Snake in the Grass

Fairy Tales of a Trailer Park Queen #3

by Kimbra Swain

Shady Grove is having a fairy council election!

Grace’s throne isn’t on the ballot until she walks into town.

Grace Ann Bryant, Queen of the Exiles, lives in Shady Grove, Alabama, a small one-horse town where the population is mostly fairies. Since taking over the title as their Queen, Grace has found the job to be an overwhelming task. So, the citizens decide to hold a council election to support the fairy population and the natural trouble that arises. However, when a legitimate challenger slithers into town, the throne is suddenly for grabs.

Amidst fending off the challenge, a Kitsune rolls into town looking for a mate, and she has her sights set on Grace’s fiancé, Dylan. Grace has to fight for her throne, her fiancé, and her life, as her challenger pushes the limits.

If you think human elections can be wild, just wait until you see how manipulative and vindictive fairies can be! When it’s all said and done, Grace discovers the true snake in the grass, but at what cost? The true power she faces is beyond anything she could have ever imagined.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Fae, Werewolves, Fantasy, Magic

248 pages, ebook

First published January 17, 2018

About the author

From early in life Kimbra Swain was indoctrinated in the ways of geekdom. Raised on Star Wars, Tolkien, Superheroes and Voltron, she found herself immersed in a world of imagination. She started writing in high school, and completed her English degree from the University of Alabama in 2003.
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Her writing is influenced by a gamut of authors including Jane Austen, J.R.R. Tolkien, L.M. Montgomery, Timothy Zahn, Kathy Reichs, Kevin Hearne and Jim Butcher.
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Born and raised in Alabama, Kimbra still lives there with her husband and 5 year old daughter. When she isn't reading or writing, she plays PC games, makes jewelry and builds cars.

Please visit my Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts. Also if you sign up for the newsletter at my website to receive a FREE book: www.kimbraswain.com

Reviews

[Mummy's Naughty Corner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow lots happens in this book and lots of characters to take in.

First off poor Winnie. Luckily she's so you that hopefully she can bounce back from losing her mum.

The king is Dead and now Grace is Queen of the exiled as well as Queen of her fathers realm.

Lots of new baddies which I imagine will cause trouble over a few books.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grace was declared Queen of the Exiles but a proper council and rules need to be set up in Shady Grove. Just as Grace meets with her subjects to do so, Dylan's ex-wife appears and declares herself in the running for Queen, forcing an election. The campaign for the title gets ugly and by the end, Grace doubts herself, her relationship with Dylan, and her place in the community.

These books are fun, quick reads that always make me smile. I liked this book in the series the best so far. I'm having trouble putting my finger on exactly why that is. I think it is because this book showed how much Grace has grown and changed in the last few books. I also love the relationships she has developed with Dylan, Winnie, and Levi, which continue to solidify in this plot. Also, by the end of this one, she has a clear purpose going forward and I can't wait to see how Grace and her friends handle the problems at hand.

[Tiera McMillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

These book continue to be fast, funny reads. I'm finding that there are some minor contradictions between the characters personality and vibe and their actions at times that tends to put a hitch in my giddyup so to speak.. And for some reason after reading these books my already southern accent tends to become more pronounced when I speak and when I write lol.

The southern drama continues as Grace takes more of a leadership role in her town only to be challenged by a blast from Dylan's past. Ole Stephanie. This girl... I don't want to give too much away but she took a page straight from "Mean Girls" and takes it a few steps further. Stephanie does her best to turn the town against Grace and challenges her rule to take it for herself. Grace goes through a whole roller coaster of emotion here in book 3 as she really trying to find her new self in this role. Dodging death and dismemberment as her opponents pull out all the stops Grace must also deal with her insecurities in her glamoured form. I find myself wishing that Grace and Gloriana could find a happier medium in which Grace could really keep her power going all the time. No one else seems to be battling their selves like Grace is.

Pretty climactic ending here with Grace needing to make some decisions to take on her destiny or throw her people to the wolves.

[Larry Tushman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Political intrigue probably is one of the last things you expect from exiled supernaturals. So, of course, that's exactly what Grace gets, proving that she can't catch a break. Can you fight treachery, danger, and escalation with trailer park snark? Grace and company surely plan exactly that. As plans and lives seem to fall apart, the question is posed: is there a hidden agenda? Great read.

