It is still a solid piece of erotic storytelling, and one that has a lot of fun with fairy tale tropes, but where The Big Bad Wolf and Cinderella felt a little deeper in the storytelling, putting the emphasis squarely on the fairy tales being explored, Snow White and Peter Pan balances the eroticism and humor with some creative world-building and character development.
As it turns out, that is not at all a bad thing. I loved the teases about Maggie McCullough's magic pen and her rather fuzzy past, and the way Spillman humanizes Greta Grimhilde (editor of The Daily Mirror) while still keeping her edge is rather delightful. Originally, I felt like I wanted more of the fairy tale characters themselves - especially Pan and Hook - but once I thought about it, and considered them in the context of Greta's story, my appreciation grew by leaps and bounds.
The truth about Snow White is, far and away, the best part of the novel. It puts a contemporary spin on the classic story, and twists it from something fearful into something loving and tragic. Less of a parallel telling and more of a new telling that touches on the original tropes of the evil stepmother, poisoned apple, seven dwarves, and true love's kiss. It is erotic, kinky, and delightfully amusing, and it opens up the deeper revelations about Greta that come through the story of Peter Pan. I did feel as if the story of Pan, Hook, and Tink was a little rushed, more an outline than an erotic story of its own, with Maggie rushing away from the story a little too quickly, but that is a minor quibble.
There are many more stories to be told, of course, and that does not include the truth about Maggie herself. Snow White and Peter Pan was a fun read, and I am looking forward to more.
Author of Florida Frights: Ghosts of the Keys, a collection of strange but true, and meticulously researched, ghost stories, Trina Spillman has now ventured into the world of erotica. Her latest work--a rocking, ribald, humorous series entitled Setting the Record Straight--starts with the truth behind the tales of The Big Bad Wolf and Cinderella. Mrs. Spillman lives in South Florida with her husband and splits her time between their home on land and their houseboat where she hunkers down to create stories guaranteed to make you laugh, or cry ... or blush.
https://www.trinaspillman-freelance.com/
Thank you for an incredibly thoughtful review. I am hopeful the third time will be the charm as we find out who Maggie really is, and who her character will be interviewing next.
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