Red

Modern Wicked Fairy Tales #5

by Selena Kitt

In this modern version of the fairy tale classic, recently orphaned Mae finds herself taking care of her ill grandmother and trying to negotiate the big, wide world of New York. Aside from Griff, a drifter she's befriended on the long walk to her grandmother's, she is alone, a frightened country mouse in the big city. Mae can't believe her good fortune when she meets Lionel Tryst, a charming and charismatic real estate agent, who arranges the miraculous sale of her grandmother's expensive apartment in the horrible buyer's market of the Great Depression so they can both move out of the city. But is Mae's luck too good to be true--or is there a big bad wolf lurking in the shadows?

Genres: Erotica, Romance, Fantasy, Retellings, Adult, Fairy Tales, Paranormal

66 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 16, 2011

About the author

Selena Kitt is a NEW YORK TIMES bestselling and award-winning author of erotic and romance fiction. She is one of the highest selling erotic writers in the business with over two million books sold!

Her writing embodies everything from the spicy to the scandalous, but watch out-this kitty also has sharp claws and her stories often include intriguing edges and twists that take readers to new, thought-provoking depths.

When she’s not pawing away at her keyboard, Selena runs an innovative publishing company (www.excessica.com) and bookstore (www.excitica.com), as well as two erotica and erotic romance promotion companies (www.excitesteam.com and www.excitespice.com) and is now head of the Erotica Readers and Writers Association (www.erotica-readers.com).

Her books EcoErotica (2009), The Real Mother Goose (2010) and Heidi and the Kaiser (2011) were all Epic Award Finalists. Her only gay male romance, Second Chance, won the Epic Award in Erotica in 2011. Her story, Connections, was one of the runners-up for the 2006 Rauxa Prize, given annually to an erotic short story of “exceptional literary quality.”

She can be reached on her website at www.selenakitt.com

Reviews

[Miku · Rating 3 out of 5]

An unusual retelling of Red Riding Hood. The story though not really much of a modern was a good read. It had a good world building and I did enjoy the story but the story left me empty and felt rushed with not much deeply explained.

[Mills · Rating 3 out of 5]

Red is a story of Kitt's that could do with being longer. With more back story and more time for the romance to develop, it could've been rather touching. A little proofreading wouldn't go amiss either - there aren't many errors but there are more than in all of her books I've read so far.

[crashqueen73 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this modern fairytale about Red Riding Hood by Selena Kitt. The reason that I liked it so much, I think, by comparison to the others I have read, is because I really like a hero that doesn't "deserve" the woman :)
This fairytale was set in the 30's when there were still a lot of strictures on woman in so many areas. There was also the segregation of class and Red was from wealth and Griff was a poor apple seller.
The story starts with Red already knowing Griff which was fine (though I might have liked to see how they met and how the relationship developed. But it was a novella and a short one so you can't have EVERYTHING!). I just really enjoyed the fact that she loved him regardless of his status and I also loved the fact that he didn't think that he deserved her.
So, I enjoyed the storyline, I liked Griff and Red and I liked their "illicit" relationship a lot.
4 satisfied stars.

[Anxiety Diaries · Rating 1 out of 5]

In the aftermath of the 1929 Stock Market Crash and the shadows of the Great Depression, Mae looses both of her parents in a freak car accident. Taking her inheritance money, she moves to New York City to care for her estranged grandmother. During her nearly daily trips to her grandmother's apartment to deliver medicine, Mae runs into an apple seller named Griff – literally. His gruff but kind demeanor and his knack for juggling apples to catch the attention of passersby endear Griff to Mae. Over time, the pair become friends. Mae brings Griff lunch and the two of them eat and watch the world pass by before Mae continues her trips to see her grandmother.

But a well-to-do, attractive heiress in the big city attracts attention. Griff knows much more about Mae than she knows of him. Lionel, one of the business associates of Mae's father, is in town, hoping to finally gain Mae's hand. Her grandmother's health is worsening. And all the while, a very long con game is wrapping around Mae and a voyeur watches her nightly, waiting for the right moment to strike...

For a retelling of a fairy tale, Red definitely has a few things going for it. The Great Depression is an unusual backdrop for a fairy tale but Kitt makes it work. Small moments like a visit to the Hooverville in Central Park and the premiere of King Kong help hold the story in time and give us a solid feel of the various levels of society that Mae moves through. And all the necessary elements of a Red Riding Hood tale are there: the ailing grandmother, the red hood, the mysterious stranger who is not all they seem to be, and Red / Mae being torn between her familial ties and her attraction to the love and the danger that the mysterious stranger can provide.

This is where the joys of this tale end. The characters of Griff and Lionel are drab and emotionless, with nothing that makes them desirous to the reader. Mae is slightly more flushed as a character but even there she isn't given much depth of character; at times she comes off as more of a device to move the plot to its conclusion instead of the character that the action revolves around. Once the “wolf” is revealed, that person is immediately reduced to the level of a black-and-white movie serial villain; when the wolf is revealing the last ditch effort to ensnare Mae, it doesn't take much imagination to see the wolf twirling a long, black mustache. There are also a couple scenes that jump point-of-view with no warning at all, leaving the reader feeling very jarred. Even more jarring is how Mae seems more interested in the fact that one of the characters got condoms illegally than about actually having sex. Speaking of the sex scenes, they're unfortunately as dry as the Dust Bowl.

As part of a Whispersync deal, the audiobook was also provided for this tale. A strong narrator could breath solid life and emotion into the cardboard level development of the characters and help clarify the point-of-view jumps. Sadly, Holly Hackett's reading adds nothing to this tale. Hackett's reading gives Mae a tone of detached happiness, while the villain sounds like he's bored with his evil plan to steal the girl.

