Little Red
Believe Series, Book One
Believe Series, Book One
By Trista Jaszczak
Genre: romance/fantasy
Publisher: Front Porch Romance
eBook released: June 18, 2013 Paperback Released: fall 2013
ASIN: B00DHRYKDG
Number of pages: 207est
Word Count: 62,921
Cover Artist: Charisma Knight: Designs by Charisma
Available Here:
Blurb:
Follow Sam Wentworth through the winding back roads of Louisiana, on a desperate escape from her past, where she falls into the arms of the unlikely and sometimes unwilling hero, Ethan Parker.
When circumstances and fate seal the two together, entangling them with his six older brothers, Sam finds her life changing in ways that she never imagined. Filled with feuding families and a little old bayou magic, can Ethan put aside everything he has ever known to keep Sam safe from the dangers that their lives and their love possess.
CHAPTER One
Red
This is it. This has to be it! My entire life has been spent with someone holding me back. Always
holding my life in their hands and controlling my every move. Not now, not anymore. I’m taking my
life in my own hands. This is my new beginning, my long awaited, well-deserved fresh start.
I kick back a little more on the throttle of my motorcycle as the wind whips into my helmet and
leather jacket. It’s not quite the January weather I’m used to. The weather is milder and the wind is
much warmer down here in Louisiana. It’s nice and kind of comforting. My surroundings have
completely changed. I’m miles away from Kentucky. I take a quick peek around. The road has been
quiet for a few hours. It’s nearing dark. This also means I risk bigger animals coming out. Surely, they
have deer down here in Louisiana. I’ll have to find a place to lay my head anyways.
I’ve been riding for hours. It becomes uncomfortable on a motorcycle and I have to be nearing the end of this tank of gas. Not to mention, my ass just so happens to be killing me. I peer at a few road
signs and see the few upcoming towns, nothing more than a local diner or two and a handful of gas
stations. Not even your typical cheap motel. I really am in the middle of nowhere. The tent in my
saddlebags will certainly come in handy tonight. At least, it’ll do until morning. Another 20 miles until
the next town, that doesn’t seem bad if I keep my 75 mile an hour pace. I relax and begin to look
forward to a peaceful night’s sleep. Until the loud sputtering from my motorcycle jolts me back to full
awareness.
“Son-of-a-bitch!” I cry out from underneath my helmet. I’d misjudged my mileage and with no gas gauge, I had no way of telling when I’d run out of gas. I’m luckily able to roll my bike to a slow and
steady stop off on the shoulder of the road. I shake my head, wanting to give myself a good hard kick
for not being more careful. I glance around as I hop off. Figures, I am surrounded by nothing but woods
and my guess, swamps and nearly 20 miles away from any town. This isn’t exactly what I had in mind
when I said I would make use of the tent in my saddlebags. I let out an exasperated sigh as I undo the
chinstrap to my helmet, yanking it off my head and let my hair fall around my shoulders. I bite down
on my lip and contemplate. I can’t leave my bike here on the side of the road. I can’t walk 20 miles and
back just for gas with it already so dark either. I have no choice. I’ll walk my bike into the woods and
set up camp. People do this all the time, right? No big deal. It’s not like the big bad wolf will jump out
and get me. I peer into the woods. Darkness has already fallen over the trees. They stand quiet and still
as even the animals, it seems, have all gone quiet for the night. I laugh off the thought of the big bad
wolf. I guess it’s alligators I have to watch fordown here. Or, is it crocodiles? I shiver, put on a brave
face and straddle my bike once more. It’ll take all my strength to waddle it down the ditch and into the
woods over the uneven terrain. I figure a short way off the side of the road and into the woods and I
should be fine. Enough to be out of the line of traffic but not enough to get myself terribly lost. As I
wiggle the bike down the small slope I begin to exert myself on the flat but rough terrain as I push the
bike forward, throwing my petite body into it as much as I can. I grunt as I give one more strong push
forward. The bike lurches along slowly as my helmet clangs against the already scratched black paint. I
groan, aggravated with myself more than ever for letting the gas tank get bone dry.
