New review is now up.

*****

When Trish Muffet is attacked at a grisly crime scene, the last person she expects to come to her rescue is Nicky “Little Boy” Blue. But since walking away from everything two years before, Nicky’s been doling out vigilante justice as “The Spider,” taking on the vicious predators of the night in hopes it’ll lead him to his ultimate target—Vlad Dracula. And he needs Trish’s help.

Although Nicky’s renegade style goes against everything Trish stands for, she’ll do what she must to bring Dracula down. With danger stalking her, Trish knows the only person she can count on is the one man who has the power to leave her breathless. There’s no way she’s letting this spider frighten her away…

I get so excited about Kate Serine’s “Transplanted Tales” series – I love stories about fairy-tale and literary creatures living in our world and Serine is one of the best at it.  She not only gives you a hot, steamy romance, but also an intriguing mystery that keeps you on your toes.  It should be said now that it is best to have read the other books in the series – Red, The Better to See You – because there are themes and characters that move through the stories.  I don’t think it is 100% required, but you’ll likely be a little lost without them.

The focus this time is on characters we know – Little Boy Blue (Nicky Blue) and Litttle Miss Moffett (Trish Moffett) – both of whom played minor roles in previous books.  I loved Nicky back in Red and I’m excited to see him back again.  And while Trish has flitted around the previous books, it is nice to see her get her own story & hero.  I thought it was great that while she can take care of herself to a certain point and be a strong heroine, she is still vulnerable and needs help to not only solve the mystery but to survive.  And she’s such a great match for Nicky, I loved watching their relationship develop.

I thought the mystery had the perfect amount of twists and a very satisfying ending.  I’m not sure how I feel about the idea of a big, bad government agency getting involved but I’m going to show a little faith and see where Serine takes us.  It makes sense but I think it could easily go in a direction that isn’t fun any more – a la Buffy and the Initiative.

We also get to catch up on some of our old favorites (like Tess, Nate, Seth and Lavender), as well as meet new characters.  And Serine teases a little about possible future stories just to make us want for more.  If you are looking for  fantasy and intrigue mixed in with your romance, Serine’s “Transplanted Tales” series has it in spades.