Some of these stories were very good, some of these stories I had to skim through because they were just so badly done. I'd still carry it in the store as an option for customers who would enjoy them.

So, this anthology is on the right track. Fairy tale villains living happily ever after! Positive LGBTQ representation! A really cool idea! Unfortunately, the short stories themselves aren't very good. Even though they're meant to be short, they still are underdeveloped. Many of the re-tellings are less "re-tellings" and more along the lines of fanfiction that files off the serial numbers. Some are obviously Disney fanfiction--the James Wood Hades story comes to mind.

Again, this is a GREAT idea, but the execution is lacking.

this was a great anthology the characters were great and I really enjoyed reading each of these fairy tale retellings.

I tend to see things in a fairly balanced light in both my readerly life and my real life and can almost always see all points of view. Now, don't get me wrong, I love to hate on some villains and have wished for bad things to happen to them more often than not. But when it comes to more classic tales? I... kinda want to know what makes the Wicked Witch wicked and what, if anything, can undo the evil ties that bind.

So when I came across Wickedly Ever After, I immediately wanted to know more. I hesitated for only the briefest of moments because... this is an anthology.

Not to hate on anthologies at all because I think they are awesome, but sometimes you just never know what you're going to get so I definitely entered into this read with trepidation and the knowledge that I, most likely, wouldn't be into some of these stories.

I was pleasantly proven wrong when most of the bite-sized stories of classic villains getting a very different ending than they are used to gave me all the happy sighs and satisfied feels. My personal favorite was Sea & Hearth.

I will also say that I really appreciated the inclusive representation of M/F, M/M, and F/F pairings. It's not always something you see represented so diversely, but a pleasant surprise when I realized what a wide variety of love was shown. 

Wickedly Ever After is a delightful read with a twist on the classic hero vs villain and perfect if you only have a short lunch or small break to fill and want to get a complete story in during that time.

It was a great rendition of Fairytales but with a twist. I really enjoyed reading this book and would highly recommend reading it. It does a great job showing the villains of these great tales.

These were not my favorite retelling. In fact they were some of the worst I have ever read. Certain ones only gave the slightest nod to their origins. I feel like the authors were only trying to fit in with the trend of having a fairy tail retelling right now. They were not passionate nor did they really care about the story, only fitting in. .

What I love – EVERYTHING!!!!

What I didn’t – I wanted more because all the stories were so good!

This book is a collection of short stories that takes a new twisty look at ten (10) fairy tale villains and is a MUST READ. These retellings are for adult because they are quite steamy, delicious, sensual, and hot hot hot! All the stories were quick, easy, and enjoyable reads and I read all of them in one sitting because I did not want to stop and was sad when I finished the last short story because I wanted more. My favorite retellings were – Beauty and the Beast, Little Red Riding Hood and Beowulf. My absolute favorite is Little Red Riding Hood.

As always I enjoyed the book This one was a nice surprise. I thought it was beautifully written. The attention to detail, was great. The twists and turns this story took were unexpected and kept me on the edge of my seat. I never expected the outcome!

With anthologies, there are always stories that are good and some that aren't. In this anthology, there were more stories that disappointed than there were stories I enjoyed. I loved the idea of seeing villains in a new light, but this book didn't deliver on its promise. The short stories were written in such a simple way that a child could read it. Not that I would recommend this to children, some stories are heavy on the smut. 

Only one story actually stood out to me "Sea and Hearth." a widower got more than he bargained for when he took a selkie skin and wound up not with a wife like he expected but a husband. 

This book explores m/f, f/f and m/m romances so theoretically there is something for everyone, nut the execution is mediocre at best so not worth the time. 

I received an arc of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A lover's tale, this started out the anthology on a disturbing note. I didn't like the ending at all nor did I like the horrible human female. This is rape in the most non-consensual manner. The dween should have shut the door in face of the greedy selfish woman. Fortunately, from there on out, the fairy tales re-interpreted become better and better. It is a delightful reimagination of some of the well-loved fairy tales. For those who picked up this book thinking it was going to be erotic retelling of old stories, this is not the book for you. The two most memorable stories for me were ones tied to the water. The other three I really enjoyed were Hansel & Gretel, Little Red Riding hood and Rumpelstiltskin.

