Author friend Lyndsey Hall is part of a multi-author collection of fairy tale retellings where the villain gets their own happy-ever-after. I decided to sign up to read the ARCs for the entire series.

About the Book

Falling for the Wolf by Megan Charlie

A woman who betrayed her family

A rogue hiding a hairy secret

And a blackmail arrangement with unexpected consequences

After her stepsister marries the crown prince, Tasia is shipped out of the country to live with relatives she’s never heard of before. Blamed and scorned for her role in that debacle, Tasia struggles to make a new life for herself amongst a community that doesn’t care for outsiders. But even that is less nerve wracking than her weekly trips through the woods to deliver a basket of “goodies” to the sinister old woman known only as Grandmother.

Mitch helped a naive girl travel through the woods once before. After having his heart viciously yanked out and stomped on, he’s not doing that ever again. When Tasia comes along, all innocent smiles and no sense of self-preservation, he vows to stay far away. But she stumbles upon his furry little secret and he reluctantly agrees to play protector in exchange for her silence.

What seems like a simple arrangement soon becomes complicated as enemies from the past begin cropping up in unexpected places. When Mitch and Tasia stumble onto a villainous plot with far-reaching consequences they must choose between looking out for themselves or risking everything for faceless strangers. With lives–and possibly their hearts–on the line, how will two recovering villains decide what to do? And will their choices be compatible? Or just another betrayal?

Falling for the Wolf is a retelling that combines elements of Little Red Riding Hood and Cinderella. Set after the events of each of these stories, this no spice romantasy is the 8th book in the To Win a Dark Heart series which retells fairy tales as old as time, but this time it’s the villain’s turn to get a happy ending.

Check it out on Goodreads.

About the Author

Megan is a rabid reader trying her hand at writing. So far she has a couple books out, characters she talks to more than real people, and several plots that frequently include dragons. She also tends to laugh at her own jokes. All in all, not a bad start.

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My Review

If one forgets that it has to be a fairytale mashup and reads it as a “Little Red Riding Hood” retelling, it reads really well with all of the original story reinvented in fun ways. The “Cinderella” aspect was weak as this effervescent, bullied girl does not come off as the villain of that piece (or ever).

The way the two got to know each other felt like a great friendship, not a romance, but perhaps it’s even more slow burn than the action in the plot allowed for (especially the end).

There was a lot of telling what happened instead of showing, especially in the middle of the book. And those irritating girls… Grr.

There were some inconsistencies: Mitch damaged their windpipes, but didn’t kill them. Uhm, a damaged windpipe, especially from trauma as these attacks were, is a medical emergency and needs immediate care or death from asphyxiation will happen. Many bar fights have ended in death because of a jab to the throat. Wouldn’t it have been more merciful of him to just snap their necks? And what was the point of Tasia walking all that way to deliver stuff at Grandmother’s house if it was all later needed in town?

Mostly a fun read with a great ending.

*I received an ARC from the author and this is my honest opinion.

Do you enjoy fairy tale retellings and no-spice fairy tale mash-ups? Have you read anything by this author?

*FYI, my reviews are my honest opinion and if something bothers me, I tell it straight. How else will anything change? My opinions are based on being a voracious reader and book buyer, not an attack on the author.*