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Wild Rose, Silent Snow
Content with the quiet isolation of their lake house, Snowden and Rowan Hadley survive on summer jobs and winter hunting, unable to move on since their parents died. Their peace, however, is shattered by a strange, human-acclimated bear who insists on following Rowan like a giant hunting dog, and then again by the discovery of a naked, surly stranger in the snow.
Both bear and man lead the Hadley brothers into a strange, surreal world where sorcery and RPG software intertwine. Curses and magical traps lie in wait around every turn. Rowan and Snowden will need to adjust their view of how the world works, and quickly, if they want to live through the process of rescuing their enchanted princes.
Both bear and man lead the Hadley brothers into a strange, surreal world where sorcery and RPG software intertwine. Curses and magical traps lie in wait around every turn. Rowan and Snowden will need to adjust their view of how the world works, and quickly, if they want to live through the process of rescuing their enchanted princes.
170 pages, ebook
First published November 18, 2012
11 people are currently reading
217 people want to read
About the author
Angel Martinez
96 books679 followersAngel Martinez currently lives part time in the hectic sprawl of northern Delaware and full time inside her head. She has one husband, one son, two cats, a love of all things beautiful and a terrible addiction to the consumption of both knowledge and chocolate.
Angel's alter ego writes the all-ages science fiction - Sandra Stixrude.
Angel's alter ego writes the all-ages science fiction - Sandra Stixrude.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
August 7, 2018
Surprisingly original considering this is a fairytale retelling. 😌 Only Angel Martinez will be able to pull off a seamless combination between sci-fi and magic, RPGs and magical spells. 👏 I thoroughly enjoyed it. 😍 I loved Rowan the gentle soul and Cade the grumpy bear. 😁 And the sex was very VERY yummy. 😉 Just another lovely book from one of my favorite authors. 😊
4.5 Rowan thinks man-fur is super sexy stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
4.5 Rowan thinks man-fur is super sexy stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
November 25, 2012
3.75 stars
I know, I know it's going to be too adorable for some but hey its cute and sweet and it works, a perfect fit and the timing was right for me. Who cares if it's a magical fairytale, I'm a romantic and I can dream of a knight coming to the rescue for a teeny tiny moment. Rowan and Snowden are brothers who have speech and writing impairments, living in freezing wintery conditions and barely having enough food to make it through each day, deep down lonely and scared. A Bear arrives out of the blue and sort of adopts Rowan, visiting each day and bringing presents which are a bit mangled but who's complaining food is food and it's still edible.
To repay the favour Snow and Row share their delights with Mr Bear who is very content with this arrangement. All three are comfy together and Bear is even sleeping in at night, with Row snuggled up by his side its so adorable. There is magic at work here curses and sorcery and more to Mr Bear than you think, he is smart for good reasons. Good fun with Cade, Rowan and Snowden figuring out how to defeat Mr Langbart and his evil beard, while rescuing Griff Cade's brother. Looking forward to Griff and Snow's story next.
"Christ on toast, Mr. Bear! You scared the hell out of me!"
I know, I know it's going to be too adorable for some but hey its cute and sweet and it works, a perfect fit and the timing was right for me. Who cares if it's a magical fairytale, I'm a romantic and I can dream of a knight coming to the rescue for a teeny tiny moment. Rowan and Snowden are brothers who have speech and writing impairments, living in freezing wintery conditions and barely having enough food to make it through each day, deep down lonely and scared. A Bear arrives out of the blue and sort of adopts Rowan, visiting each day and bringing presents which are a bit mangled but who's complaining food is food and it's still edible.
To repay the favour Snow and Row share their delights with Mr Bear who is very content with this arrangement. All three are comfy together and Bear is even sleeping in at night, with Row snuggled up by his side its so adorable. There is magic at work here curses and sorcery and more to Mr Bear than you think, he is smart for good reasons. Good fun with Cade, Rowan and Snowden figuring out how to defeat Mr Langbart and his evil beard, while rescuing Griff Cade's brother. Looking forward to Griff and Snow's story next.
"Christ on toast, Mr. Bear! You scared the hell out of me!"
March 29, 2020
This is a very sweet novella-length retelling of the "Snow White and Rose Red" story. Although it's set in contemporary (circa 2000?) Minnesota it retains almost all the traditional fairy-tale elements, including the siblings living alone in the woods, the enchanted bear, the angry beard-obsessed dwarf... and the happily ever after.
March 7, 2017
Wild Rose, Silent Snow is a retelling of Snow White and Rose Red which I was not familiar with before reading, but I googled right after I finished and it made me appreciate the author’s version all the more. I love that she picked a somewhat lesser known tale and built Snowden and Rowan’s story up from there.
The MC’s in Wild Rose, Silent Snow ticked off every single one of my boxes and I fell hard for them and their stories from the get-go. Snowden and Rowan are fraternal twin brothers who live alone in the woods on the family property. Their existence is a struggle and from the beginning the reader can’t help but wonder why they don’t just up and leave. It’s slowly revealed throughout the tale why they stay together and why they need one another so much. It’s something you really have to read to appreciate, and I will only say, read it, the author did a stellar job of making the lives of Snowden and Rowan completely believable.
The story follows the fairy tale pretty well and the tweaks the author made to accommodate the modern setting fit with the environment the two lived in. The characters are far from perfect and that’s what makes them so good. I loved Rowan’s connection with his bear and the balance with Snowden’s reluctance to let a bear stay in their cabin made the improbable believable.
The personalities and selflessness of the MC’s is what makes this story so good. Snowden and Rowan are as good as they come. I loved their quiet life and how they put the other first because that’s what a good brother and a gentleman does. The way they communicate with so few words said more than pages worth of dialog ever could. Reading Arcadius’ progression from a bear to a man worthy of Rowan made me swoon. It wasn’t easy, but the two of them together just made sense.
The only thing I would have liked was more of Snowden and Griffin. It’s not like anything was missing by any stretch, Snow just made me swoon with his quiet conviction and I selfishly would have loved to have read more of he and Griffin together.
