Book Review: Amy Red Riding's Hood

Amy 'Red' Riding's Hood
by Liz Adams
Adult Fairy Tale/Erotica/Short Novella
Barany Publishing
Available for Kindle
Review copy supplied by author.

4 Stars

Now, first off, I don't normally go for shifter stories and I've avoided M/F erotica for a while as a lot of it just seemed to be thinly disguised porn. So, why might you ask, did I read Amy's 'Red' Riding's Hood? Well, I do have a soft spot for fairy tale retellings, especially adult retellings. After all, fairy tales were originally written for adults, not children.

And I have to say with Amy's 'Red' Riding's Hood, I was pleasantly surprised. Amy Riding, our heroine, is fed up with being a virgin and after a disaster with the blacksmith's son, who failed to rid her of it, she sets her sights on Sean, her childhood friend who also happens to be a Lycan. Sean is the epitome of the Alpha male and very hot to boot. Amy is not some trembling wallflower, though, far from it. She knows what she wants and goes right after it.

But there is a lot of prejudice against Lycans and humans getting together, so if they want to be together, they will need to fight for it.

The story is well-paced and the characters have depth you don't expect to find in such a short story. Even the side characters are well-drawn, Amy's parents and her aunt mostly. Most of the time the writing gives a very old-fashioned fairy tale flavour, but there were some words that jarred me out of it a bit, such as using OK. I also didn't like the use of the word (children close your eyes here!) 'pussy'. I just kept thinking of a cat when it appeared. Not what you need in a love scene. The love scenes are erotic and fit in with the characters, with emotional depth, not just physical reactions. Bodice-ripping could have been invented for this book.

Sean and Amy were distinct characters in their own right, not just a male and female body who have sex. I was glad we got to see some parts from Sean's point of view as well as Amy's, which gave the story a more rounded feel. There's even a bit of humour laced throughout the story too.

If you're looking for a romantic, erotic story without too much angst, then try this one. I'm glad I did. You'll be rooting for Amy and Sean.

Reviewed by Annette Gisby