Thank you NetGalley and Jo Holloway for the arc of Hunted by Wolves and Shadow!! I loved everything about this book!! Such a good retelling of LRRH! 1000% recommend if you’re looking for a good enemies to lovers, a morally grey man, fairytale retell and spicceeeeee

I love fairytale retellings and this has such a good premise. Red riding hood is a classic and has been retold multiple times in different ways but this felt fresh.

I love enemies to lovers and a morally grey MMC. Had all the elements I like in a romantasy. Really enjoyed it.

Shifters,witches , spice all the spice ok so not what I was expecting from a red riding hood retelling this book has everything and more this was easily a 5 star for me

I love a good retelling! In this, a monster and a witch must find their own paths while working together. If they can just get over what's holding them back and allow themselves to accept what the other is offering, all of their problems can be solved.

Loveddddd this! Fairytale retellings are a must for me! The way they spinned this story to have more of a dark twisty vibe to it was a perk to me. I enjoyed watching the growth of the characters too

Firstly trying to find good retelling books that are more for a mature audience is slim and few that actually have more story then steam. This one is a perfect mix of steamy yet still able to give you the immersive story. I loved the twist on this one, who you think you know can be all a ruse. I think it added to a bit of difference and helping with the actual Grimm Brother influence more so. Emi is absolutely naïve at the beginning but when you are young and wholeheartedly trustworthy of someone who you think you know, your mind can be faltered and not really see what lies in front of you, but she becomes so much more than a scared woman. I love the dynamics between her and the wolf. Each character unique, and while the spice being spicing the scenes are not too detailed, and if you do not like them (Which I have no idea why you would not if you read these books) but you can skip over them but you miss some epic dialog. Worth a read and check out in your like retellings that are more mature!

A little red riding hood retelling has the makings for a great story, though ultimately this one felt a little rushed for me. I did however like the banter between the Wolf and Red. I do want to try and read some of the other novella's that Jo has written!

Wonderful retailing of the little red riding hood. Love the twist with witches and curses with romance. Enemies to lovers is my favorite and this was perfect. The interaction with Emi and Wolf were prefect and that romance it was so good.

Hunted by Wolves and Shadow by Jo Holloway

💫 Red Riding Hood retelling
💫 short and fast paced novella
💫 part of the Enemies Ever After series (interconnected standalones)
💫 forced proximity
💫 wolf shifter x witch
💫 enemies to lovers
💫 prophecy

I read this book in a day, it was a nice and easy read. The world building was almost non-existent and the magic system was not detailed, but since it's a short novella I didn't expect them to be. It was easy to connect with Emi and Wolf and I loved their romance and character development. I will definitely add the other books in the series to my TBR.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC!

I was not expecting where this one went though I was happy with it, kind of sad I didn't. Realize it was part of a Standalone style series of short stories.

The Red Riding Hood retelling I never knew I needed in my life.

I really enjoyed this very unique take on the traditional fairy tale. I felt very connected to Emi throughout the story as I resonated with her character so personally. I also enjoyed it even more once we met Wolf and got to see their interactions change and grow over time. A wonderful story and one I will be recommending to others.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This was a fun read. There was plenty of action and spicy romance. I recognized multiple characters that will hopefully be in future books if they don't already have their own.

This is a super unique take on the Red Riding Hood fairy tale, infused with witches, curses, and romance; that was also giving slight Beauty & the Beast vibes! Emi is on her way to visit her grandma who lives out in the cursed woods, when she arrives at her house instead of finding her grandma she finds Wolf, a handsome cursed man. Thus begins their enemies to lovers romance! I didn't connect to the characters that much and it felt very rushed. The highlights of the book instead were the magic system and the retelling part

I haven't read many retellings in my life. Those who know me are aware that I'm quite hesitant, especially when it comes to mythology.

In this case, it’s a reimagining of one of the most well-known fairy tales in the world: Little Red Riding Hood. There are various versions, but the common elements are the girl, the grandmother, and the wolf.

And what if I told you that in "Hunted By Wolves and Shadow," the real villain isn't the wolf, but the grandmother... would you believe me?

Probably not, but then again, neither does Emi, the girl in question.

How could an old woman hide the evil that everyone accuses her of?

Emi's grandma is the only person who shows her any affection, welcoming her when everyone else calls the young woman a "witch."

So, despite the thick fog that covers the forest, Emi travels that path every time she wants to see a familiar and friendly face.

But this time, it’s not the old woman who greets her. Instead, the door is opened by a man with ash-blond hair and a seductive, silvery gaze.

The mysterious, dark mist hides beastly, bloodthirsty creatures, so despite the many questions that naturally arise, Emi decides to take refuge in the little house with this captivating stranger.

