Fairy Tale Retellings, Book Two (standalone)
Historical Romance (Medieval)
Date Published: 04-10-2024
Little Red Riding Hood reimagined with a dark and realistic twist.
Princess Blanchette’s world shatters when the Black Wolf tears apart her castle and everything she holds dear. All she clings to is the vow she made to her grandmother on her deathbed.
Hailed as the people’s champion, Sir Rowan Dietrich liberates the capital in a quest for vengeance. He takes Winslowe Castle with an army at his back and his wolf, Smoke, at his side.
United by a shared cause and powerful attraction, Rowan and Blanchette embark on a journey of self-discovery and redemption—a path filled with loss, transformation, and ultimately, the healing power of love.
Can Norland’s resplendent princess, with her captivating beauty and spirit, tame the fabled Black Wolf?
Inspired by the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood, Red Kingdom is a passionate historical romance about the enduring quest for love and the longing for a world at harmony.
*Red Kingdom is a standalone installment in a series of reimagined classic fairy tales. Due to adult content and themes, it is not intended for readers under the age of 18.
What you can expect from Red Kingdom...
Dark, Medieval Setting
Enemies to Lovers
Slow Burn
Broken Alpha Hero
Strong Heroine
Wolf Companion
He Falls First
Redemption
Warring Kingdoms
Read an Excerpt Below...
About the Author
I live in Sunny California with my dashing husband, who inspires my romance novels every day!
Writing has always been an integral part of my identity. Before I physically learned how to write, I'd narrate stories to my mom, and she'd record them for me.
I graduated from Chapman’s film school, where I often received the feedback on my scripts, “Your stories and characters are great, but this reads like a novel!” That’s when I realized my true calling.
In my free time, I frequent reptile expos, lift double my body’s weight, and indulge in dinosaur trivia.
I'm passionate about writing stories that explore what it means to be human and to be loved. My books focus on hope, courage, and redemption in the face of adversity.
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Excerpt from "Red Kingdom"
Blanchette spots the Black Wolf during the siege
Death at her feet. Death in her home. Death in the air.
Death screamed in every corner of her mind.
Then she saw him.
Rowan Dietrich, the fabled Black Wolf of Norland, strode
through her castle like a waking nightmare. His armor was crudely made, black
as the surrounding night, the helm’s dark metal twisted into the shape of a
wolf’s snarling head. But the most striking thing about him was his height. He
towered above the other fighters and battled with a chilling methodicalness.
How he moved and fought frightened Blanchette the greatest.
He looked collected. Even mildly amused. As if this were
nothing more than a game. Blood soaked his sword as the blade whirled, whipped,
slashed, and claimed lives in a macabre dance of death. And that wolf clung to
his heels, its muzzle wet with blood, snarling and leaping at any man who dared
come close to its master.
Monster.
Demons.
The Black Wolf of Norland had always had a mist of legend
around him. She remembered the stories her mother and governess had often
whispered after the feasts and in the dark of the night.
“To me,” the Black Wolf called to a soldier a few yards
away, his deep voice effortlessly carrying above the tumult. He didn’t need to
yell, not even over the mayhem. The force of his tone was enough.
One of her father’s guards raised his blade, but too
slowly. Rowan Dietrich’s longsword cut his head off, then came flashing back in
a terrible two-handed slash that took another soldier in the leg.
With quivering anger, she realized that this man—this
wolf, this beast—was the reason the
sky was falling on her family. She clutched the dagger, wishing she could stand
a chance against him. How good and right
it would feel to plunge the blade deep into his heart and avenge what would
likely be the end of her family’s dynasty.
Of course, she’d never survive him or his demon wolf. And
if she was ever to avenge her family, if she was to keep her promise, survival
meant everything.
Rowan saves Blanchette
Rowan Dietrich, the Black Wolf of Norland, withdrew his
sword from the back of the man’s head. The six other brigands slunk backward
and fumbled for their weapons. The horses were going crazy at the sight and
scent of the wolf Smoke—stomping their hooves, rearing up on powerful hind
legs. Except for Sunbeam. He remained silent and still, blending into the dark
canopy of trees.
From the corner of his eye, Rowan glanced at Blanchette;
her dress was torn and dirty, and she fumbled in the dirt, struggling to rise
to her feet.
Anger twisted inside him, red and hot.
I shall kill them all for this.
One brigand, greasy-haired and pockmarked, dashed at him
from the left. Rowan swept his sword in an arc and felt the satisfying squelch
of steel sliding through flesh, muscle, and tendon.
Movement from his peripheral vision. Blanchette rushed
forward and retrieved the fallen axe. Rowan ran toward another brigand. The man
staggered back, nocked an arrow, and let it fly.
It took Rowan in the forearm. Several moments passed
before the pain struck him. Then he strode forward, a growl in his throat, as
the bowman withdrew a second arrow from his quiver and nocked it again.
He raised to shoot—but Blanchette was there, bless the
little idiot, both of her hands wielding the axe. She gave a war cry and swiped
at the man’s midsection. The metal sank in deep, and then she pulled it free
with another gut-wrenching cry.
The man crumpled and fell. Blanchette locked Rowan’s
gaze. Dirt and blood speckled her face.
There were five more brigands. Smoke leaped at one of
them, his snarl a thunderclap, his dagger-like teeth tearing into the man’s
throat. Blood pumped from the gash and soaked Smoke’s muzzle. Then the wolf
squared himself in front of Rowan and Blanchette, his fierce growl rising in the
darkness.
The last three men backed away slowly, their eyes riveted
on the wolf and his gore-stained snout. They turned and ran like bats escaping
hell. Smoke pounced and wrapped his jaws around one of the men’s napes. He dug
his fingers into the dirt and leaves, screaming for his mother, blood and flesh
coming loose as Smoke worked at his neck until he was silent.
Rowan and Blanchette finished off the last two men.
Then she wandered into the clearing like a woman wading
through a dream. The red riding cloak streamed behind her.
She stood like that for a long stretch of silence. Tears
and blood and dirt covered her face.
She looked fierce. Primal. Breathtaking.
That tragic vision took his breath away.
Smoke threw back his blood-soaked muzzle and howled at
the full moon. The eerie sound shivered through the night.
“I wouldn’t linger long, Your Grace,” Rowan spat as he
glanced at the arrow sticking out of his forearm and the seven dead bodies.
“There are wolves in these woods, and worse.”
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