Review: Little Red and The Wolf by Alison Paige

Welcome to day two of Fairy Tales Gone Naughty here at Book Junkie! Today I am over the moon excited about Alison Paige's twist on Little Red Riding Hood. And what a fantastic story she does tell! If you haven't had a chance to read it yet, I do hope you find one soon, because I personally am never able to pass up a good shifter story, much less a wolf shifter story that puts a sexy and sinful spin on one of my favorite Fairy Tales as a child. All grown up and ready for the grown up version Alison Paige will not disappoint!

Alison Paige's latest release Little Red and The Wolf was my first read of an Urban Fairy Tale, but my second read on Alison's. Having read Tame Horses Wild Hearts a few months ago I new that I had found a new author that I could follow and not be disappointed. I enjoy her writing style for one and appreciate her ability to give the reader just enough back story to understand the essence of the characters without overwhelming us to endless flashbacks. I for one am appreciative. In the story of "Little Red" or Maizie she is an independent woman, so much so that she has found herself in quite a financial hole.
Maizie has her own bakery business but she struggles to turn a profit when she is so in debt. Trying to keep her Grandmother in a good home, keep her cottage, her business and still have money to feed herself is really starting to weigh on her. Having been raised the last 21 years by her Gran since her parents death she refuses no matter what to sell the cottage or land surrounding it no matter how much the sneaky Anthony Chadwick tries to per se her. In the mist of all her own financial drama Maizie runs into Gray Lupo a.k.a. Gran's Silver Wolf. All her life she has told Maizie some far fetched, haunting and extraordinary stories about the her silver wolf putting a fear into Maize to stick to certain trails and not to venture into the wolf sanctuary neighboring Gran's land. Attracted to the older man Maize feels it in her bones that there is something very dangerous and very secretive going on with Gray. Little does Maize know the truth about the big bad wolf who she has grown up to next door. Gray Lupo is a very powerful man, nearing 76 years old he looks mid forties, those werewolf genes will do wonders for your complexion. Bitten by his wife, a werewolf he has accepted his role as alpha of their pack with a heavy heart at times. Continually his young nephew threatens to challenge him, his sister in law tried to seduce him and now the pack is after Maize. Like Gray didn't have enough on his mind trying to fight his attraction and the magnetic pull towards Maize you can feel Gray's heart breaking inside. He feels that he must avoid her at all costs, after all her parents killed his wife all those years ago and he has avoided what he knows is true in his heart. Maize is his one true mate.What happens next rocks Gray's world, Maize is attacked and bitten by someone in his pack. Maize who I loved from the first few pages has a quite panic about her when she first discovers that she is actually turning. Into a wolf! She can't believe it, but overcome by the painful transitions only leads to her acclimating to her new form.... wolf. A beautiful red wolf who can't stop chasing her tail. Alison really added a brilliant amount of humor in some of the most dramatic of situations as the characters try to work through all their challenges. If Maize thought this was her only problem, she was sadly mistaken. Not only is she a wolf, but Gray is pushing her away and she doesn't know why, only to learn the heard way that he blames her and her parents for the murder of his wife. Not wanting to face the past and truth Gray isn't there for Maize when she needs him most. To make matters worse, Maize believes that someone is trying to pose as her dead father to try and get her Grandmother to sell her cottage and property. Throughout the story you not only are able to make an emotional connection with Gray and Maize but some of the pack as well as Gran. All the character's no matter how small their role add wonderful and entertaining elements of humor and suspense to the storyline. Making for a very captivating and addictive read. Alison Paige has created an indulgent & salacious read that will make you rethink the old take of Little Red Riding Hood. I always knew there was a much deeper story, and the author lured me into a truly magical and paranormal world of shifters that I can truly never get enough of.

Who said being eaten by the big bad wolf was a bad thing?

Maizie Hood struggles to keep her bakery turning a profit, her landlord from evicting her, and her dear Granny in a nursing facility. Wrestling with the decision to sell Gran’s cottage is hard enough. The last thing she needs is her childhood big-bad-wolf nightmares turning into real-life adult fantasies. Sexy businessman Gray Lupo’s sudden interest just makes matters worse. Is he the answer to her problems, or just a wolf in gentleman’s Armani?

Since his wife was killed twenty-one years ago, Gray’s life has been focused on two things: protecting the pack and avoiding the grown daughter of his wife’s killers. When it becomes clear he can’t do one without compromising the other, Gray finds playing “big bad wolf” to Maizie Hood’s “Little Red” is a role he enjoys far more than he expected.

A real bad wolf’s attack on Maizie changes everything. Gray can’t deny the pull she has on his instincts—and his heart. Suddenly he finds himself taking on a role he never thought he’d want, as her protector and mate. Until the truth about his connection to her nightmarish past comes to light…

EXCERPT

ISBN: 978-1-60504-902-1

Samhain Publishing