Wild Rose, Silent Snow is everything I love about fairy tale retellings. The story is character driven and the fantastical pieces aren’t overdone so there is just enough mystery to let the reader feel the revelations along with the characters. Getting the balance just so can’t be easy but the author got it spot on for me in this one.
**a copy of this story was provided for an honest review**
The MC’s in Wild Rose, Silent Snow ticked off every single one of my boxes and I fell hard for them and their stories from the get-go. Snowden and Rowan are fraternal twin brothers who live alone in the woods on the family property. Their existence is a struggle and from the beginning the reader can’t help but wonder why they don’t just up and leave. It’s slowly revealed throughout the tale why they stay together and why they need one another so much. It’s something you really have to read to appreciate, and I will only say, read it, the author did a stellar job of making the lives of Snowden and Rowan completely believable.
The story follows the fairy tale pretty well and the tweaks the author made to accommodate the modern setting fit with the environment the two lived in. The characters are far from perfect and that’s what makes them so good. I loved Rowan’s connection with his bear and the balance with Snowden’s reluctance to let a bear stay in their cabin made the improbable believable.
The personalities and selflessness of the MC’s is what makes this story so good. Snowden and Rowan are as good as they come. I loved their quiet life and how they put the other first because that’s what a good brother and a gentleman does. The way they communicate with so few words said more than pages worth of dialog ever could. Reading Arcadius’ progression from a bear to a man worthy of Rowan made me swoon. It wasn’t easy, but the two of them together just made sense.
The only thing I would have liked was more of Snowden and Griffin. It’s not like anything was missing by any stretch, Snow just made me swoon with his quiet conviction and I selfishly would have loved to have read more of he and Griffin together.
Wild Rose, Silent Snow is everything I love about fairy tale retellings. The story is character driven and the fantastical pieces aren’t overdone so there is just enough mystery to let the reader feel the revelations along with the characters. Getting the balance just so can’t be easy but the author got it spot on for me in this one.
**a copy of this story was provided for an honest review**
April 4, 2016
Non so sinceramente da dove iniziare per esprimere il mio disappunto.
Forse dal "Oh guarda, c'è un grizzly che mi segue nel bosco e pur io abitando in mezzo al NULLA lo invito dentro casa perché, ehi, sembra possedere un'intelligenza umana e sembra capirmi!" (WTF Rowan?)
O forse il "Ma sì, mettiamocela una coincidenza, o due, o MILLE.. che vuoi che siano?". Cioè dai, due coppie di fratelli, tutti e 4 gay?? Ed è solo uno dei "Angel Martinez ma mi stai prendendo in giro o che?"
.. O forse sì, è la storia d'ammmore dirompente tra Rowan e Cade, anche se si sono visti in forma umana DUE GIORNI, visto che per un mese Cade era orso. (Detta così sembra addirittura peggiore di quanto non sia stato.. In realtà l'autrice riprende la favola dei fratelli Grimm che nemmeno i fratelli Grimm sapevano di aver scritto, quella di Biancaneve poraccia: Biancaneve e Rosarossa).
Insomma, il nonsense ha regnato sovrano, quanta idiozia in un unico romanzo!
Forse dal "Oh guarda, c'è un grizzly che mi segue nel bosco e pur io abitando in mezzo al NULLA lo invito dentro casa perché, ehi, sembra possedere un'intelligenza umana e sembra capirmi!" (WTF Rowan?)
O forse il "Ma sì, mettiamocela una coincidenza, o due, o MILLE.. che vuoi che siano?". Cioè dai, due coppie di fratelli, tutti e 4 gay?? Ed è solo uno dei "Angel Martinez ma mi stai prendendo in giro o che?"
.. O forse sì, è la storia d'ammmore dirompente tra Rowan e Cade, anche se si sono visti in forma umana DUE GIORNI, visto che per un mese Cade era orso. (Detta così sembra addirittura peggiore di quanto non sia stato.. In realtà l'autrice riprende la favola dei fratelli Grimm che nemmeno i fratelli Grimm sapevano di aver scritto, quella di Biancaneve poraccia: Biancaneve e Rosarossa).
Insomma, il nonsense ha regnato sovrano, quanta idiozia in un unico romanzo!
July 3, 2017
***3.88 stars (rounded-up)***
If you find yourself with time and in need of reading a cute fairytale with a modern-day twist, then this book is up your alley. I honestly did not know the story of Snow White and Rose Red until I actually looked it up and read the short little fairytale online. Seriously it really is short. How the author built upon such a short story was amazing within itself.
In his rendition, there are two brothers who happen to suffer from a different a type neurological disorder, due to a childhood illness. As you can tell, life for them hasn’t always been easy. Yet they continue to survive and thrive despite: their disabilities, losing their parents, greedy family members, the weather, job problems, and lack of friends.
It takes a bear coming into their lives for things to change. Yes, you heard me correctly a bear. This is no ordinary bear. In fact, said bear is a human that's been cursed by a wizard. The same wizard has the bears’ bother bound to him. The wizard does has a reason, but a reason I will not disclose. Seriously, I don’t like giving spoilers if it can be helped.
As time passes and information revealed, the brothers decide to help the bear and his brother to get their lives back. In the end, everyone gets their HEA and the villain gets the help he needs unlike death in the original fairytale (thank goodness!).
I am one of many reviewers at Gay Book Reviews and can be found here: http://gaybook.reviews/author/steph/
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
If you find yourself with time and in need of reading a cute fairytale with a modern-day twist, then this book is up your alley. I honestly did not know the story of Snow White and Rose Red until I actually looked it up and read the short little fairytale online. Seriously it really is short. How the author built upon such a short story was amazing within itself.
In his rendition, there are two brothers who happen to suffer from a different a type neurological disorder, due to a childhood illness. As you can tell, life for them hasn’t always been easy. Yet they continue to survive and thrive despite: their disabilities, losing their parents, greedy family members, the weather, job problems, and lack of friends.
