Ever After

by Kate SeRine

To Catch a Thief…

For centuries, Gideon Montrose has served the King of Fairies without question and, often, without mercy. So when the King orders him to apprehend a notorious thief, Gideon obeys. But when he finally gets his hands on the beautiful culprit, Gideon’s in for a shock.
 
Arabella Locksley is none other than the spirited, unpredictable woman he knew back in Make Believe as Robin Hood—the love of his life whose tragic death destroyed his chance at Happily Ever After.
 
Now, he has an impossible choice. Betray the woman he once loved, or the king he’s bound to serve?
 
“Totally new and entertaining.”
—Kate Douglas

• ISBN10: 1601833253
• ISBN13: 9781601833259
• Publish Date: 22 July 2014 (first published 1 January 2014)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Kensington Publishing
• Imprint: eKensington
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 283
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/isbn/9781601833259

Reviews

[Berls]

4.5 stars
I'm continuing to love this series and the way Kate SeRine has reinvented fairy tale / folk tale classics. In Ever After we have a heart wrenching second-chance romance between Robin Hood and her Little John.

We already met Little John in the previous books - his name is actually Gideon - but this is the first that we get even a glimpse of this part of his story. I don't want to spoil anything, which makes this hard to write, since so much of who he truly is was a surprise for me. I loved getting to know him better and his love for his Arabella (aka Robin Hood) was heart melting. He has believed her dead for hundreds of years (the fairy tales don't die of old age) and while he has loved again, he's never fully given his heart to anyone else.

Somehow - and you'll enjoy learning the how - Arabella is not dead and still loves Gideon too. But there are several things standing in their way -- things she knows but tries to spare Gideon. Watching them fight for their love made me fall in love with them. Things get quite steamy, but the heart strings were most powerful in this book. If you're someone who loves love -- the good, the bad, the heartbreaking -- this book hits all the right notes and weaves an emotional web.

But it also broke my heart. The obstacles in their way were devastating and dangerous - leading to some pretty amazing action scenes, including a showdown at the Fairy King's castle. The tangled web of fairy tales -- Robin Hood along with Arthurian Legend -- not to mention the tales we've already met and get to see more of (yay!), continues to surprise me with how inventive but also how fitting they stories are.

I cannot wait to read the next book and see who else Kate SeRine makes me fall in love with!

[kimbacaffeinate]

Coffee Dates with Ever After:

Coffee Dates with Ever After:

First Date: Gideon Montrose serves the King of Fairies, and he is ordered to hunt down a thief who is stealing fairy dust. SeRine shares his back history and the loss of the woman he loved. Once again I feel myself slipping into another Transplanted Tale. Someone is stealing King Arthurs’ artifacts in the Here and Now in addition to the fairy dust. My spidey senses are tingled and sure enough; our thief is Arabella Locksley, the love of Gideon’s life and Robin Hood of Make Believe. I love second chance romances don't you?

Second date: Anger, lust, love,and fear are the emotions we encounter as they two entwine. I felt their connection and loved that Gideon heard her side of the story, despite feeling betrayed. This is second chance romance, and I am not sure everyone will connect but I swallowed the pill and believed! They travel to see Merlin and learn more about who is stealing the artifacts and fairy dust. Robin is not innocent, but there is a lot she is holding back. Wait!- If she is the thief will he turn her over to his king? We get a couple of hot, intense, almost moments, but these two keep getting interrupted.  Gideon has one week to turn over the thief and right now Arabella is his only suspect. Eeep!

Third date: Secrets, deception, lost artifacts and betrayal notch up the suspense. Our couple final reignites the old flame and ooh-la-la SeRine brings the heat. Robin Hood stole from the rich to give to the poor, and nothing has changed; someone else is involved but who? With the aid of his friends, the Queens’ mirror, and Merlin himself they need to solve the crime before the king demands justice. I loved seeing Trish, Nick, Nate, Lavender, Red and Seth again. Ooo this last date was intense with battles, action, and one of our characters is in great peril. Will they get their happily ever after or will fate turn ugly? What you thought I would tell you how my date ended? Nope, not even for chocolate truffles.

Copy received from publisher in exchange for unbiased review.This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer

[littleread1]

Like the earlier books, SeRine's Ever After takes place in the Here and Now, but unlike the previous books, we get a glimpse of what life was like before. We start with a peek at Gideon's life before he began working for the Fairy King, and throughout the story we get enough of his back-story to understand why he stayed for so long. We also learn about his tragic romance, and of course that makes us fall in love with him and want to heal his broken heart.

While I found the romance predictable (I have read a LOT of PNR though, so it takes quite a bit to surprise me) the action and mystery involved in the story kept me entertained, and turning the pages as fast as my eyes could read. And of course, cameos with our favorite Tales, including Red and Nate (still my favorite, for obvious reasons!) kept me grinning with what could only be described as a feeling of being in on an inside joke.

I've always felt a closeness with these stories, and as fun as they can be, they also have a darkness to them. Ever After is no exception. It was exactly what I expected and was left at the end with a feeling of contentment and hopefulness for future books in the Transplanted Tales saga. (More Nate & Red please!)