[LeAnne Benson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Awesome Read

Grace and her friends and family are a great bunch. The author doesn't disappoint in her storytelling and gets you hooked on the story from the first lines of the first chapter. I would recommend this series to all of my friends. I can't wait for the next book in the series.

[melba catchings · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third book is the best. The author tied all the pieces together. Can't wait to read. The ntext one

Thoroughly enjoyed the third book. The author really gave in-depth background on the characters. Can not wait to see what happens n

[Snarktastic Sonja · Rating 3 out of 5]

And this is where I bow out from the series. The handwriting is on the wall, I can see where it is going and how it is going to get there and I don't like it. I don't know how many deaths and car crashes and burning buildings I can tolerate along to a conclusion that I do not want. So, I'm done. I'll rewrite the story in my own way and be content.

[Una · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just when I think this series can't get any better, it does. I really am enjoying these books and plan on keeping going.

[Reforming · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gave it a 4 because I really liked the trilogy. I'm looking forward to the next book

[Abi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so freaking good! I have to say, I don't know why, but I wasn't really expecting Stephanie to show up and be Grace's opposition, but when she did, I yelled (loudly, oops) "That bitch!" So yeah. Those are my feelings on her.

Lots went down in this one. Levi is now the official bard of the Unseelie Court. Oberon died, which is super sad because I actually really liked him. We also me Grace's mom at one point. Before that, Grace almost died again. Grace is technically the new ruler of the Unseelie Court. Levi and Dylan are getting on better now. The fourth wall (sort of) got broken a couple of times, as it looks like the story is meant to be told by Grace and Levi (as the main bard guy) in the future.

I really enjoyed reading this book, and am glad to have done so. I'll definitely be continuing the series! 5 stars.

[Katy Kendrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better and Better

I wasn’t expecting any of this when I picked up a book about a fairy trailer park queen. But here I am, 3 books and one day later, so deep and craving more.
I love everything about this series. I love the depth. The world building, the plot twists and the characters.
Most of all i love grace and her gang.
I couldn’t believe anything that was happening in this book. Snake in the grass indeed... more like anaconda in a shrub! What a plot twist.
I am excited to see where the story leads, elated it’s not yet over.
My heart beats for Levi, selfishly... I hold out hope for him but the connections grace/Gloriana make with Dylan, their girl, her grandfather and the people of shady grove truly make this story. eagerly awaiting the next chapter.

[Jeanne Brewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a word, wow! Expectations met and exceeded

No spoilers here, so this won't be easy. Trailer Park Queen becoming more than anyone ever thought to even dream and maturing in ways almost beyond belief. New responsibilities. New vehicles to arrange for. New friends and deeper relationships. New enemy first, then a more seriously evil even newer one - both will have to be dealt with. New and expanded family. New housing decisions to be made. A lot changed in this book, but the really good things either stay the same or improve tremendously. Recommended without reservation.

[Crystal Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than the second book. There are some grammar and spelling mistakes, but nothing too distracting. There is some change in the way the story is told here where one of the other main characters gains the narrator position, and there are some hints of the future. I really enjoy this world and series, but maybe not as much as say the Mercy Thompson books. It's less polished as a work, but by no means is it bad.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall the story was wonderful, a sweet break from reality taking me to backwoods Alabama where magic runs wild and so does grace. But as in with the previous books, editing became an issue, some typos and formatting we're distracting from the story. Once one got past the errors that jarred you out of the story, well all-in-all I say it's a keeper. I do think Miss kimbra could use another pass with an editor.

[Karene Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read!

This series is a hoot! This particular book got me in all the feels, plus I got 2 new sayings to torture the grandkids with! I'd like to thank Kimbra Swain for knowing the lore of the faeries, the types, and the legends, of not just the Celtic Fae, but other cultures too. I've read more than a few authors lately that wrote about fairies but had no idea what they are. Great Read!

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Halfway through this book, I was starting to worry. There seemed to be a case of repeated misunderstandings and conflicts that just didn't make sense. I feared that the series was going to disappoint after all. But, in the end, I remain hooked. The ending took me some places that I hadn't seen coming.

[Pamala LeVan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book!

I devoured this book in one sitting. There here were so many twists and turns. Kady is bad, Oberon is good, Grace and Dylan struggle to stay together. There is a challenge for her kingdom of exiles. My heart ached for Grace and I will not be able to get this one out of my head until the next book.

