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Evangeline: An Erotic Fairy Tale

3.05 of 5 stars 3.05 · rating details · 19 ratings · 16 reviews

Paul Rumsfeld, a lonely, rich, widower, seeks Evangeline's hand in marriage. He is her first real marital prospect, as the entire village considers her damaged goods. Rumors abound about the way Evangeline and her sister Rose Red, serviced the Black Bear who resided at their hearth during one particularly hard, bitter winter. Evangeline did no such thing, but no man pays h...more

ebook, 160 pages

Published December 1st 2010 by Red Sage Publishing

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Adult Fairy Tale Erotica Bundle by Liz Adams

Red as Blood, or Tales from the Sisters Grimmer by Tanith Lee

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Apr 03, 2011 Theresa rated it 3 of 5 stars

It is hard for me to say much without giving away the story. The synopsis really does cover most everything that happens and if I were to say anything about it, it would certainly spoil the read for others. Instead, I'll tell you what I thought about the cover, the characters, and the writing. :)

The cover of "Evangeline", I must admit, is a big part of why this book grabbed my attention. In my opinion, the cover is beautifully done, but still could have been better. It really gives no focus on a...more

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Apr 02, 2011 Cleffairy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Published at: Over A Cuppa Tea

Date reviewed: 8th Feb 2011

Review link: http://cleffairy.wordpress.com/2011/0...

I accidentally requested Evangaline by Gwen Williams by mistake, believing it an innocent retelling of the cross of fairy tale between Snow White and Rose Red as well as Bluebeard. But boy, when I received this ARC and read it, was I in for a huge pleasurable surprise. Evangeline is not exactly an innocent retelling of a fairy tale. Far from it. It’s an erotic fiction with fairy tale-lik...more

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Feb 17, 2011 Jen (Red Hot Books) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: arcs, historical-romance

This was an unusal story. Kind of fairy tale meets Rebecca with a dash of Showtime After Dark. Our title character is a young farm girl who dreams of a bigger life. So when an older man ventures into the village and seeks her attentions, she agrees to marry him, despite the gossip that surrounds him. You see, Paul is a widower, three times over. All of his former wives, dead at a young age. But Evangeline brushes her fears aside and moves to his giant mansion. Waiting there is the creepy maid, M...more

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Jan 30, 2011 Majanka rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult, gothic-romance, retold-fairytale

Who still remembers the story of Rose Red, Black Bear and her sister – Snow White, in the original fairytale? Well I don’t, at least not completely. I think I was born right after the Rose Red and Snow White fairytale-hype, and I only heard it once or twice and forgot most of the details. I mean, I’m probably born in the generation who thinks of Snow White as the girl who bit in the apple and fell asleep, not the girl who took a big black bear into her house and took care of said animal, who lat...more Who still remembers the story of Rose Red, Black Bear and her sister – Snow White, in the original fairytale? Well I don’t, at least not completely. I think I was born right after the Rose Red and Snow White fairytale-hype, and I only heard it once or twice and forgot most of the details. I mean, I’m probably born in the generation who thinks of Snow White as the girl who bit in the apple and fell asleep, not the girl who took a big black bear into her house and took care of said animal, who later turned out to be some cursed prince. Evangeline is actually a spin-off of the original fairytale, now featuring Evangeline in the role of Snow White, and focuses on the events that happened after Black Bear left the sisters’ cottage. No man in the entire village wants to marry Evangeline – but that’s alright, because she doesn’t really want the village boys’ interest either. She’d much rather get the attention of Mr. Rumsfeld, an older and lone widower who is wealthier than she could even imagine. However, the town folk know a lot of gossip about dear ol’ Mr. Rumsfeld: turns out he has been married three times, and every time his wife died under peculiar circumstances. Determined not to let old wives tales’ stand in her way of getting the man she desires, Evangeline persues Paul Rumsfeld anyway. But as soon as they are married, the young girl starts to notice strange things: not only about the man she loves, but also about the house they inhabit and the strange creatures that lurk in the darkness.

