Cloaked in Beauty

September 23, 2024
Witemeyer (If the Boot Fits) continues her Texas Ever After series with an exciting if occasionally clumsy retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. After the death of her wealthy father, Scarlett Radcliffe stands to inherit a majority stake in his shipping company when she turns 21—if her greedy uncle, who wants the shares for himself, doesn’t kill her first. Sent away by her mother, Scarlett has taken refuge with her grandmother in a forest, where she goes by the name Letty Hood, wears a red riding cloak, and travels with a pet wolf for protection. Five weeks before Scarlett turns 21, her mother gets wind that the threat to Scarlett’s life has intensified and hires investigator Philip Carmichael to find her. Philip tracks Scarlett down and the two begin the trek home. Along the way, shadowy hit men stalk them and Philip starts to fall for his charge. Meanwhile, Scarlett, who has grown accustomed to her independent and simple life in the forest, grapples with doubts about returning to a life constrained by social expectations and power, and prays for the strength to start anew. Despite some wooden exposition shoehorned into the dialogue, the narrative charms with its twists, turns, and wry fairy tale allusions. This has plenty of heart.

November 1, 2024

Witemeyer (If the Boot Fits) breathes new life into traditional European fairy tales as she explores the wildness and wonder of the Old West in her "Texas After Ever" series. Letty Hood has total freedom to ride and explore, and even tame a wolf, as long as no one else besides her beloved grandmother sees her face. She must maintain this reclusive lifestyle until she turns 21 and can claim her own inheritance rather than ceding control of the family business empire to her scheming uncle. Meanwhile, Philip Carmichael is growing weary of the deception required for his detective job with the Pinkertons, but one last case to find the missing Radcliffe heiress piques his interest and takes him across Texas along the rail line. VERDICT Each book in this series can be read as a stand-alone and will keep readers guessing at how beloved fairy tales might play out in the turbulent Texas of the 1880s. For fans of Western romances from authors such as Regina Jennings and Robin Lee Hatcher.

Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2024
Pinkerton detective Philip Carmichael is determined to defend his newest client, Scarlett Radcliffe, from her fortune-hungry uncle, who is waiting to devour her chances at inheriting her rightful shares of the family fortune. But Letty Hood, Scarlett's longtime alias, is no damsel in distress. Years spent in hiding with her aging grandmother and pet wolf made her a seasoned survivalist who only has eyes for a man who will stand beside her as an equal. When the time comes to unveil her true identity, Letty is not sure she is ready to leave the woods, or her handsome detective. Cloaked in Beauty is the delightful third installment in Witemeyer's popular Texas Ever After series. It integrates meaningful themes of integrity and identity with charming touchstones from "Red Riding Hood" and "Sleeping Beauty," all told with the series' signature Texas twist. Its slow-burn romance is fueled by innocence born from purity rather than naivet�, and Letty is a sure-fire favorite heroine in her progressiveness, courage facing challenges, and mission to do what is right.

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