The little mermaid's new perspective is interesting and could easily have been turned into a more sexual provocative tale. Still, It was interesting to see how the "little mermaid" ended up liking human things once she was on land. Showing how she responded to the overwhelming smells of humans on land was amusing. Her distain for the prince after getting to know him better is kind of how I thought she would feel when I first learned about the little mermaid. There is a nice little twist in who this little mermaid really likes and I found that to be more attractive.

The other water story I enjoyed was the one involving a Selkie. I busted up laughing at the foolish man who stole the pelt. However, this story turned out to be very sweet and loving. At times it was poignant. I have always been disturbed by a selkie's weakness… their pelt. I cannot fathom the cruelty of humans to steal and burn the pelts to entrap a selkie for a wife. I guess if I were the selkie caught, I would have killed the human male. What is there to live if I can't roam the waters in a seal form?

When it comes to the witch in Hansel and Gretel, I found it to be sweetly justified. I felt for the "witch" who turned her house into a gingerbread house. This was well written with its tight storyline and smooth flow. I can't remember the author who wrote this one, but I want to look them up to see if they wrote other stories. I liked how the witch was "found" out and how it tied to being fae. The ending is unexpected and sweet.

I always wonder how authors will redesign little red riding hood. I actually wished this one and the selkie story were longer. Red involves werewolves and let's just say, it could have easily turned erotic too. This story ended so quickly.

Lastly, the new Rumpelstiltskin spoke to me because I just read Patricia Brigg's "Smoke Bitten" as well as watched the movie "Yesterday". I liked this new version of Rumpelstiltskin and could see this as a standalone novella.

Overall, after grinding through the first story, the rest of the tales are creative, imaginative and sweet - nothing grim. Recommended for fairy tale lovers.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Just loved this book and recommend it to everyone.

As children, we all made up stories. Some original, some retelling of the stories we heard at school or the library. Well, Rachel Kenley has done just that in this book of short stories....fairy tales with a twist....or is it twisted fairy tales? Great spin on some of the well known tales and some very unexpected ones on a couple of them. This was a fun, entertaining read as I followed Rachel's trip down the rabbit hole.

“Wickedly Ever After” by Rachel Kenly is a combination of short fairytales and/myths with unlikely twist (in a good way). Many are unexpected endings.

My favorite is “Sea and Hearth”!

Most of the stories were too short to be engaging. The best one was probably Sea and Hearth. As with many romance anthologies, the relationships happen too fast for believability or enjoyment.

I really enjoyed this collection of fairytale stories told from the view of the villain. I really hope another anthology is done again in the future with more villains.

This book was meh it wasn’t amazing but it wasn’t terrible either it’s not going to be something that I think about in a couple months time. My favourite of the stories is the beauty and the beast retelling which is always a fun read but my least favourite was the little mermaid retelling I don’t really know why though.

I really liked all the stories in this book, Sea and Hearth, was definitely my favorite. Each story put its own twist to a familiar tale/myth and I really enjoyed that. I will definitely look forward to reading more by all the authors in this collection

This was a new to me author, I liked some of the stories and others I couldn't get into. Felt some would of been better if a little bit longer. I will say that Sea and Hearth was my favourite one of them all.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance read, voluntary read and reviewed.

1.5 stars
As the rating shows us is not a good book, I couldn’t read most of the stories. There try to hard, the written is no good and neither is the storytelling of the authors.

A Lover’s Tale By Divya Sood
❤️ 2 stars
Sea and Hearth By Julie Behrens
🧜🏾‍♂️ 1 star
Breadcrumbs By M. Reed
👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩 1.5 stars
The Prince Without A Throne By Sara Marks
🥀 1.5 stars
Part of Her World By Rachel Kenley
🧜🏾‍♀️ 1.5 stars

2.5 Stars for The Good, The Bad And The Ugly/il Buono, il Brutto, il Cattivo

If I take a creative licence and a tongue in cheek approach on the title of the 1966 Italian epic Spaghetti Western, to describe my thoughts on Wickedly Ever After , it would be ; The Quirky, The Smutty and The Absurd.

I liked couple of these stories but the others no so much. In concept is a fun idea , but the delivery fell short.


I just reviewed Wickedly Ever After by Rachel Kenley. #WickedlyEverAfter #NetGalley