Chasing Goldie

The Lost Girls #2

by Holly Roberds

A Spicy Goldilocks Retelling

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐩𝐡𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞?

In a world where mages, faes, and humans coexist, I, Goldie, am taking a stand – swearing off the male species entirely. Ironically, all of them start throwing themselves at me with almost supernatural fervor the minute I make my vow. All except for one man, that is...

When I move into a crumbling Victorian mansion, I didn't know my unexpected inheritance would come with a neighbor who is a rugged alpha bear shifter with an alpha complex.

He also comes with not one, but two baggage-laden brothers and a knack for turning my blood into molten lava. Oh, and did I mention the weird habit of finding myself in one of their beds each morning?

My grumpy neighbor does *not* appreciate my friendly nature, and now we are locked in a heated feud that may bring down the whole house.

As darker threats close in from both our worlds, we'll need to bury the porridge to navigate the fine line between hate, love, and survival.

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘺 𝘮/𝘧 𝘨𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘱𝘺 𝘹 𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘨𝘦.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal, Retellings, Shapeshifters, Paranormal Romance, Enemies To Lovers

396 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 19, 2023

About the author

Holly Roberds is an Amazon Top 40 Bestselling Author of the Vegas Immortals and Lost Girls series, known for badass heroines, gut-busting laughs, and spicy romance. Holly lives in Denver but is only outdoorsy in that she drinks on patios—with a prosecco in one hand and an espresso in the other. When not writing, she’s playing D&D, sharpening her banter skills, or sinking her teeth into her husband’s very bitable arm.

Reviews

[i_hype_romance · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ummm…there were A LOT of grammatical errors and so much awkward sentence structure.

I liked the hero but I hated the heroine. The only things that even remotely tied this to the Goldilocks fairytale were her constant consumption of porridge (🙄🙄🙄) and the hero and his two brothers are bear shifters. The sex scenes were okay if a bit repetitive.

[Dani (Daniiireads) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, it lost me at: 'you are going to fountain for me like a goddess'

This had a lot of potential and I really like the idea behind the series, but this was just not it for me.

[Ruth♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Confirmo que no son los mejores libros pero que adictivos son.

Después de tantos desastres amorosos Goldie está dispuesta a olvidar a los hombres, ya no quiere saber nada de ellos y prefiere enfocarse en si misma, pero cual es su sorpresa que ahora parece que todos quieren con ella y no la dejan en paz solo hay un hombre que se resiste a ella, su vecino gruñón y justo es el que más capta tu atención

Me gustó un poco menos que el primero, los protagonistas a veces me desesperaban, Ted al inicio era muy gruñón con ella y yo quería que parará y luego Goldie siento que se ponía en peligro sin razón, solo para demostrar que ella podía que obvio entendía de donde venía pero igual sabía por lo que estaban pasando y aún así ahí va, a la boca del lobo.

En fin igual estuvo muy entretenido y los problemas que venía arrastrando Goldie se me hicieron muy feos, cuando se lo conto a Ted me dió algo por ella 🥺 y la familia de ella súper top.

[Andrea ☾ [is inconsistently consistant] · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 ⭐️ I love this series so much!

I found this series when I downloaded book #1 as a freebie for Stuff Your Kindle Day, and it's seriously exactly what freebies are for! I got sucked right into the world building and magic system, I feel in love with the writing and the characters... I just needed more of all of it.

So I finally got into Goldie's book -which is a Goldilocks retelling with werebears as the three bears! I loved the whole Teddy Bear/ nickname jokes, and I loved the grumpy/ sunshine aspect of it all.

I am diving right into Cinder's book because I just can't get enough of this Lost Girls Series!

🌶️🌶️.5 - Very much open door, there are a handful of explicit scenes.

[Ellen - most.lyromance · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book featured Goldie and Ted (a bear shifter). In the most vague Goldilocks ish retelling, Goldie has issues and Ted is around. Goldie has some magical powers and Ted is… guys, he’s just conveniently close, otherwise she would have fallen for someone else.