[Kathy Brickert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful

A fascinating tale of all things fairy and the ups and downs of being queen! This one was a bit scary! Will Grace remain queen? Or will she get bored out? A fast read, filled with humor! The language is spicy but no descriptive sex scenes and that makes me happy! Some things are better left behind closed doors! Good read!

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was underwhelming. It seemed like too much got crammed into 200 pages and yet the pacing still felt so slow. I'm not sure how that happened exactly. Parts of it were fun and humorous. It's nice that Dylan and Grace finally worked out all their relationship bullshit and that she won the election. It's nice that they are still prioritizing taking care of Winnie. I still hate Levi and Grace's relationship. The Fairy realm politics, Oberon's death and the creepy Uncle were interesting but all happened very quickly at the end of the book.

I had some issues toward the end with knowing whose perspective I was reading from. It seemed to switch between Levi, Dylan and Grace a lot. That could be a me problem and I will probably reread a bit to be sure but I don't recall it being a noticable issue in the first 2 books. I also really didn't care for the random sections popping up that seemed to be Grace and Levi typing out the story on a laptop. Starting something like that over halfway through the 3rd book in a series is weird and off putting for me. If it continues on in book 4 it might be a deal breaker. I'd like to read up to book 6 since I've already purchased them but those sections were extremely irritating for me. I get that it ties in with Levi being the Royal Bard and all. It just read oddly and considering how I already feel about Levi and Grace's relationship it did nothing to endear either of them to me. For 2 people who consistently get super pissed about Dylan possibly being inappropriate with other women they sure do expect him to be cool with all the shit that happens in their relationship. Seems a little hypocritical to me for Grace especially since she spent most of this book thinking Dylan was banging other women and crying to Levi about it. I have no idea how Dylan suddenly became my favorite character but he did.

I should have stuck to my original plan with this series which was to buy and read one book at a time so I could stop reading without guilt. Unfortunately book 6 is written from Dylan's perspective and I really wanted to see what that one was like so I purchased books 4, 5 and 6 before reading 3. I've got 3 more books to read and unless things improve spectacularly I most likely will drop this series at that point.

I also find it hilarious that I found this series on a Facebook post that was looking for "Clean" urban fantasy books. I would love to know what the person who saw this as clean writing thinks is dirty writing. Sure the sex scenes tend to fade to black but the sexual innuendo and swearing are way more prevalent in this series than plenty of others that I have read. That tends to be why Fairies and Vampires are some of my least favorite supernatural beings. Author's tend to really ramp up all the sex things where either type is concerned and it gets kind of old for me.

[Athenns Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!!! Unique characters an great plot!!

When i wrote to Kimbra on facebook to tell her how much i poved this series and how much these characters have entralled me, she told me that the characters are the most important aspects to her in her books. Oh lordy does it show. They are so unique so perfectly flawed while being so perfectly human (for a bunch of paranormals lol!) Each books step further flows flawlessly while never taking you where you think it might. There are so many great twists an turns that you cant fully know where ut going but they are so well worked that the events simply flow. Its not doing in this jarring way of some new big bad just popping up in wach new book, theres hints an foreshadowing without ever really tipping the hand and giving it all away. She also doesnt just relie on proven book hooks magical students, humans who suddenly find out they are more, reverse harems or just a whole ton of sex to hide plot holes. Although her books are still quite steamy in their own ways. The tease is more then enough to make up for not going into overly used details. Instead she puts it all into her plots. Thats not even getting into how funny these books are. They have so much southern trashy charm an spunk (mostly by a certain slighty vulgar fairy queen) that i promise you will smirk an laugh out loud!!!

[S. L. Daugherty]

Great cover, improving series. Fae in modern world.

Four bronze stars. I am now three volumes in and am glad I stuck with if. First, I really like the cover, possibly because I collect Tarot and Oracle decks and this cover satisfies that. The first volume had a tedious amount of sexual innuendo, fortunately not including a tedious amount of sex. The second had weak males that I really have no sympathy for. Then there is the TSTL female who says she must do some dangerous thing to prove her strength hand only to be knocked down easily proving the opposite. This volume takes a more Game of Thrones turn with treachery and tragedy blooming forth and a bit of a cliffhanger ending. I may not read much more because I don't like high body counts on the good guy sides. But I now want to see where this is going. The author needs some better skills on details and descriptions. I don't really care for a detailed description of BBQ guy unless it is a telltale for a sort of fae later

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this series through a Facebook ad and, thanks to Kindle Unlimited, I gave it a shot and I found it a cute, fun series--until this one. I don't know why the author felt the need to insert herself as a real entity in the story but that was a colossal fail. She didn't do it in the first two books and skipping over those ridiculous passages didn't detract from the actual book.

