A Couple of A Villain's Ever After Reviews: Bluebeard and the Outlaw by Tara Grayce & Gothel and the Maiden Prince by W.R. Gingell

About the Book

Marriage: the ultimate heist.

Robin of the Wood spends her days robbing from the rich to feed the poor. But she and her merry band of brothers never seem to get anywhere. The more she steals, the more the evil Lord Guy "Bluebeard" taxes the villagers.

When Robin discovers that Lord Guy plans to marry yet again, she conceives a plan for a final, big score. As Guy's wife, she will have access to his wealth. The lord is notorious for killing his wives shortly after he marries them, but Robin has no plans to be dead wife number four.

The only problem is that Lord Guy is devastatingly handsome, brooding, and nothing at all what she expected. If she isn't careful, she might just find that he steals her heart before she can rob his riches.

Bluebeard and the Outlaw is one of twelve short novels in A Villain's Ever After, a collection of stand-alone stories featuring villainous twists on some of your favorite classic fairy tales. Read the series in any order for magical adventures . . . and fall in love with villains as you've never seen them before. Who said villains can't have happily-ever-afters?

Amazon / Goodreads

MY THOUGHTS

Not gonna lie, I was a little skeptical about combining Bluebeard and Robin Hood. I couldn't see how those two stories would mesh. But, let me tell ya, it worked out perfectly! It's like they were always meant to be together. I loved it! All the “nods” to the original tales were so great. I especially enjoyed “Maid” Marion. So funny!

Robin was bold and fierce. It's like she had no fear sometimes. And while, occasionally, she'd come across as cocky, she was still so much fun to read about. I was very intrigued by Duke Guy (Bluebeard). He had such a horrible reputation, but his actions and demeanor didn't fit with that. What was going on with him? I had to find out.

This was my first book by this author, but it won't be my last. I loved this inventive take on two familiar tales. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys retellings.

4.5 STARS

___________________________________

About the Book

Deep in the forest, far from the light, a sorceress with magic of the blackest kind keeps prisoner the princess she stole away years ago. From time to time, a prince will come to challenge her, but by and large, life is peaceful for Gothel.

And that's just the way she likes it.

She's not prepared for the earnest young prince who seems more determined to talk her to death than challenge her to a duel of magic; nor, having tricked him into a battle of questions, is she expecting him to show more interest in her than the tower-bound princess.

And Gothel is certainly not prepared to give up any of her power to keep him around, though she might be prepared to answer just a few more questions...

Amazon / Goodreads

MY THOUGHTS

I’m a big fan of Gingell, so I was eager to check out her twist on Rapunzel. I enjoyed it so much! True to her style, it’s weird, wacky, and completely lovable with fully fleshed out, multilayered characters that you can’t help but root for.

It was fun and humorous. There were many moments that had me laughing out loud. But there was also a lot of depth there, too, dealing with some serious topics.

I thought this was such a clever take on Rapunzel. It was so true to the original and yet still so unique. I guess you could say it expanded on the classic story. We got to see the familiar in a whole different light, from a whole new perspective, which really shined a whole new light on things. I really enjoyed seeing the “real” Gothel. She’s really not such a bad person after all. If you’re a fan of retellings, this one is a must-read.

FOUR STARS