Welcome to Strange Bedfellows: PNR Reviews ~ Speculative fiction with romance themes ~ What strange fellows do you get in bed with?

1.28.2013

Review of The Better to See You

The Better to See You 
by Kate SeRine
Transplanted Tales #2

 Available February 7, 2013

Within seconds of sitting down to read this book, I knew I had found a new favorite. The Better to See You is a merry romp through fiction and fables, and it's a fresh contribution to the world of paranormal romance.

Kate SeRine's wry and witty voice is an instant grab, catching your attention from the start and never letting up until it's over. Also, quite amusing. Imagine Stephanie Plum coating herself in pixie dust and sitting down to tea with Jane Eyre and the Grimm Brothers. You'll get magic, you'll certainly get humor, and you'll get a wonderful love story that makes you believe in fairytales again.

The Better to See You is the second book in the Transplanted Tales series, which starts off with the novel Red. I received TBtSY from the publisher via NetGalley for review and was not familiar with the series or the author. But after reading just the prologue of The Better to See You I was so in love with the writing that I immediately backtracked and purchased Red. I knew this was going to be a good one, and I wanted to experience the series from the beginning. Gotta love the instant gratification of ebooks, huh?

I'll take a moment now to mention how much I enjoyed Red. It was lively, imaginative, and very, very good. I was quite gleeful, knowing the second book was waiting for me. I finished Red within a day and instantly hopped over to The Better to See You.

If you've read the first book (and you should if you haven't), then you've already met our character leads. Lavender Seelie is the fairy godmother–‒yes, that fairy godmother–‒responsible for bringing literature's greatest characters into the Here and Now by a display of magic gone terribly wrong. And Seth Wolf is none other than the Big Bad Wolf, himself. If anyone can appreciate Lavender's struggle as a social outcast, it's everyone's favorite, occasionally furry villain. But can Lavender trust him with her heart? Or will their pasts continue to haunt them?

Seth and Lavender must learn to believe in each other and themselves if they hope to share a life together. But a string of deaths and disappearances threaten their happily-ever-after. It will take every bit of faith and magic they possess–‒plus a little help from some old friends–‒to see things through.

All things said, I enjoyed this one even more than the first book. There seems to be more depth and emotion to it. It's a touching, sweet story–‒heart warming and wrenching both. It had me in a teary state more than once, I don't mind saying. I dare you to read this and not fall in love with Seth and Lavender.

Also, the premise of the series is quite a hoot 'n' holler. Characters from all walks of literature are present, and one never knows who will pop up next. My nerdish joy was fueled by all the name-dropping going on. It was almost like a game of trivia or a personal challenge–‒how many of the stories have you read? And even better was SeRine's treatment of the many tales. Ever wonder what kind of husband Prince Charming would really make?

Yes, from the first page of Red to the last word of The Better to See You, Kate SeRine has proven that she's an author to watch.

Alas, I must now wait. Book three, Along Came a Spider, won't be out until this August. That one will be Trish and Nicky's story, and I greatly look forward to it.

Check out SeRine's The Better to See You blog tour (January 28-March 29), or read this interview over at Yummy Men & Kickass Chicks for some of the author's thoughts about this series.


THE BETTER TO SEE YOU
BLOG TOUR DATES

This book was received courtesy of NetGalley and eKensington Books in exchange for an honest review.
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