“What in the hell are you doing?” I stop dead in my tracks. I hadn’t heard a single footstep, not even a twig. I swallow hard and throw myself off the bike, flipping out the kickstand as I do.
I turn slowly to see a rugged looking man staring hard at me. His dark washed jeans are splattered
with dirt and debris at the bottom, suggesting that he has been romping in the woods beyond. His heavy
boots are caked in a layer of thick mud that’s starting to dry in certain spots. He places his hands on his
hips, making his leather jacket open to display a well-fitted tee shirt that I can see defined chest
muscles, visible even under the moonlight. His gray eyes shine and shimmer under the light of the full
moon as they glare at me in an almost threatening way. No, not threatening. Warning me of something
and somehow worried. His brown hair is styled fairly nice, which is surprising considering the 5
o’clock shadow on his face. He’s much larger than me. Well, almost everyone is larger than me, but he
must be over 6 foot tall. Huge compared to my tiny 5’5” frame. “You shouldn’t be out here alone.”
I glare at him and swallow, not quite sure of what to say. “I don’t have a choice.” I tell him, “I ran
out of gas.”
His eyes shift to my motorcycle. He lets out an almost mocking chuckle, “You ride that?”
I nod, “How else do you think I got here?” I shoot, now just feeling annoyed with him. I turn back to my bike as I kick the stand up and start on my way.
“I wouldn’t go in there if I were you,” He hollers.
“Good thing I’m not you,” I yell back. This time, the footsteps are unmistakable. They’re loud and
pounding on the earth. I have a sudden urge to drop my bike and run, but where? I feel his hands on the
handlebars of my bike and I feel myself sigh out of relief. I look over at him and for the first time, I
think I catch a smile.
“I can’t let you go into these woods alone.” He tells me as he helps guide the bike forward.
“And just why not?” I ask. “I’m in the middle of nowhere. I don’t have much of a choice and I’m
not staying on the side of the road.”
His gray eyes suddenly turn on me. I stop dead in my tracks and stare back. They’re bright, silvery glow almost matches the full moon. I gasp, shocked and almost frightened by their beauty. “The big bad wolf might get you, Red,” He winks. I let out an unsure chuckle. By big bad wolf, he could mean himself or an actual animal. I feel my
heart rate quicken as he shoots me another smile, “Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you.”
“And, just how do I know that?” I ask, now letting him take on the full weight of the motorcycle.
He glances over at me, almost unsure himself. He stops and seems to think about something for a
moment, “You just have to trust me, Red.”
“Trust you? A man I just met in the woods.” I say, crossing my arms in front of me.
“I did just meet you in the woods,” He declares.
I think for a moment, lick my lips and give him a nod. “But, I’m half your size. You could take me out in a second,” I tell him. I snap my mouth shut realizing what I’ve just said.
He laughs. “Relax Red, you’re safe. I won’t let the big bad wolf get you,” He winks.
“Red?” I ask, finally.
He takes a moment to nod toward my red leather jacket and helmet. Both are a brighter red. I’m
stupid. I feel myself laugh for a moment as he starts pushing the bike forward again, “Where exactly do
you want this thing?” He questions.
“Just off the road, where someone passing by can’t see my bike,” I tell him.
“Someone passing by, huh,” He says, coming to a row of trees that he hides the bike behind.
“Would that someone passing by be anyone in particular?” He plops the kickstand down and stands the bike carefully. His silvery-gray eyes meet mine again.
“Just,” I pause. “Just some old ex, he’s sort of a pain in my ass.”
“Ahh,” he breathes out, “Running from the ex.”
I stop and think for a second, “Something like that.”
“That must mean you’re not from around here,” He says.
I shake my head. “Kentucky,” I mumble as I shove my hands into my pockets.
“So, Red, you have a name?” He questions.
“Samantha Wentworth,” I mumble softly. “Everyone calls me Sam.”
