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Once Upon a Red World #1
Ice Red
Mirror, mirror, full of stars,
Who will claim the throne of Mars?
The princess: Engineer Bianca Ross, heir to a megacorporation and the Mars elevator, needs to acquire a mine on the surface to secure her place in the company. All that stands in her way is the mine's charming owner, Cesare Chan.
The evil stepmother: Victoria Ross is plotting to gain control of Mars. She plans to assassinate Bianca and seduce Cesare to further her goals, and Bianca's trip is the perfect opportunity.
The charming prince: Cesare shouldn't get involved. Bianca's visit could reveal the escaped slaves he's hiding at his mine, but he can't ignore a damsel in distress—especially one as beautiful as Bianca.
Alone, neither would stand a chance against Victoria. But together, they could rewrite a tale that's meant to end with Bianca's blood.
93,000 words
Who will claim the throne of Mars?
The princess: Engineer Bianca Ross, heir to a megacorporation and the Mars elevator, needs to acquire a mine on the surface to secure her place in the company. All that stands in her way is the mine's charming owner, Cesare Chan.
The evil stepmother: Victoria Ross is plotting to gain control of Mars. She plans to assassinate Bianca and seduce Cesare to further her goals, and Bianca's trip is the perfect opportunity.
The charming prince: Cesare shouldn't get involved. Bianca's visit could reveal the escaped slaves he's hiding at his mine, but he can't ignore a damsel in distress—especially one as beautiful as Bianca.
Alone, neither would stand a chance against Victoria. But together, they could rewrite a tale that's meant to end with Bianca's blood.
93,000 words
230 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 30, 2013
2 people are currently reading
72 people want to read
About the author
Jael Wye
3 books8 followersJael Wye grew up on the American Great Plains, went to school in the Midwest, and now lives in beautiful New England with her family and her enormous collection of houseplants. For more of Jael’s unique blend of futurism and fairy tale, don’t miss her ongoing series Once Upon A Red World.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
May 18, 2017
This excellent sci-fi romance book by Jael Wye is a riff on the Snow White fairytale, with the wicked stepmother using various nefarious means to off her beautiful stepdaughter, Bianca. Eventually Bianca's misadventures lead her to a Mars mining station where Earther refugees rally around her, standing in as the seven dwarfs. Thing was, until I went back to the blurb in preparing to write this review, I didn't remember a connection to the classic fairytale. Ice Red is totally, uniquely, amazingly its own thrilling story and romance. I was riveted from beginning to end. In retrospect, the fairytale is definitely an influence - throughout - but in real time I was so buried in the highly detailed sci-fi fireworks and the steamy romance that it just didn't register.
Bianca Ross is the daughter of the richest man on Mars, who acquired his wealth by conceiving and building a tethered elevator system to an orbiting space station that alleviates the need to "blast off" from the planet's surface. This has made him rich beyond measure, saved resources, and made the space station a center of commerce. But he is a distant genius, leaving the day-to-day operations of his mega-corporation to his second wife, the diabolical Victoria. She wants to rule Mars and has decided that her very smart and painfully reserved stepdaughter needs to go. For now, Victoria shunts Bianca out of the way to deal with this pesky mining issue.
The unplanned "meet cute" for brainy ice princess Bianca Ross and roguish mining heir Cesare Chan was both full of instant attraction and painfully awkward. Chan is on the space station to negotiate Victoria's semi-hostile takeover of his father's mining business. I loved how their instant, nameless attraction impacted what evolved into a complicated business relationship. Set up to be adversaries, they just couldn't let that spark die. Eventually that spark turns into an inferno with a few very well written intimate scenes.
For me, the balance of sexy times to rollicking adventure was near perfect. There is always this awareness between the couple, no matter where they are or what they are doing. Eventually the sexual tension is so high that they simply combust. However, it is wrapped in a really good story filled with interesting secondary characters and a plot that is quite complicated for a framework based on a fairy tale. Both the leads are super smart. However, Cesare is a rascal, who loves to taunt and tease to get what he wants. For instance, he calls her "spacebabe." Ugh. But Bianca knows he's using charm to manipulate her, and given her solitary life and his good looks she pretty much doesn't care.
Jael Wye has created a highly original, diverse and detailed sci-fi society on Mars. The narrative is peppered with new slang (such as the gender neutral M'Ross or M'Chan salutation). And it isn't just a few words. The colloquialisms are so well developed, so complete, so integrated that it really makes you feel like you are experiencing a futuristic Earth and Mars. Call it the Extraterrestrial-Urban Dictionary.
Keeping pace with all that new language is the new technology. There is the space elevator, the orbiting station, the computer intelligence that keeps it all operating, the medical advances to deal with radiation, terra-forming, delayed communications due to distance from Earth to Mars. The difference in gravity is woven into the story and is illustrated through physical differences between Mars natives and Earthers. Space suits are worn outside habitats. Zero gravity plays havoc on some people's stomachs. The details are endless and ubiquitous. And there is no way I am doing justice to Wye's creativity.
I'll say it again. I loved this story from beginning to end. The pacing is terrific. The story broadens into new, unique settings (all wonderfully described). The characters are emotional and given enough depth to demonstrate loyalty and perseverance and love. The plot is tight. Well, I'll stop gushing. Just know that I immediately read the next two books in the series (all can act as standalones fairly well).
eBook source: Purchased
Bianca Ross is the daughter of the richest man on Mars, who acquired his wealth by conceiving and building a tethered elevator system to an orbiting space station that alleviates the need to "blast off" from the planet's surface. This has made him rich beyond measure, saved resources, and made the space station a center of commerce. But he is a distant genius, leaving the day-to-day operations of his mega-corporation to his second wife, the diabolical Victoria. She wants to rule Mars and has decided that her very smart and painfully reserved stepdaughter needs to go. For now, Victoria shunts Bianca out of the way to deal with this pesky mining issue.
The unplanned "meet cute" for brainy ice princess Bianca Ross and roguish mining heir Cesare Chan was both full of instant attraction and painfully awkward. Chan is on the space station to negotiate Victoria's semi-hostile takeover of his father's mining business. I loved how their instant, nameless attraction impacted what evolved into a complicated business relationship. Set up to be adversaries, they just couldn't let that spark die. Eventually that spark turns into an inferno with a few very well written intimate scenes.
