Rachel Kovaciny

Levi Dalton and his young siblings and cousins have a special Christmas present in mind for the uncle who's taking care of them all. But a little thief taking off with their basket of gingerbread could ruin Levi's plans in Run, Run by author Rachel Kovaciny.

So, is it okay that I heard Chuck Berry singing "run, run, Rudolph!" in the back of my head during most of this reimagining of "The Gingerbread Man"? Heeheehee...

This short story is a sequel to One Bad Apple in the Once Upon a Western series of fairy tale retellings. It includes some details that come together in the preceding book, but I wouldn't say those details really spoil anything if you're new to the series, especially if you know the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

In all, I found this quick holiday read as delightful as its charming and comfy-kind-of-delicious cover. A satisfying snack with an uplifting message.… (más)

Jedediah Jones has the chance to earn fifty dollars if he can figure out who spiked the cider at the town's dance hall, making the twelve sisters who work there tipsy in Dancing and Doughnuts by author Rachel Kovaciny.

Confession: I don't think I've ever heard the story of The Twelve Dancing Princesses. So any correlations to that fairy tale in the plot of this retelling were surely lost on me.

Another confession: I didn't read the blurb for this book beforehand, so I didn't know I was in for a mystery. Because I liked some short stories in the Once Upon a Western series, and I love this novel's cover, I jumped into the book blindly and just enjoyed the story for what it is.

Granted, its laid-back rhythm felt slow and unexciting to me here and there. I'm rather sure I would have preferred the tale as a shorter read with more pep to the pace. Also, it may be that the ebook I bought was originally formatted for print with hyphenations to keep the paragraphs aligned on paper, as I came across quite a few random, needlessly hyphenated words in the middle of sentences.

Nevertheless, I get a kick out of finding murderless mysteries, and this wholesome Western has some likable characters, a poignant lesson for Jedediah, a nice little romance, a great climax, a satisfying ending—and delicious doughnuts! I could almost taste 'em.

I hear tell there will be another book coming in this series, so I'm keeping my eyes open.… (más)

Christopher, the deputy sheriff in town, is fulfilling his "troll" role as part of a yearly prank he plays with his little brothers. But he's in a hurry this year, given that his parents have invited the girl he likes to dinner, and Christopher needs to get home to get cleaned up on account of an earlier incident with a drunk in Gruff by author Rachel Kovaciny.

An entertaining and cute batch of minutes, here. After reading two of the short stories in this series of fairy tale retellings, I may have to try one of the novels sometime.

The Dancing and Doughnuts one looks rather fun.… (más)