This was awful. The world building was insane. The swearing was bonkers and not in a good way. Seriously “witchtits” and “faelord” are objectively awful made up swear words. Ted can’t communicate to save his life. He says “I don’t do relationships” even as he’s actively having sex with her and protecting her all around town (seriously she had to work so much and he didn’t?) he does reveal 100 pages later that he doesn’t do relationships because he’s too worried about safety. And while saying that aloud, in his head, he’s calling her mate.

Finally, I sincerely appreciate stories written about women who are plus sized. I could use a VERY dramatic drop off in stories that have the plus sized character (and everyone around her) focused on her weight and her body. The amount of comments Goldie got about her body from SO many people in this book was insane. And almost every one made me recoil ‘cause nearly every one made Goldie relive bullying when she was younger.

Anyway, not my jam. I 100% knew better, but I am in a slump and just wanted to finish a book.

[elder_millennialnitemar_reads (Ashley) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Per usual, Holly has written an adorable, hilarious, spicy SPICE, heart wrenching tale & I loved every minute! Goldie’s mantra is one we should all adopt & profess daily! I am enough! Grumpy/Sunshine gives me all the happy feels. I cannot wait to read Cinder’s tale next! Such a badass group of reformed princesses. I would love to see Rap & Snow as well 🖤
Seriously enjoyed this book. Read it in less than a day. As a proud member of Holly’s Hellions street team, I received this arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion. Thank you!!

[Jessica Rea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looking for fun sexy read, perfect for fall/Halloween? Ever wondered what it would be like to have our world coincide with your favorite fairy tales? Holly Roberds has you covered with The Lost Girls sereies…

💖Fairytale Retelling
💖Shifters & other magical beings
💖Enemies to Lovers
💖Touch Her & 💀
💖Stalker (not MMC)
💖Badass MFC who loves hard
💖Curvy MFC (felt so real & relatable)

And the 🌶️🌶️ ? It’s just right.

I got an ARC copy of this book and I loved it! 🩷

The book’s dedication…perfect. 💖 The author’s notes with Goldie’s difference to Red’s stories explained…sprinkles on the icing on the cake. 🎂(Yeah, I’m the nerd that reads every page.🤷🏻‍♀️)

Goldie’s story itself? As a bigger girl my whole life myself, it’s taken me decades to embrace my own inner Goldie. I wish I’d had this story in high school/college for an example of that extra dose of self-love and confidence. Maybe I could’ve embraced her sooner.

Don’t get me wrong, Holly did an amazing job writing Goldie’s character and making her believable with some insecurities that I’m sure we’ve all felt before. Goldie’s inner dialogue and struggle is just so “fae fucks” relatable. As another reader on the ARC team put it, “How many times in most of our lives have we questioned ourselves, questioned why people like us, if they actually do or if they are faking it. Such a rollercoaster of emotions!” A powerful message wrapped up in an incredible story with lots of great humor and snark.

And I LOVED how Ted adored her and spoke to her about loving herself, once he was finally honest about his feelings. 🤦🏻‍♀️ MEN.

Holly, you’ve knocked it out of the park, again, for me. I loved it. 🩷 And now I’m SO freaking jealous and wish I could find my own werebear. *le sigh*

Anyway, I won’t spoil it for anyone, just know that this is book two in The Lost Girls series. “Tasting Red” was the first. They can be read as standalones, but some characters from the first make appearances in the second and knowing the backstory made me giggle a time or two. I can’t wait for my hard copy!

Release date TODAY!

Happy Reading!

Also, Holly makes a playlists for her books, so here’s the one for “Chasing Goldie,” so happy listening, too!

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0La...

[Mara Sky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute overall.