For me, the balance of sexy times to rollicking adventure was near perfect. There is always this awareness between the couple, no matter where they are or what they are doing. Eventually the sexual tension is so high that they simply combust. However, it is wrapped in a really good story filled with interesting secondary characters and a plot that is quite complicated for a framework based on a fairy tale. Both the leads are super smart. However, Cesare is a rascal, who loves to taunt and tease to get what he wants. For instance, he calls her "spacebabe." Ugh. But Bianca knows he's using charm to manipulate her, and given her solitary life and his good looks she pretty much doesn't care.
Jael Wye has created a highly original, diverse and detailed sci-fi society on Mars. The narrative is peppered with new slang (such as the gender neutral M'Ross or M'Chan salutation). And it isn't just a few words. The colloquialisms are so well developed, so complete, so integrated that it really makes you feel like you are experiencing a futuristic Earth and Mars. Call it the Extraterrestrial-Urban Dictionary.
Keeping pace with all that new language is the new technology. There is the space elevator, the orbiting station, the computer intelligence that keeps it all operating, the medical advances to deal with radiation, terra-forming, delayed communications due to distance from Earth to Mars. The difference in gravity is woven into the story and is illustrated through physical differences between Mars natives and Earthers. Space suits are worn outside habitats. Zero gravity plays havoc on some people's stomachs. The details are endless and ubiquitous. And there is no way I am doing justice to Wye's creativity.
I'll say it again. I loved this story from beginning to end. The pacing is terrific. The story broadens into new, unique settings (all wonderfully described). The characters are emotional and given enough depth to demonstrate loyalty and perseverance and love. The plot is tight. Well, I'll stop gushing. Just know that I immediately read the next two books in the series (all can act as standalones fairly well).
eBook source: Purchased
September 30, 2013
The first book in the Once Upon a Red World is a science fiction tale full of action, suspense, romance and an evil stepmother.
Bianca is the Princess of the space elevator empire and her stepmother sends her down to the planet to acquire RedIce, the latest company she wants. Cesare is the owner of the RedIce Mines on Mars and will do whatever it takes to stop the merger from happening and to protect the secrets hidden in the mines. The attraction between the two is instantly smokin’ but both will have to overcome a lot of issues emotional as well as professionally before they can even think to accept it.
The author has created a vivid and intriguing world with scenes and emotions that reach out and grab the reader keeping them thoroughly engaged until the very end. The plot is very interesting with lots of action, murder, mayhem, betrayal and daring rescues and strong, bewitching characters that draw the reader deeper into the story. I love the heroine of this book, she a combination of personality traits that make her a very endearing character. I was very impressed with the dialogue and word substitutions that the Martians used. This was accomplished with great skill, humor and not with words that are can’t be pronounced or that the reader needs to learn an entire new language for to understand.
This is a well written and entertaining story that once started, I had to finish. I honestly can’t think of anything that I would change about this book. I can’t wait to read the next one.
Bianca is the Princess of the space elevator empire and her stepmother sends her down to the planet to acquire RedIce, the latest company she wants. Cesare is the owner of the RedIce Mines on Mars and will do whatever it takes to stop the merger from happening and to protect the secrets hidden in the mines. The attraction between the two is instantly smokin’ but both will have to overcome a lot of issues emotional as well as professionally before they can even think to accept it.
The author has created a vivid and intriguing world with scenes and emotions that reach out and grab the reader keeping them thoroughly engaged until the very end. The plot is very interesting with lots of action, murder, mayhem, betrayal and daring rescues and strong, bewitching characters that draw the reader deeper into the story. I love the heroine of this book, she a combination of personality traits that make her a very endearing character. I was very impressed with the dialogue and word substitutions that the Martians used. This was accomplished with great skill, humor and not with words that are can’t be pronounced or that the reader needs to learn an entire new language for to understand.
This is a well written and entertaining story that once started, I had to finish. I honestly can’t think of anything that I would change about this book. I can’t wait to read the next one.
August 6, 2017
This is a slightly over-the-top scifi story with politics, romance, and a crazy mother-in-law. The scifi challenges were exciting, and the politics of money were well described, but the absent and/or crazy family members were cardboard, and the romance was lukewarm for me.
This story ends with few loose ends, so I'm not motivated to read the next one right away, but I will add it to my TBR.
This story ends with few loose ends, so I'm not motivated to read the next one right away, but I will add it to my TBR.
October 31, 2013
From the moment I stumbled across Anne McCaffrey's 'The White Dragon' I have loved science fiction novels. There is something so incredible about dreaming up a world so amazing that it puts me in awe of the authors. It never ceases to amaze me how sometimes the author creates a whole new language and universe, or keeps our universe but changes different phrasing and ideologies. With that said, I can honestly say that 'Ice Red' is another book to add to my list of fantastic science fiction & fantasy novels.
I loved the fact that this book was based on 'Snow White', mainly because I happen to think the old fairy tales still have a lot to teach us. Bianca Ross, the only child of Max Ross, the wealthiest and most important man in the universe, the creator of the Eris space elevator station on Mars, is in the role of Snow White. Victoria Ross, her stepmother is, well, the evil stepmother. In addition, the gorgeous hot prince is Cesar Chan, heir to a huge mining corporation on the planet Mars. So, these are the players, and now I'm going to share the game with you. *smirk*
Victoria, CEO of StarLine, is one seriously, nasty, manipulative, egotistical, sociopath who wants complete control of Max's company. The CEO position, apparently, is not enough. She wants more power and more control of the Martian government so she can reintroduce old legislature. What kind, you ask? The kind that allows Martians and the space station to own and sell slaves, mainly Earther slaves, for one thing. Max has left on a three-year journey to Earth to coordinate the building of that space elevator station, so he is no threat to Victoria. In addition, Victoria has just sent Bianca down to the surface of Mars to work on acquiring RedIce, the mining company owned by the Chan family. Of course, Victoria has also set up a little accident with poison so she can get rid of Bianca once and for all. Nasty, nasty woman!
Now, when Bianca and Cesar meet, there is a lot of distrust. Cesar believes Bianca to be as big a snake as Victoria, while Bianca believes that Cesar has done something illegal with his mineworkers. The opposite is true, actually. Ten years ago, Cesar rescued a lot of Earther slaves being abused by Victoria and her partners, at the time, and he's hid them within RedIce's company. There is no way he is going to allow StarLine to acquire RedIce. Certainly not without a fight! The problem is that Cesar assumes Bianca knows all about what StarLine was involved in ten years ago, and Bianca does not have a clue. It does not take Bianca long, though, before she ferrets out all of the information and is forced to believe Cesar's accusations. Not when the Earther's are right there as witnesses.
