Red by Kate SeRine @KateSeRine @KensingtonBooks @CaffeinatedPR

Posted February 28, 2022 by Robin in Blog Tour, Book Review, Giveaway / 17 Comments

Red by Kate SeRine

Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.


Red by Kate SeRine @KateSeRine @KensingtonBooks @CaffeinatedPRRed by Kate SeRine
Series: Transplanted Tales #1
Published by Kensington Books on January 2022
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 395
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
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one-half-flames
One StarOne StarOne StarHalf a Star

“My name is Tess Little. But everyone calls me Red.”

Once upon a time, a spell went awry, stranding Make Believe characters in the ordinary world. Since then, Tess “Red” Little—a/k/a Little Red Riding Hood—has worked as an Enforcer for the Chicago branch of the Fairytale Management Authority. But, consider yourself warned—she’s not just some waif with a basket of goodies. All grown up and with nothing to lose, a gun and combat boots is more her style. And Red’s new assignment threatens to be short on happily ever afters…

Someone is murdering transplanted Tales in gruesome fashion. The list of fictional characters capable of such grisly acts is short and includes more than one of Red’s old flames. And if that wasn’t bad enough, there’s another complication, in the form of sexy, enigmatic Nate Grimm, the FMA’s lead detective and part-time Reaper. Used to following her own rules and living life on the edge, Red has managed to avoid taking on a partner until now. But Nate’s dark side makes him perfect for a case like this. That is, if she can trust him. Because if there’s one thing Red knows for sure, it’s that believing in the wrong person can have big, bad consequences…

I completely love fairy tales and characters out of literature.  Even more, I love mash-ups of fairytale characters and used to watch the show Once Upon a Time religiously.  So how is it that I not heard of The Transplanted Tales series?  I think the only reason I have not devoured this series already is that it is not on audiobook, something I hope the author remedies sometime in the future.

In Red, little Red Riding Hood teams up with Death to solve a sting of murders involving some low level tales that have been brought over to the real world.  I love the premise of this.  That for decades tales from fairy stories and then later from some beloved literature got pulled out of their realms into this world.  Apparently, Cinderella’s fairy godmother and the genie from Aladdin had something to do with it but no matter how it happened you have characters from so many genres roaming around.  Some became upstanding citizens and others, well they need a little help to stay in line.

Overall this is a really fun story.  A very grown up Little Red Riding hood is working for what equates to the Fairy Tale Police force.  She is responsible for bringing tales in when they are doing things that might let the normies know something isn’t quite right with them and they aren’t really normal people.  It appears that a few of Red’s prior lovers are suspects of the string of murders.  Homicide detective Grimm (a.k.a. Death) has requested her assistance in solving the murders and clearing or bringing in the former lover involved.  As they work together, you can tell there is a pull between them and I spent the entire book waiting for Red to figure out what to do about her disaster of a love life.

The mystery is good, the romance is a bit frustrating, Red is a bit frustrating also.  That girl is so full of anger and mistrust that she lashes out constantly at the people who care about her.  She has a tendency to over react and storm off in a huff.  But that said, I liked her; she’s a bit broken and I have a really big soft spot for broken characters.

I had a great time with this story overall.  I was entertained and even when frustrated with Red I still loved hating some of the decisions she was making.  Also, seeing Elizabeth and Darcy from Pride and Prejudice in the 21st century was completely amazing for a book nerd like me.  So many characters had such different stories in this world than I was expecting that it was really a lot of fun to play around with.

If you like fairytales, and literature in general, this might be something that will be a ton of fun for you too.

“What do you get when you cross an egomaniacal fairy godmother, an arrogant genie, and a couple of wandering plagiarists whose idea of cultural preservation is stealing the stories of unsuspecting villagers and passing them off as their own?”

 

Transplanted Tale Series

  • Red
  • Grimm Consequences
  • The Better to See You With
  • Along Came A Spider
  • Ever After
  • Better Watch Out (Fall 2022)

 

Excerpt:

I threw the covers back and stormed down the stairs, brushing past Gran in my fury. I charged into the kitchen, fully expecting to light into Nate about barging into my house—okay, well, not technically my house, but still—but when I saw him I slid to a halt, briefly wondering if I’d wandered into a parallel dimension.

Nate had discarded his omnipresent suit jacket and fedora in exchange for one of Gran’s pink frilly aprons with a creepily cheery gingerbread man embroidered on the front. His shirt sleeves were rolled up to the elbow, revealing muscled forearms and intricately drawn tribal-style tattoos that were completely out of sorts with the girly cooking attire.

When he heard me come in, he turned away from where he was scrambling eggs with peppers and onions and offered me a wide smile. “Good morning, sunshine,” he called over his shoulder.

I intended to stun him with a witty comeback that started with Piss and ended with Off, but before I got the chance, he added, “Breakfast will be ready in a sec. I hope you like your eggs loaded. I didn’t figure you for a cinnamon roll kind of girl, but Gran insisted I whip some up when she heard my recipe.”

