This story was such an adventure and it was so hard to put down, I felt like I was in it with them. I loved every second of this book, it kept me on my toes and it kept my interest flowing. My fingers still felt tingly 30 minutes after I finished. If that’s not the sign of a book that really has an impact, I don’t know what is. While I shed no tears for this one, I still felt it deeply. There was so much that happened and I have so many questions and I don’t want to leave the world yet. I can’t wait for more, I’m so excited to see how this series ends!

I love a good retelling.

Hunted by Wolves and Shadow is a short (<300 pages) and sweet take on Red Riding Hood where the people we think of as good guys are bad, the bad guys are good, and our FMC Emi has to figure out what's right, wrong, and where she wants to fall.

Emi is feisty and loyal and a little naive, but she gets so much growth by the end. Wolf hides a lot beneath his charming smile and monster moniker. There's no lack of tension, but however much they might be prejudiced against each other, they want the same things and learn from each other.

There are hints of other fairytales woven through the story (likely belonging to the other books in this series of retellings) that are fun little Easter eggs.

This is my first romantacy, and it did not disappoint. This enemies to lovers is a classic retelling of little red riding hood with a twist. If you like slow burns, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, and fairy tales, then you are sure to enjoy the works of Jo Holloway. On her way to grandma's cottage, Emi encounters wolf. They are trapped in the cottage due to a curse of mist that takes people and changes them. It is up to wolf and Emi to break the curse that plagues the forest and surrounding towns. I truly was on the edge of my seat at times, waiting to find out what would happen next.

4 ⭐️ out of 5
1.5 🌶️ out of 5

✨Tropes:
🐺 forced proximity
🐺 enemies to lovers
🐺 found family
🐺 dual pov
🐺 prophecy

✨Summary:

A fun, and kind of cozy (with some spice), retelling of little red riding hood.

Emi sets out, just like any other day, to visit her grandmother, Grandma Ruby, far from the village in a secluded cottage in the misty, foggy woods. While she journeys into the woods, she notices the misty fog seems a bit thicker than usual. And unlike the many times she’s made this trip, she finds herself running for her life from a huge, bloodthirsty wolf. She manages to run and fling herself into her grandmother’s cottage just in time to escape the wolf, only to find a strange, yet handsome, man occupying the cottage. Emi assumes the stranger is her grandmother’s gardener, but she soon finds out Wolf is more than meets the eye. And Emi is on a trajectory to find out that her life is more than she ever realized.

📚A Deeper Read:

There are some excellent recurring themes. There’s a theme of self realization to complacency and willful ignorance to the “outside” world’s (others’) suffering. Emi at one point laments that she has been so self absorbed in her own worries and anxieties that she has completely ignored the pain and suffering of others. This is such an important theme and lesson for people today with what’s happening in various parts of the world.

There’s also a main theme of self discovery and self acceptance. Emi makes a choice to no longer let her past influence her future. She accepts a new part of herself (her magic) and she chooses to no longer let fear hold her back.

Selfishness versus selflessness is a consistent theme throughout the story. It ties into both Emi’s story and Wolf’s story. Wolf openly struggles with his own anxiety about being “enough” to tie his found family together and help them to not only survive, but also thrive during the harsh conditions of the fog.

🐺Critiques:
The initial dialogue between Emi and Wolf is a bit juvenile for how old the characters are supposed to be. The general writing is very good, but the characters’ “banter” dialogue comes off just a bit too young for their age. The dialogue does improve greatly about a third of the way into the book.

Emi doesn’t seem nearly as worried as she should be when she first doesn’t see her grandmother anywhere. It seems strange, and a bit out of character compared to how she is in the rest of the story, that she was so accepting when she first meets Wolf, who is a complete stranger at the time.