With help from Cesar, now it's up to Bianca to wrest control of StarLine away from Victoria. It's an exciting adventure as they elude assassination attempts all while gathering evidence needed to end Victoria's reign of terror. And, oh, how the ending was exciting! Particularly how Bianca trapped Victoria - it was awesome! And, no, I'm not telling the ending.
I absolutely adored the creative way the author mimicked the Snow White fairy tale. Instead of seven dwarves, there are seven Earther mineworkers. Because Martians grow up in a way lower gravity than on Earth, they are much taller and more slender than Earther's, hence the author gave me dwarves! The red apple turns out to be an Apple computer with a hidden, untraceable way to kill Bianca. Very amusing!
I loved this book! It was everything I had hoped for and more. I cannot wait for the next book in the series to see where Jael Wye plans to take me next! Thank you to the author for this wonderful story.
Review by: Christy Duke
Reviewer for the Paranormal Romance Guild
I loved the fact that this book was based on 'Snow White', mainly because I happen to think the old fairy tales still have a lot to teach us. Bianca Ross, the only child of Max Ross, the wealthiest and most important man in the universe, the creator of the Eris space elevator station on Mars, is in the role of Snow White. Victoria Ross, her stepmother is, well, the evil stepmother. In addition, the gorgeous hot prince is Cesar Chan, heir to a huge mining corporation on the planet Mars. So, these are the players, and now I'm going to share the game with you. *smirk*
Victoria, CEO of StarLine, is one seriously, nasty, manipulative, egotistical, sociopath who wants complete control of Max's company. The CEO position, apparently, is not enough. She wants more power and more control of the Martian government so she can reintroduce old legislature. What kind, you ask? The kind that allows Martians and the space station to own and sell slaves, mainly Earther slaves, for one thing. Max has left on a three-year journey to Earth to coordinate the building of that space elevator station, so he is no threat to Victoria. In addition, Victoria has just sent Bianca down to the surface of Mars to work on acquiring RedIce, the mining company owned by the Chan family. Of course, Victoria has also set up a little accident with poison so she can get rid of Bianca once and for all. Nasty, nasty woman!
Now, when Bianca and Cesar meet, there is a lot of distrust. Cesar believes Bianca to be as big a snake as Victoria, while Bianca believes that Cesar has done something illegal with his mineworkers. The opposite is true, actually. Ten years ago, Cesar rescued a lot of Earther slaves being abused by Victoria and her partners, at the time, and he's hid them within RedIce's company. There is no way he is going to allow StarLine to acquire RedIce. Certainly not without a fight! The problem is that Cesar assumes Bianca knows all about what StarLine was involved in ten years ago, and Bianca does not have a clue. It does not take Bianca long, though, before she ferrets out all of the information and is forced to believe Cesar's accusations. Not when the Earther's are right there as witnesses.
With help from Cesar, now it's up to Bianca to wrest control of StarLine away from Victoria. It's an exciting adventure as they elude assassination attempts all while gathering evidence needed to end Victoria's reign of terror. And, oh, how the ending was exciting! Particularly how Bianca trapped Victoria - it was awesome! And, no, I'm not telling the ending.
I absolutely adored the creative way the author mimicked the Snow White fairy tale. Instead of seven dwarves, there are seven Earther mineworkers. Because Martians grow up in a way lower gravity than on Earth, they are much taller and more slender than Earther's, hence the author gave me dwarves! The red apple turns out to be an Apple computer with a hidden, untraceable way to kill Bianca. Very amusing!
I loved this book! It was everything I had hoped for and more. I cannot wait for the next book in the series to see where Jael Wye plans to take me next! Thank you to the author for this wonderful story.
Review by: Christy Duke
Reviewer for the Paranormal Romance Guild
March 13, 2014
A Shockwave of Action and Romance
Wow, I’m still reeling over all the fast paced action. To begin with, the entry into this red world called Mars is beautifully described with high towers snaking throughout Mar’s many canyons by tubes and pipes or through massive tunnels dug beneath the ground level. Their transport system from earth to the docking station is unique as it is between the many other planets within their solar system. Their survival methods in order to live on the planet is fascinating in how it reduces their age appearance and increases their life span by making them immune to diseases that most Earther’s are susceptible to.
The writing is visually graphic and very gripping as it kept me captivated to the end. The character’s chemistry between Cesare & Bianca is magnifying and their romance was like a shockwave of action and a “detonated bliss running through ever vein and scorching every nerve” within my own body’s system. I’d have to say their erotic interludes would be a 3.5 flame. The descriptive scenes were explained without using dirty explicit words but getting the point across. Trust me, they definitely had their exciting moments in a Sci-fi Martian Way.
I loved Cesare – talking about one heroic space cowboy. If I ever met a Martian in real life I’d hope it would be like him – long dark hair, muscle galore with long legs and a sexy smile. LOL Yep I’d love to be that Earther he could save. It seemed his hidden secrets and his dangerous actions gave him a bad rap amongst the other Martians unless you talked to an Earther –a true protector and savior all the way.
Bianca is one hot sexy space-bunny and maybe a daddy’s little girl but she holds her own especially when she has a step mother always keeping her abroad and away from her father, her home planet, and her rightful place in the business. She gets her education while away as an engineer and becomes more than her step mother can handle. I love women who are intelligent and physically fit to kick some butt regardless of their sex.
The story’s plot was definitely filled with lots of fighting action and escaping scenes. The many challenges in preventing Bianca’s step mother Victoria from killing her kept me on the edge of my seat. It seemed every time Bianca turned around Victoria was one step ahead of her due to her black mailing every political echelon by either sleeping with them or buying them out with her conniving wits. Victoria was definitely the perfect character to hate.
The ending climaxed explosively as Cesare and Bianca both get what they want. With exposing the truth behind a slave trade, exposing Victoria of her attempted murder, Victoria’s escapades with trying to gain power over the solar system and owning Bianca’s business, this made one exciting story and I look forward to reading more installments in this series.
Jael Wye, you just gained a new fan – I absolutely loved your writing style and loved the new to me Martian language. LOL You make Sci-fi fun to read by bringing sexiness to it.
Excellent Read!
