Rapunzel’s Gambit
Release Date: May 24, 2025
About the Author: Mary Mecham writes high stakes, high swoon, no spice romantasy and fairy tale retellings packed full of adventure and romances. Her greatest joy is writing snarky banter and morally grey characters.
Mary is a born and raised Texan with a love of theater and books overshadowed only by her passion for disability advocacy. After she was cast in a theatrical production of Cinderella as the Ugly Stepsister, Mary decided to give a voice and background to her character and created her first novel Ugly: The Stepsister’s Story.
When she isn’t writing, Mary enjoys spending time with her family and trying out new experiences, from fire breathing and axe throwing to trapeze flying and power paragliding. She currently lives in Texas with her husband and three children.
MY REVIEW
What if Rapunzel wasn’t a damsel in distress but a scheming con-woman who is in league with a devious dragon? In this fractured fairy tale, Rapunzel decides to circumvent the plans of her greedy father by playing Robin Hood. She teams up with a dragon, pretends to be captured, rakes in the ransoms from all the knights who go to save her, and then redistributes the wealth to the poor of the kingdom.
Most of the knights who go to rescue Rapunzel are as pompous as they come, but one humble squire named Griffin demonstrates ingenuity and the ability to beat Rapunzel at chess. Intrigued, Rapunzel wonders if she should give up her unusual friendship with the jealous dragon and let herself be rescued after all.
I first picked up this book because the author’s Instagram promos were so funny and charming. A twist in the plot took me completely by surprise, but I’ll stop short of revealing any spoilers here. My main reason for not giving this book a full five stars is the immature dialogue. Mary Mecham prides herself on her snarky banter–some of it is funny, but some of it can just be annoying after a while and make the characters seem juvenile.
This book was a light, fun read. I enjoyed the subtle nods to the original story and the creative changes that made it something entirely new.
Romance with Humor and Heart 
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