I blinked at him, now certain about my alternate reality theory. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Nate added some shredded cheese to his concoction and gently folded the eggs a couple of times before responding, “Thought we’d get an early start.”

I hopped up onto one of the stools nestled around the kitchen bar and gave him a wary look. “Start on what exactly?”

“I figured we’d drop in on Wolf,” he said. “Get it out of the way.”

I felt my stomach flop ominously. Probably just the hangover. “He’s nocturnal,” I muttered. “Maybe we should wait until later in the day.”

“Or we can catch him unawares so he doesn’t run,” he rejoined.

I bristled a little at his tone. “Seth won’t run.”

Nate shrugged. “Because he has a history of sticking it out when things get rough?”

“Fine,” I snapped, having to admit he had a point. “But he’s not the guy.”

“So you keep saying. As soon as he’s cleared, we’ll move on to Caliban.”

Nate scooped the eggs onto a plate and arranged a few slices of crisp bacon, perfectly toasted sourdough, and a sprig of parsley around them before setting the lot in front of me.

I stared down at the beautifully arranged food before me and wondered if I should eat it or take a picture of it. My stomach grumbled in spite of its queasiness, which really left only one option. I shoveled a bite of eggs into my mouth and had to stop myself from moaning with delight as Nate set out a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.

“So what do you think?” he asked, studying me in that über-intense way of his.

“I think Caliban can be an arrogant, foul-tempered asshole,” I mumbled around my eggs, “but I don’t think he’s your perp either.”

Nate laughed. “Not what I meant. The breakfast—do you like it?”

I swallowed, lifting my face from the trough—uh, plate—and meeting his gaze. “Yeah, it’s great. Thanks.”

He gave me a wink and went back to the stove, gathering up the frying pans and utensils and loading them into the dishwasher. Bemused by the decidedly surreal experience, I continued eating and was just polishing off the last of the most delicious cinnamon roll I’d ever consumed when Gran came bustling in.

“Well, I’m off!” she cried cheerily, her cheeks aglow with excitement. “Wish me luck, my darlings!”

Darlings? Plural?

Nate hastily dried his hands on the edge of his apron and shook Gran’s hand warmly. “Best of luck, Tilly—”

Tilly?

“—I’m sure your interview will go swell.”

Swell?

Gran tittered like a schoolgirl, blushing at Nate’s encouragement, then good-naturedly batted at his shoulder. “Oh, Detective, if all my audience was as kind as you, I would never worry about ratings!”

Dear God, it was a morning person conspiracy.

 

Red Blog Tour Giveaway

Enter to win a $25.00 eGift card from retailer of your choice (Amazon, Apple, B&N or Kobo). Ends March 10th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

10-Year Anniversary of the Transplanted Tales Giveaway

Join Kate SeRine’s newsletter for the chance to win a US Amazon eGift Card. Winner will be selected at random from active subscriber list on December 16, 2022. 

Enter here:  https://www.subscribepage.com/w8n0q1

 

About Kate SeRine

Kate SeRine (pronounced “serene”) is a hopeless romantic who firmly believes in true love that lasts forever. So it’s no surprise that when she began writing her own stories, Kate vowed her characters would always have a happily ever after. She’s the author of the award-winning TRANSPLANTED TALES paranormal romance series as well as two romantic suspense series: PROTECT AND SERVE and DARK ALLIANCE.
Kate lives in a smallish, quintessentially Midwestern town with her husband and two sons, who share her love of storytelling. She never tires of creating new worlds to share and is even now working on her next project — probably while consuming way too much coffee.

Rating Breakdown
Plot
One StarOne StarOne StarHalf a Star
Writing
One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star
Characters
One StarOne StarOne Star
Dialogue
One StarOne StarOne StarHalf a Star
Overall: One StarOne StarOne StarHalf a Star
Robin
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Posted February 28, 2022 by Robin in Blog Tour, Book Review, Giveaway / 17 Comments


17 responses to “Red by Kate SeRine

    • Red was a bit OTT broken a few times but in a series I give the first book a lot of slack. With the premise of fairytales living in the real world there is a lot to play with.

      Robin recently posted: Red by Kate SeRine
  1. Anne

    Not usually a fan of fairy tale reinterpretations, but this sounds like a solid UF read. Definitely more inclined to check it out.

    • Totally not a retelling. It takes some of the characters you know and love from stories and throws them into the real world. I mean Vlad Dracula living in Chicago…what could go wrong.

      Robin recently posted: Red by Kate SeRine
  2. “I think the only reason I have not devoured this series already is that it is not on audiobook” <– SAME! I'm planning to continue reading the books for the anniversary blog tour, because I LOVED Red (lots of similar reactions as you) but it will be a much longer process for me in print! Great review!

    Berls recently posted: Berls Reviews At Grave’s End