**A Copy was provided by author for a fair and honest review**
Wow, I’m still reeling over all the fast paced action. To begin with, the entry into this red world called Mars is beautifully described with high towers snaking throughout Mar’s many canyons by tubes and pipes or through massive tunnels dug beneath the ground level. Their transport system from earth to the docking station is unique as it is between the many other planets within their solar system. Their survival methods in order to live on the planet is fascinating in how it reduces their age appearance and increases their life span by making them immune to diseases that most Earther’s are susceptible to.
The writing is visually graphic and very gripping as it kept me captivated to the end. The character’s chemistry between Cesare & Bianca is magnifying and their romance was like a shockwave of action and a “detonated bliss running through ever vein and scorching every nerve” within my own body’s system. I’d have to say their erotic interludes would be a 3.5 flame. The descriptive scenes were explained without using dirty explicit words but getting the point across. Trust me, they definitely had their exciting moments in a Sci-fi Martian Way.
I loved Cesare – talking about one heroic space cowboy. If I ever met a Martian in real life I’d hope it would be like him – long dark hair, muscle galore with long legs and a sexy smile. LOL Yep I’d love to be that Earther he could save. It seemed his hidden secrets and his dangerous actions gave him a bad rap amongst the other Martians unless you talked to an Earther –a true protector and savior all the way.
Bianca is one hot sexy space-bunny and maybe a daddy’s little girl but she holds her own especially when she has a step mother always keeping her abroad and away from her father, her home planet, and her rightful place in the business. She gets her education while away as an engineer and becomes more than her step mother can handle. I love women who are intelligent and physically fit to kick some butt regardless of their sex.
The story’s plot was definitely filled with lots of fighting action and escaping scenes. The many challenges in preventing Bianca’s step mother Victoria from killing her kept me on the edge of my seat. It seemed every time Bianca turned around Victoria was one step ahead of her due to her black mailing every political echelon by either sleeping with them or buying them out with her conniving wits. Victoria was definitely the perfect character to hate.
The ending climaxed explosively as Cesare and Bianca both get what they want. With exposing the truth behind a slave trade, exposing Victoria of her attempted murder, Victoria’s escapades with trying to gain power over the solar system and owning Bianca’s business, this made one exciting story and I look forward to reading more installments in this series.
Jael Wye, you just gained a new fan – I absolutely loved your writing style and loved the new to me Martian language. LOL You make Sci-fi fun to read by bringing sexiness to it.
Excellent Read!
**A Copy was provided by author for a fair and honest review**
May 23, 2017
An interesting take on Snow White set on Mars a couple of centuries in the future.
I thought the fairytale retelling aspect was well done, managing to strike a balance between being both familiar and its own thing at the same time, but I wasn't particularly convinced by the romance. A lot of the time it felt like I was being told how much the main characters were attracted to each other but I simply didn't see or feel it beyond some mild flirting. I'm notoriously difficult to satisfy when it comes to fictional relationships though, so as always your own opinion may differ.
If there was one thing that I think really let the book down though it was how the end resolution was just a tad too quick and easy. Not by much, but after so much build-up I was left feeling a bit underwhelmed once it had played out.
Overall I'd say this was a pretty decent quick read.
I thought the fairytale retelling aspect was well done, managing to strike a balance between being both familiar and its own thing at the same time, but I wasn't particularly convinced by the romance. A lot of the time it felt like I was being told how much the main characters were attracted to each other but I simply didn't see or feel it beyond some mild flirting. I'm notoriously difficult to satisfy when it comes to fictional relationships though, so as always your own opinion may differ.
If there was one thing that I think really let the book down though it was how the end resolution was just a tad too quick and easy. Not by much, but after so much build-up I was left feeling a bit underwhelmed once it had played out.
Overall I'd say this was a pretty decent quick read.
January 13, 2014
Engineer Bianca Ross is also the heir to a huge corporation and the Eris space elevator, which has made moving people, goods, and equipment seemingly effortless. Victoria Ross is her wicked stepmother who is setting her plan in motion to take over the entire Sol system, but she needs Bianca out of the way first. Sending Bianca down to Mars to work on the takeover of RedIce, a mining company owned by Cesare Chan, will give Victoria the opportunity she needs to get what she wants. Yet, if Bianca and Cesare have any say, Victoria will be exposed for the conniving woman she is.
ICE RED is a novel which came to brilliant life, from the strange worlds and people to the unique language. There was intrigue, mystery, murder, and a fantastic twist on a familiar fairy tale. ICE RED had me caught up in the characters and action very quickly. The story kept me on the edge of my seat with the sinfully dangerous romance and exciting energy of the characters’ machinations. ICE RED is a great space fantasy with a wicked ending!
ICE RED is a novel which came to brilliant life, from the strange worlds and people to the unique language. There was intrigue, mystery, murder, and a fantastic twist on a familiar fairy tale. ICE RED had me caught up in the characters and action very quickly. The story kept me on the edge of my seat with the sinfully dangerous romance and exciting energy of the characters’ machinations. ICE RED is a great space fantasy with a wicked ending!
Read
January 23, 2020i don't think it's the book, i think it's me
April 27, 2014
Originally published at Reading Reality
Mars, Cinderella, and for one brief hilarious moment, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. While this sounds like a fairy tale, it’s actually surprisingly entertaining science fiction romance. I say surprising because those original three things shouldn’t go together in the first place. But somehow they do.
There may be a tiny bit of Romeo and Juliet mixed in too. Bianca and Cesare certainly start out on opposite sides of the corporate fence: her company is staging a hostile takeover of his company. But it’s not really them; his father sold out to her stepmother. The question is why.
The Space Elevator is a tried and true SF device, perhaps even more venerable than the use of faster-than-light travel. In Ice Red, Bianca’s father invented the space elevator. He’s a self-absorbed genius who lets other people run his company while he continues to invent more cool stuff.
Unfortunately for both Max and Bianca, the “other people” who are running his company is Victoria and her goon squad. And back to the Cinderella trope, Victoria is the classic evil stepmother, complete with her own sick version of “mirror, mirror”.
Bianca has been trying to prove that she is a capable manager and administrator, worthy of being given real responsibility in the company that her parents created before her mother’s death. Unfortunately for her, she keeps trying to prove herself to one person who sees her as the ultimate rival, and another who stopped paying attention to anything years ago.
Cesare is just trying to keep the mining company that his father built. It’s not about the money, it’s about the people. Cesare has been investing corporate profits in rescuing all the Earth colonists who were lured to Mars with promises of good jobs, and found themselves on the cargo end of human trafficking operations. Trafficking where stepmother Victoria operated the shipping.