I love retold fairytales, or spin-offs of original fairytales. I adore gothic horror. But although I found Evangeline an enjoyable read, entertaining and with rather interesting characters; it didn’t really awe me the way I expected it to. Several reasons. First off, I figured out the mystery surrounding the suspicious deaths of Paul’s former wives right away, and to be brutally honest; Paul is quite the idiot for not thinking about this sooner. In fact, his unawareness of the people around him practically blindfolds him, and makes him unable to realise even what’s right in front of his nose. Evangeline isn’t all that much smarter; and I’m pretty sure any self-respecting heroine with some basic intelligence level could have figured out the malicious person in the picture a lot earlier. I think this novel would have been significantly more interesting had the author introduced more characters who could have been responsible for the other wives’ gruesome murders, thus atleast adding some more suspense to the story. It’s no fun reading a gothic horror novel when you know right away who’s responsible for all the bad stuff that keeps happening.

Apart from that, there were parts about the book that I really enjoyed. For instance, the scenery and the decor. An enormous villa by the sea, with gardens you can get lost in and marble statues that seem to move in the sunlight for no apparent reason. Enough to get anyone who loves gothic novels to start drooling. Add an evil presence in the house, murdered wives and a bunch of nightmares, and you have the perfect set up for an impressive gothic horror tale. However, the setting is there as are the characters and the basic plot – it just doesn’t get executed very well. There is no actual tension, there aren’t enough suspects for the murder schemes on Paul’s previous wives, and Paul basically has the IQ of a carrot. I would have liked this novel to go more in the style of Jane Eyre – where you actually get to wonder who or what is behind all the wicked things that keep happening – or more along the lines of Wuthering Heights.

The see-through plot put aside, Evangeline does make for a very enjoyable read. The main characters have very different, rich personalities with their own fears and anxieties. They could have been a bit brighter, and perhaps a bit more courageous – this definately counts for Paul – but maybe their lack of these traits makes them more human and less like the fairytale-heroes they originally were. Gwen Williams does an excellent job of describing the haunting, eerie atmosphere and the dread and terror of her characters. However, this novel didn’t scare me at all – not in the way Jane Eyre does when the girl with the same name is trapped in the Red Room. I don’t even know if it’s meant to be scary, but I would have liked if it managed to atleast make me feel a bit uncomfortable while reading. The author does get the romance point straight on though, and the growing relationship between Evangeline and Mr. Rumsfeld feels real, honest and very loving. All in all, Evangeline is a nice read and if you’re a fan of the genre, I would definately recommend it.

Read the full review here.(less)

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Mar 17, 2011 Dahlia (yadkny) rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Erotic Fairy Tale Lovers

Evangeline wants a life of adventure and the only way to achieve that is to marry someone who has the means of giving it to her. Unfortunately, nasty rumors abound in the small town she grew up in and now no man will give her the time of day. Until one day while at the market with her sister, Rose, she discovers a man who stirs feelings in her that no other has managed to do before. The rumor mill strikes again when Evangeline learns of his past with the wives he married and then buried, yet the...more Evangeline wants a life of adventure and the only way to achieve that is to marry someone who has the means of giving it to her. Unfortunately, nasty rumors abound in the small town she grew up in and now no man will give her the time of day. Until one day while at the market with her sister, Rose, she discovers a man who stirs feelings in her that no other has managed to do before. The rumor mill strikes again when Evangeline learns of his past with the wives he married and then buried, yet there is something about Paul that strikes Evangeline with the desire to know him. Before she knows it Evangeline is on her way to her new home with her new husband, but shadows lurk around every corner and someone is watching. The escape she sought from her old life has lead her to a marriage on the rocks and to a new kind of confinement. Uncertainty is now at the forefront of her mind. Does she really know Paul? Should she have married him at all? How true are the rumors? One thing is certain though – never underestimate a woman scorned.

Evangeline is the type of character to jump first and ask questions later. She would much rather live hard and die young if that meant she could travel and see the world. Regardless of how much people compliment her on her beauty, she isn’t vain or greedy for wealth and privilege. Paul is more or less on the verge of a breakdown if anything happens to Evangeline and it is because of this that he keeps his distance in order to protect his heart.

This is a twisted sort of erotic fairy tale with a sweetness to it that I wasn’t expecting. From the beginning, it held my attention and before I knew it it was almost over. The pacing of the story was nicely done, yet there were a couple of instances where I was confused as to how much time had passed between chapters. I really enjoyed that there were a few different character perspectives given instead of just Evangeline’s. The erotic scenes were nicely spiced and not overdone throughout the story. I am still curious of a couple of things like the story behind Black Bear and the statues, but overall the story was really well hauntingly described. I would definitely recommend for any reader looking for an erotic romance mixed with grim fairy tale elements.