“Well, I’m not everyone,” he states matter-a-factly, “I’ll call you Red.”
I stare at him, almost confused for a few moments. “Just who exactly are you?”
“Ethan Parker,” He tells me. “Just call me the keeper of these woods.”
“Am I on your land?” I ask, knowing that back home a few people I know have their land stretching for miles. Some so far that they reach county roads.
He gives his head a slight shake, “Not exactly.”
“Going for a walk?” I ask, glancing again at his simple jeans, tee shirt and leather jacket.
“You could call it that.” His expression changes, he glances at me in a nearly pitiful way, as though he feels sorry for me. I quickly look down at my feet and kick a small stick out of the way. “You really should find your way into town, somewhere safe.”
“I’m not walking twenty miles just to get to some run down motel,” I say. “Besides, that’d be the
first place.” I stop myself suddenly and bite hard on my tongue. I refuse to tell him anything too
personal.
“That would be the first place he would look.” Ethan finishes suddenly.
I look up and into those gray eyes. They soften as he turns his head slightly to the side. I open my
mouth to speak but for some reason not a single sound comes out.
“I’m sorry,” He tells me. “I shouldn’t pry. It’s none of my business.” He looks me up and down,
taking me in. His eyes stop on mine and his lips curl up and into a slight smile. Finally, he releases a
soft sigh, “Well, I can’t just leave you out here alone.”
“You can’t?” I ask, taking a few steps back.
He laughs, holding up his hands, “Look, Red, I’m not going to hurt you.”
“And, just how in the hell do I know that?” I shoot as I take one more step back.
He laughs again, bringing his hand up to rub the back of his neck, “You just have to trust me. You remind me of someone I knew, someone that I would never hurt.”
“Your girlfriend?” I ask, now finding myself giving him the once over. His dark hair, his silvery
eyes that I now feel are beginning to glow under the fast rising full moon. His frame is built, he’s
strong. His chest muscles seem to pop from underneath his simple tee shirt. His body tenses for a brief
moment and relaxes as he shakes his head.
“I’m sorry.” Now I feel as though I’ve invaded his privacy.
“It’s okay,” He says softly. “She was my sister.”
Was, he’s speaking in past tense. I suddenly get a feeling she’s not among the living and clench my teeth, begging myself not to say another word about it. I fight through my mind for something to say. I don’t have many conversations with people, especially strangers. To my relief, he’s the first to speak.
“How long have you been riding?” He asks.
I feel my jaw relax, “About six years. This is just some old bike that I helped fix up.” I look down at it with it’s now empty gas tank. “Guess I should work harder at judging the mileage on the gas tank.” I
let out an annoyed laugh.
“What exactly was your plan once you got it here in the woods?” He questions, staring down at the two meager saddlebags.
“Camp out,” I say, wrapping my arms tightly in front of me. “My whole life is pretty much wrapped up in those two bags.”
His glittery eyes flit down to the bags again and the corners of his lips curl down into a small frown, “Seems sad to have your whole life in just those two little things.”
“Yeah, well,” I start kicking another stick, “I don’t have much.”
“No family?” He looks up at me; his eyes now take on a sad expression. The corners of them crease slightly as he blinks.
I shake my head, “It’s a long story.”
“I’m sorry.” He tells me, “I’m not trying to be.”
“Invasive? Nosey?”
He laughs. “I’m just trying to make conversation. I did just find you in the woods, alone, trying to
push a bike twice your size behind the trees.” His eyes finally meet mine, “You are in my territory.”
“I didn’t know you had a territory,” I tell him. “What are you, some dog marking his territory?”
He turns his head up and goes into a fit of laughter. “Look, you’re certainly not in your comfort
zone. You’re not from here. You’re in the woods with a complete stranger.”
“Look, I get it,” I say, “I’m in your territory, all alone in the middle of nowhere. How many times
can you say it?” I roll my eyes, now annoyed with both my bike and him.
