Her Big Bad Wolf

by Julie Trettel

The Big Bad Wolf isn't a mere story, he exists. Or perhaps he’s just an asshole living on the fringe of the Pack. But he’s my asshole, my true mate, and this time when he huffs and he puffs, I’m not going anywhere.

Vanessa was content with her routine, running the daycare, and taking care of the Pack’s children, right up until three little orphans went missing. With their lives threatened by winter weather and unknown dangers, she would search every inch of Pack-land to find them. But her determination led her to a secluded farm shrouded in mystery and a man that doesn’t exist.

Isaac, a reclusive and rugged farmer, is living a secret life. Myths and stories from the Pack paint him as the boogie man, Crazy Sac, or the big bad wolf. He’s had his fair share of trespassers to run off, but nothing like the mischievous trio currently tormenting him.

Their paths intertwine in ways neither was prepared for. Vanessa had already given up hope of finding her true mate and building a family of her own. But there he was, and it was nothing like she’d ever imagined.

"Her Big Bad Wolf" is a tale of passion and paranormal intrigue, where the bonds of true mates and the resilience of a found family overcome even the darkest past in this fractured retelling of The Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf.

Genres: Paranormal

163 pages, Paperback

Published March 9, 2025

About the author

Julie Trettel is a USA Today Bestselling Author of Paranormal Romance. She comes from a long line of story tellers. Writing has always been a stress reliever and escape for her to manage the crazy demands of juggling time and schedules between work and an active family of six. In her “free time,” she enjoys traveling, reading, outdoor activities, and spending time with family and friends.

Reviews

[J.J. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh

[Alejandra Guerrero · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first third of the book was such a waste of time. Info-dumping, unnecessary scenes, and a whole lot of nobody giving two fucks about the missing kids (except fMC, of course, because she’s so special). Not to mention the kids were like Bugs Bunny, and it all felt like it was a cartoon with the town full of Elmers, Daffys and Yosemite Sams. Isaac was supposed to be super intelligent, but he couldn’t even put a freaking surveillance camera by himself, it required at least three other people, apparently (all adults were that useless), and even then they didn’t catch the kids. Why the hell didn’t he have a camera in the first place, since he’s so “paranoid”? At least we’re told he is. Never saw it. Nothing and nobody is described. That bothers me. I can understand the main characters not being described (some people like to imagine characters as themselves; I don’t), but the places? There were so many characters, and with none of them being described, it was hard to keep them straight. Not to mention some of them were referred to with a couple different names, which made everything even more confusing. Add the fact that everyone had almost the same personality, and I’m completely lost. It was difficult to distinguish between a four year old and her teacher (Mary and Mary-Alice. At some point I thought they were the same person; the names didn’t help) and the MCs were so much alike that whenever I put the book down, when I got back to it I struggled to remember who’s POV I was reading.
The cover made it seem like a dark retelling, but it’s absolutely nothing like that. And the “retelling” part lasted all of three or four chapters, maybe a third of the book. And the kids were there for none of it.
The shifter part was also a bust, since they rarely shift, because they are “civilized”. To me that means the author wanted a piece of the paranormal romance pie without actually putting much effort into it. Because everything there is about shifters relies on the reader’s knowledge of omegaverse and could easily be taken out of the story without affecting the plot. The second half barely has any mention of shifters at all; it’s indistinguishable from a contemporary romance except for a couple paragraphs where Isaac shifts and info-dumps about how he likes to think of the wolf as a separate entity because he could blame the animal for a lot of shit, and fuck accountability.
And the kids. They don’t appear on page for almost half the book, which, for a retelling of the three little pigs where the kids are supposed to be the little pigs (something that is shoved in your face more than once) they are absent for most of the retelling part. And of course they were mistreated and neglected but nobody picked up on that, because nobody really gave a single fuck about those kids, not even the fMC who knows them oh, so well!
The conflict was stupid and they were both being unreasonable and unwilling to compromise. They never sat down and talked. And of course the ones to suffer were the kids. The fact they are mates means absolutely nothing, both for the characters and in the story. Again, it was just a lazy attempt at making this “paranormal”.

[Helena · Rating 2 out of 5]

look I really wanted to love this and it had potential, but it honestly felt like the author wrote a "found family, grumpy sunshine" romance and shoehorned in the wolf / pack stuff.

I'm a big fan of paranormal romance but this just felt like a letdown with too many plot holes.



THINGS THAT ANNOYED ME WHILE READING:

- there's a lot of info dumped on us but almost no descriptions of characters or places so everything just blends together??? I have no idea what anyone looks like or where they are location wise.

- Issac and Vanessa don't work together as a couple, there's no communication, barely any "screen time" with them together that isn't angst and they want different things. We're supposed to believe he just loves the kids, becomes a family man and their relationship is peachy now. how? there's no basis for it and the ending feels like it rushes to wrap things up with a bow.