It takes a bear coming into their lives for things to change. Yes, you heard me correctly a bear. This is no ordinary bear. In fact, said bear is a human that's been cursed by a wizard. The same wizard has the bears’ bother bound to him. The wizard does has a reason, but a reason I will not disclose. Seriously, I don’t like giving spoilers if it can be helped.
As time passes and information revealed, the brothers decide to help the bear and his brother to get their lives back. In the end, everyone gets their HEA and the villain gets the help he needs unlike death in the original fairytale (thank goodness!).
I am one of many reviewers at Gay Book Reviews and can be found here: http://gaybook.reviews/author/steph/
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
November 10, 2015
3.5 stars
Rowan and Snowden are brothers who live in quiet and isolated island. Both had encephalitis when they were four years old and as an outcome, Rowan has agraphia while his older brother Snowden has Broca’s aphasia. Then one day, bear tracks coming near their house ...
Wild Rose, Silent Snow takes inspiration from Grimm's " Snow White and Rose-Red ". I am not familiar with the fairy tale -- though that is what Wikipedia comes in to help (laugh) -- but I thought Ms. Martinez has written a sweet version out of it, complete with magic curses and all.
I admit that the magic part was both the good and bad thing for me. I had no problem with Cade being cursed into a bear -- I found his bear form was sometimes more charming than his human form *laugh* ... but other surreal things, like the sudden appearance of the magic fish felt a little off for me. Maybe I was having a bit of difficulty to switch between common paranormal/shifter idea to magic/fairy tale concept. I mean, I was somehow picturing Cade as a bear in a shifter setting instead of magic setting, you know?
However, I thought the relationship was lovely, and I loved both brothers, as well as Cade and his own brother, Griffin. I kind of wish that Griffin and Snowden get their own story but since this was released three years ago and no update since then, I assume that I have to be satisfied with their romance being a secondary plot in this one.
Rowan and Snowden are brothers who live in quiet and isolated island. Both had encephalitis when they were four years old and as an outcome, Rowan has agraphia while his older brother Snowden has Broca’s aphasia. Then one day, bear tracks coming near their house ...
Wild Rose, Silent Snow takes inspiration from Grimm's " Snow White and Rose-Red ". I am not familiar with the fairy tale -- though that is what Wikipedia comes in to help (laugh) -- but I thought Ms. Martinez has written a sweet version out of it, complete with magic curses and all.
I admit that the magic part was both the good and bad thing for me. I had no problem with Cade being cursed into a bear -- I found his bear form was sometimes more charming than his human form *laugh* ... but other surreal things, like the sudden appearance of the magic fish felt a little off for me. Maybe I was having a bit of difficulty to switch between common paranormal/shifter idea to magic/fairy tale concept. I mean, I was somehow picturing Cade as a bear in a shifter setting instead of magic setting, you know?
However, I thought the relationship was lovely, and I loved both brothers, as well as Cade and his own brother, Griffin. I kind of wish that Griffin and Snowden get their own story but since this was released three years ago and no update since then, I assume that I have to be satisfied with their romance being a secondary plot in this one.
February 2, 2013
"There was once a poor widow who lived in a lonely cottage. In front of the cottage there was a garden wherein stood two rose-trees, one of which bore white and the other red roses. She had two children who were like two rose-trees, and one was called Snow-white, and the other Rose-red"
This is not that story..."
I always enjoy Angel Martinez' works. I liked her scifi stories, but I also always enjoyed gay romance retellings of the fairy tales and when I saw the beginning of this story my heart started beating faster. I always loved the fairy tales of old when I was a kid and still love them when I am an adult, but the tale which this book is based on is one of the few I have a huge sentimental attachment to. I remember my father showing us the slide film of this one on the old slide projector and me demanding to see it and hear it over and over and over again.
I loved Angel Martinez' interpretation. You definitely see original fairy tale here, but you also see wonderful lovely characters of two twin brothers, whose solitary life is made believable enough for this reader. And then the bear appears and it all begins.
I loved this one. Highly recommended.
This is not that story..."
I always enjoy Angel Martinez' works. I liked her scifi stories, but I also always enjoyed gay romance retellings of the fairy tales and when I saw the beginning of this story my heart started beating faster. I always loved the fairy tales of old when I was a kid and still love them when I am an adult, but the tale which this book is based on is one of the few I have a huge sentimental attachment to. I remember my father showing us the slide film of this one on the old slide projector and me demanding to see it and hear it over and over and over again.
I loved Angel Martinez' interpretation. You definitely see original fairy tale here, but you also see wonderful lovely characters of two twin brothers, whose solitary life is made believable enough for this reader. And then the bear appears and it all begins.
I loved this one. Highly recommended.
January 15, 2013
3.8*
Cute fairytaleish kind of story.
Rowan and Snowdon are fraternal twins living off the land, since their inheritance is still in probate.
The have speech/writing issues that make it hard for them to function in normal school/job settings.
Anyways....a big ol' bear shows up and sort of becomes their houseguest for a while until he isn't a bear ( well a literal one anyway) for a few days..then he sort of is again, I don't want to give too much away, but it is a light cute story, with very little sex, but a grumpy bear who is trying to reform his grumpy ways and save his brother, a little bit of magic, a pitiful yet evil bad guy and another HEA for the siblings.
Cute fairytaleish kind of story.
Rowan and Snowdon are fraternal twins living off the land, since their inheritance is still in probate.
The have speech/writing issues that make it hard for them to function in normal school/job settings.
Anyways....a big ol' bear shows up and sort of becomes their houseguest for a while until he isn't a bear ( well a literal one anyway) for a few days..then he sort of is again, I don't want to give too much away, but it is a light cute story, with very little sex, but a grumpy bear who is trying to reform his grumpy ways and save his brother, a little bit of magic, a pitiful yet evil bad guy and another HEA for the siblings.
December 4, 2012
3.7 stars. This has been such a lovely and well written fairytale inspired story. The characters were all adorable to me and I enjoyed reading about their journey together and as evolving individuals. It was a great piece read at the perfectly suitable time for my frame of mind.
