I'm a sucker for a good fairy tale retelling, especially when there are a few twists or modernizations thrown in wisely. Four of the included stories really caught my interest and two were written by a couple of my must-read authors so I was pretty excited for this anthology.
Below are reviews for only four of the stories: The Cat Returns to Adderly, Sam Burns; The Seventh Ring of Bertram Bell, W.M. Fawkes; Gruff, Morgan Brice; and The Demon's in the Details, Meghan Maslow.
The Cat Returns to Adderly, Sam Burns
This was a really unique take on Puss in Boots, that the boots were the tool used to bring back the element of humanity in a supernaturally altered cat. The romance itself took a back seat to Luke's making a home in the mansion of a missing witch while making sense of the life he's trying to gain. In and amongst all the little discoveries there's something going on between him and the Alastair of his dreams, but none of that really comes together until the very end and by then we're supposed to believe there's a romantic connection, though it's a bit of curiosity, lust, and desperation all mixed up in a way that's okay for a start, but not a good way to end the story. While the epilogue bit was cute and shows a far more settled couple, it doesn't really deepen the believability of the romance. I wished there were more magic, more romance, and more of a build, but overall the unique take and interesting premise was passable.
3 stars.
Gruff, Morgan Brice
I love
Fox Hollow! Each story in this world fits the setting and adds interest to a town I wish I could visit in real life. Adiel and Joe are new additions to the town and their meet-cute was a good intro to Adiel, getting to know Joe came a bit later. My favorite bit was probably the first shift where they meet one another's goats...adorable! Their hesitance was endearing until Adiel let his fear and insecurity get the better of him.
The romantic conflict was super predictable and the way they both flew off the handle and stomped off full of self-righteousness and hurt feelings was definitely not appreciated, but what made it excusable was that during their separation both truly reflected on their overreactions and made really astute observations that led to believable resolutions.
And the introduction of the Three Billy Goats Gruff aspect was far more dramatic than I expected, they were powerfully different, violent, and challenging. Very little resembled the Norwegian fairy tale beyond the desire to consume the challenger and I liked the intent behind the changes. They were a little repetitive, but still quite effective. The whole experience helped Adiel to prove, not only to Joe, but to himself that he was stronger than he thought, that he was deserving of more than he's been given or had accepted up to now. And the assists from Joe were just right; a partnership and a non-verbal show of just where his own heart and hopes lay. Definitely unique and great addition to the Fox Hollow stories. 4 stars.
Quite grim nearly from the start with a whole lot of loss and apprehension about huge life changes for everyone, Elio had a lot to come to terms with over the course of the story. The creepy nature of Bertram, the house setup, the mystery...all of it was fitting to the original tale. While I was glad things worked out as they did, I didn't connect with any of the characters much at all even though I really wanted to. I was more interested in Grim, the random dog who was a mystery on their own and left unexplained to the very end.
There was a lot that was unresolved by the end, most the minutiae of consequences from the climax, and I would have really appreciated seeing some of the transition because Elio had two more huge changes coming at him; the hopeful expectation regarding those changes just wasn't enough to satisfy me. Between the magic that I wanted more of and the friends-to-lovers setup with Dutch that I also didn't get enough of, the story was fine, I just didn't feel there was enough. 3 stars.
By far the best book I have ever read from this author. Poe and Tommy are fascinating and memorable on their own and together they are incendiary and fickle and salty and sweet too. I enjoyed their roller coaster, though I wish it had been an alternating POV and not just Poe's. From the very beginning I was intrigued and engaged and interested in the MC's and rooted for their HEA, which they most definitely got.
The plot was clear and focused, it progressed well without too many complications thrown in just to make things more interesting. There was drama, of course, but it was resolved in a way that fit the characters and the family they surrounded themselves by. There weren't any true surprises along the way, but neither was it exactly predictable; it was just right, in my opinion. There was a strength in the subtleties, the bad guys were clear, and the good guys were a lot of fun while also being clever and deadly.
There was compassion, heart, passion, and family in all the right ways. I really want more from this world. If you sign up for the author's newsletter you could gain access to a short story from Tommy's POV from when he met Poe and while it was kinda nice, it was incredibly short and I thought it was underwhelming. I'd recommend not reading it after the story, read it as part of the story where it belongs chronologically if you really want to read it, I just think it was unnecessary. 4.5 stars.
Tales as old as time…reimagined.
What if your favorite fairy tales…kicked some serious, urban fantasy ass?
Fueled by magic, steam, and scorching men, this MM romance anthology has just the thrill you’re looking for.
Stories included:
Blake & the Beast by Rhys Lawless (Beauty & the Beast)
The Cat Returns to Adderly by Sam Burns (Puss in Boots)
The Seventh Ring of Bertram Bell by W.M. Fawkes (Bluebeard)
Gruff by Morgan Brice (Three Billy Goats Gruff)
The Demon's in the Details by Meghan Maslow (Rumpelstiltskin)
Spirit of Snow by Richard Amos (Snow White)