Reviewed for Red Sage Publishing via NetGalley:
http://www.netgalley.com/(less)

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Jan 19, 2011 Tien rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, mystery, folk-tale, romance, net-galley

If you are familiar with the Snow White and Red Rose tale, ‘Evangeline’ is Snow White’s story. This is not ‘Snow White and the seven dwarves’, that’s a completely different tale. The author assumed that the reader is familiar with the Snow White and Red Rose with Black Bear tale – in saying that, this book is written as a companion to her previous book, Red Rose and Black Bear, And Erotic Fairy Tale, which unfortunately, I haven’t read however this is not a stumbling block at all. You can safely...more

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Jan 09, 2011 Laurie (Bitten by Paranormal Romance) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley, kindle-books, historical-romance, e-books-erotic-romance

This is a very interesting read, I did enjoy reading most of it. There is murder, betrayal, danger, emotions and some steamy hot sex. I figured out the mystery right off the bat and I found one other thing to be a turn off in the book, it’s a spoiler, so if you don’t want to read this part please skip. After Evangeline has her baby they want to cook her after birth and let her eat it….They tell her this is how cows does it…….. EWW, I have read some historical and never came across a line quite l...more

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Mar 09, 2011 Deviant Divas rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: red-sage-press

Evangeline and her sister, Rose were beautiful young women seeking love from the townsmen. However, nasty tales about them had the townsmen looking at the other women more suitable to their station in life. However, it was always OK to have dalliances with Evangeline and Rose to fill their time before marrying the right bride.

Poor Paul had suffered through life so much that the town had nicknamed him Bluebeard. He had loved three wives and lost all of them. Women ran from him in fear of their...more

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Mar 05, 2011 Ana Mardoll rated it 3 of 5 stars

Evangeline / 978-1-603-10579-8

I don't read a lot of erotic literature, but I can appreciate it when well-written, and I absolutely *love* fairy tale re-tellings of just about any kind. Fairy tales were an oral tradition long before they were written down, and it was not uncommon for most fairy tales to have an "adult" version that was told around the fireplace, so I was interested to see what the author would come up with in this retelling mash-up of "Bluebeard" and "Snow White and Rose Red".

Res...more Evangeline / 978-1-603-10579-8

I don't read a lot of erotic literature, but I can appreciate it when well-written, and I absolutely *love* fairy tale re-tellings of just about any kind. Fairy tales were an oral tradition long before they were written down, and it was not uncommon for most fairy tales to have an "adult" version that was told around the fireplace, so I was interested to see what the author would come up with in this retelling mash-up of "Bluebeard" and "Snow White and Rose Red".

Results seem a little mixed, to my mind. Sometimes it seems like the novel can't quite make up its mind as to what it wants to be - fairy tale retelling or erotic fantasy or both? - and ends up falling a little short at the middle. The fairy tale retelling actually seems very tame compared to the exciting source material - despite the initial coldness of the bridegroom, it's pretty clear from the get-go that he's meant to be a sympathetic character, and the "real" villain of the piece doesn't loom as large or as threatening as the narrative seems to *think* they do. And once the details start spilling out regarding the deaths of the Bluebeard's wives, everyone in the story immediately seems downgraded to "colossal idiot" for not immediately realizing the source of the foul play.

With the fairy tale retelling being rather tame and fairly predictable, that leaves the erotic angle for the book to tackle, and while I'm not a connoisseur, that seems lackluster as well. The heroine subscribes to fairly modern sexual attitudes, and manages to bring her frosty bridegroom around in little time, so there's quite a few marital scenes that are sweet and modern and liberated but not exactly thrilling (Your Mileage May Vary). Other than that, the only eroticism really to be found here is an apparently throw-away bestiality reference uttered by an unsympathetic (and presumably lying) character, and a somewhat tacked on erotic-motivation scene for the main villain.

Overall, I didn't dislike this novel, and found it to be a quick and easy read, but for me at least it didn't really satisfy the "erotic fairy tale" premise, being exceedingly tame on both counts, and really only loosely connected to the premise stories to begin with. Still, if you're looking for a nice, fairy-tale associated story with modern sexual attitudes and straightforward erotic elements, I suppose you could do a lot worse than this.

NOTE: This review is based on a free Advance Review Copy of this book provided through NetGalley.

