Review: Along Came a Spider by Kate SeRine

Along Came A Spider
by Kate SeRine
Series: Transplanted Tales #3
Publisher: Kensington 
Publication date: August 1, 2013
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Source: Publisher in exchange for unbiased review
Purchase* Barnes and Noble/Amazon

When Trish Muffet is attacked at a grisly crime scene, the last person she expects to come to her rescue is Nicky “Little Boy” Blue. But since walking away from everything two years before, Nicky’s been doling out vigilante justice as “The Spider,” taking on the vicious predators of the night in hopes it’ll lead him to his ultimate target – Vlad Dracula. And he needs Trish’s help. Although Nicky’s renegade style goes against everything Trish stands for, she’ll do what she must to bring Dracula down. With danger stalking her, Trish knows the only person she can count on is the one man who has the power to leave her breathless. There’s no way she’s letting this spider frighten her away…

I have really been enjoying Kate SeRine’s Transplant Tale series and was excited to finally read Along Came A Spider featuring the tale characters Trish Muffet and Nicky “Little Boy” Blue. This is the third book in the series and I recommend reading them in order since you will lose some of the story and charm. When a spell went wrong some of our favorite fairy tales, characters etc where pulled from their books and ended up in the Here and Now. They live secretly among us; have their own government, rules and task force. Once again SeRine gave me an entertaining, action-packed, sweet ride and I consumed this in a single sitting. Three word review: unique, captivating and fun.  

Trish Muffet, yes that’s right “Little Miss Muffet” complete with cork-screw blood hair is a member of the Chicago branch of the Fairytale Management Authority. (FMA) when she is attacked at a crime scene she is both surprised and elated when Nicky “Little Boy” Blue comes to her rescue. She hasn’t laid eyes on him since he left two years ago. She is surprised to discover he is the vigilante known as “The Spider” who has been taking out predators in search of Vlad Dracula. Nicky needs Trish’s help and the tale that unfolds is action-packed, laced with a romance straight from one of those black and white noir movies.

Trish Muffet is one touch little cookie wrapped in cuteness. Since she crossed over she has had a thing for Nicky and it was delightful seeing their feelings come to the surface. She is a little snarky, and brave despite some serious fear issues. I loved how she would step in front of her friends to protect them. Nicky is smexy, cocky and I just envisioned him as Neal Caffrey from the hit TV series White Collar. He has ties to the criminal world and it seems everyone owes him a favor. I loved how he called Trish, “Doll” it fit his whole persona. He also carries around a lot of guilt and doesn’t feel he is worthy making him incredibly irresistible. Nate and Red make an appearance as do the rest of the gang. I adored some of the secondary characters such as Gideon with his arching eyebrow. Many story characters make appearances throughout the novel and seeing what they were doing in the Here and Now was cool. The Agency (human enforcement team that know about Tales) and its men are heavily involved and I wanted to smack a few of them in the head making for some intense scenes.

Serine weaved a fascinating tale surrounding Vlad Dracula, the Agency and our couple. It was filled with intense action scenes and creepy mental games. The tender moments between the tales had me sighing. I love that all of the characters are unique and while we recognize them and their tales they have developed in the Here and Now. SeRine’s interpretation of them had me giggling one moment and dropping my jaw the next, it was fantastic!  Nicky and Trish have a history and I loved the back-story. Watching their feelings emerge and experiencing the sexual tension and heat had me searching for my happily-ever-after. They are two strong, slightly damaged characters that draw on each other making the other one better. They made a terrific team investigating the mystery and I quite enjoyed it. There is an epilogue and it wraps things up nicely but I was sad to see this plot ARC come to an end. The author left it open for more possibilities. *fingers-crossed*

Fans of fairy tales, suspense, mystery, and humor wrapped with a side dish of romance will enjoy Along Came A Spider and the entire Transplanted Tales series.

Four cups of coffee out of five from FMA headquarters