In ‘Red’ we meet Tess Little, also known as Red or Little Red Riding Hood. Long ago a spell went wrong and now characters from fairytales are stranded inside the real world. Tess works as an Enforcer, and her job is making sure the fairytale community is safe. Tess is definitely nothing like you’d expect when you think of Little Red Riding Hood. She is tough, badass and she really knows how to do her job.

Then there is Nate Grimm, a lead detective at Tess’s work and part-time Reaper. He has a definite thing for Tess, but she is a bit clueless about it. I loved the tension between Nate and Tess. And I definitely rooted for them from the start. The chemistry between them was exciting and fun and I loved their story.

I really enjoyed the mystery, detective part. It had been awhile since I read a detective, and it made me realize I really need to read more of those. It’s not like I didn’t expect what was going to happen for the most part, but I just loved this setting enough to keep it interesting.

Although I definitely enjoyed Red, and really would recommend it.. I’m just a big sucker for the original fairy tales. And in this setting those fairy tales are all twisted and different. I enjoyed it.. but I guess I’m not very into new spins on those all-time favorites. But still.. I’m definitely intrigued enough to want to read more by this author.

4.5

Tess “Red” Little lives in Chicago and works as an Enforcer for the Fairytale Management Authority. See, ever since a magic spell went wonky and fairy tale characters have been crossing over into human reality, there needs to be some kind of governing body to keep them in line. For the most part they behave themselves or the crimes are petty. But every once in a while Red is called in to track down and apprehend a murderer. When characters are being murdered in a particularly gruesome way and the suspect list contains Red’s former lovers, her boss assigns Detective Nate Grimm to help her with the case. Red works alone and she really doesn’t want the sexy mysterious Reaper riding her cloak, er coat. In the end though, Nate more than proves his worth, but will a happily ever after be attainable?

First off, I’ve been enjoying the fairy tale retellings that have been popping up lately. Some more than others, but I have to say that this one is top of the stack. The plot, world, creativeness, characters, writing and the humor are reasons aplenty to keep me reading. Red is tough yet vulnerable. She’s not perfect, but she does the best she can. She’s had a rough past and she’s a loner, but she’s smart and funny, too. Nate is just yummy. Who doesn’t love a sexy Reaper? Ok, that sounds a little looney, but hey, he’s fictional so it’s ok, right? I’m going with hell yeah! The mystery was enough to keep me guessing and did I mention the humor? I love humor sprinkled throughout a book. I’ll definitely be continuing with this series.

My favorite fairytale as a child was Little Red Riding Hood because I always found her mysterious and mystery always intrigued me. Red by Kate Serine is the retelling of this marvelous fairytale that packs all the mystery and fun in a grown up version.

Red is a crass and brassy fem fetal, is on the hunt for the perpetrators who are murdering tales. Nate, who has given his heart to unpure Red, teams up with her to uncover the mystery.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and loved the great character development by the author. I will definitely be reading more of the transplanted tales series.

It's the ten year anniversary of the first instalment of The Transplanted Tales, Red. Yes, like Little Red Riding Hood. Without the Hood. And not so little any more. Somehow, this series slipped through our fingers. I think it was because my Mommy didn't have me 10 years go. Luckily I am here to celebrate the anniversary of this fun, fairytales-gone-human series.

All books in this series are getting a new costume along with the re-release of the tales. Not that we can call it a tales anymore. All our beloved fairytales, from the land of Make Believe, are now bestowed with the flaws of humanity and the harshness of reality in the land of Here and Now. Yes, that is where you live as well. You are not a Disney princess, sweetheart.

Neither are any of the Fairytale characters that transitioned.

And that's where Red comes in. Red is what is called an Enforcer and when the FMA (Fairytale Management Authority) has a problem they call her. Do not expect the sweet little girl who picked flowers along the way. Oh no, Tess Little (Red) will rather pick a fight with those who tend to cross her the wrong way.