“It’s a full moon, you know.” He says.
I look at him a little confused but finally nod in agreement.
“You look cold.” He says, “I know this place. I could take you there.”
“A place,” I begin, “In the middle of some woods?” I stare hard into him as though I can read his
thoughts. He seems sincere enough. He doesn’t have the face of a serial killer. But, then again, neither
did Ted Bundy.
“There are lots of places hidden back in the woods,” He tells me, pointing around him. “Would you believe people live in the woods out here?”
Now I just feel like he’s mocking me. “I guess I don’t have much of a choice. It’s either with you in the woods or without you in the woods. And, you at least know where you’re going.”
His eyes turn on me again and his expression changes. He seems to tense and then slowly relaxes. He gives me a silent nod.
I shake my own feeling of uneasiness. “So, that place, it’s warm?” I say, looking up at the night sky.
“I’m going to bet it gets a little colder out here at night.”
He shakes something off as he glances at the ground briefly, “Not much, but you probably will get chilly in just the leather.”
I look at my old and faded leather jacket. The red leather is soft and worn from years of use but I’ll be the first to admit, it’s not to warmest thing on Earth. “So, you lead the way?” I ask.
He quickly looks away from me and nods, “This way.” He trails quietly deeper into the woods. I
glance back at my bike and my helmet before heading after him.
“We’ll be able to find my bike again, right?” I call after him, now sprinting to keep up. He gives
me a quick nod. “Hey!” I cry out, “Since when are we in a hurry?”
He stops dead in his tracks to look up at the moon. “Can’t keep up?”
I shoot him a dirty look, “Yes, but I just figured we didn’t have to be in such a hurry.”
He turns to look at me and laughs. I can’t keep the uneasy feeling from tying a knot in my stomach.
I feel somewhat ridiculous to even trust him. I feel as though I’m breaking one of the cardinal rules of ‘stranger danger.’ Here I am following some man I don’t know into woods that I’m completely clueless about. I have got to be stupid. Not only am I going willingly but now my guide is laughing like some crazed lunatic. What in the hell is he laughing at? I find myself laughing nervously, “You know, if you’re busy, we don’t,” I stop. “You don’t have to.”
His expression changes once more to a soft, sad and sincere one, “It’s okay, I’ve got time.”
I draw in a long breath and release it slowly. His expression softens again and he shakes his head,
“Don’t worry about your bike. I know this place a little too well.”
I finally nod as he begins walking in a slower pace. I catch up to him easily this time and keep a
steady pace by his side.
“How old are you, Red?” Now I can hear a smile in his voice.
“Twenty-four,” I glance over at him, “How old are you?” He doesn’t look any more than 25 to be
honest. No fine lines, no wrinkles. Just perfectly flawless skin buried under the scruff of facial hair.
“Thirty.” He says, keeping his eyes forward.
I bury my hands in my pockets and send a breath outward, “What exactly do you do?”
“I’m a mechanic,” He tells me. “I work on cars. I have my own business for restoration,” He
explains.
“I’m not an idiot,” I tell him. “I know what a mechanic does.” I shoot, now annoyed.
He laughs, “And just what do you do?”
I peer at my feet and lick my lips, “I don’t really have a job. Not a steady one any ways. I work
where I can and save what I can.”
I see him nod from the corner of my eyes. “Do you always ride the bike everywhere?”
I give him a nod. Other than my red leather jacket, my bike is my most valued possession. It’s a
complete luxury for me, despite its age and I’m very lucky to have it in the first place. “It’s all I have.
Besides, gas is cheap.”
He finally turns his head to look at me, “What do you do in the winter?”
I stop and kick a large clump of hardening mud over my boots, “Migrate south.”
This makes him laugh again as he gives me a genuine smile, one that gives me a little pang of
excitement somewhere deep inside. I smile back, “It’s supposed to be warm down here, right?”
“Something like that.” He says, as his feet start moving. “So, how long do you plan on staying
here?”
I shrug, “As long as my ex doesn’t find me.”