- Vanessa was ok as a character, a mothering type personally who doesn't let anyone in and loves kids. I feel we needed more of her story and why she's like that and how she fixes her issues, rather than. "boom, happy family - everything is perfect now".

- The whole thing with her being in love with Kyle the alpha like her whole life until he picked someone else was just... cringe? oh and his wife / Luna just orders her around and she's chill with it and they're also friends somehow? like it doesn't look good on any party involved here and is just awkward and confusing.

- Issac. issac was a mess. he's this big bad recluse who's supposed to be a genius with money and numbers and he's somehow really scary to everyone. but his lines and page time read like some kind of slapstick comedy. he can't install a security camera on his own, talks to his farm animal like it's a real person and just comes off as bland, not scary or tortured in any way. sure he's griff and blunt but that's it. and that whole "friend was murdered / committed suicide" thing is shoehorned it to give him depth and then referenced at the end to AGAIN "wrap things up perfectly with a bow".

- WHERE IS THE WOLF STUFF?!?! we're told they can shift except we basically NEVER see it. also you're telling me a WOLF with superhuman speed and a crazy sense of smell couldn't tell a woman was roaming on his property and that 3 kids were there for like a week???? it doesn't take a genius, just a good sniff to figure it out (another strike against the "author wrote for a different genre and tried to make it paranormal" thing).

- why does NO ONE care that there are 3 minors under 10 alone and roaming the countryside??? the alpha sends out like 2 search parties for a day or so and like no one really cares aside from Vanessa after that?

- these two do not have basically any conversation or connection and then the end of the book rushes to have them sleep together?? they've had like 1 conversation that wasn't a disaster disagreement and then they're sexing it up. we're told a few times that Vanessa is a virgin, yet in her first time there's no discomfort or blood on her part at all and Issac basically takes her roughly without making it good for her and she comes .... wut? obviously losing virginty can be different for every person but like, why mention it if it's not going to impact the story in any meaningful way (ex. he takes her thinking she's experienced and when / after the fight he realizes he fucked up and hurt her and makes it up to her in a personal and heartfelt way. (not a flowers and chocolates grandstand in public).
I read like 15+ chapters for lukewarm vanilla smut?? ughhhhh

- Issac and his big "I'm sorry here's flowers and chocolate and I adopted kids for us" thing was ridiculous... SERIOUSLY you guys had a fight. you had sex and you told her to get out... yikes. all of a sudden you decide you want her (a woman you have no relationship with aside from the kids) and he has a personality transplant in 2 seconds and is a doting dad and life of the party doing public appearances with no issues after yearssss of being away? are you kidding me. that just retcons the whole first half of the story imo.

- the kids were honestly angels?? we're supposed to believe they're troubled bad kids but they've never really done anything bad or troubled?? like they were being abused at the other homes or neglected, of course they want to run away.

[A Picky Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

✔️ Late 30’s, Early 40’s Grumpy Anti-Social Farming Marshmallow (Virgin?) MMC
✔️ 35-year-old FMC Virgin With a Big Heart
✔️ Big Bad Wolf / Three Little Pigs Retelling
✔️ Unique Shifter-verse
✔️ Orphans who seem older than they are
✔️ Some Foster care rep
✔️ Found Family
✔️ Fated Mates / HEA

My first time reading this author and I’m so glad I stumbled into this book. It had an interesting and unique plot, good pacing where it didn’t linger too long on any one place (a little “will they won’t they” but not too much), and great character building.

🌟 SLIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD 🌟

Of course, the story could be flushed out a little. There wasn’t much of a focus on certain scenes; like her losing her virginity and the relatively quick jump between giving the boys a home and “those are my sons.” It made sense plot-wise, it just seemed to lack as many transitioning pieces that the beginning of the book had. HOWEVER, this did kind of read as a “still room to edit” piece. So, there’s definitely potential for the author to flush it out and fix the few grammatical errors I saw.

Speaking of virginity; there was only one “bedroom” scene and it was pretty tame as far as spicy scenes go. Practically one step from a closed bedroom scene. It wasn’t bad, though, and was done in a way that benefited the story without making the story focus on sex. But, again, the author could totally end up flushing out the book and/or editing where this won’t be the case later. So, take this part of my review lightly if you end up reading this book a year from now.

I loved getting to see a grumpy, anti-social man who showed us his softness from the beginning, even if it was in different ways. He seemed to want us to think he was an awful person, but you can’t pretend too much when your therapist is a goat.

At first, I thought the MMC’s slight personality change towards the end didn’t make sense. But, once I realized the personality we saw him with throughout was half of a barrier he himself created, it would make sense for his personality to shift after he broke down those barriers.

