Ten years ago I devoured the Transplanted Tales by Kate SeRine and loved the snarky characters, suspense and romance. This year Kate SeRine and Kensington are celebrating the 10-Year Anniversary, with fresh covers, giveaways and book tours. They are kicking things off with Red, the first book in the series featuring Tess “Red’ Little. I am hoping the tours allow new readers to discover this fantastic series. Grab a cuppa and check out Red. Be sure to enter the giveaways and my review.
RED
Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iBooks | Goodreads
Fairytale characters meet the mean streets of Chicago in this gritty paranormal romance featuring Little Red Riding Hood as a tough-as-nails detective.
Once upon a time, a spell went awry, stranding Make Believe characters in the ordinary world. Since then, Tess “Red” Little has worked as an Enforcer for the Chicago branch of the Fairytale Management Authority. All grown up and with nothing to lose, she’s not some waif with a basket of goodies. Guns and combat boots are more her style now. And on her latest assignment, no one’s living happily ever after.
Someone is viciously murdering transplanted Tales, and the list of characters capable of such grisly violence includes more than one of Red’s old flames. To make matters worse, she’ll be working alongside sexy, enigmatic Nate Grimm, the FMA’s lead detective and part-time Reaper. Red normally prefers playing the lone wolf, but Nate’s dark side makes him perfect for this case. That is, if she can trust him. As she learned long ago, believing in the wrong person can have big, bad consequences.
Transplanted Tales Series
Better Watch Out (Fall 2022)
Read My Review
* originally published August 1, 2012
I love fairy-tale retellings and urban fantasy. When I read Cait’s review @Basia’s Bookshelf, I knew I had to read this book. So I grabbed a copy of Red to share with you. When a spell goes awry characters, find themselves in the “here and how.” Filled with humor, beloved characters, suspense and romance, this novel grabbed me from the first pages. SeRine has added her own unique twist and created a new series you are going to love.
SeRine drops us right into the story when we meet Tess “Red” Little, aka Little Red Riding Hood. She works as an enforcer for the Chicago branch of the Fairytale Management Authority. (FMA) Dressed in combat boots and carrying a gun, she brings in suspects, solves cases and protects the fairytale community from exposing themselves to the Ordinaries. When someone or something begins brutally murdering Tales (storybook characters who have crossed over and live among humans), Red looks at a suspect list that reads like her little black book. She has been involved with all of them and no one is going to appreciate being questioned. She also finds herself with a partner and Red prefers to work alone. Her new partner is the smexy, fedora-wearing Nate Grimm. He’s the lead detective for FMA and a grim reaper. The tale that unfolds is filled with sexual tension, suspense, danger and a list of characters that kept me completely immersed in the tale.
Red is all attitude and kick-ass awesomeness. As the number one enforcer, the Tales respect her. Dressed in combat boots and a trench coat, the Tales know that if Red is sent to find you; you’re coming in. I liked Red; she is complex and easy to connect with. Being immortal, she has lived among the Ordinaries (humans) for some time. She loves her job and is confident in her sexuality. Oddly, she doesn’t really see herself as beautiful and I think that is part of her charm. She has some baggage from her story and is trying to rewrite it in the “here and now.” She has commitment issues and lives with her Gram. (Yep, the one in the tale) Gram was a hoot, and I loved this feisty, funny old lady.
Nate is a grim reaper and one of the best detectives in FMA. He dresses like Neal Caffrey from the hit show, White Collar and has all the confidence and swag. He oozes smexy and I couldn’t help but swoon for him. His need to protect Red was sweet. The sexual tension between them was delightful. Nate was a perfect gentleman but said and did things that made Red swoon. She has a really tough time trusting anyone, but she just might learn she can trust Nate. If his secret doesn’t destroy her. We meet other characters, and SeRine’s depiction of them in the “here and now” was hilarious. The fact that Red, was involved with almost all the suspects added tension and some sexual angst.
The world building for Red was fascinating. While we are not provided with a lot of details about how the whole migration from the pages of fairy tales to the “here and now” began, we are offered enough to satisfy this reader. Sometimes whole characters from tales crossed over and at other times only one. The spell also seeped into the pages of classics, and I loved this little twist. I loved discovering who each character was and what became of them. The murder mystery was good with a list of suspects that kept Red busy. Foreshadowing and character details led me to discover who was behind the attacks, but I enjoyed the ride. SeRine cleverly added a twist to the plot that caused tension. The romance was sweet, slow to develop, and felt genuine. While there is some sexual content, it is implied but totally hot. There is some profanity, but it’s not abusive and felt appropriate.
The tale flowed at a fast clip, with just the right amount of details. I loved the author’s writing style, and she brought these characters to life. Witty banter and hilarious moments kept me enthralled. The plot development for this series is endless and I like that Red and Nate’s tale ended and I am super excited about the next Tale’s story.
If you like fairytale retellings and urban fantasies with kick-ass protagonist then Red is definitely for you. The Better to See You is the next book in the Transplanted Tales series and a little teaser is included in the back of this book. It was enough to have this reader drooling for more. I have added Kate SeRine to my list and will definitely continue this series.
Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iBooks | Goodreads
About the Author
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.
Website | Instagram | Twitter | Newsletter
Giveaways
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 giveaway10-Year Anniversary Giveaway
Join Kate SeRine’s newsletter for the chance to win a US Amazon eGift Card. Winner will be selected at random from her active subscriber list on December 16, 2022. Enter here ➡️ https://www.subscribepage.com/w8n0q1
Nadene
Sounds like a great series. I am here kicking myself, as I never took the opportunity to request a copy.
Kimberly
Sign-ups for book 2 with ARCS just went up 🙂
Anne - Books of My Heart
I’m so glad we could take part in the tour and I hope to catch up and read-along.
Eva Millien
Congratulations on your 10 year Anniversary of your Red release, I can’t believe it has been 10 years as I love the Transplanted Tales series and re-read them often! Thanks for sharing your anniversary with me and Good luck with your books! Have a wonderful day~
Sophia Rose
How exciting Red is ten years old! I’ve had this series on my reading list forever. I need to get busy at it.