Black Words-White Pages: BLOG TOUR WITH REVIEW: Wickedly Twisted Anothology

Wickedly Twisted: Fairy Tales for Adults

By: Cassidy K. O’Connor, Gracen Miller, Louisa Bacio, A. D. Roland, Sheri Lyn, and Lia Davis

Releases July 26, 2016

A collection of six wickedly twisted tales from classic fairy tales by six of today’s hottest authors.

To Steal a Prince’s Heart

Cassidy K. O’Connor

A twist on the fairy tale Robin Hood.

No self-respecting girl starts out wanting to be a thief but that’s what happens when war takes the King and all able bodied men off to war. Robin Hood and her merry band of women steal to feed their village, she never expected the Prince to steal her heart. When her true identity is revealed will the Prince stand by her or will she be forced to rescue herself?

Excerpt:

“Remember ladies, er, gentlemen, as soon as the job is done, you scatter to the rendezvous point then we’ll head home together as heroes. Any last words, fearless leader?” Will Scarlet looks to me as she jumps down from the rock she was standing on to address the group. I jump up and look out to a sea of scared but determined faces. “If anything should happen to any of us, know that I am proud of what we have accomplished so far. We were a scared bunch of girls on the brink of starvation. We learned to hunt, to fight and starting now we will not be slaves to anyone else’s generosity. Tonight we take back our rights as humans.” Tears burn my eyes, we are risking everything but it’s worth it to feed our village. I have helped comfort the last starving child in our village; held the last child while they begged for food. One of the younger boys whistles, gaining our attention. “That’s our cue, riders are coming.” I jump down from the rock I was standing on and silently pat myself on the back for having the idea to let them be scouts. “This is it, gentlemen, tonight we feast.” My palms sweaty, I rub them vigorously against my trousers. I didn’t expect to be so nervous.

Celia’s Connection

Gracen Miller

A twist on the fairy tale Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Celia Goldilocks just wants to live her life in peace, but when her past comes calling, her life is upended. With a bounty on her head, she escapes to a cabin owned by three bear shifters. Unfortunately, they’re her father’s biggest enemy, but can they be her salvation instead?

Excerpt:

Curled up on his bed, buried beneath his covers, with her head resting on his pillow, lay the missing Goldilocks heiress. “Goldilocks and the three bears.” Dex’s amusement teased a grin from both Simon and Nick. “The fairytale comes to life.” Nick stared at her. “Ironic.” The fairytale of it all is that she’s our mate. His bear reacted with a violent lurch forward, while the sizzle along his twin flame mark alerted him to the greatest truth of them all… “She’s our twin flame.” Simon walked straight to the bed and swiped a black lock of hair off her cheek. In person, she appeared younger than on the wanted headshot. Pink streaks feathered throughout her hair, a color that hadn’t been in her photo on the news. A rebel judging by her hair and the tattoo sleeve on her right arm. Our kind of girl. Celia jolted awake. “Oh, shit.” Sitting straight up, she rubbed her thumb along her wrist as she gaped wide-eyed at them. “Please don’t eat me.” Simon grinned, and Nick chuckled. Dex’s bear glowed in his eyes, verifying to Simon that his brother recognized her significance to them too. Deadpan, Dex said, “We’re damn sure gonna eat you, sweetheart. You smell too sweet not to devour.

The Brothers Ménage

Louisa Bacio

A twist on the fairy tale Two Brothers

Who says all fairytale princesses are cursed?

As time runs out, the brothers from the wrong side of the tracks must weigh if a lifetime with Daphne is worth sharing their own secret, and if it’ll make a difference.

Excerpt:

Never had he been so close to a nude woman. Never had he seen one as beautiful and alluring as this one. He lived isolated in a cottage, deep in the woods with his brother and foster father, the man who’d taken them in and protected them. Danger lurked outside the forest. For one moment, his thoughts flew to his twin Jacob. They shared everything together. To share this experience—a first touch, a first kiss, whatever was to come next. He’d been around animals his entire life. He knew the ways of relations. He’d just never experienced it. He felt it, being on the precipice of something grand.

Bearskin

A. D. Roland

A twist on the fairy tale Bearskin

A dirty hobo who claims he’s wearing the Devil’s magic jacket befriends a slightly skeptical nurse. Can he convince her he's telling the truth in time for her to break the curse?

