Synopses & Reviews
The True Face of Love
Ruth's grandmother lives in the forest, banished there for the "evil" that the townsfolk believed she practiced. But if studying the stars, learning about nature, and dreaming of flying is evil, then Ruth is guilty of it too. Whenever Ruth took food and supplies to her grandmother, she would sit with the old woman for hours, listening and learning.
When she wasn't in the woods, Ruth was learning the trade of her father, a blacksmith, now that her brother would never return from the Crusades.
Amidst those dark days, a new man enters Ruth's life. William is a noble with a hot temper and a bad name, and he makes her shiver. But the young man is prey to his heritage, a curse placed on his family ages ago, and each male of the family has strange blood running in his veins. Now Ruth must come face-to-face with his destiny at Grandma's house
Review
"This romance from the 'Once Upon a Time' series is based on the fairy tale 'Little Red Riding Hood' with a suggestion of 'Peter and the Wolf' thrown in....[A]n enjoyable read." Children's Literature
Review
"A lively re-imagining of Red Riding Hood for romantic older girls. When Ruth was small, a wolf with green eyes attacked her: her brother saved her, but she has never forgotten. Her brother Stephen and her cousin Peter go off to the Crusades; Ruth remains, assisting her blacksmith father and visiting her grandmother, who lives in the forest. Ruth loves to learn the lore of plants and herbs from her grandmother even as she loves learning the working of metal from her father, but her grandmother has been banished from the village for fear of witchcraft. Peter comes back from war broken and Stephen has died. A local noble, William, Earl of Lauton, finds Ruth at the shop and far from being put off by her doing men's work, is strangely drawn to her, as Ruth is to him, even when she notices he has the same green eyes as the wolf of her nightmares. Viguié neatly weaves werewolf tales, a scarlet cloak lined with Ruth's brother's armor, a sentient forest, and a certain amount of passionate kissing into her narrative without getting silly or stupid. Teen girls will swoon." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"For YAs who loved fairy tales when they were younger, this spellbinding novel is an essential read. Viguié has transformed the story of Little Red Riding Hood into a riveting, romantic saga. The novel is set during the Crusades and delves into the life of a young maiden, Ruth, who is attacked by a wolf as a child. The heroine struggles through trials and triumphs as events alter her life forever: she experiences love for the first time, sees a brother off to war, and takes employment in a man's position. In this novel, Viguié explores the standards of conventional gender roles and classic literary archetypes while developing a tale that explores and develops all of the questions readers might have after reading the tales of the Brothers Grimm. Scarlet Moon, as well as Midnight Pearls and the other retold fairy tales in this series, are a welcome addition to any YA collection." KLIATT
About the Author
Debbie Viguié’s Simon Pulse books include the New York Times bestselling Wicked series and the Once upon a Time novels Violet Eyes, Scarlet Moon, and Midnight Pearls. She lives in Florida with her husband, Scott. Visit her at DebbieViguie.com.