Along Came a Spider (Transplanted Tales)

by Kate SeRine

Along came a spider…

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…
 
“It’s not often that something totally new and entertaining comes along, but Kate SeRine doesn’t disappoint with Red. I definitely recommend this to readers who want humor, drama, suspense, and a truly entertaining, ‘feel good’ romance.” —Kate Douglas

• ISBN10: 1601831307
• ISBN13: 9781601831309
• Publish Date: 23 July 2013 (first published 1 January 2013)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Kensington Publishing
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 262
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/isbn/9781601831309

Reviews

[Berls]

My top thoughts:
This series is FANTASTIC and this may be my favorite so far? We already knew both the main characters fairly well from the previous two books and I was so eager for their story. And it surpassed my hopes and expectations – not just in their romance and character development, but in the plot as well.

What I liked/didn’t like:
I think one of the things I’m enjoying most about this series is the way it’s breathing life into often ignored fairy tale / nursery rhyme / fictional characters (called Tales) and combining them with familiar ones. We started with Tess “Red” Little (Little Red Riding Hood), a more familiar character that gets lots of attention. But then we drifted it a little with Lavendar (Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother). And now we’re so far off the beaten path with Trish Muffet… Little Miss Muffet! I doubt she’s ever had a book and definitely not one like this. I already knew I loved her from the previous books, but there was so much more to her than I knew. She’s a no-nonsense, tough as hell, forensic scientist for the FMA (Fairytale Management Authority). And I just love the way the nursery rhyme about the spider is all twisted into something so much more in this book. And then her love interest – Nicky Blue – is little Boy Blue (again, way off the beat path)! And I also knew I loved him from previous books. He’s a good bad guy – in that he’s plays on the wrong side of the law, but he’s not out to hurt people – and he’s built wealth for himself in the Here and Now after being a nobody in Make Believe. I felt for him instantly, as his wife (Juliet, from Romeo and Juliet) was killed in book one and he’s tormented over his inability to protect her. He’s busy seeking vengeance. I think if I have one complaint it would be that everyone is Red’s Ex and I like to start seeing stories where she hasn’t slept with the love interest (and I do think those are coming). Not that this caused any friction in this book – Nicky is not in love with Red (though he does care for her) and Red is so in love with Nate. In fact, I also really loved seeing the continuation of her story – she’s pregnant – and Lavender’s story too – they visit! It’s nice the way old characters keep cropping back up.

Beyond the characters, the story is just fantastic. There’s a mystery element – I think these definitely qualify as Fantasy Mysteries/Detective stories. And we have a continuing element that has been a problem since the first book, namely Dracula. But we have a new player on the scene – The Agency – that’s very bad news for the Tales. Well, new in the sense that I think this is the first we’ve heard about them, but they’ve been around for a while. Just in the past two years (which is when book 1 started) they’ve been changing into more of a problematic player. I’ll let you read it and learn more about them for yourself, as you really truly must read this series. I do think you could hop into this one and understand what’s going on, but you’d miss out on a lot of background information and character development, so I wouldn’t recommend it. But they’re great, so why would you want to skip ahead?

This is truly a great combination of paranormal romance, urban fantasy, crime/detective genres to give you all awesomeness.

[Melanie]

Review originally posted at RabidReads.com.

This is the third installment of the Transplanted Tales series. It is a world where fairy tales and other literary characters have been transplanted into the real world. Think of the TV show, Once Upon a Time. Outside of that basic idea, the stories are completely different, including how they are brought into this world of Here & Now.

In this book, we follow Beatrice ‘Trish’ Muffet, of Little Miss Muffet fame, she is also the head of Forensics for Fairytale Management Agency or FMA. She has been a pretty large secondary character in the first two books, as she helps to figure out the crime scenes. She has a unique ability to read the dead, which really helps her do her job.

There is also Nicky Blue, of Little Boy Blue fame. He has been a much smaller secondary character. He came across from the land of Make Believe at the same time as Trish, but they took two different paths. Nicky as quite the reputation and criminal past. He has also be MIA lately. That is until Trish sees him lurking in the shadows and chasing down vampires. It seems that Nicky Blue has been trying to track down Dracula. Yep, that Dracula.

In this story, we have Red, Little Red Riding Hood, and Grimm, the Grim Reaper, (from the first book Red) working with Trish to help solve some murders. There are psychotic vampires running around killing people. There is also trafficking of illegal pixie dust. Ordinary cops, people like you and me, trying to muscle in on the Tales turf. Al Addin, the leader of FMA, is trying to play nice with the ordinary cops, which is driving the rest of them crazy. Nicky is trying to keep Trish safe.