When Transplanted Fairytales end up being killed in a rather gruesome way, Red is called in. Not only does she land a complex case and casefiles she wished never to see again, she also has a new partner. Leading detective by day, grim reaper by night - Nate Grimm. Together they encounter more than a few shady characters and a mystery that just gets more intriguing the further they go.

The thing we liked most about this book, was the character sketches:

*Dave "Pied Piper" Hamelin: Dave was registered sex offender who'd blown the terms of his parole: no kids, no hookers, no booze.
*Al Addin: A menacing SOB who's genie was partly responsible for the little kerfuffle that landed them all in the Here and Now.
*Mary "Quite Contrary" Smith: A condescending, abrasive, ball-busting prosecuting attorney.
*Vlad Dracula: Thanks to the metamorphosis of vampires from monsters to sex symbols, Vlad had undergone a transformation as well. He wasn't the horrible creature Stoker had originally envisioned - he was brilliant, handsome, suave and sexy as hell.
*Tim "The Sandman" Halloran: In addition to being the Medical Magnate of the Midwest, he was Chicago's most feared and reviled drug lord.

(All above descriptions were taken from the book as is. We are not that creative.)

Interestingly enough, the thing my Mommy liked least about the book, are the exact same points. She says she likes her goody-two-shoes Fairytale Characters tp be well, goody-two-shoes. Although these alternatives were still a fun read and we will probably read the rest of the series as well.

Due to a spell gone awry, members of the fairytale world are trapped in the real world.

Tess Little (Red) works for the Fairytale Management Authority as an enforcer in Chicago. She no longer the meek little thing she was in the paste. Now she’s a powerful, kick-ass woman who takes no guff from anyone.

When fellow fairytale characters are ruthlessly murdered. Tess & Nick (a grim reaper) need to put aside their independent ways and work together to solve the crime.

The author’s world-building game is amazing. She built an incredible world for her characters to play in everyday.

If you love a sassy, feminist heroine and a handsome hero with lots of dark secrets, then Red is definitely a book you should pick up.

I enjoyed this book I loved the writing style was amazing brilliant characters I love that there plenty of mystery and plot and drama. And every chapter is so different I loved the bond between the female characters every page I enjoyed you love this book.

Woah! I can't believe it's been so long since Red got published! I remember reading this one 7-8 years back and I was hooked from the first chapter! It didn't help that I was obsessed with fairytale retellings and the TV show Once Upon A Time as well during that time! :P
I vividly remember enjoying Red and the other books in the series, so I'm kinda glad I made the time to re-read this one for the 10 year anniversary!

The Transplanted Tales series follows a bunch of fairy tale characters who have been transported to the real world and in book one we've got Tess Little aka 'Red' (from Little Red Riding Hood) who works as an Enforcer for the Fairytale Management Agency! A bunch of murders brings in a new case which she has to investigate and the list of potential suspects might include her exes 🤪 Lol!
And to top it off she has a new partner - Nate Grimm(the grim reaper in the flesh)!

The amazing set of characters and the world building were two of my favorite things in Red! I loved the blend of urban fantasy and paranormal! The author has given us such a refreshing take on these characters and each one is so unique and fun! Our heroine - Red is kick-ass, snarky and clever! She's not without flaws, especially when it comes to her emotions and trust issues, but I think that made me love her more!

Ooh and don't get me started on Nate! I fell hard for this sexy fedora-wearing grim reaper! He's so patient, protective and a little dangerous! 😉 I loved the slow development of the relationship between them along with the various twists and turns! The sexual tension between them was so high! You could feel it in every interaction of theirs and I was waiting for these two to get together!

The author also manages to weave a great story with a well balanced mix of suspense, action and romance! If you haven't come across this series yet I urge you to give it a try, especially if you like fairytale retellings and UF books with a twist!

Little Red Riding Hood is all grown up and kicking butt.

