Review: Ever After

Author Kate SeRine
Format E-ARC
Print Length 284 pages
Publisher Kensington
Published Aug. 21, 2014

To Catch a Thief…

For centuries, Gideon Montrose has served the King of Fairies without question and, often, without mercy. So when the King orders him to apprehend a notorious thief, Gideon obeys. But when he finally gets his hands on the beautiful culprit, Gideon’s in for a shock.

Arabella Locksley is none other than the spirited, unpredictable woman he knew back in Make Believe as Robin Hood — the love of his life whose tragic death destroyed his chance at Happily Ever After.

Now, he has an impossible choice. Betray the woman he once loved, or the king he’s bound to serve?

My Opinion

Once upon a time there was a series that captured my imagination- literally sucked me into the pages of each book for hours on end. So much so that I have recommended this series to literally everyone that will listen. Ever After is the end of that series, and as such it was bittersweet to read.

Throughout the Transplanted Tales Series the reader has been blessed to catch glimpses of Gideon, the Unseelie Fae that is the faithful servant of the Seelie King. Questions would pop into our heads, like why would an Unseelie Fae be a servant to the Seelie King, aren’t they mortal enemies? He once was in love with the daughter of the king- is that allowed? As the series went on more and more questions popped up about Gideon without any answers for the reader to grasp at. Until now… Ever After is Gideon’s story and boy is it story that you will not want to put down.

Gideon was once in love with a beautiful gal name Arabella Locksley, also known Robin Hood. Her tragic death left him bond in the service of his mortal enemy the Seelie King. For five hundred years he has faithfully service the king, doing his bidding as instructed. Someone is stealing from the king, finding out who is the job that Gideon is tasked with. A job he welcomes until he catches a glimpse of Arabella. How is she in the Here and Now? Why is she not dead- she died in Make Believe, he saw her. Why is she stealing dust from the king? Why in all the 500 years that they have been apart has she been hiding? Did she not love him as he loved her?

While Ever After is supposed to be Gideon’s tale at times if felt more like Arabella’s. The Hunt for the Arthurian artifacts, her connection to the king, her background, and of course her connection to Merlin and the Lady of the Lake at times drown out his story. That is until the reader realizes that both stories blend together. There were moments when I wanted to pull Gideon aside and tell him to save his heart- that Arabella was not worthy. I did not trust her as easy as he did, I was angry that she left him in the dark for 500 years. Umm hello that is like eight lifetimes in the Here and Now, so I felt that she could have suffered his wrath a bit longer than she did. I realize that would not be Gideon’s style, though.

Speaking of style, Gideon has pure swag in this tale. Not only does he chase and catch the gal. He goes up against the traitor in the king’s household. He protects the king’s life and his family. Gideon realizes a few things along the way about his king that he never knew. These revelations are pretty amazing, his admiration and love for his king runs deeper than even Gideon knows.

Ever After is a beautifully spun tale that leaves the reader satisfied that all of their favorite characters from the series have achieved their Happily Ever After. Red, Nate, Nicky, Trish, Lavender and Seth all make an appearance and rally among their friend. Their loyalty to each other will bring tears to your eyes. When you finally read the words The End you will sigh, smile put down the book and know that you just read a fabulous Tale.

My Rating 5 out of 5 stars

Favorite Quote “Living without love isn’t easy for anyone, let alone a Tale.”

Other People

Merlin- well, he is merlin magic and all
King- the Seelie king, whom Gideon is bound to
Ivy- one the King’s daughters
Queen Mab- reminds me of the evil queen

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