“Is he that bad?” He asks.
I keep my eyes forward and give him a little nod. I suddenly feel something on my back. I peer next to me and realize his hand has gently landed on the small of my back giving me a soft pat. I fight the
urge to walk faster, to pull myself way. I swallow hard and feel my heart rate quicken. I look up and
into his gray eyes again and I can’t help but to notice that as he moves they seem to bounce light off in
the way an animal’s would. I shake out of my thoughts but can’t seem to manage to pull my eyes away
from him.
He pulls his hand away and shyly looks away, “Sorry.” He shakes his head, “I get the impression
he’s hurt you.”
“He wasn’t nice.” I say, putting a good width of distance between us.
“Sorry,” He says softly. He glances over at me again, “You just remind me a lot of her.”
“Of your sister?” I ask.
He gives me another nod and looks down. I can tell he’s struggling with something. His body tenses and relaxes a few more times. He glares at his feet and shoves his fists into his pockets.
“Sure is light out here.” I say, making a quick attempt to change the subject.
He laughs and looks up, “The full moon will do that, Red.”
I suddenly feel silly and half-stupid. “I just didn’t think it would light up the woods.” Even in total darkness, I can feel the heat beginning to rise off my cheeks.
“What. You mean to tell me you don’t go playing in the woods alone back in Kentucky, Red?” He asks.
I let out a soft chuckle, “Not exactly.”
“It’s just a little bit further.” He states as we both step over a large, fallen tree log. “It’s not too far
from your bike, like I said, and we can easily find it.”
I nod as I begin trailing behind him. If I feel a threat, I can at least put distance between us,
strategically place him in front of me to easily watch his moves. I’m smaller and may be quick enough
to, at the very least, outrun him if needed. It’s getting out of the woods in the right direction I need to
worry about if worse comes to worse. I keep my eyes forward and there in a small clearing of trees
with the bright moonlight highlighting it, is a small and run down cabin.
Can you please share with us a little about yourself?
My name is Trista Jaszczak, you say it jazz-ick, so much easier to say than to spell. I’m 29 years-old and from Hamilton, Ohio. I currently live in Anchorage, Alaska with my husband, two daughters and two dogs.
Have you always wanted to be an author?
For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a writer. I had a back-up plan, though. If I couldn’t be a writer, I was set to be a doctor or a nurse. I think we can guess the path I took, haha.
Can you share with us your typical writing day. Is there anything you have to have while writing?
I do all of my writing at night, so I have to have caffeine, enough of a jolt to keep me awake. I’m mom by day, author by night.
What would you say is the most challenging or rewarding part of writing?
The most challenging is definitely transferring every single one of my thoughts from my head to paper. Sometimes I think much faster than I type.
The most rewarding, is hands-down, when someone messages me just to tell me how much they loved the book. That’s when I get teary, happy tears, but it’s the best feeling.
Can you please tell us about your latest book?
My latest book(s), Little Red is a part of my Believe series. I’ve taken my most treasured fairy tales from childhood and put modern and sometimes wild twists on them. Little Red, is the first in the series, and is a modern take on Little Red Riding Hood.
Book II in the series, that release 8-8-2013 is The Shoe and my take on a modern Cinderella.
How did you come with the idea for this story?
You know, I have always loved fairy tales. They are the one huge thing from my childhood that I will never let go of. I’d had the read to me, read them myself, watched the cartoons…you want to live those fairy tales as a little girl growing up. As I got older, I would add my own bits and pieces to them in my head. Here I was at 28 years-old at the time, with a great group of lady friends, explaining to them about the video that was send to me (“Hey There Little Red Riding Hood”) and how much I wanted to write my own fairy tales. They were my final push that I needed. A year and two books into the series later, they seem to be flowing from me well. Probably because I’ve had good chunks of them stored in my head for so long.
Can you share with us your current work in progress?