September 7, 2018
3.5
First I need to say: I love the cover. Cover art is not often enough appreciated in reviews but here I have to make an exception. It captures the first part of the book quite fine where the story is still more fairytale with an urban touch, where Ms. Martinez doesn't need much words to show the life of Rowan and Snowdon on their island somewhere in a lake in Minnesota. We get the details why the orphaned twins are living such a secluded life sometime during the story, so the fairytale setting isn't disturbed by too much explanation. It's much more important to get their character, their silent communication and when the bear shows up it isn't much of a surprise that he's soon a nightly guest in their home and Rowan can't do much else than sleeping snuggled against him and miss him even when suddenly one night he finds a naked, unconscious men in the forest and brings him home.
Of course we know that the beat and the men are one and the same but the twins don't because it's not that kind of fairytale where magic is a given and the next morning the men, Cade, is gone anyway. The tone of the story is changing when Cade is back the next month and we get his point of view. Now the fairytale is changing into urban fantasy, now there are explanation necessary and the story takes a faster pace, there's even some moderate steam but mostly still everything's character-driven. Rowan's interaction with Cade is awesome regardless if he's in his human form or a bear.
Only their enemy seems to be oblivious to the script change and still acts like a cartoon Rumpelstilz which is a pity compared to the other characters and while I have no problem believing the relation between Rowan and Cade the one between Snow and Griffin was only sweet and unbelievable fast and if it wasn't for the end I would have rounded the 3.5 up not down.
First I need to say: I love the cover. Cover art is not often enough appreciated in reviews but here I have to make an exception. It captures the first part of the book quite fine where the story is still more fairytale with an urban touch, where Ms. Martinez doesn't need much words to show the life of Rowan and Snowdon on their island somewhere in a lake in Minnesota. We get the details why the orphaned twins are living such a secluded life sometime during the story, so the fairytale setting isn't disturbed by too much explanation. It's much more important to get their character, their silent communication and when the bear shows up it isn't much of a surprise that he's soon a nightly guest in their home and Rowan can't do much else than sleeping snuggled against him and miss him even when suddenly one night he finds a naked, unconscious men in the forest and brings him home.
Of course we know that the beat and the men are one and the same but the twins don't because it's not that kind of fairytale where magic is a given and the next morning the men, Cade, is gone anyway. The tone of the story is changing when Cade is back the next month and we get his point of view. Now the fairytale is changing into urban fantasy, now there are explanation necessary and the story takes a faster pace, there's even some moderate steam but mostly still everything's character-driven. Rowan's interaction with Cade is awesome regardless if he's in his human form or a bear.
Only their enemy seems to be oblivious to the script change and still acts like a cartoon Rumpelstilz which is a pity compared to the other characters and while I have no problem believing the relation between Rowan and Cade the one between Snow and Griffin was only sweet and unbelievable fast and if it wasn't for the end I would have rounded the 3.5 up not down.
August 24, 2018
Not a review...
I first read this back in 2013, when I only rated books and did not review them. I four-starred it, so apparently quite liked it. I read it again early in 2018 and still liked it four-stars worth. I'm a big fan of author Angel Martinez.
I first read this back in 2013, when I only rated books and did not review them. I four-starred it, so apparently quite liked it. I read it again early in 2018 and still liked it four-stars worth. I'm a big fan of author Angel Martinez.
May 4, 2016
Snowden and Rowan Hadley have been surviving, barely, since their parents both died in an accident a few years ago. Living out in the wilds of Montana, the two brothers get by on what they can hunt in the woods around their home, the proceeds of their mother’s honey farm, and the kindness of a few neighbors. Life isn’t exactly thrilling, and it is usually pretty tough, but both Snow and Ro are intent on making their way thru the winter, even if it is by the skin of their teeth.
When Snow notices that there are bear tracks circling the house, they call in the Rangers, but there isn’t much that they can do when there is no bear actually there for them to deal with. Then Ro gets rather up close and personal with the bear…and things take a turn for the weird. Not only is the bear oddly docile, but he seems to take to human commands a lot better than the average bear. And Ro…well he seems to take to the bear a lot more than the average human (at least those ones not with a death wish).
Neither Snow nor Ro were expecting to find a naked man in the woods a few weeks later. And neither Ro nor Snow were expecting to find that friendly bears were only the tip of this weirdly magical iceberg. It is a good thing that neither one of the brothers is all that normal either.
Once I decided to just enjoy the story, and not worry overmuch about the practically (or reality) of some parts of this book, I found I enjoyed it quite a bit. It was a quick, easy read, and I really enjoyed Ro’s voice in this story-–we do get a bit from Cade’s perspective, but not all that much. I liked the isolated aspects of this setting as well, as it reflected nicely on just how insular these brothers are, and how they have to rely on themselves for almost everything.
I did have a hard time at first understanding the why exactly Snow spoke as he did, but once I got that it was because of something in his head, and not just a weird speaking pattern, things were a bit easier. I think I would have enjoyed seeing Snow’s (and Griffin’s) bits of the story, but their bits of it blended nicely with Ro and Cade.
And Cade the Bear was just awesome. Loved the whole bear-shifter/curse aspect, and I really saw a lot of human-Cade in bear-Cade…which is probably good since Cade spends a good deal of the book in fur and claws instead of skin and clothes. And while I am kinda sure (in fact I am absolutely sure) that you shouldn’t be bringing random bears into your home, no matter how tame they seem, it did a lot to show the growing interest between Ro and the bear-–just not in any untoward way, if you know what I mean. Ro saves that for when Cade has (slightly) less fur.
I did feel that the whole relationship thing between Ro and Cade (and Snow and Griffin) happened a bit fast. I mean, two-thirds of the time Cade was a bear. There isn’t exactly a lot of relationship building going on when every conversation involves growling and pushing around letter-magnets. And Snow and Griffin barely said more than a handful of words to each other, and yet they seem to be madly in love by the end of the book. Suspension of reality, and all that jazz, can handle some of this, but it was really starting to push it a bit.