Excerpt:

Val seemed more human every night he showed up at the little park with Zinnia. She caught him up on TV shows, movies, books, and whatever celebrity gossip she deemed important, even though it was obvious he had no idea who half the people she talked about were. She told him about her friends, her job, and her struggle to put herself through nursing school without having to take out student loans or ask her dad for help. Every night, she fell a little more in love with him. She tried to talk herself out of it. He was homeless. He had the insane idea that he couldn’t change his situation— despite his apparently magic money jacket—until seven years were up. This was a guy who would have another breakdown as the date approached and find a new curse, a new excuse to remain as he was. She’d seen enough patients do the same thing when deadlines approached. On her nights off, they spent hours on the playground, shuffling back and forth in the swings or sitting on the waist-high platform under the big wooden play structure. “What are you going to do when the seven years are up?” she asked. They were stretched out on the grass near the back of the playground, staring up at the stars. The neighborhood was far enough from the main part of town that the streetlights didn’t obscure the sky. He shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve got more money saved up than I know what to do with. Maybe I’ll buy a house out in the country somewhere. Write a book about my experiences.” He chuckled softly. “I’ll have to market it as fiction, I think.” “I’d buy it,” Zinnia said. You should make it a romance, she thought. And at the end, you shed this skin and we run into each other’s arms and live happily ever after.

Pan’s Curse

Sheri Lyn

A twist on the fairy tale Peter Pan

The race is on. A jealous fairy has put a curse on Peter Pan, and it's up to Captain James Hook and his crew to follow the clues and save him before time runs out, or he'll be gone for good. If she can't have him, no one will. Can James and Peter have their Happily Ever After?

Excerpt:

“Yes, James, it’s true. I really am here. Open your eyes and talk to me. Hear what I have to say. Let me explain, give me a chance to ask your forgiveness.” A bitter laugh rolled out of James at those words. “Forgive you? You really ask for the impossible with that request.” “You think it hasn’t been hard on me to be away? I left my whole life, my existence, and the man I was falling in love with. There wasn’t a day that went by I didn’t question my reasons for leaving. Thankfully, my love was stronger than my weakness. I toughed it out, because I knew in the end my reward would justify the years.” “Hard on you?” Hook bellowed as he slammed his hand on table. Bottles shook and fell, some crashing with a clatter of breaking glass. “I woke to the news you had left with that shrew and her brothers, never to be seen again. I waited day after day for some sign of you returning. Eventually I had to face it, I was alone in this hell. Everything was gone, my will, my desire and my heart.” James looked into Peter’s eyes and could see the boy he once knew in the stunningly beautiful man before him. Wavy brown hair that wouldn’t stay tamed and fell slightly over one bright blue eye. A mouth that begged to be kissed and taken. James could feel his body instantly betray him at the sight of the ruggedly handsome man. He ached to run his fingers over the stubble upon his Peter’s face.

His Big Bad Wolf

Lia Davis

A twist on the fairy tale The Boy Who Cried Wolf

Neal turns to Shannon for help to track down the rogue wolf, but working together stirs emotions neither of them expected, and a fiery passion that makes it impossible for them to stay away from each other. But is Neal ready to learn all of Shannon’s secrets.

Excerpt:

Shannon stopped in his trek across the living room. He studied Neal with a raised brow. The rush from his earlier shift had his wolf on edge. Ron being in the area didn’t help. Then Shannon had run into Neal in the forest. His scent alone drove both the man and the beast wild.

Hence the cold shower moments before the ranger had showed up at his door. Aroused.

It was all Shannon could do to keep from dragging the other man to his bed. So for the moment, Shannon would plant his ass on the sofa and enjoy the view. “Would dinner be before or after the hunting party?”

A light shade of blush colored Neal’s cheeks as he stuck his hands into his jeans pockets and glanced around the room. “I…um…before, I guess.”

The corners of Shannon’s lips tugged into a smile. Damn, the man was hot. His short brown hair had streaks of golden blond, most likely a result of the ranger being outside all the time. Shannon didn’t think Neal wore a hat. At least, he hadn’t noticed him wearing one in the time Shannon had been in town.

When Neal lifted his grey eyes to lock gazes with him, something unfurled inside Shannon. Unable to stop himself, he rose to his feet and closed the distance between them.

The first time Shannon had seen Neal was the day he arrived in town. They’d met outside the realtor’s office where Shannon had gone to rent his house. Neal had worn his ranger shirt tucked into a black pair of jeans that fit perfectly, giving Shannon a great view of the man’s ass. Using the man’s employment as an icebreaker, Shannon had told him he used to be a ranger. Shannon left out the reason why he’d had to quit—he’d been bitten by a werewolf. An instant connection had formed, and Shannon’s wolf clawed at him, wanting out to meet the ranger. However, Shannon couldn’t let the beast out. Introducing the wolf to the man he wanted to pursue wasn’t an option. At least, not until he was sure Neal wouldn’t run or shoot him.

Shannon wanted to seduce the male, and thankfully, it appeared Neal had the same plan.

Stopping inches from Neal, Shannon cupped his head and kissed him.

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