Lehua

Lehua has long believed that people look down on her, and that belief is the only way she has been able to make sense of why the villagers of Hilo kept passing her from one household to the next. She had never stayed anywhere for long until a formidable mo'o, a woman from the gecko people of Hawaiian legend, imprisoned her high in the Waiakea uplands.

When the handsome king of Hilo tries to help her get away, a dreadful curse strikes him instead. Lehua must take him to the palace to seek aid, all the while wanting nothing more than to leave the Big Island of Hawai‘i behind. As she spends more time with the king, her longing to escape begins to fade, and she starts to suspect that her judgments about people may have been mistaken. When the chance to leave finally arrives, she must decide whether to follow the feelings growing in her heart or hold to the story she has always told herself.

The novel is a retelling of Rapunzel that draws on Hawaiian mythology, folklore, and culture. It suits readers who enjoy clean romance and stories that end happily. It is the first book in The Enchanted Hawai‘i Collection, a fairy tale retelling series set in ancient Hawaii.