But this was a cute story, and I did really enjoy it. If it didn’t make me sound even freakier than I normally come across as, I would say that I would have like for Cade the bear to stick around all the time. He was just too cute. But then again, not a lot of relationships flourish when one of the participants is an animal. Would love to see a story from Snow and Griffin’s povs, though. It would be a lot of fun.
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
When Snow notices that there are bear tracks circling the house, they call in the Rangers, but there isn’t much that they can do when there is no bear actually there for them to deal with. Then Ro gets rather up close and personal with the bear…and things take a turn for the weird. Not only is the bear oddly docile, but he seems to take to human commands a lot better than the average bear. And Ro…well he seems to take to the bear a lot more than the average human (at least those ones not with a death wish).
Neither Snow nor Ro were expecting to find a naked man in the woods a few weeks later. And neither Ro nor Snow were expecting to find that friendly bears were only the tip of this weirdly magical iceberg. It is a good thing that neither one of the brothers is all that normal either.
Once I decided to just enjoy the story, and not worry overmuch about the practically (or reality) of some parts of this book, I found I enjoyed it quite a bit. It was a quick, easy read, and I really enjoyed Ro’s voice in this story-–we do get a bit from Cade’s perspective, but not all that much. I liked the isolated aspects of this setting as well, as it reflected nicely on just how insular these brothers are, and how they have to rely on themselves for almost everything.
I did have a hard time at first understanding the why exactly Snow spoke as he did, but once I got that it was because of something in his head, and not just a weird speaking pattern, things were a bit easier. I think I would have enjoyed seeing Snow’s (and Griffin’s) bits of the story, but their bits of it blended nicely with Ro and Cade.
And Cade the Bear was just awesome. Loved the whole bear-shifter/curse aspect, and I really saw a lot of human-Cade in bear-Cade…which is probably good since Cade spends a good deal of the book in fur and claws instead of skin and clothes. And while I am kinda sure (in fact I am absolutely sure) that you shouldn’t be bringing random bears into your home, no matter how tame they seem, it did a lot to show the growing interest between Ro and the bear-–just not in any untoward way, if you know what I mean. Ro saves that for when Cade has (slightly) less fur.
I did feel that the whole relationship thing between Ro and Cade (and Snow and Griffin) happened a bit fast. I mean, two-thirds of the time Cade was a bear. There isn’t exactly a lot of relationship building going on when every conversation involves growling and pushing around letter-magnets. And Snow and Griffin barely said more than a handful of words to each other, and yet they seem to be madly in love by the end of the book. Suspension of reality, and all that jazz, can handle some of this, but it was really starting to push it a bit.
But this was a cute story, and I did really enjoy it. If it didn’t make me sound even freakier than I normally come across as, I would say that I would have like for Cade the bear to stick around all the time. He was just too cute. But then again, not a lot of relationships flourish when one of the participants is an animal. Would love to see a story from Snow and Griffin’s povs, though. It would be a lot of fun.
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
May 2, 2013
A modern-day version of the fairy tale "Snow White and Rose Red", this book succeeds in taking the original story and turning it into an updated version of greed turned wild and of curses overcome. Much of the original plot remains, yet the story feels fresh and firmly set in modern life. Corporate shenanigans are as much a part of it as ancient magic, and I think the combination of both is a successful merging of two genres that had me fascinated and curious as to what would happen next.
Rowan and his twin Snow have a tough life. Their parents died, their inheritance is in probate, and they live on their own, far away from civilization, in the lake house their parents left them. Winter is the hardest time for them, but Rowan is determined they will survive. He is the outspoken one of the two brothers, and very protective of Snow. He also has a big heart, and whether it is a bear or a human stranger who need this help, he doesn’t hesitate to do the right thing. The idea of magic actually existing may throw him for a little while, but, presented with enough evidence. He adjusts and moves on. All he wants is the feeling of being a family, and he'll do anything to get that.
Cade has been cursed and now lives as a bear. He has a temper, and even during the three nights a month when he turns human, he is quite growly. Cade is the one who needs to learn to control himself better if he wants to free his brother, and himself, from the cruel curses placed on them. Meeting Rowan is a stroke of luck for Cade, since he is pretty much the only man who seems to be able to handle his moods. Even though he is gruff and short-tempered, he means well and I was rooting for him from the start.
If you like fairy tales retold with a slight twist and set in today's world, if you enjoy reading about cursed men and the lovers who need to free them, and if you're looking for a hot read with interesting characters who have a bit of learning to do before they reach true happiness, then you will probably like this book.
NOTE: This book was provided by Amber Allure for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Rowan and his twin Snow have a tough life. Their parents died, their inheritance is in probate, and they live on their own, far away from civilization, in the lake house their parents left them. Winter is the hardest time for them, but Rowan is determined they will survive. He is the outspoken one of the two brothers, and very protective of Snow. He also has a big heart, and whether it is a bear or a human stranger who need this help, he doesn’t hesitate to do the right thing. The idea of magic actually existing may throw him for a little while, but, presented with enough evidence. He adjusts and moves on. All he wants is the feeling of being a family, and he'll do anything to get that.
Cade has been cursed and now lives as a bear. He has a temper, and even during the three nights a month when he turns human, he is quite growly. Cade is the one who needs to learn to control himself better if he wants to free his brother, and himself, from the cruel curses placed on them. Meeting Rowan is a stroke of luck for Cade, since he is pretty much the only man who seems to be able to handle his moods. Even though he is gruff and short-tempered, he means well and I was rooting for him from the start.
If you like fairy tales retold with a slight twist and set in today's world, if you enjoy reading about cursed men and the lovers who need to free them, and if you're looking for a hot read with interesting characters who have a bit of learning to do before they reach true happiness, then you will probably like this book.
NOTE: This book was provided by Amber Allure for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
December 27, 2016
A modern-day version of the fairy tale "Snow White and Rose Red", this book succeeds in taking the original story and turning it into an updated version of greed turned wild and of curses overcome. Much of the original plot remains, yet the story feels fresh and firmly set in modern life. Corporate shenanigans are as much a part of it as ancient magic, and I think the combination of both is a successful merging of two genres that had me fascinated and curious as to what would happen next.
