This pastiche is true to the original characters, a festive twisty mystery.

Really good worldbuilding, very complex but easy to follow. Cute little romance but I need the 2nd book because I think 1 of my fave tropes is gonna really shine there.

So nuts. 

Instead of following Scarpetta, this book follows… everyone. The tension was lost as the perspectives cycled so rapidly.

Really creepy. Kate Mulgrew was perfect doing the narration, the voices& the tension were superb but no one told her how to say Haverhill. Very Stephen King-y in length, plot, setting & in That it did not make sense at times. 

I only have 1 complaint about this: we initially start with the perspectives of Miryem & Wanda… then new perspectives get added & there’s no demarcation -in the ebook atleast- of who is speaking so you have to read a ways into the page to say “oh it’s Irina.” 

But aside from that we have a great fairy tale retelling with a brave, mostly female, multi faith cast that becomes entangled in a fight between a Staryk Lord (scary fae) & a demon.

You know what… no. 

The characters are SO unlikable, which I can sometimes deal with in domestic thrillers. But… they didn’t have to be this diabolical, just get a divorce.. then the twists started twisting & it got good for a while… but at LEAST 2 things about the ending make no sense. 

So sexy. Love Nevada, love her sisters, so much action. Loved it.

It’s really apparent that Smolder & Slay could have been 1 Book & with proper editing it could have been a good book. There more action in this one (it doesn’t all 100% make sense) complete lack of 🍆 but the first 100 pages is essentially angst and a 5 minute argument rehashed to infinity. It also had a lot of Nicky who is my favorite Bride, so that was good.

Solid. But somewhat confusing (timetravel, timelines, family powers) +cliffhanger ending I was totally in to.