You definitely shouldn’t judge this book by its cover. Honestly, I nearly passed on it because the quality of the cover images looked so stock-ish that I thought it was self-published. Thankfully, the stories inside made me glad I gave it a chance. They’re fun, sexy, butch/femme spins on the classic fairy tales Beauty and The Beast, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella.

I sped through this queer book because the stories were so juicy and sweet, with contemporary storylines that place these characters in Chicago. Each story is packed with tension and smouldering desire with adorably sweet endings. If you’re looking for some lesbian romance with B/F dynamic, then these stories are a cute contemporary take on the bedtime stories you loved as a kid, featuring stories exclusively about women of colour.

Fairytales with a very modern twist. These stories we're great. They were well-written, romantic and steamy without being over the top. I love how all the stories tied together and stayed true to the theme of the fairytales while still being original.

Short and sweet, these three connected stories featuring black lesbians is great for readers who want something easy. It was compulsive, and if I hadn't had to go to bed, I would've finished in one night. I liked that Shade gave us diversity of age and presentation in the main characters. There were stylistic quirks that I could have done without, though. I also found myself thinking that each story had flashes of brilliance within otherwise average storytelling. I had a hard time dating the stories, though. Beyond knowing that they take place within months of each other, it was hard to discern what year it was within the story. The way the characters spoke and dressed felt very old school lesbian culture. Overall, I think it was a solid read that would appeal to someone who reads urban fiction, but doesn't like the violence that usually goes on in those books.

Femme Tales by Anne Shade is a modern-day fairy tale trilogy with protagonist who are African-American Lesbians. A refreshing change from the normal blonde and brunette white women that are in almost every lesbian novel. Each novella is a modern romance but spun as if a classic fairy tale.

Beast is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast with a music celebrity/producer and a stunningly beautiful nurse.

Awaken tells the story of a celebrity chef named Chayse and her Sleeping Beauty Serena.

In Stiletto a music mogul finds her own Cinderella complete with cruel step-father and step-sisters.

Each novella is also linked to the previous one, with the main characters appearing.

They are all enjoyable, sexy, easy to read and a fun way to spend time while locked away in your house during these troubled times.
Looking forward to more from author Anne Shade.

This trilogy of short stories has as a common link that the protagonists are African American women, a butch and a femme in each couple and each story is based on a fairy tale. And all three have been entertaining with romantic moments. The stories are simple, without many complications and the author has achieved her purpose of assimilating them quite successfully and in a pretty amusing way with the respective tale.

And besides, as all women are somehow related to each other, once their chapter ends we can find them again in the new episode. That is a plus, even if they only appear in passing.

As the purpose of the book is basically to recreate fairy tales in today's world, there is not much more than that, but the result does not diminish. And the reading is very enjoyable and engaging

It has brought me a breath of fresh air very necessary and welcome.

This was a great twist to fairytale romances. I can’t wait for this author to do more with fairytale stories.

This is about three best friends and the women who came into their life.

Ebony aka The Beast had hard life but she made it and gave her sister a chance at a better life along with the woman who help her. Ebony never let anyone close but when she meets Belinda she realize sometimes taking a chance can turn out to be the best thing.

Chayse finally accomplish her dream of being Chef and opening her restaurant. She has everything she ever wanted but she realize having success is great but not having someone to share it makes it’s less great. When Serena comes in she realize she may have found the one if only she gets a chance to tell her.

Cass has made great life as music mogul but she has nothing else because she doesn’t take the time for herself because she always busy. When her assistant and best friend Ebony trick her into vacation she realize that work became her life. When she sees the woman from the train at the same place she at she introduce herself to Faith and they hit it off.

There was some angst with each story but they all had HEA.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

A linked 3-pack of butch-femme romances. Modern retelling of fairy-tales (Beauty and the Beast; Sleeping Beauty; Cinderella).

Stories include three friends in NYC and the wonderful, powerful femmes that change their lives forever.

I really enjoyed this book, the writing was solid and all three stories were interesting. What I liked most about the book was that it had only protagonist who were black. Nt just people of color, but African American women which you almost never see in lesbian fiction. It was nice to see representation of my people in a book that didn't make us out to be hood or ghetto.

The first story that I read was based on Beauty and the Beast. I thought this was a strong story to start out with Ebony "the beast" Trent has had a a rough upbringing. Her mother abandoned her and her sister after her fathers death. She works hard to raise the two of them and eventually becomes a wealthy music producer. After a tragic incident with the woman who helped raise her and her sister, she needs to hire a nurse. In walks Belinda. They are immediately attracted to each other and end up sleeping together. It gets award for a while after that with Ebony acting the part of the beast perfectly. The story was excellently done and I liked how in such a short story they manage to run through all the types of emotions.

The second story was a sleeping beauty story. This one did not have as strong a story as the first one but I thought the characters of Chayse and Serena were interesting and the story was compelling.

The final story was my favorite. I love a good Cinderella story and this one was so well done and non traditional, while also sticking to all of the traditional elements of a cinderella story. I thought the story starting on the train and ending on a beach in turks and Caicos was interesting There is a good twist in there which I won't give away, but it was excellently done and I did not see it coming.

The three stories were awesome and I will be looking forward to reading more from this author.

Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty. Some of my favorite fairy tales growing up. Viewing them through a different lens is pretty awesome. The three stories were entertaining, some more than others. While reading I kept thinking of the original story and how this author presented. I really enjoyed Awaken. Chayse Carmichael and Serena Fraiser are both likable and kinda looking for someone to share their life with. Chayse is awesome as she spends time chatting with Serena.

Femme Tales by Anne Shade is a sexy modern day fairy tale trilogy. Each novella is a modern romance but with elements of a classic fairy tale in the story.
‘Beast’ is a retelling of “Beauty and the Beast” with a music celebrity/producer and a stunningly beautiful nurse. ‘Awaken’ tells the story of a celebrity chef named Chayse and her “Sleeping Beauty” Serena.
In ‘Stiletto’ a music mogul finds her own “Cinderella” complete with not-so-nice step-father and step-sisters.

All three novellas are quick and easy reads with lovely characters, beautiful settings and some very steamy romances. They are the perfect stories if you want to sit and escape from the real world for a while, and enjoy a bit of fairy tale magic with your romance. I thoroughly enjoyed all three stories.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

I did not want the tales to end. Each story was beautifully crafted, a new age spin on classic fairy tales. There was Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. The imagery was so intense if you closed your eyes you could see the words play just like a movie. Awesome read!!!!