So Bianca wants real responsibility and Cesare wants to save his company, and all the people he’s rescued. Victoria wants to eliminate Bianca and takeover RedIce Mining. It’s really (and very disgustingly) clear why Victoria wants to eliminate Bianca, but her reasons for going after RedIce are hidden until the very end.
Just like the feelings that Bianca and Cesare develop for each other as they try to stay one step ahead of everyone who is out to get them.
Escape Rating B+: Ice Red is rock solid science fiction romance entertainment! It’s set in a not-too-distant future where Mars has been developed through the construction of a space elevator, but these are all familiar concepts. Mars, Earth and the space station that controls the elevator, Eris, are easily imagined places.
Considering the actions of Bianca’s stepmother, Victoria, I find the name of the space station to be particularly appropriate. Eris was the Greek goddess of chaos, strife and discord; all things that Victoria creates as a matter of business. And pleasure.
We get to know both Bianca and Cesare pretty well as the story progresses; it’s just long enough for good character development without letting up the break-neck pace. It was particularly easy for me to identify with Bianca’s desire to carve a place for herself in her father’s company, and her continued frustration with the way that Victoria and her father Max kept pushing her away. But she’s also been lonely and protected from the hard knocks of the world, and she needs to get out of the cocoon she’s been swaddled in.
Cesare has been hiding his heroism under the cover of being a wild cowboy. He needs to step into the light, and she needs someone to shake her up. They have terrific chemistry.
The villainy of Victoria was just a bit over the top. It reminded me of B Movie space operas, in a very fun way. She would have made a great cartoon baddie.
I’m looking forward to seeing where this series goes next. Ladder to the Red Star, here I come!
Mars, Cinderella, and for one brief hilarious moment, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. While this sounds like a fairy tale, it’s actually surprisingly entertaining science fiction romance. I say surprising because those original three things shouldn’t go together in the first place. But somehow they do.
There may be a tiny bit of Romeo and Juliet mixed in too. Bianca and Cesare certainly start out on opposite sides of the corporate fence: her company is staging a hostile takeover of his company. But it’s not really them; his father sold out to her stepmother. The question is why.
The Space Elevator is a tried and true SF device, perhaps even more venerable than the use of faster-than-light travel. In Ice Red, Bianca’s father invented the space elevator. He’s a self-absorbed genius who lets other people run his company while he continues to invent more cool stuff.
Unfortunately for both Max and Bianca, the “other people” who are running his company is Victoria and her goon squad. And back to the Cinderella trope, Victoria is the classic evil stepmother, complete with her own sick version of “mirror, mirror”.
Bianca has been trying to prove that she is a capable manager and administrator, worthy of being given real responsibility in the company that her parents created before her mother’s death. Unfortunately for her, she keeps trying to prove herself to one person who sees her as the ultimate rival, and another who stopped paying attention to anything years ago.
Cesare is just trying to keep the mining company that his father built. It’s not about the money, it’s about the people. Cesare has been investing corporate profits in rescuing all the Earth colonists who were lured to Mars with promises of good jobs, and found themselves on the cargo end of human trafficking operations. Trafficking where stepmother Victoria operated the shipping.
So Bianca wants real responsibility and Cesare wants to save his company, and all the people he’s rescued. Victoria wants to eliminate Bianca and takeover RedIce Mining. It’s really (and very disgustingly) clear why Victoria wants to eliminate Bianca, but her reasons for going after RedIce are hidden until the very end.
Just like the feelings that Bianca and Cesare develop for each other as they try to stay one step ahead of everyone who is out to get them.
Escape Rating B+: Ice Red is rock solid science fiction romance entertainment! It’s set in a not-too-distant future where Mars has been developed through the construction of a space elevator, but these are all familiar concepts. Mars, Earth and the space station that controls the elevator, Eris, are easily imagined places.
Considering the actions of Bianca’s stepmother, Victoria, I find the name of the space station to be particularly appropriate. Eris was the Greek goddess of chaos, strife and discord; all things that Victoria creates as a matter of business. And pleasure.
We get to know both Bianca and Cesare pretty well as the story progresses; it’s just long enough for good character development without letting up the break-neck pace. It was particularly easy for me to identify with Bianca’s desire to carve a place for herself in her father’s company, and her continued frustration with the way that Victoria and her father Max kept pushing her away. But she’s also been lonely and protected from the hard knocks of the world, and she needs to get out of the cocoon she’s been swaddled in.
Cesare has been hiding his heroism under the cover of being a wild cowboy. He needs to step into the light, and she needs someone to shake her up. They have terrific chemistry.
The villainy of Victoria was just a bit over the top. It reminded me of B Movie space operas, in a very fun way. She would have made a great cartoon baddie.
I’m looking forward to seeing where this series goes next. Ladder to the Red Star, here I come!
December 6, 2015
Ice Red turned out to be one of the most original fairy tale retellings I have ever read. In fact, if I was not informed in advance that Ice Red was a retelling of Snow White, I am not sure if I would have made the connection. Of course, there would have been facepalming later when I find out and wonder how I did not notice, because when you start to draw the parallels it’s really obvious.
The trick is, Jael Wye did a total transition of fantastic element to technology and science fiction. Everything stayed the same and is completely different at the same time. Empire becomes huge trading company. Dead father becomes absent-minded scientist. Poisoned apple becomes round red data-cube made by Apple. Dwarves become ordinary people from Earth who are short when compared to humans who are living on Mars (they grow taller because of lesser gravitational pull). I won’t reveal more to avoid spoilers, but truly, the amount of detail Jael Wye covered and thought about is impressive. And it’s obvious she did a lot of research to be able to pull off such believable scientific world-building.
Although setting is on Mars (and in space) and culture is very advanced and different than our own, there are no huge boring info-dumps. Information is slipped to you unnoticed in small portion while you were absorbed in a story. I never felt uninformed.
Language is different than today but expressions are similar enough to be easily understood. And use of some chinese words reminded me of Firefly. Some slang words just bugged me like: bloke (guy), chit (girl) and drill (have sex). Sadly these are also the words that were used most often.
As much as the world was vivid and world-building masterfully done, the characters were lacking that mystical spark for me. The prince did not charm me, Bianca did not win me over with her innocence and strength, stepmother was just bleh and poor miners didn’t really steer my compassion. I knew what reactions I should feel, but they were simply not there.