I didn’t love the non-cursing, cursing. Example: a person in their twenties calling someone a “wart-head.” Not the worst, but not the best. I’ve seen it done in other books effectively. The way it was done here came off childish for how old the main character is supposed to be. I think the reason it was done was to perhaps highlight the fact that Emi was so isolated from her peers and mainly interacted with her seemingly elderly, sweet, and kind grandmother. However, the language seemed out of place and took me out of the story at times. Thankfully, it’s not done too often to be too greatly annoying.

🪄Standout magic features:
There is a particularly cool, and fairly unique, magical element featured in this novel. It is the concept that a witch’s magical power is solely determined by the first thing she wholeheartedly wishes for in life. For example: if a witch’s first true, wholehearted wish is to kill someone, that witch will end up with the power of death magic. I have not personally come across this particular type of “coming into one’s powers” yet, so I found it fun and refreshing.

I’ve seen cursed fog before, but the people who turn into animals with the potential to turn into rabid forms of those animals is new to me. Loved that twist.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for providing the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing the ARC.

I really wanted to like this book. I am a sucker for fairy tale retelling and Once Upon a Time was one of my favorite shows. But this book was incredibly flat.

I didn't connect with any of the characters. Emi came off as annoyingly naive and Wolf had an instant love connection that felt clumsy and awkward. Characters that were not fleshed out were immediately important with no lead up to their importance. Conversations were stilted and unfulfilled. I just thought that this book needed a level of editing that just wasn't present.

I wanted more than what it was and I was left with nothing but a stagnant mash of charchacters and plots.

This was not what I expected to say the least… Something was lacking in this book and I’m not quite sure what it was.

I liked the retelling of the little red riding hood but felt like the enemies to lovers was missing that spark, that chemistry, that angst. It felt like the switch from enemies to lover was very sudden. I found myself skimming the all the spicy scenes ( which is very unlike me).

I did really like the writing, I found it quite enjoyable to read even if the plot wasn’t my favourite.

Overall, I wouldn’t say it was the best fantasy retelling I’ve read but definitely a fun read.

“The whole time, I was just scared of losing more and this was the only way I could hang on.”

“Hunted by Wolves and Shadow,” by Jo Holloway

Emi is on her way to her grandmother’s cottage but is attacked by a beast. When she makes it to the cottage there is a man, and her grandmother is nowhere to be seen. Wolf is trying to break the curse of the forest and save the people he loves. Being stuck together is complicated and growing attraction does not make it any easier.

This book is a fun and cute red riding hood retelling. I loved the spins Jo Holloway took with the story with the beasts and the gemstone witches, it was a very good story. The book had a lot of slow times, but it still was really good. I would say despite the death and drama it gave me more cozy fantasy feels while I was reading. I liked the backstory and personalities of the two main characters. 4 out of 5 stars.

-Witches
-Shifters
-Magic
-Forced Proximity
-Enemies To Lovers

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.

Hunted by Wolves and Shadow is a Red Riding Hood retelling, featuring Curses, Witches and Shifters. With a sprinkle of forced proximity and a smidge of spice it's an easy read for fairytale lovers.

Emi is on her way to visit Grandma’s cottage but this time the Mist is thicker, the beasts are too close . . . And the handsome stranger who answers her frantic knock is definitely NOT her Grandma Ruby.
Wolf had one job. Kill the witch and end the curse plaguing the land. Instead, the forest feels more menacing than ever when a fiery redhead comes screaming out of the Mist for the safety of the cottage.
Trapped together by the dangers outside the door, Emi and Wolf find unexpected chemistry sparking between them. But when explosive secrets come out, their bond shatters.
While Emi struggles to face her family's sordid truth, Wolf fights to keep his protective instincts under control. He needs to figure out what went wrong, not deal with this feisty new problem who gets under his skin. Neither trusts the other, but if they hope to break free from the Mist, they'll have to learn to trust their hearts. Because the fate of every lost soul in these cursed woods depends on it...

It's a fast paced, easy read. The concept of being stuck in forced proximity with a stranger, an enemy for safety intrigued me and I liked that new take on Red Riding Hood. It felt more insta-lust/love than enemies-to-lovers but their chemistry read well and I enjoyed their banter. If you like your fairytale retellings add it to your tbr.