I loved the idea behind this story, literary characters have been brought to the real world. Tess "Red" Little also known as Little Red Riding Hood is an Enforcer for the Fairytale Management Authority. Think the police force for Tales, that's what they call people transplanted from the books. The world building is decent, although I would have like to know more about how they ended up in this predicament. I mean we learn that it had to do with Cinderella's Fairy Godmother and Aladdin's genie, but what actually happened? The mystery aspect of the plot was ok, it kept me reading so it did it's job but I figured it out pretty quickly.

The characters were good, I liked Red's spunk and wit, but she had some issues. Mainly I found her a bit overdramatic and I'm not sure if it was supposed to be a character flaw or the writing style. If it was a character flaw kudo well done, if it was writing style maybe tone it down. I like it when a heroine is both tough yet can show a vulnerable side, it makes it easier to empathize with them. Red was this she had the tough girl persona down, yet had a soft side which we saw time and again. The sexual tension between her and Nate was electric. I thought the romance aspect of the book was well done.

This was a fun entertaining read. I liked how it entwined literary characters into the real world and it's problems. It was a new take on the fairy tale trope and it was overall well done

My top thoughts:
I don’t do review tours very often anymore because it stresses me out to have to read a book by a certain deadline. But when I saw this one come through from Caffeinated PR, I couldn’t resist. And I’m really REALLY glad I was weak. Because it was SO GOOD!

What I liked/didn’t like:
If you like retellings this may / may not be for you because while the characters are 99% characters – or, as they call themselves, Tales – from Fairy Tales or Literary Fiction, they live in our world now and their “official” story informs their character but it is not who they are now. And I personally loved that element, this idea that given the freedom to write their own stories, characters might choose a different life than the one their writers gave to them. I expected only fairy tales, because the main character is Red from Little Red Ridding Hood, so imagine my delight when my favorite literary couple of all time appeared! Yep, Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. They weren’t the only literary characters, (for example, Vlad and Juliet make appearances) although fairy tales do dominate.

As I said, the main character is Red (that’s her nickname, but I honestly can’t remember what her given name is… Tess? IDK, not important really) and I loved everything about her. First off, I loved that she’s kind of running from her story and trying to build her own narrative. I loved her relationship with her Grandmother (who is also a FANTASTIC character). Red is an Enforcer for the Tales (kind of like a Detective) and she reports to Al (ahem, Aladdin). He assigns her a case where Tales are getting torn to shreds by some sort of monster; assigned to her because the three most likely culprits are her exes. Fun, right?

And then she’s assigned to work with the other main character, Nate – who is a reaper. Death himself as a partner. And if you’ve read many books with Death/Reapers, they have this tendency to be darkishly handsome and melt-worthy. Nate does not disappoint, although he’s considerably sweeter than you’d expect Death to be. And not bad in the kitchen LOL. And as you can imagine there is romance – especially because Red has quite the romantic history and entanglements. While the action and mystery are the stars of the story, you won’t be disappointed by the romance either.

I loved watching them solve the case and the way knowledge of the different stories and characters intermixed with being in the Ordinary (what they call us humans) World. I was on my toes the entire time trying to figure things out. I had lots of good guesses and while I was close, I wasn’t 100% correct because I missed a couple clues. Those are the best detective books for me – when I could have solved it but didn’t because there were enough red herrings to throw me off.

The mystery and initial problem are wrapped up very nicely, but there’s still a larger problem at hand when the book concludes and I am eager to read the next book to see how things continue!

5 stars Flipping Fantastic

Unfortunately, I found this one boring and really couldn't even finish it.
I know some will like this but I guess it just isn't for me.

I had initially marked this book as I will not give feedback, as I requested/DLs in 2012 and upon a review of my netgalley titles I was no longer interested in this title as my reading tastes have changed since then. In trying to improve my netgalley ratio I have learned that titles marked as not giving feedback do not count as a review. So writing this to thank you for the approval but I will not be reading or reviewing at this time. If that changes in the future I will leave a review on instagram, goodreads, storygraph, and amazon.