~ Ana Mardoll(less)

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Feb 10, 2011 Michelle, the Bookshelf Stalker rated it 3 of 5 stars

This wasn't a bad read. It wasn't a great read. Definitely middle of the road. I felt like I was missing something and I think that took away from the story. Some of the scenes were pretty steamy so that was worth something.... I guess. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

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Apr 23, 2011 Cyna rated it 2 of 5 stars

Evangeline is apparently a retelling of the classic Brothers Grimm story you've never heard, Snow White and Rose Red. Williams took a stab at the story once before in Rose Red and Black Bear; Evangeline is a spinoff of sorts, or perhaps just an alternate telling starring a side character, I'm really not sure and honestly don't care that much. The point is that, where the original was about two young girls who essentially adopted a talking bear for a winter that turned out to be a cursed prince a...more Evangeline is apparently a retelling of the classic Brothers Grimm story you've never heard, Snow White and Rose Red. Williams took a stab at the story once before in Rose Red and Black Bear; Evangeline is a spinoff of sorts, or perhaps just an alternate telling starring a side character, I'm really not sure and honestly don't care that much. The point is that, where the original was about two young girls who essentially adopted a talking bear for a winter that turned out to be a cursed prince and later married one of them, Evangeline is the story of two creepy young women who DID a bear for an entire winter and then were rightfully shunned by the rest of the village.

Evangeline herself is a pretty inconsistently-written character. She starts out the book as almost a vixen, certainly a tease, obsessed with securing a husband because it's her ~only means of escaping~ this "provincial life" that she alternately defends and despises. Once she catches the attention of the designated Love Interest, Donald Paul Rumsfeld, she plays innocent and demure to establish contact with him, all the while rejoicing at his richness and that ~magical connection~ between the two of them that makes her wanna jump his bones on the street.

For the first couple of chapters I just assumed we'd be stuck with the gold-digging type heroine, but in a bizarre reversal, the moment that Rumsfeld begins officially courting her, Evangeline turns into this scared, clingy, helpless damsel, and then stays that way for the rest of the book. No guile here; the most resourcefulness she ever shows is when she escapes from her evil maidservant by hiding like a child and running away. Not to mention that her only outward acts of rebellion come when she has the permission of another character. She stands up for herself once in the entire book, and it's to the kid she rolls in the hay with in the beginning of the book, you know, before her personality transplant.

It's pretty obviously situationally-dependent characterization - the author wants or needs the heroine to behave in a certain way to move the plot along or set the right mood, so she does, no matter how bizarrely inconsistent she comes off.

Ugh, and then there's her attraction to Rumsfeld...

Read more at You're Killing Me.(less)

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Jan 26, 2011 Sara (Just Another Story) Walker rated it 1 of 5 stars

I did not enjoy this book at all. I didn't even get to the end. I thought the whole concept was interesting but I did not like how slow moving it was, and how repetitive it was. It was boring. I felt that the author rushed through writing this. The characters were good individually however together for some reason they just did not work. Which is really to bad. Maybe some day I'll give this book another try and finish it.

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Feb 26, 2011 Juli rated it 2 of 5 stars

This an erotic fairy tale, but it didn't work nearly as well for me as some others (such as Bette Sharpe's "Ember"). The writing was a little repetitive, particularly the erotic/romantic portions. I honestly wasn't very invested in the lovers as a couple. The suspense plot seemed contrived and simplistic; the main characters had to be pretty clueless not to have figured it out.

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Jan 02, 2011 Nocturne Romance Reads rated it 4 of 5 stars

READ OUR REVIEW AT:
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May 03, 2011 Darci rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley, 2011, retelling

I really liked this until the end. Most of the characters were incredibly stupid to not figure out Mathilda was the bad one, but it was a pretty good read. I thought the ending had too much thrown in that didn't have a whole lot to do with this particular story. I guess this will have a companion book that is Rose's story. Should have saved the Rose/Black Bear conclusion for that one.

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Sep 04, 2011 Judithe marked it as tbr-on-hand

Shelves: arc

Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 316 KB

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Shelves: erotica

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About Gwen Williams

Gwen Williams finds it terribly ironic - one of her father's favorite words - that she is taking a story she loved as a child and transforming it into an erotic journey. And, sadly, she wrote this story about the two sisters, Evangeline and Rose Red, while grieving over her father's death. There is much love and loss in the story, and Gwen believes her father would find it fitting, even if he coul...more

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Rose Red and Black Bear: An Erotic Fairy Tale

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