Thank you Netgalley and Jo Holloway for the eARC to read and review.

Emi never has a problem visiting her Grandma's cottage in the woods, but this time the mist is so thick that it swirls around her ankles, and the path isn't clear. When a shadow-y beast chases her to the cottage, she runs inside and right into the arms of,,,,,,someone who isn't her Grandma. This handsome stranger named Wolf is there to try to end the mist that is changing his friends into monsters. He never expected a young witch like Emi to run into his arms, but she may be just what he needs to destroy the mist. Emi has no idea she is a witch, and refuses to believe it when Wolf tells her. When Wolf tells her what happened to her Grandma, she is bent on revenge. Since neither one can leave the cottage, they must learn to co-exist, while working together to destroy the mist, keep from destroying each other, and fight the attraction that is slowly growing between them.

This is billed as a retelling of Red Riding Hood with mild spice, ad that describes it perfectly. I loved the evolution of both Emi and Wolf, seeing their characters make a complete 180 in how they viewed each other and their situation. I also enjoyed seeing Emi as she came into her powers and how she dealt with them, especially when it came to her sister. I love reading fairytale retellings and this is first one I have read about Red Riding Hood. It was fresh & exciting, and if you enjoy fairytale retellings like I do, you are going to love it.

“The walk to Grandma Ruby's house was always eerie, but I usually felt safe enough on the path. This time my breath fisted tight in my chest.”

Hunted by Wolves and Shadow is a red riding hood retelling that is one of ten books in the Enemies Ever After series- a collection of standalone novels featuring enemies-to-lovers fairy tale retellings.
Emi and Wolf, the dual POV narrators who find themselves trapped in a cottage surrounded by the cursed mist of the Aglonbriar forest, are left wondering who is the hunter and who is the prey between them in this forced proximity situation.
This had a unique twist on the traditional fairytale, featuring witches and shifters, while still giving ode to the original story.
I enjoyed this, but I found myself wanting more interactions between Wolf and Emi, and less of their inner monologues. I felt there was some opportunity for more plot that seemed to be glossed over to allow room for inner monologues/thoughts/worries of the characters.
Overall, while I felt there was room for more, this was a cute and quick read, and it left me curious about more retellings in this collection!

Favorite quotes below 👇🏼

“I didn’t know whether to kill him or kiss him. And how could I want both?”

“Every soft moment got catalogued in my head and branded on my soul until I was etched in lines of Emi, Emi, Emi.”

“All the better to love you with, my dear.”

This was a no brainer read for me. I love a good enemies to lovers and a fairy tale retelling. I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about this when I started, it took me a little bit to feel invested. But once I really got into it, I was hooked.

This turned into a slow burn redemption story that had a great payoff. I loved how the storyline played out and was pleasantly surprised by the found family aspect that didn’t start until about halfway through. Those secondary characters really added another layer to the story that I loved.

I also loved the character growth of the MCs. I started by being incredibly annoyed at the naivety and basically all other characteristics of Emi. But she really did grow into a strong, feisty, proud character. I enjoyed Wolf from the beginning, but his arc was as beautiful as well and exploring the layers, especially related to his found family were nice to see play out for both the reader and Emi to see.

This was my first Jo Holloway book and I will read more in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley and Jo Holloway for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

**Ratings**
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️
Setting: 🌎🌎🌎
Characters: ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖

**What to Expect**
-Enemies to Lovers -ish
-Little Red Riding Hood Retelling
-Forced Proximity

**Characters**
Emi is disliked and treated poorly by the people in her town, a direct contrast to how her sister Jade is treated. She is very close to her Grandma Ruby. She is very gentle and kind, but has a strength to her that shouldn't be underestimated.

Wolf is very flirty and charming, trying to save his people from a curse. When he finds out who Emi is there is some serious beef. He is very flirty and drawn to Emi despite his reservations.

