The Diamond Secret (Once upon a Time) Paperback – November 13, 2015

This author somehow takes a fairytale and makes it a real life thing, so much so that I see our everyday lives can be magical and enchanting: each our own adventure. Very positive Love reading anything about the Romanovs, but this time a happy story.

A very lovely story of what we wish the real story was like. Told very much like the 1997 animated movie, with a couple character name differences and plot changes, it should touch the hearts of anyone who loves the Grand Duchess.

The diamond secret is a retelling of Anastasia. A tale where the main character was created from a real princess but the outcome of her life as a fairy tale instead of the sad actuality.This book has two things I enjoy; one it's a fairy about a princess and two the princess is Anastasia Romanov. I am very interested in the lives of the Romanovs and have read many history books about them. And like so many others I wish this fairytale was true.I am not a fan of the title of the book. If I went by the title and the cover image I would have thought it was another retelling of Cinderella. Frankly, there are too many Cinderella stories so the fact that it wasn't was refreshing.I hope to read more of this series which is a retelling of fairy tales...even if there is a Cinderella one I will read it.

This "Once upon a time" series...is BY FAR one of the BEST series EVER! the retelling of every story is PERFECT....including The Diamond Secret, which is the retelling of Anastasia ...I enjoyed every word....These fun, light read...are perfect for any day of the week!!

Nadya doesn’t remember the past who only who she is after the asylum working in the kitchen. She has fragmented dreams that might be the past but she’s unsure. When two handsome strangers taken an interest in her in the tavern they are sure she’s the granddaughter of a wealthy woman. Hoping to find the truth about her past and some family Nadya goes with them. It’s while the trio journey to Nadya’s possible grandmother that she learns that truth about who they really think she is. However it’s not till they arrive at her possible grandmother’s home does she learn about the money for finding her. As Nadya has more dreams she questions who she is, what about the man she keeps seeing. Is she really the missing Anastasia?I liked Nadya she was an interesting character who continued to get better as the story progressed. I wasn’t sure if I liked Ivan or Sergei at first but as the story progressed it was clear that they aren’t the bad guys but that they did have good reasons for doing what they did. I also enjoyed the chemistry between Nadya and Ivan and was curious to see how it would play out.I’m not super familiar with the Anastasia story other than a general idea of what happened so it was interesting to see this prospective of the story. I like the authors unique take on the story of Anastasia she creates a fast paced story that I found captivating. I found the characters easy to connect as the story went. I personally had a hard time connecting with the story and maybe parts of that have to do with the fact that half way through the book I had to google the real Anastasia and from that point I had a harder time loving it. It’s an interesting story but it just didn’t wow me. I wish I could say I loved it but for me it was just ok. I think it’s my fault for having to google because at first I was so excited but real life is depressing and it killed the excitement.

Book in condition I expected based on description. Arrived on time.

Got this book for my 14 year old Granddaughter for Christmas. She was very excited when she opened the book and saw which one I had gotten her.

I love me a good alternate history story and fairytale retellings but this one? Not so much.The first thing that jumped out to me was the writing. It was clunky, stiff, with poor to awkward word choices. The dialogue seemed unnatural and didn't flow at all. It felt too "modern" to be honest to fit in with the time period, not to mention there were instances where I had to raise my eyebrow in amusement because some of the things the character said were so childish, I couldn't help but go "pfft".I couldn't connect with any of the characters. Especially the main girl, Nadya, who's supposed to be Anastasia. Her voice, thoughts, speech, and actions were very immature and rather dense. Even if she was a teen, I wouldn't expect the grand duchess of Russia to be a ditzy woman, memory or not. Not to mention the interactions between the two main characters were so unrealistic! One minute they hate each other, sniping at one another, then the next they're having a jolly good time as friends, back to sniping, and then oops one fall into a ditch later they're all in love? What-the-heck?The plot of this story was a good idea (albeit heavily borrowed from the movie), but it lacked in execution. There were moments and scenes that were better than the rest, the whole bit with the necklace and the hidden diamond was a positive for me, and the grandmother's snarky character, but overall I did not like this story. The ending too was pretty unsatisfying. She just finds her grandma, throws an immature tantrum about how she can't live without this man after finding out he's going to leave for America, and then wooosh she rushes off to meet him and they sail away forever? Uh, what? She obviously has no consideration for the other characters' feelings does she?I absolutely love the cover though! The gown and her hairstyle is absolutely gorgeous, not to mention it's a scene from the book. I always like it when book covers have relevance to the actual story. So, it saves itself from getting a lower grade because of this. Not sure if I'd read any of the other novels in this "Once Upon a Time" series, but I may find myself erring on the hopeful side again because the covers are just too pretty. (Yes, I'm a sucker for aesthetics.)

i love this retellings series, and i loved more this book; easy to undertand

I have a major soft spot for fairy tale re-tellings and the story of Anastasia is no exception.I remember watching the animated movie years ago when i was a kid and thinking how stupid Anastasia was for choosing the guy over being the princess.This was before i was a teen and my sweet romantic side came out. My opnion is very different now, and if given the chance between royalty and the guy i was in love with, i'd personally make the same choice as Anastasia.That's one of the things that make this story so appealing in my eyes. Every girl, at some level, dreams of meeting the man who they love so much and, loves them in return, that they'd give up everything just to be with them. And that to me is the very essence of this story and the aspect that makes it most popular.The other reason this sort of fairytale is so popular (at least to me) is the fantasy of being rescued from a world that is sometimes cruel and diffcult and given a chance to shine and be something different, instead of being stuck in your normal and everyday life.If, on the off chance, the romance doesn't sparkle for you, then the mystery and adventure surrounding the story will capture you until the very end. Even if you have heard the original story this one still offers a few surprises and even i didn't see the final surprise surrounding Anastasia's survival coming.If your looking for a nice cosy night in to unwind after a hard day at work (or school) then this is definately the book for you. Curl up in bed with your cup of tea, a bar of galaxy and read a truly romantic, stunning and adventure filled novel.

An interesting take on the Romanov/Anastasia stories. However, if you've seen the animated feature called Anastasia from the mid-90's then this book brings nothing new to the table.