Rowan and his twin Snow have a tough life. Their parents died, their inheritance is in probate, and they live on their own, far away from civilization, in the lake house their parents left them. Winter is the hardest time for them, but Rowan is determined they will survive. He is the outspoken one of the two brothers, and very protective of Snow. He also has a big heart, and whether it is a bear or a human stranger who need his help, he doesn’t hesitate to do the right thing. The idea of magic actually existing may throw him for a little while, but, presented with enough evidence, he adjusts and moves on. All he wants is the feeling of being part of a family, and he'll do anything to get that.
Cade has been cursed and now lives as a bear. He has a temper, and even during the three nights a month when he turns human, he is quite growly. Cade is the one who needs to learn to control himself better if he wants to free his brother, and himself, from the cruel curses placed on them. Meeting Rowan is a stroke of luck for Cade, since he is pretty much the only man who seems to be able to handle his moods. Even though Cade is gruff and short-tempered, he means well and I was rooting for him from the start.
If you like fairy tales retold with a slight twist and set in today's world, if you enjoy reading about cursed men and the lovers who need to free them, and if you're looking for a hot read with interesting characters who have a bit of learning to do before they attain true happiness, then you will probably like this novel.
NOTE: This book was provided by Pride Publishing for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Rowan and his twin Snow have a tough life. Their parents died, their inheritance is in probate, and they live on their own, far away from civilization, in the lake house their parents left them. Winter is the hardest time for them, but Rowan is determined they will survive. He is the outspoken one of the two brothers, and very protective of Snow. He also has a big heart, and whether it is a bear or a human stranger who need his help, he doesn’t hesitate to do the right thing. The idea of magic actually existing may throw him for a little while, but, presented with enough evidence, he adjusts and moves on. All he wants is the feeling of being part of a family, and he'll do anything to get that.
Cade has been cursed and now lives as a bear. He has a temper, and even during the three nights a month when he turns human, he is quite growly. Cade is the one who needs to learn to control himself better if he wants to free his brother, and himself, from the cruel curses placed on them. Meeting Rowan is a stroke of luck for Cade, since he is pretty much the only man who seems to be able to handle his moods. Even though Cade is gruff and short-tempered, he means well and I was rooting for him from the start.
If you like fairy tales retold with a slight twist and set in today's world, if you enjoy reading about cursed men and the lovers who need to free them, and if you're looking for a hot read with interesting characters who have a bit of learning to do before they attain true happiness, then you will probably like this novel.
NOTE: This book was provided by Pride Publishing for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
February 7, 2024
Wild Rose, Silent Snow is roughly based upon Grimm's Rose-Red and Snow-White. In this though, we have Rowan and Snowden, both of whom are simply adorable. They both have similar but different special needs which makes it difficult for them to get a 'normal' job. Their parents have recently died, but the money hasn't been released due to other relatives laying a claim on it. So basically, things are tough for these two. However, they both have hearts of gold and not having much doesn't stop them from wanting to help others. In this case, a big ole bear!!
I won't rehash the story, there's no need and I definitely wouldn't be as good as Angel Martinez is at telling a tale. However, I will say that this is the perfect read for a cold winter's night, where you can spend your time with romance and magic - always a winner for me. Exceedingly well written, with no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt the reading flow, this is a gentle romance, with pockets of steam, plenty of humour, and oodles of feel-good factor. Definitely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jan 5, 2017
I won't rehash the story, there's no need and I definitely wouldn't be as good as Angel Martinez is at telling a tale. However, I will say that this is the perfect read for a cold winter's night, where you can spend your time with romance and magic - always a winner for me. Exceedingly well written, with no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt the reading flow, this is a gentle romance, with pockets of steam, plenty of humour, and oodles of feel-good factor. Definitely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jan 5, 2017
December 19, 2012
I liked this one a lot - a light, sweet fairy tale with Bear/Cade and kind, poor brothers - Rowan (Bear's love) and Snow who falls for Cade's brother Griff.
I liked the gentle humor and character's a lot - grumpy Bear/Cade, chatty, sweet Rowan and smart Snow with his own brand of dry humor. I hope Ms. Martinez will also write Snow and Griff's story, because I want to get to know them better.
I liked the gentle humor and character's a lot - grumpy Bear/Cade, chatty, sweet Rowan and smart Snow with his own brand of dry humor. I hope Ms. Martinez will also write Snow and Griff's story, because I want to get to know them better.
November 27, 2012
Вот за что я люблю автора, так это за непреходящий оптимизм без соплей и вечный позитивный пацифизм.
И да, пришлось наморщить мозг, чтобы вспомнить оригинал сказки.
И да, пришлось наморщить мозг, чтобы вспомнить оригинал сказки.
October 27, 2018
A wonderful retelling of Snow White and Rose Red, which I suggest looking up if you're not familiar with it. I loved Rowan and Snowden, fraternal twins, and Cade, who was trapped under a spell thst made him shift into a bear. I would have loved more time to explore Griff and Snow's relationship, but it was a sweet story with some hot times!
May 13, 2018
Lovely modern, tech fairytale with very likeable but broken characters. It departs from the typical HEA ending with a family for ever instead and this suits the book perfectly.
July 21, 2021
****Reviewed for Prism Book Alliance®****
4.5 Stars - Though I am not extremely familiar with the fairy tale Wild Rose, Silent Snow is based off of (Rose Red and Snow White), I did pick up on the nuances that tied both stories together. Angel Martinez does a fine job of weaving in the little bit of magic into a contemporary world so that you can believe it is a fairy tale.
Rowan and Snowden are very sympathetic characters. I ached for their plight and found their disabilities and interesting match – being twins, they were naturally close, but their weaknesses and strengths formed a ying-yang so they were able to support each other. Cade and Griffin come into their lives and just completes the family – once the trouble is taken care of.
I liked the easy pace of the book and felt it was just the right length. As with any fairy tale, there are some good lessons to be learned and love to conquer everything.