Fans of fairy tale revamps may want to skip this tale, while those looking for a deeply intricate love story or steamy eroticism will definitely want to find another tale to read on the way to Grandma's house.

[Aurora Godshawk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Red (Modern Wicked Fairy Tales) Review
Date: 03/15/2020
Book Title: Red (Modern Wicked Fairy Tales)
Author: Selena Kitt
Series: Modern Wicked Fairy Tales
Audio-book or Book: Audio-book
My Rating: (Rating is based on a Five Star rating)
Performance: 2/5
Story: 4/5
Overall: 3/5


...There are Spoilers Under Here...

Why did you choose these rating?
Performance: I rated a 2 out of 5. Since I only had the audio-book I don't know if the grammar is just really bad or if the narrator just never learned to read out loud.
Story: I rated a 4 out of 5. The overall theme of the story stayed and it wasn’t hard to follow.
Overall: I rated 3 out of 5. The only reason I'm noting giving this section a 4 out of 5 is the audio-book I was listening to made it very difficult to follow. I listened to this story out of the Modern Wicked Fairy Tale Complete Collection; There were no prompts that told you which book you were in or what chapter of that book you were in. Only a musical transition from one chapter to the next. This made it very hard to enjoy the story.

Setting-When and where does this book take place?
This book takes place in the 1930's during the great depression in the United States, in New York City.

Who are the main characters?
Mae
Grandmother
George Griff
Lionel Tryst

How did you feel about the main characters?
Each character played their part well. If you were supposed to love the character you did, if you were supposed to dislike a character you really disliked them.
Give a plot summary of this book. Be sure to tell about the beginning, middle and end of the story.

What is the climax of this story?
The climax of the story is when Mae finds out about what really happened to her parents. Mae finds out that Lionel Tryst killed her parents. Why you might ask? Well Lionel grew up in the same country town that Mae grew up in had he as always fancied her. She rejected him, so he came up with this plan to get Mae’s parents to buy a ton of life insurance though his agency and then has them killed in a car crash shortly after. Which then with Mae’s parents being gone he could swoop in and be her hero, he’d get the girl, the money and the power. Or that would have worked out if Mae didn’t run off to go live in New York with her grandmother.

What was your favorite part of the book?
This would have to be the part where Griff kills Lionel. From the moment his character was introduced I knew who his character's persona was and new instantly knew I wasn't going to like his character.

Why did you like or dislike this book?
These types of stories aren't usually my cup of tea however, for this type of story it was done well. I’m leaning more towards the narrator who never learned to read out loud well. I also disliked Lionel’s character. For his type of character he was written very well, making me like him less and less as the story went on. Lionel’s character is such a creepy stalker and is so mentally ill it was a little discomforting.



---Aurora G.

[Kadijah Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

After taking a break from this series, I came back to find it just as hot and steamy as before. This one was good. An interesting twist on Little Red Riding Hood that didn't have too many details thrown in to make the story flow as some of the others. I also liked that the villain in this one was not the character first suspected. I will never get over the idea of Lysol being used as birth control! and I love Lysol but there are places I will never place it.

[Edeliz Bering · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite from the series. 4 stars.

[carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an unusual take or retelling, and I enjoyed the setting of the 1920's recession hit New York City.
Mae living independently, (but whose Grandma despite the recession is very wealthy and still an heiress) goes out with her basket of goodies, and for a moment Selena cleverly threw me as she takes them to share with Griff. At first, I thought him the wolf...but a far sneakier, nasty, devious, slimeball of a creature is lurking. In fact, he is so vile it is a shame to compare the nature of such a beautiful beast as the wolf to him.

A sweet romantic interlude, no kink here...pure vanilla aaah! Or to some urgh! Whatever your persuasion, this has been a clever variation on the original fairytale of Red Riding Hood.

I thought 3 or 4 stars... 3.5 is my view hence rounded up to borderline 4. Has been edited.

[⚜️XAR the Bookwyrm · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a more modern retelling of Red Riding Hood, but it is still a bit of a historical piece as well. Set in the 1930s, it mentions some of the morals of that time period, but also blazes past them in some ways as well. Mae and Griff are likeable characters, and the feelings between the two seem true. There is also a big bad wolf present, though not of the shapechanging variety. There are also some steamy sex scenes, but they came across to me as more poignant because of the time period. All in all, a quick and enjoyable read!

[Audrie Cruz-Sealey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was okay :)

I think the hidden message is to not be vain and only look at the outside of people. It shouldn't matter what your partners profession is or their status in society...it should only matter if they can curl your toes!!

There is a wolf (well a guy who might as well be a wolf), a grandmother, red's hood....but it is really about a girl trying to decide whether she should please herself or do what is expected of her.

[Heather in FL · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really wasn't sure what this story was when I got it. (Actually I won it, thanks Selena!!) But I have liked all the rest of the stories, and heck, it's Selena Kitt, so it was bound to be good. I wasn't disappointed. Another interesting, hot twist on a fairy tale. And this one was so different from the others, set during the Depression. But I love my HEAs and this was a good one.

[jac · Rating 4 out of 5]

I also won this (many thanks to Selena & Excessica). I love Selena's writing and while this story was different from some of her others that I have read, it was a great short read and retelling of the fairy tale.

[Mary Jain · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an okay read fast read i like'd some parts of the book

[☆ Eyes On The Stars ☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hah, this one was really cute. I liked (and was surprised) that it was set in a different time period. I did guess the ending, but it didn't make me like the story any less.

[Carly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. It was a quick 75 pages but there was still plenty of story.

[★Winter★]

Modern Wicked Fairy Tales: The Complete Collection

[Debbie Chittenden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Follows the violent path of The Little Red Riding Hood story. Lacked passion.