And the FMC? Well, I’ve really been enjoying the slightly older (books usually make 30s seem so old), “I’m still alone and I don’t want to be”, “I want a family and everyone around me makes me feel like it’s too late when it isn’t” kind of woman. To me, it’s very realistic and is enjoyable when written right. Though, I do wish she had a bit more of a “put her foot down” personality towards the end like she had towards the beginning. She did what she wanted to do and knew was right, no matter who it bothered. Really enjoyable.

Big time HEA. Full circle moments, brief insight into the MC’s future, loose ends tied up for the MMC, and a few “aww” moments.

4.5 ⭐️

I really enjoyed this book. Relatively short and sweet. It was a good palette cleanser for me and I enjoyed both MC’s. It’s nice to have a fated mates book where the biggest conflict they have is themselves, and there’s no possibility of cheating or negative outside influences. I also loved the little kid adults (read and you’ll understand). It definitely seems like a good “happy mood” book.


Afterthought:
I will just say, it may be because I haven’t read any of the other books, but I didn’t really like some of the side characters (like Kelsey). But, who knows? Maybe people who read those books first won’t like Vanessa. I don’t know enough to tell if it’s a matter of “what book you read first” or simply the characters. I just really liked the MC’s, which doesn’t always happen, and kind of felt like they were the ones who ended up being more caring than some of the other characters. But that’s just a personal thought.

[Nanasbookreviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Don’t eat them. I’m on my way.”
She hung up and I stared down at the phone in confusion.
Don’t eat them?
Who the hell did she think I was?


Her Big Bad Wolf by Julie Trettel is a paranormal romance.

After Vanessa’s dream of becoming a pack mother fell apart, she shifted her focus to her job and the little kids she cared for daily. They became her whole world, so when one of her students and his brothers ran away, she took it upon herself to find them.

She received information that the children had been spotted in the forest near the home of a reclusive wolf. Without hesitation, she went to investigate—only to stumble upon something unexpected: her fated mate. Could two people from such different worlds find happiness together? And what would happen to the three orphaned boys?

This novel is a unique retelling of The Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf. It’s an engaging story with a touch of emotion, particularly surrounding the orphans. The book kicks off with the children’s disappearance, introducing us to their backstory and Vanessa’s character. Soon after, we meet Isaac—the so-called “Big Bad Wolf”—and from there, the story develops quickly, especially in terms of the romance between the two main characters.

I loved the contrast between Vanessa and Isaac, and how she never gave in to his whims. Some of my favorite moments included Isaac’s interactions with his animals and the kids’ clever plan for the big moment.

If you enjoy paranormal romances, this book is definitely worth a read!

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic story

This was a fantastic story with terrific characters, humor, drama, angst, mystery, a bit of suspense, and unexpected twists that will hook you from beginning to end. It's a definite must read.

I have always loved reading this author's work, and was excited when I saw this book. It took me a bit, but I finally realized that the characters in this book are from some of my favorite series' by this author. I was honestly surprised that it wasn't linked with the original series.

If you haven't already, I would highly recommend reading the Westin Pack, Collier Pack, and Westin Force series. I would suggest reading Westin Pack series prior to this book as it will give you a better understanding of the characters, connections, and the dynamics between them. It's certainly not necessary in order to enjoy this book, as it can be read as a stand alone novel. All of the series by this author are absolutely fantastic, and I guarantee that once you begin, you won't be able to stop reading until you've read every single series. Happy reading!!

I would definitely recommend this book and outstanding author.

[Nives Bacun · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually really loved this book. True Julie book. It has everything.. the drama, the humour, the point and the message to think of.. FMC and MMC are great and coming out of their shelves, little ones you absolutely adore from the beginning, and of course, HEA.
My only remark would be that it is a short one. Would love to be a bit longer.

[Nicole (book_drake on IG) · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨🐺 Once upon a time… the Big Bad Wolf turned out to be a grumpy recluse with a tragic backstory and I’m HERE FOR IT. 👏

Vanessa? A whole queen. 👑 She’s got daycare energy by day and rescue mission badassery by night. Toss in three chaotic orphans, one growly mate with serious “do not disturb” vibes, and the kind of slow burn tension that could melt snow faster than Isaac’s glare?🔥 Yes. Please.

Think Three Little Pigs retelling but with more angst, more heart, and a heaping spoonful of fated mate spice. 💕🪵🌨️

The pacing dipped a bit in the middle, but the found family feels + sassy banter kept me hooked. Also, boogie man who bakes? Yeah. That happened. 🍞👀

🔮✨A howlin’ good read with just the right bite!

[Biggs_bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a sweet read. I loved the characters. The story line was funny and had me giggling along and who wouldn’t want those theee little piggies. All the heart eyes.

[Kelsie Gahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book.