Still, I will definitely read the sequel Ladder to the Red Star because I just can not resist to see which fairy tale will Jael Wye pick to futurize next. Since there were mentions of Aurora project and test subjects in deep cryogenic sleep, I am hoping for retelling of Sleeping Beauty.
In The End…
Do not let naked couple on the cover fool you, Ice Red is not an erotica novel. It’s an original and imaginative futuristic retelling of Snow White with intricate world building. I could not connect to the characters but I am still looking forward to the next book in Once Upon a Red World series.
Recommended for fans of: adult fairy tale retellings, theme of Mars colonisation, mega corporation’s related schemes and intrigue, …
My rating: 3.5 stars
Disclaimer: I was given a free eBook by the author in exchange for a honest review. This text is also posted on my blog Bookworm Dreams in a little bit more styled edition.
The trick is, Jael Wye did a total transition of fantastic element to technology and science fiction. Everything stayed the same and is completely different at the same time. Empire becomes huge trading company. Dead father becomes absent-minded scientist. Poisoned apple becomes round red data-cube made by Apple. Dwarves become ordinary people from Earth who are short when compared to humans who are living on Mars (they grow taller because of lesser gravitational pull). I won’t reveal more to avoid spoilers, but truly, the amount of detail Jael Wye covered and thought about is impressive. And it’s obvious she did a lot of research to be able to pull off such believable scientific world-building.
Although setting is on Mars (and in space) and culture is very advanced and different than our own, there are no huge boring info-dumps. Information is slipped to you unnoticed in small portion while you were absorbed in a story. I never felt uninformed.
Language is different than today but expressions are similar enough to be easily understood. And use of some chinese words reminded me of Firefly. Some slang words just bugged me like: bloke (guy), chit (girl) and drill (have sex). Sadly these are also the words that were used most often.
As much as the world was vivid and world-building masterfully done, the characters were lacking that mystical spark for me. The prince did not charm me, Bianca did not win me over with her innocence and strength, stepmother was just bleh and poor miners didn’t really steer my compassion. I knew what reactions I should feel, but they were simply not there.
Still, I will definitely read the sequel Ladder to the Red Star because I just can not resist to see which fairy tale will Jael Wye pick to futurize next. Since there were mentions of Aurora project and test subjects in deep cryogenic sleep, I am hoping for retelling of Sleeping Beauty.
In The End…
Do not let naked couple on the cover fool you, Ice Red is not an erotica novel. It’s an original and imaginative futuristic retelling of Snow White with intricate world building. I could not connect to the characters but I am still looking forward to the next book in Once Upon a Red World series.
Recommended for fans of: adult fairy tale retellings, theme of Mars colonisation, mega corporation’s related schemes and intrigue, …
My rating: 3.5 stars
Disclaimer: I was given a free eBook by the author in exchange for a honest review. This text is also posted on my blog Bookworm Dreams in a little bit more styled edition.
September 12, 2013
This is a fun Science Fiction Romance set on Mars.
Worldbuilding: The story did not need much. Most of the action is set on Mars and we all know what the surface is like. There is mention of how humans are surviving as they change the surface of the planet. A little is told about the Space Elevator and what is happening in the rest of the Solar System.
Characters: There are two main characters, Bianca Ross and Cesare. They are fleshed out and we know a lot about each as the story builds. Not much was required to build the character of Victoria Ross, the evil step-mother. All you had to know about her was told when she looked into her mirror. There are other side characters whose development depended on their place in the story.
Plot: Victoria plans to start her take over of the Solar System with Mars and she needs to get rid of Biana. Lots of danger and tension fill the story with a romance thrown in for spice. The development of the romance was mixed into the story in a very believable way and lead to a HEA for Bianca and Cesare. This is book one so look for hooks for future books and a few things left unsolved.
Writing: The story was well-written, moved smoothly and built to a great climax.
This is a nice Science Fiction Romance. I loved the fact that the romance built up as the story progressed. It felt very real. Ice Red is a great choice for SFR fans. As an additional plus we can look forward to other books in the Once Upon a Red Planet series.
Worldbuilding: The story did not need much. Most of the action is set on Mars and we all know what the surface is like. There is mention of how humans are surviving as they change the surface of the planet. A little is told about the Space Elevator and what is happening in the rest of the Solar System.
Characters: There are two main characters, Bianca Ross and Cesare. They are fleshed out and we know a lot about each as the story builds. Not much was required to build the character of Victoria Ross, the evil step-mother. All you had to know about her was told when she looked into her mirror. There are other side characters whose development depended on their place in the story.
Plot: Victoria plans to start her take over of the Solar System with Mars and she needs to get rid of Biana. Lots of danger and tension fill the story with a romance thrown in for spice. The development of the romance was mixed into the story in a very believable way and lead to a HEA for Bianca and Cesare. This is book one so look for hooks for future books and a few things left unsolved.
Writing: The story was well-written, moved smoothly and built to a great climax.
This is a nice Science Fiction Romance. I loved the fact that the romance built up as the story progressed. It felt very real. Ice Red is a great choice for SFR fans. As an additional plus we can look forward to other books in the Once Upon a Red Planet series.
September 13, 2017
Cute and imaginative spin on the Snow White theme. I liked the fact that, unlike in the traditional story, this Snow White is not a helpless whinny but does quite a bit of rescuing herself. And while terms like “chick” and “spacebabe” had me rolling my eyes (a vision of Austin Powers in psychedelic space suit kept popping up) it was all good fun.
October 18, 2013
***Possible trigger warning: this story contains a singular rape-themed scene where the female villain drugs and tortures the hero***
Ice Red, the first book in the Once Upon a Red World series, is a SciFi Romance loosely following a Snow White construct. The story takes place on Mars, some 300-plus years into the future. A Mars elevator and orbiting space station have been developed to enable more efficient travel from the planet’s surface to awaiting spaceships. Bianca's father, the creator of the Mars space elevator, is about to embark a spaceship bound for Earth so he can help the Earther’s complete their elevator project according to his specs. This leaves Bianca's step-mother, Victoria, in charge and forces Bianca in a position of having to prove her worth. Bianca is sent to the surface of Mars to complete the merger of a mine that Victoria wants to acquire for StarLine, only the owner, Cesare, isn’t interested in selling. He has secrets to protect in the mine and people’s lives on the line and isn’t about to let his mine fall into StarLine’s hands.