This book has a lot humor and action. I think it might have the most action of all the books so far. We also get to spend more time with the hero of the next book, Gideon. We met him in the previous book, but we really get to see more of him in this book. While you could read this book as a stand alone, I don’t think I would recommend it. There is just too much that I think you might miss with the overall story arc. Also, the majority of the world building is in the first book, so you are someone expected to know some of the stuff going into the future books. I think you could figure it out, but wouldn’t enjoy it as much.

“Nope, not until you admit you like me.”
“Like you? I repeated. “Are you kidding me? What are you, like ten?”
He chuckled. “Dear Trish—do you like me? Check yes or no.”

“Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty.”
“Wrong fairytale, you idiot.”

[littleread1]

I am continually impressed and surprised with SeRine's Transplanted Tales books, and Along Came a Spider was certainly no exception. One of the things I like most about this series is the fact that you get to follow up with the previous couples, and more than just a passing mention. Red and Nate, and Lavender and Seth are all players in this story.

But of course the focus of this story is on Nicky and Trish. Nicky "Little Boy" Blue and Beatrice Muffit came over into the Here and Now in the same group, and ever since that brief meeting, Trish has had a thing for Nicky. So when they run into each other again and he acts like he doesn't know who she is, she is understandably hurt. But after some things force them to work together, it becomes harder and harder for Trish to hide her feelings. But does she even want to?

Nobody can take Nate's place in my heart, but Nicky sure comes close. He is the perfect example of a bad boy with a heart of gold. (Side note - is there a lead that Red didn't bang? Sheesh!) Nicky feels like he has a lot to make up for, and so when he got a second chance in the Here and Now he took it, and built an almost mob like empire. After surviving a terrible attack, he went off the grid and no one knew where he was, what he was doing, or even if he was alive. Until he surfaces with Trish.

I always expect these stories to be a bit lighter than they are, but it is always a pleasant surprise. I guess the fact that they are based on fairy tales makes me expect nothing bu sunshine and rose petals but that is most certainly not the case. Along Came a Spider kept me engaged in the story, in the will they won't they of Nicky and Trish, and the follow up from the previous two couples. I certainly hope this isn't the last I hear from SeRine's Transplanted Tales.

[kimbacaffeinate]

I have been enjoying Kate SeRine’s Transplant Tale series and was excited to finally read Along Came A Spider featuring the tale characters Trish Muffet and Nicky “Little Boy” Blue. This is the third book in the series and I recommend reading them in order since you will lose some of the story and charm. When a spell went wrong some of our favorite fairy tales, characters etc where pulled from their books and ended up in the Here and Now. They live secretly among us; have their own government, rules and task force. Once again SeRine gave me an entertaining, action-packed, sweet ride and I consumed this in a single sitting. Three word review: unique, captivating and fun.

Trish Muffet, yes that’s right “Little Miss Muffet” complete with cork-screw blood hair is a member of the Chicago branch of the Fairytale Management Authority. (FMA) when she is attacked at a crime scene she is both surprised and elated when Nicky “Little Boy” Blue comes to her rescue. She hasn’t laid eyes on him since he left two years ago. She is surprised to discover he is the vigilante known as “The Spider” who has been taking out predators in search of Vlad Dracula. Nicky needs Trish’s help and the tale that unfolds is action-packed, laced with a romance straight from one of those black and white noir movies.
Trish Muffet is one tough little cookie wrapped in cuteness. Since she crossed over she has had a thing for Nicky and it was delightful seeing their feelings come to the surface. She is a little snarky, and brave despite some serious fear issues. I loved how she would step in front of her friends to protect them. Nicky is smexy, cocky and I just envisioned him as Neal Caffrey from the hit TV series White Collar. He has ties to the criminal world and it seems everyone owes him a favor. I loved how he called Trish, “Doll” it fit his whole persona. He also carries around a lot of guilt and doesn’t feel he is worthy making him incredibly irresistible. Nate and Red make an appearance as do the rest of the gang. I adored some of the secondary characters such as Gideon with his arching eyebrow. Many story characters make appearances throughout the novel and seeing what they were doing in the Here and Now was cool. The Agency (human enforcement team that know about Tales) and its men are heavily involved and I wanted to smack a few of them in the head making for some intense scenes.

SeRine weaved a fascinating tale surrounding Vlad Dracula, the Agency and our couple. It was filled with intense action scenes and creepy mental games. The tender moments between the tales had me sighing. I love that all of the characters are unique and while we recognize them and their tales they have developed in the Here and Now. SeRine’s interpretation of them had me giggling one moment and dropping my jaw the next, it was fantastic! Nicky and Trish have a history and I loved the back-story. Watching feelings emerge and experiencing the sexual tension and heat had me searching for my happily-ever-after. They are two strong, slightly damaged characters that draw on each other making the other one better. They made a terrific team investigating the mystery and I quite enjoyed it. There is an epilogue and it wraps things up nicely but I was sad to see this plot ARC come to an end.

Copy received in exchange for unbiased review and originally published @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer