preferred this book to its sequel despite its shorter length. I felt that both Colette and Francis grew to love each other more naturally than Arabella and Levenworth did. I also liked the humor a little more this time around. My heart went out for Colette in the beginning. It was so cruel of Francis's father to come between them in such a way. I was a little surprised that he wasn’t present for the rest of the book since he dies soon after. It would have been interesting to see him try to come between the couple again and being thwarted. I also wished to see more of the ugly faerie, but she appeared more in the second book than this one. I am very curious to hear her backstory and why she was cursed. I’m sure it will be revealed as the series progresses though so it’s not that big of a deal. Overall, I really enjoyed this novella and gave it four stars out of five. Until next time.