I had a difficult time settling into this story. The narrative switched locations and POVs which affected the pace and made the pieces of the story slow to come together. Just as I was beginning to follow a character, the narrative would switch over to someone else in a different location. This made it hard for me to connect to the characters in the beginning and to really get a sense of where I was within the setting. The pace evened out as the story developed and the main characters came on scene together, but the approach used to introduce the story elements and the characters felt a bit choppy to me.
I found the story concept intriguing and enjoyed imagining life on Mars and the slow evolutionary process of making Mars habitable. I could tell a lot of thought went into the worldbuilding with descriptions of the various types of functional clothing, the different habsuites and locales, the rugged terrain, and various modes of transportation. Wye also took into account how Mars would affect the subsequent generations who were born there. As a result, native Martians took on their own unique characteristics. She also included social elements to the story rooted in the colonization and history of Mars and the impact that had on the current times. The writing style had an ease and overall smooth flow with a good balance between descriptive writing and keeping the action within the individual scenes moving forward. However, when it came to the characters and their feelings and motivations, I felt the narrative skewed a bit into Telling which detracted from my experience of the characters on the whole. I couldn’t help but see echoes of Firefly in the dialogue with the inclusion of Chinese phrases into the everyday English vernacular in addition to some cowboy/outback references. Although, here, the setting stayed primarily futuristic and didn’t have that full-out Western vibe.
While many of the SciFi elements worked for me, the romance aspect did not...
Read the full review at The Book Pushers: http://thebookpushers.com/2013/10/18/...
Ice Red, the first book in the Once Upon a Red World series, is a SciFi Romance loosely following a Snow White construct. The story takes place on Mars, some 300-plus years into the future. A Mars elevator and orbiting space station have been developed to enable more efficient travel from the planet’s surface to awaiting spaceships. Bianca's father, the creator of the Mars space elevator, is about to embark a spaceship bound for Earth so he can help the Earther’s complete their elevator project according to his specs. This leaves Bianca's step-mother, Victoria, in charge and forces Bianca in a position of having to prove her worth. Bianca is sent to the surface of Mars to complete the merger of a mine that Victoria wants to acquire for StarLine, only the owner, Cesare, isn’t interested in selling. He has secrets to protect in the mine and people’s lives on the line and isn’t about to let his mine fall into StarLine’s hands.
I had a difficult time settling into this story. The narrative switched locations and POVs which affected the pace and made the pieces of the story slow to come together. Just as I was beginning to follow a character, the narrative would switch over to someone else in a different location. This made it hard for me to connect to the characters in the beginning and to really get a sense of where I was within the setting. The pace evened out as the story developed and the main characters came on scene together, but the approach used to introduce the story elements and the characters felt a bit choppy to me.
I found the story concept intriguing and enjoyed imagining life on Mars and the slow evolutionary process of making Mars habitable. I could tell a lot of thought went into the worldbuilding with descriptions of the various types of functional clothing, the different habsuites and locales, the rugged terrain, and various modes of transportation. Wye also took into account how Mars would affect the subsequent generations who were born there. As a result, native Martians took on their own unique characteristics. She also included social elements to the story rooted in the colonization and history of Mars and the impact that had on the current times. The writing style had an ease and overall smooth flow with a good balance between descriptive writing and keeping the action within the individual scenes moving forward. However, when it came to the characters and their feelings and motivations, I felt the narrative skewed a bit into Telling which detracted from my experience of the characters on the whole. I couldn’t help but see echoes of Firefly in the dialogue with the inclusion of Chinese phrases into the everyday English vernacular in addition to some cowboy/outback references. Although, here, the setting stayed primarily futuristic and didn’t have that full-out Western vibe.
While many of the SciFi elements worked for me, the romance aspect did not...
Read the full review at The Book Pushers: http://thebookpushers.com/2013/10/18/...
April 21, 2014
Long ago, in a forest far far... No, wait... In the near future, on an outpost above Mars, the wickedly smart and sharply beautiful Victoria Ross plotted to wrest control of StarLine company from her new husband, Max, and to completely cut her stepdaughter out of any corporate control or assets. Unfortunately, just as she sent her husband off to Earth for a three-year engineering project and started into her end game, her lovely and intelligent stepdaughter decided to step up in her involvement of the company.
Bianca Ross was an engineer with business smarts, but grew up too self-conscious of her social status to form close personal interactions with anyone. While she was not vulnerable to emotional blackmail through close contacts, she also did not have anyone in which to confide. So she arrived back up at the Eris space station full of ideas but also empty of emotional support. She agreed to Victoria's tasking of assisting with the acquisition of the RedIce mining company to prove her business acumen and investigate the strange rumblings she suspected around Victoria and the representative of RedIce, Cesare Chan.
Cesare Chan and his "well-earned cowboy reputation" arrived at Eris with two problems. He didn't want to sell RedIce, and he didn't want anyone to know what else he was doing down on Mars. However, he failed to anticipate the romantic plot that Wye built to throw Bianca into his path, repeatedly, until both of them admitted attraction to each other. At which point, the Snow White plot began to unfold.
Wye is a newcomer to Carina press, and published her first story here as an ambitious project: retell Snow White in science fiction. She built her world on Heinlein's Mars, borrowed Kim Robinson's space elevator, tossed in a dash of L. Neil Smith freedom rhetoric, and then threw in some sex scenes to spice it all up. All in all, she did a decent job. The technology is lightly laid down, making it hard to understand and easy to believe. The characters are classic tropes, from the beautiful "space babe" to the golden-hearted bad boy who made good. Those characters are classic for a reason, and we know them from our Snow White tales of old. Unfortunately, the story's failings are all in the tropes too. There was no need to suddenly have a ghost in the machine, nor did Wye need to throw drugs into the sex. And actually, the sex wasn't all that great, either. As a science fiction fan, I found the sex scenes were getting in the way of my plot, and made me impatient to get through to move on with the plot action.
Generally, this was a good story that moved quickly across plenty of territory. Most of the characters were smart and active in the scenes, and the dialog felt appropriate for the characters. Wye wrapped up the story quite conclusively, so I expect that this story will stay as a stand-alone. That said, I am looking forward to reading her next fairy tale remake, especially if she puts it in another science fiction setting. If it weren't for the sex scenes, I'd recommend this story to some YA folks I know. As it is, I'll have to point this at adults who read Burroughs and Heinlein in their earlier days.