Definitely worth the read!
4.5 Stars - Though I am not extremely familiar with the fairy tale Wild Rose, Silent Snow is based off of (Rose Red and Snow White), I did pick up on the nuances that tied both stories together. Angel Martinez does a fine job of weaving in the little bit of magic into a contemporary world so that you can believe it is a fairy tale.
Rowan and Snowden are very sympathetic characters. I ached for their plight and found their disabilities and interesting match – being twins, they were naturally close, but their weaknesses and strengths formed a ying-yang so they were able to support each other. Cade and Griffin come into their lives and just completes the family – once the trouble is taken care of.
I liked the easy pace of the book and felt it was just the right length. As with any fairy tale, there are some good lessons to be learned and love to conquer everything.
Definitely worth the read!
October 22, 2013
3.5 stars - Great read; loved the almost fairy tale twist to it. The twins, Ro and Snow, were awesome, and the Meade brothers a perfect match for them. Definitely recommended.
August 21, 2024
3.5 stars
May 31, 2018
3.33/5 Goodreads; 3.9 Amazon. Sweet but 1/2 instalove M/M version of lesser-known fairytale. AM's writing & characters appeal.
This is only the second time I've read any version of this lesser-known fairytale, the first being Patricia Wrede's clean, M/F, Elizabethan retelling (Snow White and Rose Red), which was longer, though even she, in her introduction, remarked on how she hadn't realized (as a child loving the original story) just how much happened episodically and w/o explanation, forcing her to devise her own motivations and connections.
Anyway, as always from Angel Martinez, I found all the protagonists quite appealing, with realistic humor and fears, but this novella was a bit hasty, especially "Snow" (Snowden) and Griffin's secondary story, which was essentially instalove. I can tolerate that a little better in a likable fairytale — one which is only 133 pages, according to Goodreads (Amazon said 173, but there's an excerpt of Boots (another AM modernized fairytale) that starts at 94%, and Amazon page counts often seem to be calculated more generously anyway... or is the Goodreads datum not for this "expanded" edition?) — but I would have liked to have seen more of Griff. Cade is present with the Hadley brothers, albeit mainly in bear form, for much of the time, so, given that they find out he's a person under a curse reasonably soon, and work out ways to communicate, I could buy Rowan's love for "his grumbly bear". Other than a bit of snappishness, mainly when rejecting being coddled, Cade fortunately doesn't show his saviors much of the anger management difficulty he recounts having had while working at his too-rapidly-expanding business. Both pairs of brothers care deeply about each other, and each brother has his own strengths and weaknesses. Ro and Snow's respective disabilities re. writing and speaking, unusual for fictional romantic leads, are treated with understanding of how their options are limited, but that does not make them any less.
As for the fairytale (magic and action) elements, I think the nasty "dwarf" character (not literally, in this version) was a believable incarnation, if irrational, with some clever modernizations, re. how his beard gets caught, for example. (The magical sturgeon is one of those intriguing unexplained elements to appear along the way, but I doubt AM plans to do more with it. 😕) There's a moment in the climactic confrontation where one of the protags does something near-disastrously unwise, but I can understand how he came to that point.
Rowan and Cade do get a sexy scene or two (Snow and Griff don't), but I think those who prefer their fairytales cleaner could skip/skim over that, and still get a light tale to enjoy, with only a few other lines to object to.
The proofreading is excellent. I didn't catch any true errors (just one hyphenation maybe).
This is only the second time I've read any version of this lesser-known fairytale, the first being Patricia Wrede's clean, M/F, Elizabethan retelling (Snow White and Rose Red), which was longer, though even she, in her introduction, remarked on how she hadn't realized (as a child loving the original story) just how much happened episodically and w/o explanation, forcing her to devise her own motivations and connections.
Anyway, as always from Angel Martinez, I found all the protagonists quite appealing, with realistic humor and fears, but this novella was a bit hasty, especially "Snow" (Snowden) and Griffin's secondary story, which was essentially instalove. I can tolerate that a little better in a likable fairytale — one which is only 133 pages, according to Goodreads (Amazon said 173, but there's an excerpt of Boots (another AM modernized fairytale) that starts at 94%, and Amazon page counts often seem to be calculated more generously anyway... or is the Goodreads datum not for this "expanded" edition?) — but I would have liked to have seen more of Griff. Cade is present with the Hadley brothers, albeit mainly in bear form, for much of the time, so, given that they find out he's a person under a curse reasonably soon, and work out ways to communicate, I could buy Rowan's love for "his grumbly bear". Other than a bit of snappishness, mainly when rejecting being coddled, Cade fortunately doesn't show his saviors much of the anger management difficulty he recounts having had while working at his too-rapidly-expanding business. Both pairs of brothers care deeply about each other, and each brother has his own strengths and weaknesses. Ro and Snow's respective disabilities re. writing and speaking, unusual for fictional romantic leads, are treated with understanding of how their options are limited, but that does not make them any less.
As for the fairytale (magic and action) elements, I think the nasty "dwarf" character (not literally, in this version) was a believable incarnation, if irrational, with some clever modernizations, re. how his beard gets caught, for example. (The magical sturgeon is one of those intriguing unexplained elements to appear along the way, but I doubt AM plans to do more with it. 😕) There's a moment in the climactic confrontation where one of the protags does something near-disastrously unwise, but I can understand how he came to that point.
Rowan and Cade do get a sexy scene or two (Snow and Griff don't), but I think those who prefer their fairytales cleaner could skip/skim over that, and still get a light tale to enjoy, with only a few other lines to object to.
The proofreading is excellent. I didn't catch any true errors (just one hyphenation maybe).
August 29, 2018
Rating: 3.5 stars
On the surface this take on the modern fairy tale was good. Rowan and Snow, who were struggling to survive a particularly harsh winter, encounter two brothers suffering from an enchantment set by an evil sorcerer. The plot itself was good. Rowen and Snow were wonderful as the MCs. I loved Snow especially. For someone who spoke very little, he was very expressive. I just wish the author had included a little bit more to their back story.
