Along Came A Spider (Transplanted Tales #3) by Kate SeRine
Paranormal Romance
August 1, 2013
Kensington

Reviewed by Tori

Favorite Quote: ““Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty.”

“Wrong fairytale, you idiot.”

Trish “Little Miss” Muffet has loved Nicky “Little Boy” Blue since she was snatched from Make Believe and sent to the Here and Now. But fate had different plans for the two of them and Trish resigned herself to crushing on him from afar. When she is attacked at a crime scene, she is shocked her rescuer is none other than Nicky. Nicky has been missing for two years after he was viciously attacked and his wife killed. Now a vigilante that goes by the moniker “the spider”, Nicky is taking down predators on his way to his ultimate target-Vlad Dracula-the man who ordered the hit on him and his wife. And he needs Trish’s help.

Trish doesn’t believe in Nicky’s renegade way of doling out justice, but she agrees Vlad needs taking down. As Trish and Nicky work together to capture the rogue vampire, the heat that has always simmered between them blazes into a smoldering inferno, but Nicky has no plans to remain in town after his job is done.  With danger coming at them from all sides, Trish knows the only man who can save her is a prickly spider whose touch leaves her breathless. Can Little Miss Muffet convince Little Boy Blue to come sit on her tuffet with her or will fear of the unknown scare them both away?

When Nat from WickedLilPixie brought this book to my attention, all I could think of was, “Ugh, Once Upon A Time fanfic.” I did some investigating and saw I actually had the first two in the series on my ereader. After reading the blurb to book one, Red I was intrigued enough to give it a try. I devoured books one and two in one day and requested the third one ASAP. ReSine’s Transplanted series offers a unique look into the mythology of fairytales in this mixture of UF/PNR; twisting it all into a sexy dark funny story that kept me hooked. Though it has a bit of an OUAT feel to it in the overall premise, the similarities end there.

***MILD SPOILERS FROM PREVIOUS BOOKS AHEAD! PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK!***

Set in an alternative modern time, we learn in book one that Lavender Seelie, Cinderella’s fairy godmother, let her ego get the best of her and somehow managed to bring forth and trap certain fairy tale, nursery rhyme, and literary characters in our world. Unable to undo what she did, the characters rebuilt their lives and learned to survive in the Here and Now with the Ordinaries (humans). Each book focuses on one hero and heroine with a resolvable conflict and HEA ending. I wouldn’t recommend reading out of order, though. There is a continuing arc and characters and situations bleed over into each new installment.

Along Came A Spider is the 3rd installment of ReSine’s Transplanted series. Well-plotted and cast with strong and personable characters, Along Came A Spider is filled with taut suspense, delicious betrayal, dangerous antagonists, and a healthy dose of humor and romance.  An engaging world that captured me from page one. A strongly character driven story, I love how ReSine expands on each character’s story, adding dimension and personality. For example, Snow White is a brothel owner after her prince divorces her and leaves her broke. The Three Little Pigs are shady house builders. Little Red Riding Hood is an enforcer/police officer for FMA-Fairytale Management Authority-a law enforcement agency. The Sandman is a drug pushing kingpin.

SeRine builds her world with a deft hand; achieving a nice balance between the story and her continuing evolving world. She introduces new characters and plot elements in a way that does not overburden the reader with unrealistic interpretation or facilitate the need for continuous explanations. The story is a perfect blending of seductive romance, non stop action, realistic main characters, secondary characters, and intriguing mystery. Well thought out and fast paced, it creates a satisfying arc of development for the main characters and culminates in two very different sort of conflicts – one that threatens the lives of  Trish and Nicky and one that threatens their happily ever after.

I enjoyed getting to know Trish and Nicky better. We met them in previous books but this installment is one hundred percent their story. Trish is a coroner for FMA. Her special gift allows her to help solve cases involving murdered Tales. Nicky is a mob boss who uses loyalty and goodwill to keep his people happy and businesses successful. Both of them are  intelligent, strong willed, and very independent yet with hidden vulnerabilities that makes them very loyal to their friends. They would both give their lives to save a friend. Trish is a bit girly girl but can more than hold her own when it comes to kicking arse and taking names. She and Nicky work well together. Having been given hints that they were attracted to one another from the beginning, their flirting and romance moves fast but at a realistic rate. No need to dance around, the chemistry is there and I like characters that act on it without playing unnecessary games. Their romance blends well with the plot lines, running smoothly underneath. Fantastic banter keeps the storyline moving at a brisk pace and injects livity into the drama surrounding them.

The secondary cast of characters are an eccentric and quirky bunch. We see old friends and meet some new friends. I enjoyed seeing what Red/Nate and Lavender/Seth are up to and where their relationships have taken them. Meeting Lavender’s family garners many laughs along with a few of Snow White’s skeevy dwarf doorman.

The main conflict wraps up nicely in a flurry of action and suspense. We are left with some interesting questions while setting up some new storylines. I was shocked by one particular event but liked the manner in which ReSine resolves it. All in all, Along Came A Spider is a satisfying read and I recommend this series to anyone who loves snark, humor, mystery, and steamy uncomplicated romance in their paranormal diet. I look forward to the next installment-title and release date to be announced.

RATING: B

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