PROS:
• grumpy/ sunshine
• he falls harder
• plus/ mid size rep
• girl coded, promotes feminism
• I appreciated the fantasy elements mixing with a contemporary world (the bar seemed cool, the drinks even cooler!)
• I appreciated the twist at the end
• MMC has a dirty mouth 😏
• Pink is his favorite color 🥲
• light somno 😏

CONS:
• the usage of certain things (like pink, cake) got repetitive.
• the fmc gives “pick-me” vibes
• one particularly scene had super cringe dialogue that felt off compared to the rest of the MMC’s characterization (“You know I want that cream filling, blondie”) and it just completely took me out of the book.
• I wish this leaned a little heavier into the shifter side. Could have used more/ better bear scenes. Maybe even primal play (they live in the woods, and it IS called “Chasing Goldie”, after all)

[Zen · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF

Didn't enjoy the writing style or the manic desperate FMC in this one.

[Tisha Pettus · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️/3🌶️
I really loved Goldie’s story!! Being a fuller girl myself I could relate to her emotions and insecurities. And the way that Ted listened to her and saw her ahhh made my heart melt!

The Lost Girls is such a fun series. I can’t wait to read Cinder’s story!

[Becca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok yes.

[Bea27x · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked it much more than I thought I would and I completely reevaluated Goldie and really felt for her. I’m addicted.

[Erika Knickerbocker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't give goldilocks vibes at all

I loved the first book in the series and the friendship between the lost girls was great. This book the friendship didn't play such a big role nor did I get the warm and fuzzies about it like in the first book. Goldie seemed like a confident badass in the first book and became a whiny self deprecating no one loves me because I'm fat, I'm not worthy or enough because I'm fat characters. Several times she mentions wanting to end it all. Definitely ruined it for me. I'm hoping the next book is more like the first.

[Brave · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another fun installment in the series. I love that this series doesn't take itself too seriously, while still having stakes that add tension to the story. Also, who doesn't love a bear shifter??

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a dumpster fire. It needed major editing help, gave me the ickkk in a couple places, and somehow i still finished it. I have no good reasoning. 2 and a half stars.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me wishing I had read it when I was younger. We all question things, people and situations. But Holly put it all into 1 book. This book is a whole vibe itself. I’m glad I got to read the ARC for this.

[Apola · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw the reel, and zoomed here. I don't even have to read to know it's gonna be hilarious. I can't wait😭

[L · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have some real mixed feelings on this one. I wanted to like it. Heck, I wanted to love it, fairy tale remixes are my jam. However, the storyline was chaotic and NOT in a good way, but even more problematic than that was that Goldie started off as a straight-up creepy stalker. Her relentless behavior towards Ted when they first met was completely outrageous and unacceptable. If a man pushed a woman’s clearly stated boundaries like that he’d be (quite rightly) slammed with a restraining order and raked over the coals. It’s not “cute” or even remotely OK just because she’s a woman or attractive or whatever other justification you want to try to come up with, and I don’t feel like this was at all appropriately handled in the book. Maybe if Goldie’s internal reflections and growth had focused a bit more on her problematic behavior rather than solely on how hurt by the world she is this wouldn’t be grinding my gears so much, but as it stands there’s a really gross double-standard being actually celebrated in this book.

[Joy Eguabor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the best…..

This book felt so rushed compared to Red’s book :( I love Holly Roberds but everything about this felt lackluster. I don’t know how Goldie and Ted fell in love and I truly don’t see them lasting unfortunately. I also felt like both of them lacked depth. Even the side characters were boring.

[Bookish Brunch Club · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a paranormal/fantasy retelling of Goldilocks with grumpy/sunshine and enemies-to-lovers delightfulness. Goldie is the bubbly, slightly flighty, and sweet FMC who just inherited her aunt’s house. Her new neighbor is a giant grumpy growly AF *bear* shifter named *TED*. What more do you need?

But if you DO need a bit more, then I should tell you the FMC gets a bit magical and ends up in her neighbor’s bed sometimes. Then Ted the bear man totally wants to hate her cheery fun neighbor vibe, but he can’t, and then he goes all protective bear on everyone’s ass, and oops, now he loves her. Other stuff happens too, but I’m not prepared to completely violate the spoiler code.

This was my 1st shifter romance. Very into it and all the magical-ish side characters in general. I also enjoyed the fun easter eggs from the original story and other fairy tale references throughout the book. It could’ve been weird since this is very much an *ADULT* book, but nah, it was good. And fun.

