THE KINGPIN OF CAMELOT

Reviewed by Byron Matthews

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BONNIE BRANT

THE KINGPIN OF CAMELOT
Reviewed by Byron Matthews

“The Kingpin of Camelot (A Kinda Fairytale, Book 3)” is a wonderful blend of humor and romance by Cassandra Cannon (2017). King Arthur is dead and Queen Guinevere is being pressured by the Scarecrow (the same as in Wizard of Oz) to marry him so he can be the King of Camelot. With the kingdom in danger and no sympathies for the Scarecrow, Guinevere needs a plan! She crafts a marriage contract and convinces Midas (you know, the one who turns everything he touches to gold) to marry her and help save the kingdom. Every chapter of the book begins with a clause of the marriage contract. The premise sounds crazy, but this book is magical. It depicts a modern Camelot with laptops and electronic billboards with characters from numerous fairy tales making an appearance here and there. There is danger, humor and, of course, romance.

You can think of this book as a romantic Hallmark movie where the characters get married in the beginning and then begin the courtship. However, unlike a Hallmark movie, the main characters engage in intimate relations (they are married, after all) and Midas curses a lot, so this is not a fairy tale for children.
Each chapter brings surprises and it is fun to see the relationship change from an arranged marriage to true love. This novel is Gannon’s third “Kinda Fairytale.” The first was “Wicked Ugly Bad (Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf).” The second was “Beast in Shining Armor (Belle and the Beast).” While all three books are set in the same universe, each is a completely contained story and the books can be read out of sequence. I think “The Kingpin of Camelot” is the best of the three novels, but the first two are worthy reads as well. All three are enjoyable with unexpected changes to the fairy tale tropes that makes a reader smile and want to keep reading. The “Kingpin of Camelot” will not disappoint.

A retired electrical engineer, Byron worked at Panama City’s Navy Base for 38 years. Byron and his wife, Karen, have a grown son who lives with his wife in Orlando. A voracious reader, Byron’s love of reading was sparked by the Hardy Boy mysteries. In junior high school, Byron realized his school library had a great collection of science fiction and fantasy. He was hooked for life. He has embraced the digital age of books, is an e-book fan and reads most of his books on his Kindle.