The Bee and the Orange Tree tells the story of fierce, independent-minded women in 1699 Paris battling against patriarchy, with Baroness Marie Catherine D’Aulnoy inventing the powerful weapon of ‘fairy tales’. Angelina, Marie Catherine's daughter, experiences the glamour and sensuality of the city, but soon realizes the fragile freedom women have. Melissa Ashley's highly anticipated second book is a deeply absorbing portrait of the subversive power of imagination and restoring little-known women to their rightful place in history.