Bianca Ross was an engineer with business smarts, but grew up too self-conscious of her social status to form close personal interactions with anyone. While she was not vulnerable to emotional blackmail through close contacts, she also did not have anyone in which to confide. So she arrived back up at the Eris space station full of ideas but also empty of emotional support. She agreed to Victoria's tasking of assisting with the acquisition of the RedIce mining company to prove her business acumen and investigate the strange rumblings she suspected around Victoria and the representative of RedIce, Cesare Chan.
Cesare Chan and his "well-earned cowboy reputation" arrived at Eris with two problems. He didn't want to sell RedIce, and he didn't want anyone to know what else he was doing down on Mars. However, he failed to anticipate the romantic plot that Wye built to throw Bianca into his path, repeatedly, until both of them admitted attraction to each other. At which point, the Snow White plot began to unfold.
Wye is a newcomer to Carina press, and published her first story here as an ambitious project: retell Snow White in science fiction. She built her world on Heinlein's Mars, borrowed Kim Robinson's space elevator, tossed in a dash of L. Neil Smith freedom rhetoric, and then threw in some sex scenes to spice it all up. All in all, she did a decent job. The technology is lightly laid down, making it hard to understand and easy to believe. The characters are classic tropes, from the beautiful "space babe" to the golden-hearted bad boy who made good. Those characters are classic for a reason, and we know them from our Snow White tales of old. Unfortunately, the story's failings are all in the tropes too. There was no need to suddenly have a ghost in the machine, nor did Wye need to throw drugs into the sex. And actually, the sex wasn't all that great, either. As a science fiction fan, I found the sex scenes were getting in the way of my plot, and made me impatient to get through to move on with the plot action.
Generally, this was a good story that moved quickly across plenty of territory. Most of the characters were smart and active in the scenes, and the dialog felt appropriate for the characters. Wye wrapped up the story quite conclusively, so I expect that this story will stay as a stand-alone. That said, I am looking forward to reading her next fairy tale remake, especially if she puts it in another science fiction setting. If it weren't for the sex scenes, I'd recommend this story to some YA folks I know. As it is, I'll have to point this at adults who read Burroughs and Heinlein in their earlier days.
July 15, 2014
This is a retelling or adaptation of the Snow White fairy tale. And I think it's fairly well done. The step-mother is sufficiently evil; the heroine is appropriately naive; the "dwarfs" are interesting; the "Prince" is quite charming; the Huntsman is entirely psychotic and scary. And you throw it all into space with a lot of tech and programming geek-speak. Good times!
My only complaint is, as always, the heroine. She's too naive and it doesn't reconcile with her level of intelligence and ingenuity. Even though she's terribly clueless, she's horribly suspicious of anyone being nice to her, like she's jaded. A guy flirts with her and she closes down, brushes off his attentions as empty words spun at every woman he meets. But strange and dangerous things keep happening to her and she can't imagine why.
The one thing I hate about evil step-mother fairy tale adaptations is when the author has the Princess continually strive to gain the step-mother's affections, totally clueless to the fact that the step-mother wants to murder her and eat her heart. That bitch is evil, why do you want her to like you? *sigh*
Anyway, I really did enjoy the story. But I was disappointed to see that the next book in the series features different characters. I think too much was left unfinished and had expected the story arc to continue. I still have a bajillion questions.
I'd recommend it for those that like sci-fi, fairy tales, romance, romantic suspense, and mild erotica.
My only complaint is, as always, the heroine. She's too naive and it doesn't reconcile with her level of intelligence and ingenuity. Even though she's terribly clueless, she's horribly suspicious of anyone being nice to her, like she's jaded. A guy flirts with her and she closes down, brushes off his attentions as empty words spun at every woman he meets. But strange and dangerous things keep happening to her and she can't imagine why.
The one thing I hate about evil step-mother fairy tale adaptations is when the author has the Princess continually strive to gain the step-mother's affections, totally clueless to the fact that the step-mother wants to murder her and eat her heart. That bitch is evil, why do you want her to like you? *sigh*
Anyway, I really did enjoy the story. But I was disappointed to see that the next book in the series features different characters. I think too much was left unfinished and had expected the story arc to continue. I still have a bajillion questions.
I'd recommend it for those that like sci-fi, fairy tales, romance, romantic suspense, and mild erotica.
September 9, 2014
A SciFi romance with all the makings of a fairy tale, this story has the evil stepmother, the absent father, a handsome prince and a neglected princess, but with lots of exciting action, alien landscapes and an amazing space station. Bianca Ross is the only child and heir of a brilliant father who built the Mars space elevator and is now away making plans to build an Earth space elevator. An engineer, Bianca is sent to Mars from the space station Eris to complete the acquisition of RedIce, a mining company that her stepmother Victoria is eager to add to their holdings. Cesare Chan will do anything to prevent the sale of RedIce, which is his inheritance and life’s work, and which also enables him to hide the slaves he’s rescued and employed in the mines. He believes Bianca, as the representative of her family’s company, is the enemy. The more he gets to know her, the more he realizes that she’s much more innocent than he believed, and she can use his help to thwart the evil Victoria. She has been plotting Bianca’s demise, as well as planning to dominate not only Mars, but all of Sol. Bianca doesn’t know her stepmother has been plotting against her, and as the attempts to kill her become more blatant, she’ll need help from the charming Cesare to fight Victoria and reclaim her heritage. I loved the character’s little flaws, from Cesare’s space sickness to Bianca’s naïve belief in the innocence of the family’s company; they made them even more likeable and believable. I enjoyed all of the action, the descriptions of Mars and the space station, and the Mars inhabitants who have physically changed as a result of hundreds of years on Mars. I’m happy to have discovered a great new author, and I’ll be looking forward to reading more great stories from this writer.
August 7, 2014
Despite my problems with the narration, I think this is a fantastic book.
I love what the author did with the nods to the fairy tale origins. The new setting on this is totally believable, and I love that the heroine is competent instead of a shallow nothing. I look forward to the next book in the series, which I will be reading by ebook since an audio is not available (and no plans for one right now according to the author on Facebook).
I love what the author did with the nods to the fairy tale origins. The new setting on this is totally believable, and I love that the heroine is competent instead of a shallow nothing. I look forward to the next book in the series, which I will be reading by ebook since an audio is not available (and no plans for one right now according to the author on Facebook).
September 8, 2016
GREAT twist on the Snow White story line! Wonderful and action-packed!
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