The main problem with the story was that I didn’t feel any connections to the two enchanted brothers. Cade spent the majority of the book as a bear and Griffin was pretty much non-existent throughout most of the story. While we did get to spend a bit more time with Cade than Griffin, he wasn’t a very likable character. Frankly, I liked him more as a bear than I did a human. Griffin, I liked but as I said, we spend very little time with him. So unfortunately, by the time the HEA rolls around, I’m left feeling a little bit let down.
Overall, it was a pleasant story. It just wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be and wasn’t one of the authors best works.
On the surface this take on the modern fairy tale was good. Rowan and Snow, who were struggling to survive a particularly harsh winter, encounter two brothers suffering from an enchantment set by an evil sorcerer. The plot itself was good. Rowen and Snow were wonderful as the MCs. I loved Snow especially. For someone who spoke very little, he was very expressive. I just wish the author had included a little bit more to their back story.
The main problem with the story was that I didn’t feel any connections to the two enchanted brothers. Cade spent the majority of the book as a bear and Griffin was pretty much non-existent throughout most of the story. While we did get to spend a bit more time with Cade than Griffin, he wasn’t a very likable character. Frankly, I liked him more as a bear than I did a human. Griffin, I liked but as I said, we spend very little time with him. So unfortunately, by the time the HEA rolls around, I’m left feeling a little bit let down.
Overall, it was a pleasant story. It just wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be and wasn’t one of the authors best works.
March 19, 2019
Not so fairy tale
An enjoyable take on the fairy tale happening in the real world. With curses and magic, and childhood illnesses with their own fairy tale like side effects, It was an easy an enjoyable read. However, the little fairy tale line at the beginning seems to have no connection to the story, which was odd. This story of twin brothers finding out magic is real and that men they are interested in have been cursed by it plays out closer to an action story, with them stumbling on this knowledge and then working to help. The connection between the most talked about pair, Cade and Rowan, is easy to see as it builds between the two over the course of their unusual month together. The other pair, Snow and Griff, only meet for about 5 min but are somehow in love, which seemed quite inexplicable. But the story of them was sweet and fascinating, working out to a lovely ending.
An enjoyable take on the fairy tale happening in the real world. With curses and magic, and childhood illnesses with their own fairy tale like side effects, It was an easy an enjoyable read. However, the little fairy tale line at the beginning seems to have no connection to the story, which was odd. This story of twin brothers finding out magic is real and that men they are interested in have been cursed by it plays out closer to an action story, with them stumbling on this knowledge and then working to help. The connection between the most talked about pair, Cade and Rowan, is easy to see as it builds between the two over the course of their unusual month together. The other pair, Snow and Griff, only meet for about 5 min but are somehow in love, which seemed quite inexplicable. But the story of them was sweet and fascinating, working out to a lovely ending.
February 10, 2023
I love retellings of fairy tales and I really love gay-themed retellings. I loved Wild Rose, Silent Snow is "based on the old tale Snow White and Rose Red, but Snow is Snowden and Rose Red, Rowan, twin brothers. Both suffered encephalitis when they were children. Both had brain damage as a result. Snowden has aphasia; Rowan, agraphia. They live alone on a Minnesota island. It's the dead of winter.
Enter, a huge bear, who takes a liking to them, especially Rowan. Then, a huge naked man shows up. They rescue another Griffin, a fellow from being beaten by his nasty employer, Titan Langbart. The rescued man likes Snowden, but he is bound to the nasty employer. It turns out Cade, the naked man and the bear are the same creature, who has run afoul of a nasty wizard--yes, the nasty employer.
Complications indeed have ensued. Can the curse be broken? Can Griffin be saved? Will love triumph?
Recommended,
Enter, a huge bear, who takes a liking to them, especially Rowan. Then, a huge naked man shows up. They rescue another Griffin, a fellow from being beaten by his nasty employer, Titan Langbart. The rescued man likes Snowden, but he is bound to the nasty employer. It turns out Cade, the naked man and the bear are the same creature, who has run afoul of a nasty wizard--yes, the nasty employer.
Complications indeed have ensued. Can the curse be broken? Can Griffin be saved? Will love triumph?
Recommended,
September 25, 2020
Very sweet and entertaining. I love bear shifter stories; however, this is not really a shifter story but rather a fairtale. That’s ok, I still get my grumpy bear! Rowan and Snowden are brothers trying to survive in rural Minnesota. They just happen to fall for brothers Cade and Griffin, who are caught in an entrapment spell. Since this isn’t a shifter story, there is no “fated mates” theme, but there are quite a few mentions of how perfectly Rowan and Cade, and Snow and Griff, fit with each other.
There are parts where I feel like things were glossed over, but ther pace of the story flowed well and I really liked these four characters. The focus was heavily on the relationship between Rowan and Cade. I would love to see a followup book with the focus on Snow and Griff.
There are parts where I feel like things were glossed over, but ther pace of the story flowed well and I really liked these four characters. The focus was heavily on the relationship between Rowan and Cade. I would love to see a followup book with the focus on Snow and Griff.
September 28, 2017
Wonderful story
Ro and Snow are twin brothers living in the family home after losing their parents trying to get by.
A bear finds its way into their garden but he's too intelligent to be a normal bear, he turns out to be something more expected and magic is involved.
A great story of trust and sometimes believing in the unbelievable can get you the happiness and family your heart needs.
Ro and Snow are twin brothers living in the family home after losing their parents trying to get by.
A bear finds its way into their garden but he's too intelligent to be a normal bear, he turns out to be something more expected and magic is involved.
A great story of trust and sometimes believing in the unbelievable can get you the happiness and family your heart needs.
June 2, 2017
A lovely retelling of one of my favorite fairytale stories from my childhood.
I felt a little unsatisfied by the story. Perhaps because I still hold the original tale very close to my heart. Nevertheless, this was a beautiful romance.
I felt a little unsatisfied by the story. Perhaps because I still hold the original tale very close to my heart. Nevertheless, this was a beautiful romance.
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