From this forced coexistence, many truths come to light, but it's not a symphony that Emi is willing to hear.

She will have to confront a reality she has been kept in the dark about for too long. She must take control of her life and turn the situation around to rediscover the best version of herself, a transformation that a certain character will help her achieve.

This book, which I want to call almost a short story due to its brevity and readability, kept me company on this engaging and thrilling journey.

I became terribly attached to the characters, so much so that it was truly satisfying to read the happy ending, as if I had been the one guiding them in that direction.

Emi is a woman who holds herself back to avoid bothering others, hiding her true self to stay unnoticed in a world that doesn't want her.

Wolf is a man on a mission: to save his family, keep them together, and deal with the damage caused by the fog. He'll do whatever it takes to get the job done.

What neither of them expected was that their meeting would change everything.

They both discover what it means to love and be loved. They learn that beneath the surface, things are different than they seem. And they find in each other the strength to become their best selves.

Read this book; you won't regret it!

Thanks to both the author and NetGalley for letting me read and review a free copy of this book. This has not altered my opinion on the book in any way.

The first thing I want to say in this review is that Emi and her backstory really resonated with me. As someone who had to take care of others when they were younger, I understood Emi's struggle and appreciated the author's exploration of her feelings in regards to her family and her town. I also loved how she worried about subconciously picking up on her family's bad behavior, an anxiety that is rarely depicted in literature--especially among female protagonists. I also loved the gemstone witches and their powers because it made the book feel very whimsical and fairytale like. The story about Emi finding her power and learning how to use it was very strong, and it was a plotline I deeply appreciated.

I feel like this book could have benefitted from having another round of editing, because certain plotlines, such as the overall nature of the curse and the setting, felt weak. I had no idea what time period this book was set in, and there was very little description of the world around the characters. This lack of worldbuilding made it challenging for me to get invested in the story because in fantasy novels especially, the setting needs to act almost like a character in order to feel believable. The relationship between Emi and Wolf also went from 0 to 60 with very little build-up. In order for their relationship to have depth, they needed to do something besides wander around Emi's grandmother's cottage. The book being longer could have helped remedy some of these issues, since I felt like the author didn't give herself enough space to fully explore her idea.

A wonderful story about Emi and Wolf! This was so heartfelt, pulled on my heartstrings! Emi found out certain things that she should have been told. Emi learns so much, and the love story , so good! Can't wait to read more from #joholloway #Netgalley

This was a great book, but I feel like calling it a retelling may be a bit misleading. There are a few elements that hint to the original story and the main characters are there (mostly), but it's more like Red Riding Hood is not the grandma and we get to read the story of her granddaughter.

I liked the story, but the chemistry between the MC and the love interest could be better. I really loved the artwork we got at the end of the book, but since it is listed in the table of contents, I feel like it's a slight spoiler.

What really impressed me, is the transformation the FMC goes through and how she eventually discovers herself and what she really wanted to do, making the ending really heartwarming.

Thank you for allowing me to read this as an ARC for my honest review.

OK - So the PG swearing - really! 'for cloud sake!', I know this is a YA but it really made me laugh every time I saw this on the page, and was actually quite distracting at times.
The pacing was very hit and miss - sometimes it was very fast and I needed to know what was going to happen or what was happening at times as it was that quick, whereas others, it was so slow I was easily distracted by the smallest things and my mind was wandering, if this was sorted out and more even then this would have been a higher star rating for me.

The enemies-to-lovers between Emi and Wolf was good, a bit spicy in places but not forced, which was appropriate.

I couldn't really get into this story. The pacing was all over the place, and the characters were unlikable. Some scenes dragged on without any resolution, and the main character's personality switched from childish to mature, making it hard to understand her.

Maybe others would enjoy it, but this book just wasn't for me.

Hunted by Wolves and Shadows was an amazing read. I enjoyed Holloway's take on the fairytale an enemies-to-lovers with witches, shifters, magic, and more. It was very entertaining and left me craving even more retellings. There was some mild spice. The few spicy scenes are well written. You can feel the chemistry between Emi & Wolf.

I felt that the story moved at a great pace and kept me enthralled. This was a unique take on the story of little red riding hood and it was highly enjoyable.

Emi and Wolf: the BANTER! ☠️ threats as flirting. Yes. I just love them both and their individual growth too. Emi really comes so far in this book.
There were a lot of aspects that were recognizable from the original fairy tale, but the changes the author made it into its own unique story as well.

Here are some of the goodies to expect:
🌹 Little Red Riding Hood Retelling
🌹 Witch x Shifter Romance
🌹 Enemies-to-Lovers
🌹 Forced Proximity
🌹 Found Family

Thank you to NetGalley and Jo Holloway for the opportunity to read this book.