by Emily McIntire

Fantasy Romance, 2021 by Emily McIntire, 312 Pages

What I Didn’t Like:

• Even for a romance Wendy fell into the “love forgives all” a little too much for me. Hook at one point treats Wendy horribly, to the point that she knows that this man is different from the one who wooed her in the beginning, and she forgives him pretty quickly. 
• Hook’s moves when trying to find the traitor didn’t seem to line up with what we learned of him in the beginning. I won’t spoil anything, but in the beginning he is the one who thinks things out, and plans for all circumstances. So to miss this one, seemed odd for the character himself. 

What I Did Like:

• Liked that although hook was a “villain”, Peter was also the villain. The only real “hero” in this story was Wendy herself. Both Peter and Hook were ultimately criminals, however Hook’s redeeming qualities far outweighed Peter’s in this version.
• I also loved the play on all the names: Peter Michaels, Wendy nicknamed Darling, Angela and Moira being their own main characters, and Tina Bell. Of course you have your traditional characters but I loved this small nod to the story we all love in fun ways. 
• The ending had it’s surprising moments that I wasn’t expecting. This is still a romance, so some parts of the ending were not a surprise, however the twists and turns we took to get there were exciting and definitely kept the reader interested in those final chapters. 

Who Should Read This One:

• Romance readers will definitely enjoy, and anyone who loves a good fairy story reimagined. 

My Rating:

3 stars – only because it is a more niche audience. This has darker themes that contemporary romance readers might not care for.