The romance is quintessential grumpy sunshine neighbor goodness with a heavy helping of quality spice and minimal angst. The author kills it in the character department (as if she wasn’t in every other dept, too)— they’re complex, have depth, and are super relatable. The MCs had great banter and chemistry, and I loved seeing their connection grow.

The FMC and female side characters are total badasses, and I’m obsessed with them. They’re all fantastic fairy tale characters with a twist, and lucky for us, this book is part of a stand-alone series, so we’ll get to see them again in their own stories (Little Red Riding Hood’s story is already out - Jenny & I give it 2 thumbs up!) My only big problem is that I have to wait until NEXT YEAR for the 3rd book, which is a travesty. This was such a fun, unique take on a classic tale!

This is me saying your life would definitely be better if you read this book & series ASAP. Like, now. Go do it.

-Laura

[Corrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spicy Grumpy x Sunshine Goldilocks Retelling

Book overview
Ever been stuck between an alpha and a hard place?

In a world where mages, faes, and humans coexist, I, Goldie, am taking a stand – swearing off the male species entirely. Ironically, all of them start throwing themselves at me with almost supernatural fervor the minute I make my vow. All except for one man, that is...

When I move into a crumbling Victorian mansion, I didn't know my unexpected inheritance would come with a neighbor who is a rugged alpha bear shifter with an alpha complex.

He also comes with not one, but two baggage-laden brothers and a knack for turning my blood into molten lava. Oh, and did I mention the weird habit of finding myself in one of their beds each morning?

My grumpy neighbor does *not* appreciate my friendly nature, and now we are locked in a heated feud that may bring down the whole house.

As darker threats close in from both our worlds, we'll need to bury the porridge to navigate the fine line between hate, love, and survival.

I'm in awe. Holly strikes again with another amazing fairytale retelling! The tension, the plot twists, the spicy 😏🤌🏾 and overall excitement. While still retaining the main storyline from the original, Holly revamped this story in ways I couldn't have imagined with tears I didn't even think I was going to have. I am completely obsessed. once again 10/10 recommend 👌🏾

[Maria Elena | pagesofmaria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spice: 4 peppers 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

I always knew I was a bear at heart.

I recently gushed about book 1—Tasting Red, a spicy retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. I loved the book so much I jumped right into the sequel Yes, I’m obsessed. I haven’t loved a fairytale retelling this much since The Lunar Chronicles.

Chasing Goldie—which is a retelling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears—is just as good and hot as the first, and it has some of my favorite elements: grumpy x sunshine neighbors, plus size rep, again we see the beautiful friendship between the Lost Girls, but also some great and complex family dynamics with Ted and his brothers (aka the three bears.)

In this second installment, Goldie winds up inheriting her aunt’s old house…and her neighbor, a burly mountain god of a grumpy man who so happens to be a bear shifter. And yet there is more to Ted than meets the eye. He’s a big brother who had to take care of his two younger brothers, a provider and protector with hidden softness and a champion dirty talker. Do I like him? No, like his too small of a word. I love him, and he and Goldie have the most hilarious banter!

I am absolutely smitten with this series at this point. What I love about it is how the stories are wholly original, yet there are actual nods to the fairytale it’s inspired by. Like I mentioned many times now, this isn’t a given. Often times retellings are thus labeled more for funsies rather than for any actual correspondence with the original tales.

[Michelle Grimison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought Tasting Red was good, but this was better!!! And it is definitely cause I put myself in Goldie’s place and my husband in Ted’s place so easily!

Plus sized girly, who radiates happiness/sunshine even though she has struggled with her worth being tied to others opinion of her (even though she doesn’t think so, and recites her mantras regularly), and her people pleasing tendencies where she can’t say no to anyone! In comes this big, burly, grumpy, blue color man who has a heart of gold and always protects his family…
He helps her own her power, and set boundaries, and realize that it’s ok to put yourself before others, cause you are the most important thing in your own life! And she helps him (and his brothers) realize that he shouldn’t be taking on everyone else’s problems, and that the boys should be in charge of their own shit!