The next book in the series is Beauty and the Biker, which, of course, we can tell is Beauty and the Beast. This one was one of the most difficult (so far) because I had to create a modern day beast. Eric Morris, is gorgeous! But, he’s kind of a jerk. He gets into a motorcycle accident that leaves a scar on his face and because beauty is everything to him (he’s a renowned photographer and owns a talent agency) he just crumbles. I made him into a jerk to imply that he’s the beast. Of course, he softens to Elle, who enters to work as his personal assistant and keep his company from failing. As a treat, here’s a small except (unedited and very rough draft)….
I wake to a half conscious state to realize that part of my body is in excruciating pain and part of it is somewhat numb. I let out a groan and I can tell that somehow I’m moving. I try to look down at my legs but I know that I’m not the one doing the walking. I try to move my neck but I’m only rewarded with a blinding pain in my head, neck and back. This time I let out of a groan from the pain.
“Mr. Morris,” I hear the voice loud and clear for some reason I can’t reply, “Mr. Morris, if you can hear me, I’m a paramedic. You’ve been in an accident and we’re taking you to the hospital.”
I hear the words clearly. Paramedic…accident…hospital… They trail off slowly in my head as I try to comprehend what has happened. I can remember leaving Lucian standing in my garage. Some of the models we’d hired for a photo shoot had backed out of the shoot despite being under a contract. He was telling me that Gage had portfolios of new models waiting on me to go through and because I needed to think, I told Lucian to go to through the folios, pick the best five and I would meet him at the office in about an hour. But, I didn’t make to the office. I didn’t even make it an hour. I can remember riding on one of my favorite roads. A twisting, turning and up-hill, down-hill road that I love to frequent on my bikes. A car failed to look both ways…I remember I put my bike on its side but the car still hit me. Hard…much harder than I had realized at the time.
I feel someone tugging at my clothes. I feel the leather of my jacket being ripped from my body, my tee shirt being torn. I feel another pain in my head as I realize that my helmet has been removed and that my head and neck are being braced with something. I move my eyes a moment to look around and instead of the blue sky that I left when I left Lucian standing in my garage; all I see are dark clouds rolling in and cover the bright sunshine. Places on my body feel wet and gooey and since moving is proving more painful than I imagined, I fight myself to just lie still. I hear the paramedics talking, I hear another person yelling that I came out of nowhere and I hear who seems to be a police officer. I blink slowly as another pain in my cheek is creeping up on me. It’s not until then that I have to wonder just how bad I am. The dark sky is slowly traded for the roof of an ambulance. I close my eyes once more and finally succumb to the rest that my body feels as though it needs.
Who are some of your favorite authors?
Of course we know I have a love of fairy tales…but, Stephen King, Sophie Kinsella, Roald Dahl, Dr. Seuss….I have so many we could be here for a long time, haha.
Do you feel that any of your favorite authors have inspired your writing style?
That’s a good question, I do have an odd way of writing but I would say Sophie guided me with all the romance, Stephen helps with the darker side of things. But, if there’s one thing they have inspired, it’s to sort of stand out on my own and create my own style to make my own stamp.
Open your book to a random page and please reads us a few lines.
Well, I picked a good spot, I think. J
I barely have enough time to open my mouth, let alone scream as I’m flung into one of the walls of the shack. I groan as he holds me against the wall with one hand. I look up into his eyes. It’s not Ethan but I see a man who aside from his messier dark hair could easily pass for his brother. His silver eyes spark with brightness under the candle light and his 5 o’clock shadow is dominant on his face. He’s as tall as Ethan is with an unbelievably large build. His dark jeans and boots, like Ethan’s, are speckled with debris from the woods. His dark tee shirt reveals two muscular forearms that even under the dim candle lighting I can see tensing as he clings on to me.
“What do we have here?” His voice is low and taunting as I force myself not to fight him. He leans in close; his nose twitches ever so lightly as he…smells me. “You have Ethan on you,” He growls.
My mouth drops as the pain in my back begins spreading from the forceful meeting with the wall.
“Where is he?” He grumbles.