I'm not wild about the main character, Grace/Gloriana's insistence on living in a trailer park when her significant other has a house--that part just feels stupid, but it's not a dealbreaker on reading the books. The characters are interesting and the stories entertaining to this point although Grace's insecurities are getting annoying, but the author does have talent for story-telling and a good turn of phrase, so hopefully these annoyances are short-lived. Definitely worth reading if you like the genre.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this entry in the series but not as much as the others. The issue for me is the way that Grace overreacts to everything and doesn't seem to trust Dylan or give him the benefit of the doubt. Her default seems to be to become a drama queen and storm off, thinking that their relationship is over. It gets really old. Towards the end of the book this behavior is explained somewhat but it was tedious to read. Otherwise Grace is up against some serious foes, more so than the simple matter of Dylan's evil ex opposing her in the council election. I continue to find "Dublin" more appealing and sexy than Dylan and love how Kimbra uses the character. Can't wait to read the next one!

[Todd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shady Grove's residents are about half fae and other supernatural creatures. Grace had suggested a faerie council and it was time to put that into action.
But things can't happen in Grace's life without wrinkles. Dylan's ex Stephanie has crashed the planning meeting and plans to run against Grace as Queen.
Many life threatening occurrences happen to Grace and it will all come down to a showdown.
Very enjoyable story with thrills and plenty of laughs. But this is the last straw for me. It's about halfway to a romance novel and that's not my thing. Doesn't mean many others won't enjoy it though

[Lita · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so good. I just loved the characters and wish there was more. Based on the end of this book, there is more story to tell, so maybe another book will be forthcoming in the future.

I loved the world building in these three stories and the characters. From little Winnie, the daughter of a drug addict prostitute living next door to Grace, to Grace, Levi and Mr. Sandy Hair, Dylan the former sheriff of Shady Grove. As well as the secondary players who helped make the story so much fun. There was comedy, drama and adventure and of course a bit of magic.

I recommend these books to anyone looking for a little reading fun that isn't too heavy but also not too light.

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Crux of the story is upon us now.

Election time has arrived and all does not go as Grace has planned. Unexpected challenges are turning up everywhere and when one seems met two more arise in it's place until Grace is overwhelmed. With the help of her family and close friends she gets through it though. She never realized something could be taken away from her that she really didn't know she loved so much. Grace's Mother makes a brief appearance in this bard's tale. The ending, though......
Great third book in series. I absolutely love this series and am thrilled I have several more available to be read. I highly recommend the series and am off to read the next book.

[Ken Finlay · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's election time in Shady Grove and Grace faces unexpected opposition. The storyline continues to expand, broadening the wider picture for books to come, as Grace grows into her role as leader of the exiled and, it would seem, leader of the fairy resistance.
Grace has several problems but the one that is holding her back is that she doesn't really trust anyone, and those she almost trusts keep giving her reasons to doubt both them and herself.
Betrayal, loss and love - these are the keys to 'Snake in the Grass.'
A good fast read!

[Judy Upton · Rating 5 out of 5]

How coy can she be? Utterly Coy!

Oh the painful twists and turns this leg of the royal journey throws at us! I was either so turned on by the passion or mortified with fear of the unfolding with this unsuspected story! Just get comfy and hang on for the ride. This is an unpredictable tale of the escape from your reality! Thanks Kimbra! You always deliver and evoke every emotion possible!

[Jennifer Pezzella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best installment yet

Ok so the writing has got significantly better, hardly any grammatical errors. The story is getting so much more interesting. I was a little thrown off when Levi started telling the story from his point of view and you can actually read the background between him and Grace so I guess this means that all of these stories are in the past. Definitely recommend.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is there a number 4 in the works?

The adventures of Grace, Levi and Dylan has kept me up. The characters are believable, well as much as Fairies and Phoenix s are believable, and they have very human foibles. As such they make mistakes and they sometimes are confused, but they triumph. I love the characters and I love the stories.