Book Review: Bluebeard and the Outlaw

Fairytale Retelling. 190 Pages. 4 Stars

Synopsis:

Marriage: the ultimate heist.

Robin of the Wood spends her days robbing from the rich to feed the poor. But she and her merry band of brothers never seem to get anywhere. The more she steals, the more the evil Lord Guy “Bluebeard” taxes the villagers.

When Robin discovers that Lord Guy plans to marry yet again, she conceives a plan for a final, big score. As Guy’s wife, she will have access to his wealth. The lord is notorious for killing his wives shortly after he marries them, but Robin has no plans to be dead wife number four.

The only problem is that Lord Guy is devastatingly handsome, brooding, and nothing at all what she expected. If she isn’t careful, she might just find that he steals her heart before she can rob his riches.

Bluebeard and the Outlaw is one of twelve short novels in A Villain’s Ever After, a collection of stand-alone stories featuring villainous twists on some of your favorite classic fairy tales. Read the series in any order for magical adventures . . . and fall in love with villains as you’ve never seen them before. Who said villains can’t have happily-ever-afters?

My Review:

This was really cute and a lot of fun. The first two books in the series were okay. Interesting and even a little intriguing here and there. But this one drew me in. I read it in a few hours and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I’ve never read anything by Tara Grayce, but now I’m curious to.

The meshing of Robin Hood and Bluebeard was seamless and made for a fantastic story. I loved the nods to the originals and the way Grayce twisted things up. The merry band of men were quite possibly my favorite (and I am slightly upset that we don’t get to see their love stories! Particularly Will! I’d love a book about him!!!), but I also really liked Bluebeard. He wasn’t someone I automatically assumed wasn’t a villain and Grayce didn’t give him an easy out like the previous two books.

But neither was Robin that simple either. I really related to her as the eldest and I could understand her heart and motives. And, of course, her daring and sass were just great fun to read. The classic tournament was fantastic. She was active and spunky, surprising and skilled. And I liked that very much. I liked the complexity of the characters and the intrigue of unfolding the mystery. And the world of fae and monsters colliding with the township was a lot of fun, too.

But even more than the fun characters and the interesting plot, I have to admit I truly admire Grayce’s pacing. Novellas a hard, man. Getting all of the things in without rushing or forgetting something crucial. It’s just hard. But this really felt like an all enfolded story and the pacing of the reveals, the development of the characters, the build up to the climax all felt very natural and smooth. That takes skill. Hat’s off, Grayce.

And, of course, the romance was really fun in this one. Again, I just enjoyed Robin’s taunting swagger with a hint of fear for those she loved and Bluebeard’s dark brooding that couldn’t cover his true nobility despite the lace of guilt and burden he bore. It was easy to root for the two of them and it was fun to watch them grow. And the practicality of the end when they both have to face something they hadn’t anticipated was smart. Realistic. But Grayce gave us just enough in the epilogue and short story to reassure us that our hopes were not in vain–though I wouldn’t have complained if there had been one more kiss!

All in all, this was my favorite read of the series so far. It was short, sweet, fun, and intriguing. And it definitely made me want to read more in the world (and hopefully more of the characters themselves someday!)

There’s no foul language and some mild fantasy violence (the man murdered wives XD there had to be a little blood). And the romance was clean and sweet. I’d probably feel fine giving this one to 12/13+

A Villain’s Ever After Book 1 is The Beast and the Enchantress (3 Stars)

Book 2 is The Sultan and the Storyteller (4 Stars)

Book 3 is Bluebeard and the Outlaw (5 Stars)

Book 4 is The Stepsister and the Slipper (4 Stars)

Book 5 is The Goblin and the Dancer (4 Stars)

Book 6 is Hansel and the Gingerbread Queen (5 Stars)

Book 7 is The Dark King and the Eternal Dance (4 Stars)

Book 8 is Gothel and the Maiden Prince (4 Stars)

Book 9 is The Sorcerer and the Swan Princess (3 Stars)

Book 10 is The Baker and the Wolf (4 Stars)

Book 11 is The Prince and the Sea Witch (5 Stars)

Book 12 is Carabosse and the Spindle Spell (5 Stars)