Riding Red

by Charles Payseur

Big and Red are conmen and lovers a bit down on their luck when they learn of an easy mark, a rich old woman who lives alone in the woods. Hoping to ingratiate themselves by pretending Red is her long lost granddaughter (complete with red dress and basket of baked goods), they set out over the river and through the woods, even if Red is a bit hesitant about the cross-dressing.

When they aren't the only ones trying to cash in, their plans have to change. Jack, a trickster himself, is already on the scene, and is very good at making both Big and Red rather hot and bothered. And when it turns out the little old woman is running a con of her own, all bets are off, and the fur -- and clothing -- will fly as everyone scrambles to survive.

Genres: M M Romance

35 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 26, 2022

About the author

Charles Payseur is an avid reader, writer, and reviewer of speculative fiction. His works have appeared in The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy, Lightspeed Magazine, and Beneath Ceaseless Skies, among others, and many are included in his debut collection, The Burning Day and Other Strange Stories (Lethe Press 2021). He is the series editor of We’re Here: The Best Queer Speculative Fiction (Neon Hemlock Press) and a multiple-time Hugo and Ignyte Award finalist for his work at Quick Sip Reviews. When not drunkenly discussing Goosebumps, X-Men comic books, and his cats on his Patreon (/quicksipreviews) and Twitter (@ClowderofTwo), he can probably found raising a beer with his husband, Matt, in their home in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

Reviews

[Miss · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love mashed up fairy tales like this. It's mostly a take on Little Red Riding Hood, with the title and main characters Big and Red, but it's not a re-telling of just that. Hansel and Gretel gets heaped in to the story along with hints of Goldilocks and Three Little Pigs. Jack, our third main character, is unreliable so he could be from Jack and the Beanstalk, Jack the Giant Slayer, Jack of Hearts, Jack-of-all-trades, all or none of those. I lean toward him not being a Jack at all.

It's fun, with a well-woven story from the various source stories. Then it gets smutty and forgets about plot for several pages toward the end. The guys deserve to enjoy themselves and it's hot, but I honestly forget that this is listed on the publisher's site as a (MMM) gay fantasy. It definitely has the three together, but the story doesn't bring them together in a satisfying way, for me. I liked Big and Red as they seemed to be together. Jack just seems like a bit of spice that they try once for the experience, not someone that would be with them longer term. This packs a lot into the short length, but it needed a bit more to get me on board with the throuple.

[Sarah☀️ Somerville · Rating 3 out of 5]

That was fun.