**World/Setting**
This is definitely an expansive world and I am so excited to check out the other books. I have so many theories on who could be who and can't wait to see how everything unfolds and if these stories intersect at all.

The different towns and worlds leaves the door open for so many things which makes me beyond curious to learn more!

**My Thoughts**
I really do love a retelling! Knowing the general story, but seeing the path and unique ways of getting there is just so much fun! I loved the hints at other potential characters and books to come and am very curious where this will lead and if my initial theories are spot on or not.

The pacing matches with most fairytales and this was a super easy and fun read! I liked that the story didn't get bogged down with mundane details and progressed at a reasonably steady pace.

The art details throughout the book were such a great touch and really added to the overall feel of the story.

**My Favorite Quotes**
“Emi removed her hooded cloak and hung it on the coat rack neaxt to one of ruby red. My stomach twisted, something ugly rising at how similar they were. That red hood had only every meant one thing.”

“My brain likes to torture me with all the things I could have done better, what I could have said to be funnier or smarter or more interesting. All the things I could have held back to be less annoying or boring, or not such a burden. It’s supid, I know. Trust me, none of it ever makes a difference.”

“I’d had enough. “Better a loon than a self-absorbed fool, looking through glass eyes, seeing only what suits you. No one is this naive, Emerald.”

“I was in trouble. Big… bad… trouble.”

this didn’t hit as hard as i thought…

honestly skim read the last 20% of it, i just wasn’t captivated. the mmc was less flynn-rider-cocky (which i love) and more smarmy, and i DESPISE smarminess. his ego needed a serious blow.

and i know it was a novella, but the actual enemies-to-lovers progression seemed so rushed?? even though their enemies phase was so unrealistic and mild??

overall i just didn’t love this one :// though the retelling aspect was interesting, and the actual plot was decent. thanks to netgalley anyway!

This was by far the cutest retelling of little red riding hood that i have read! I loved that it took the classic fairytale and made it into a witchy romance! It gave all the classic feels of the original fairy tale while bringing in new light to the loved story. I loved every minute of it (and that there was a witch with my name!) and that the story ended with a line you would get from the classic telling of the story! I also loved that the fmc had a strong character growth and learned to be who she was and learned to love who she was as the story progressed. This story also shows how a found family can feel more like family than your own and that you dont have to settle for less when there are others out there who will make you see and feel differently and show you that youre worthy of a true family and love and care. Overall this story was just the right pace and just the right amount of every little twist and turn that was needed to give it that true fairy tale vibe while incorporating such a bigger story! Honestly loved it!

"Hunted by Wolves and Shadows" is an enemy to lovers, Red Riding Hood retelling. Now, when I saw this categorization a different image and plot came to mind. The one that I read wasn't bad per se. Emi goes to visit her grandma to find a handsome stranger. The whole story is set in this world plagued by a magical mist. The premise and the world-building seemed interesting and clear enough to me. The execution? Not so much, in my opinion.
The thing is that the whole thing reads like a first draft. The characters were barely sketched and the dialogue and the writing lacked definition. You get a pretty good idea of their personality, background story and character arc. Still, it felt like it was missing something.
IT read pleasantly, I did enjoy it. But this lack of finesse and depth made it a bit lacklustre to me.

Red Riding Hood was one of my favorite stories as a child, so I had to pick up this book! I really didn’t know what to expect, but I’m always down for forced proximity and a villain.

In Hunted by Wolves and Shadows, Red Riding Hood is a witch, and the Wolf is a human shifter! This was such an interesting retelling that stayed true to many parts of the original story but had such an original twist to it. I couldn’t fully predict what would happen, which is nice when reading a retelling.

I will say, it was hard for me to get fully engaged with this book—I don’t know if it was the pacing or the story, but I found myself bored in the middle of it. However, I did enjoy the beginning and the end!

Thank you, NetGalley and Jo Holloway Books, for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

𝙴𝚖𝚒 & 𝚆𝚘𝚕𝚏 ♡

"𝑪𝒂𝒍𝒎 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝑰 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏'𝒕 𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑰 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒚 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒖𝒕, 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖."

"𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒇𝒖𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔."

Oh how I absolutely adored Emi & Wolf's story! We have a shorter but jam packed Red Riding Hood retelling where our Red (Emi) is a witch. There are rumors not to travel through the mist surrounding their town but her grandmother lives in a cottage out there & has always told her not to fear the mist so she goes to her often. Our story starts with her going there only to find Wolf instead of her grandmother. She finds out he killed her grandmother & while he has his reasons - she doesn't believe him. They are stuck in the cottage together, hating each other & they have to learn to trust each other to find a way to help each other break the curse of the Mist.

And if they fall in love along the way, well who can blame them? 🤭

I loved how fiery Emi was, every time she insulted Wolf had me in tears because they were so outlandish, clever & she had SO MANY insults ready. 😂 I loved their banter & how despite the fact Wolf had trust issues - the entire time his subconscious saw into Emi's heart & wanted to protect her. Emi's family treated her like dirt & I thought Wolf was truly her perfect other half. Him helping her see that she was deserving of love & kindness, that she was beautiful & worthy - ugh my heart. And Emi gave him a safe place, he always thought he had to take the burden of protecting all the cursed people alone, he was their protector & never allowed himself to relax or enjoy life, enter Emi. She gave him a safe place, a home, & showed him he too was deserving & more than just a beast.

We also meet some other interesting side characters from other famous fairytales/plays & I loved those little easter eggs. I saw that the author has a series planned for more in this world where it's fairytales meet Shakespeare. How exciting!

Thank you Netgalley for sending me a copy.

𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔:
🌶: 4/5
✨: 2.5/5

A new retelling of Red Riding Hood featuring a witch who just discovered her family's terrible secret and the wolf who is cursed and needs her help. Emerald "Emi" is a witch, hated by her village, and only knowing her grandmother's love. When she goes to visit her grandmother she does not expect to discover a handsome stranger in there. Wolf has been trying to end the curse plaguing his forest and the only way to do so is to kill the Ruby witch... who just happened to be Emi's grandma. Yet the curse is still going on despite Wolf killing the ruby witch and now he needs the help of another gem stone witch to end the curse. Emi doesn't have any magic so when a strange man tells her that she is a witch and that everything she knew about her grandmother is wrong, Emi freaks out. Yet the more time Emi and Wolf spend together the more she is beginning to realize that maybe she didn't know her grandmother as well as she had expected. There is also the growing chemistry between them... but can two people who are on opposite sides really be together despite everything they've done to one another? This was definitely a unique take on the classic story. I really wanted to like it more but I just didn't find myself all that invested. I adore fairytale retellings and was really hoping this one would be for me but I just found myself not liking the characters or feeling like the couple had any chemistry. I do think it's a fun read for anyone who is a fan of fairytale retellings and that you should give it a go just to see if you'll have more fun with it than I did! Fairytale retellings are always fun to read and if you like them, definitely try this one!

*Thanks Netgalley and Jo Holloway Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Release Date: May 29,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

3.5 stars.

Little Red Riding Hood, but she’s a witch and The Wolf is a shifter??!!

The banter in this was unreal. I was constantly laughing. Plus, it’s dual POV. I appreciate that the reimagining aspect basically just sets the scene. Then it moves on and becomes its own story.

He’s trying to break a curse. She was intending to visit her grandmother. Both get stuck in the tiny cottage because The Mist (aka the curse) has gotten out of control.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my advanced digital copy!

Hunted by Wolves and Shadow by Jo Holloway.

This a red riding hood retelling but with a whole different story line.

Emi goes to visit her grandma but when she arrives, her grandma isnt home, a handsome man by the name of Wolf is in grandmas house. Why is he there? Where is grandma?

This is a enemies to lovers and a slow burn.

I was intrigued by a retelling of red riding hood, but this book wasn't really for me. I felt it lacked some excitement. Dont get me wrong, it had a story line, but, it just wasn't my kind of read...