“He…” I stammer. “He went to.”
“He’s right here!” I hear Ethan’s voice from the door of the cabin. My eyes snap toward him, pleading for him to help me.
“Really Ethan?” The man says. “Really? She’s hasn’t been in town all of,” he leans down smelling me again, “a few hours.”
I feel tears beginning to sting my eyes, the man slowly loosens his grip, but he doesn’t let go. He reaches for my forearm where he holds me away from Ethan. He’s using me as bait. He’s using me merely to taunt Ethan in some twisted game.
“Let. Her. Go. Aaron.” Ethan growls.
“What?” The other man laughs, “You mean to tell me she’s yours. This many years and you finally decide to…”
Ethan is quick to cut him off, “Let her go.”
Before I can say anything, five men, who match Ethan’s appearance, run in. One who is Aaron’s identical twin is the first to speak. “Aaron, you f***ing moron, what are you doing?”
I train my eyes on him for moment. Unlike his twin, his clean-shaven face presents chiseled features that are buried underneath Aaron’s scruff. His silvery eyes gleam under the candle light just as Aaron and Ethan’s eyes. His hair is dark but much shorter and well styled. His own white tee shirt, dark jeans and large boots also suggest that he has been romping around in the woods.
What is in your To Read Pile that you are dying to start or upcoming release you can’t wait for?
I have the 4th book in James Patterson’s Witch and Wizard ready to read. I have Lover’s Unchained that I’m about to dive into for review. I have a TBR that I may never finish, haha.
Have you ever used anyone from your real life encounters in any of your books?
I have. Sometimes, I just can’t help myself. I see parts of me come out in the characters and it becomes therapeutic.
What was the most surprising thing you learned about yourself while you were writing?
Just how long I can go without sleep, haha…. I lost my best friend to a drunk driver when I was 17. I had started a book to honor him about five years ago. In writing that book I’ve learned just how strong I am. That there is light at the end of the tunnel. That I can pick myself up and keep moving forward. I learned, while it’s most definitely, not always easy…it is worth it. If I would have ever given up…I would never have written that book or the others. Probably one of the best lessons that I could ever taught myself, by writing his book, which is titled, Rising. Definitely appropriate.
This book began as an awesome story, I loved this awesome and different perspective on Little Red Riding Hood! Also how you got the story in dual points of view! Samantha (Red) is the main character in this amazing book. She is escaping and running away from something (we later find out what…but Im not tellin’ hehe) and meets Ethan. A thirty year old bachelor that seems…. A bit too… shall we say eerily trustworthy? After one night with Ethan, Samantha is hooked and vice versa. Their story does not have an instant happy ending however as there are some MAJOR twists and turns! I read the entire second half of this book in one sitting!! I just couldn’t stop!! I laughed and cried and had moments I held my breath through this book! I loved learning about Ethan and his sister and his brothers and then to find out about the curse Ethan and his brothers had… Such an awesome book! I would recommend this to anyone that likes a good paranormal romance or a different ideology of fairy tales with great twists and turns and a bit of adventure in between the beginning and end and not just an instant happy ending. This book was WELL worth the read and I look forward to reading Book Two in The Believe Series as SOON as I can get my hands on it!!
I give this book 5 shields!!
I give this book 5 shields!!
Trista Jaszczak (pronounced Jazz-ick) is a writer, military spouse and a mother. She is originally from Hamilton, Ohio but calls home where ever the military sends her and her family, which is currently Anchorage, Alaska. She has a great love for writing, the outdoors, fitness, guitar and the arts. 
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I love reading updated versions of fairy tales. Those were the first books I fell in love with as a child, so they're close to my heart. Thanks for the chance to enter. :)
ReplyDeleteloved the cover art and the excerpt was amazing!
ReplyDeleteUpdating and retellings of fairy tales are some of my favorite stories.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit, that if you haven't heard Amanda Seyfried's version of Little Red Riding Hood, you should check it out. It has become my current favorite song. :)