Okay. I’m a sucker for any writer who can turn a fairy tale into a new story and give it a different twist. Kathryn Anne Dubois does exactly that in Over the River and Through the Woods. From the moment wealthy Meredith Chilton stumbles into her grandmother’s cottage, soaking wet, and meets up with ‘the big bad wolf’ I know I’m in for a new take on an old tale.

Meredith, writer of children’s books, has had an argument with her family; her father expects her to willingly embark on an arranged marriage to save the family company. She runs to her grandmother’s house in the woods to confide in her but finds her missing. A man answers the door, a shirtless hunk with a wrench in his hand, a repair man who tells her he’s the ‘big bad wolf’.

Meredith is initially attracted to the tall, dark-haired stranger but, after he’s thoroughly seduced her she’s filled with guilt. Then the lights go out and only the flickering light from a few candles illuminate the cabin. He makes his move on her, tells her they should stop denying that they want each other. He accusingly tells her she’s in denial because she’s a ‘good girl’ and always does what she’s told. Then he asks has she ever done what she wants – like fuck a stranger? She slaps his cheek. He tells her, ‘now that’s an honest reaction.’ In the end his sensual assault on her encourages her to give up her good girl behavior and respond honestly. She can’t resist him and gives into her passions.

This fairy tale romance is sexy and fun but too short to really get to know the main players well, unfortunately. The hero, Max, seems to be one person at the beginning of the story, then another at the end of it; crude as Meredith puts it at the beginning, yet caring and gentle at the end. I adore macho men but for some reason I felt Max came across as a bully. Meredith is from a wealthy family so I wondered why she lived in a small apartment. But I really enjoyed her, especially when she is stunned to discover she’s unaccountably aroused by Max. The ending of Over the River and through the Woods is satisfying, the pacing faster than a run-away train and a splendid, quick read to while away an afternoon.

Reviewed by Nancy Pirri
© March 2006