Hood - A Gothic Romance: The Never Tales #1

by Amber Darwin

"Welcome to Never, where the tales we know by heart are more than they seem. It's a world of twisted curiosity and poisoned dreams. Visit the dark side, learn the mysteries within, but don't forget to follow the breadcrumbs back home again."

What if the fairytales were wrong? What if Red isn't who we thought she was? And the Big Bad Wolf was more than we ever imagined. It's been seven years since Scarlett Kingston fled her past. Dark scandals. Nefarious plots. Unhinged relatives live on a ruined estate. Back then, she lived a life full of lies and heartbreak. Everyone believes they know her story, but the truth is stranger than fiction. There are more theories than stars in the twilight sky about what happened the fateful night she left her family estate, but only two people know the truth. Scarlett, and whoever set her up for murder.

Scarlett is still trying to shake the stigma of her past. The vigilante life suits her well, but a phone call plunges her back into the life she tried to escape. Secrets keep piling up, and she's determined to find the truth. That is if her first love turned sworn enemy doesn't ruin everything.

Scarlett isn't sure what this journey to the past will reveal, but she can't forget three things...

One - The past never remains where you buried it.
Two - Family can be the ultimate F word.
Three - Never trust a hot werewolf.

* Hood is an adult Red Riding Hood-Inspired Gothic Fairytale Romance.
* Each book in this series is standalone and focuses on a new fairytale reimagined.

Genres: Retellings, Gothic

327 pages, Paperback

Published October 25, 2022

About the author

An author by day and a werewolf by night.

Amber is a former college professor of Paranormal Investigation. A lover of coffee, cats, reading, naps, and all things witchy. Not necessarily in that order. She currently resides in Wisconsin with her rockstar husband, three children, and a house full of familiars.

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Reviews

[Amber Darwin]

Good morning, this isn't the update I was hoping to give, that's for sure! But back in March while I was still writing the last book of the Gravestone Trilogy, I started to have some trouble word finding. Then the headaches and blurred vision, and even some typing/speech issues. We decided to have that checked out, and we found a small brain tumor in my left frontal lobe.

I did go forward to write Hood, even with a brain tumor in the left frontal. But my symptoms got worse, and then worse again. In November while I was writing Malice (the next book in the Nevertales series) we found that the tumor has some swelling.

I will be having brain surgery on January 13th. And the recovery could be anywhere from 4 weeks to a few months, it just depends on how much they can get out without causing further deficits.

I wrote 4 books with a brain tumor in my left frontal lobe, y'all. How crazy is that?! Anyway - the release for Malice is on hold indefinitely.

I plan on healing up, and getting back to writing! Minus a tumor, I might even have less mistakes in my books. Haha! Fingers crossed! I will do my best to keep you updated! xo - Amber

[Melinda T · Rating 5 out of 5]

So dark and twisted and exactly what I was looking for

This story is dead-on with the twists and darkness Scarlett navigates through, all while being tormented with pain-filled memories. She is both dark and light, pure and evil, true and fake. No one is one or the other. We are all made up of both sides. It's just which one we show to the world that further defines our paths.

"Who defines good, anyway? Is it the hypocrites who attend their places of worship twice a week and disregard it for the other five days? Is it the love and light circle who act as if there are no shadowed horrors to protect themselves from? I haven’t met a soul on this earth who wasn’t capable of both good and evil. Pick a path. Decide." - Chapter 2, page 20

This is a fantastically dark read, definitely not for the meek or prude. If you're into the supernatural, magic, shapeshifters, and all the things that go bump in the night, then you really should read this book.

[midnightmuse102 ( jade miller ) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh I loved this book. It has such great flow.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had the potential to be 5 stars. Great plot it just felt rushed at times like pieces of the story got passed over. Overall, it's a decent book, and I may read other books from the series.

[Book Me · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t remember where and when I got this book, but it somehow got pushed behind others and therefore forgotten, I’m so glad I found it!

This is a dark story filled with Mages, Witches, Werewolves, magic and then there’s Scarlet who’s father was human and her mother was a witch, but Scarlet turns out to be something totally unexpected. Her parents are murdered and she was blamed for it, but they finally found her not guilty, she fell in love with a werewolf who hurt her so badly that she left and lived a life in hiding until a phone call sends her home.

I loved Scarlet’s character, she is deeply complex in more ways than one, but her past won’t let her truly move on. I hate how she is treated by her family and the coven, she acts sarcastic but deep down she doesn’t like herself and it hurts. But Scarlet’s growth throughout the story is phenomenal and I felt proud and happy for her, life didn’t treat her well, she kept going and eventually found herself, her home, those she loves and happiness.

[Kristen Bazata · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this author!!!! So underrated!!!

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love, love, loved this book! I could not put it down as each chapter left me wanting to know what was going to happen next. Can't wait for Malice!

[Lex · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was pretty good lots of intrigue. It was missing something though and there were parts that were kinda meh... i liked the fmc and her anger

[Jordan D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome book! Couldn’t put it down! The surprises were well worth it. Great work, Amber!