Oh and there’s magic, and stalkers (not the fun dark romance kind, but the kind that want to keep you in a closet away from everyone else), and some dismemberment… all in all a good time was had!

🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
When he sees the real you, and makes you cum harder than anyone ever… I’d be his cream puff any day!

[Lanae (findmeonsmutlane) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was just a hot fucking mess. I liked Tasting Red decently enough , but this was just fucking weird. There were so many grammatical errors, and the sentences structure was so weird in so many different places. The writing got weird, and just, cringe at times. And I'm noticing a trend with the author that her descriptions of ethnic characters either is or borders on completely inappropriate.

The characters are kind of a hot mess. Goldie was a plus size character, who, go figure, was bullied for being fat, and since she dresses feminine and fun, called a slut. But then the author writes descriptions that just play into that "he grips the fat of my ass". Why? Like, WHY.

The sex scenes were hot one second and then cringe the next. The whole squirting scene was so gross and unnecessary.

The ending was wild and ridiculous. So many things happened and all of them popped up quickly and then ended quickly.

This author is just not for me. I tried. I really like the aspects and basis for a lot of her stories, but the writing just isn't there.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Romance paced (way) more slowly than Tasting Red, but still fantastic.
I love how this was both familiar and completely it's own book. Where TR is almost instantly smutty and sweet paced crime novella, this is still in that same vein but different. It's more of a slow romance, but there is definitely a thriller in here as well.

And it's built SO interestingly. The way tensions rise between the love interests while the stakes in the stalker-thriller also keep rising? Amazing.

And while with any romance novel you usually know the outcome (somewhat), with this book the desire to figure out HOW they will get there had me in a tight grip.

10/10 would recommend

[Debbie Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Too Cute

This Goldilocks and the Three Bears retelling is a spicy adventure that kept me hooked. Goldie, a plus-size people pleaser, undergoes significant growth throughout the book, forming wonderful relationships and exuding positivity. Ted, the grumpy bear, is relatable with his heavy past, and watching him fall for Goldie is both fun and adorable. The book's engaging plot makes it a tough one to set aside.

[Isabelle Fankhauser · Rating 4 out of 5]

These characters were so much fun to read. The paranormal people kept it interesting. You never knew what/who was coming around the corner.
Grumpy/sunshine yes thankyou.
Same bed yes thankyou.
Mates yes thankyou
Goldilocks retelling with a spicy twist was so fun!
Ted is a very rugged mature man for his age and I ATE IT UP. The twist at the end kept me wanting to read even faster. I will be reading more from this series!

[Lilylou426 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing!! This twist on a fairy tale includes so many classic 'princesses' with a modern badass vibe! Goldie is the FMC and she navigates her world of discovering magic as well as learning how to assert herself as an independent strong person. The spice was extra spicy! The MMC was extra growly. But my favorite part was the nickname Goldie gives the MMC which he Absolutely hates!

[Nora · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to much fun with Tasting Red and Chasing Goldie was equally as good! I just inhaled this one.
Insert ever-sunshine, nitric people pleaser fmc completely overbearing herself with a giant mansion to renovate all on her one and grumpy bear-shifter neighbor who doesn't what to socialize with anyone least his new happy neighbor, add unexplainable appearances of said sunshine in grumpy-bears house or should I say bedrooms and you have the perfect funny slow burning romance.

But that's not all, the fighting and mysteries, which I loved in Tasting Red are reappearing in this one (besides my favorite group of main and side characters). This time even a creepy stalker drama is added. I Have to warm you, the spice level is high with our cuddling Ted(dy bear) :D

to summarize: loved Goldie and Ted and her whole story. I'm already rooting for Cinders story, which will presumably be a little bit darker than the first two parts.

[Chaneen Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a delightful story to binge through, Goldie and Ted were definitely a Grumpy X Sunshine pairing that had me giggling throughout my day.
I wasn't exactly able to get as keenly interested in the story as I would have liked, but those two kept me invested enough to make my way through it and I'm glad that I did!
6/10 recommend