Trust no one in the shadows of the piney woods . . .
Letty Hood has spent the last fifteen years of her life hidden away with her grandmother in the backwoods of east Texas to escape the deadly schemes of an uncle who wants her dead. Now, with her twenty-first birthday on the horizon, she is forced to accept the escort of a stranger and return to Houston in secret so she can claim a birthright that will make her one of the wealthiest women in Texas. If she lives long enough to inherit.
Pinkerton agent Philip Carmichael has one duty: get the Radcliffe heiress home alive. Expecting a spoiled girl, Philip is surprised to encounter a woman of rare strength with a kind soul and keen wit. As they journey together, Letty’s resilience wins his admiration, breaking through his hardened cynicism. Yet the threat to her survival grows more menacing with every mile, and Philip fears that keeping Letty out of harm’s way may be just as impossible as keeping her out of his heart.
My Review:
I do so love a good fairy tale retelling and this one is excellent! An intriguing mash up of Red Riding Hood and Sleeping Beauty. Loved spotting the nods to both classic tales – only with such clever twists. I’m thinking of the wolf. And the role the hunter plays and…well…it was so much fun reaching these little ‘aha’ moments as the story unfolded.
‘Cloaked in Beauty’ (fabulous title – eye catching cover!) is also very much a classic Western tale too. The Texas setting brings a unique ambience to this fairy tale retelling and Letty and Philip’s journey across the state was peppered with action and danger along with some good old fashioned neighbourliness in unexpected places.
I enjoyed the way the romance unfolds at a gentle pace. It’s very much a forbidden love trope – she’s soon to claim her spot in Houston’s high society and he’s from a totally different class. Of course, Letty has grown up knowing she’s an heiress but living a simple, homespun country life which makes it hard for Philip to rein in his feelings since a romance seems so plausible. That’s once they shift from wary strangers to tentative friends! Some nice tension there, especially after Letty, who has lived a very solitary life with her Grandmother, becomes aware of Philip as more than a friend.
A captivating reimagining of two classic tales with lots of action and adventure to keep things interesting until the hard-won happily ever after!
GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:
This giveaway is for a print or ebook copy. Winner’s choice.
US – available in print or ebook — winner’s choice
Canada – available in print or ebook or audible (if available) — winner’s choice
International – ebook copy if you have a US Kindle account.
If you would like a chance to win a copy of Cloaked in Beauty, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday February 22 2025
Kav's Best Reads 
Great review. I love the cover. This sounds really good. I love a fairy tale retelling. This one has caught my eye for a while. Thanks for the chance
tighefan42atgmaildotcom
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I love a fairy tale retelling too and it looks like we are going to get even more Western retellings from Karen Witemeyer so — woohoo! Good luck, Tammy!
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Thank you so much for your review on CLOAKED IN BEAUTY! This book is already on my TBR list and reading your review has my desire level going up even more. I, also, love the retelling of fairy tales – when done correctly. This one sounds to do that and then some. Great cover too!
Greatly appreciate the chance to win this fabulous book!
May today start you off on a wonderful week.
2clowns at arkansas dot net
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It has started to be a wonderful week — the snow has stopped and the sun is shining! 🙂 You’ll love this one, Kay. Good luck!
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thanks for the chance to read this great book.
jacsmi75 at gmail dot com
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You’re welcome, Jackie. Good luck!
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Love her fairytale retellings. cheetahthecat1982ATgmailDOTcom
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This has been such a great series. I’m glad she’s going to do more of them. Good luck, Kim!
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Karen is one of my oldest and most favorite historical authors! I feel in love with her books as a teenager and now this series is like becoming my favorite! Did you see she is doing a spinoff series for this indie published? She just did the cover reveal for it and it’s stunning 😍 Thanks Kav!
sarahdar0801ATgmailDOTcom
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Oooohhh — I hadn’t heard the books would be indie published spin offs. That’s brilliant. I had heard she was going to write more retellings and I assumed the publisher contracted them because these books have been such a success. Good for her to continue with them herself. We’ll have to keep our eyes out for the first indie release. Good luck, Sarah!
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I’m intrigued, Kav. Count me in! 🙂
ckbarker at gmail dot com
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Counted! Good luck, Cheryl!
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I actually thought I had this book already on my TBR pile but I don’t. I do have quite a few of Karen’s books already too and would love to add this one to the others.
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I’m pretty sure I have read all her books now…unless she’s released a novella in ebook format only. Love her writing style and the way she adds humour to her stories. Good luck, Becky!
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This sounds so good!!
manderley23 at gmail dot com
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It’s fabulous! Good luck, Kimmy!
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Eep! I’ve been looking forward to reading her western fairytales! (I’m especially excited about the Beauty and the Beast one she’s got coming😍)
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Eeeepppp! Beauty and the Beast is one of my favourite fairy tales for retellings. Hope we don’t have too long to wait. Good luck, Elly!
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It should be releasing in June😃
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I love Karen Witemeyer’s books, and have been loving her western fairytale retellings. On the surface, they’re fun to read, but she always has an underlying deeper story. I’d love to win a copy. Thank you for sharing! Have a great day, and keep warm and cozy!
kcrhoadesATroadrunnerDOTcom
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It’s a marvel the way she brings so many layers to a story. Good luck, Karen!
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I think that is one of the more “descriptive” covers the publisher has designed for her books. Aways appreciate her historical research and interesting characters. Thanks!
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It’s a fabulous cover! Eye catching and gives more than a hint of what you’ll find inside. Good luck, CC!
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I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in this series. I don’t think I have a copy of the second one. But I think they can stand alone?
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Yes, they can all be read as standalones. The link connecting the series is that each book is a fairy tale retelling, that’s all. Good luck, Patty!
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I loved this one and all of them so far in the series. I’m really looking forward to more to come! No need to enter me for this one :). Thanks, Sandy
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I’m so happy the author will be continuing the series — there are a ton of fairy tales she can reimagine! Good luck, Sandy!
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Cloaked in Beauty was so good! Do you get Karen’s newsletter? Her next retelling is already up on amazon. To Love a Beast, June 10th, and it has the best bookish cover!
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Eeeeeppppp! That sounds sooooo good! Love the bookish connection! And no, I do subscribe to the author’s newsletter, but I’m heading over to her website to do just that now. Thanks for the inside scoop, Tracey!
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I love the fairy tale re-telling series that Karen Witemeyer has been written! I’m thinking that this is the last one in the series? East Texas Piney woods (yes! Hubby is from there), a Pinkerton agent and a mash up of “Little Red Riding Hood” and “ Sleeping Beauty, all of that definitely grabs my attention with an interesting combination.
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Ugh! If I had just read all of the comments first, I can see that she’s indie publishing more. That makes me very happy!
perrianne (DOT) askew (AT) me (DOT) com
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🙂 I’m really jazzed that she is continuing the fairy tale retelling theme with an indie series. The possibilities are limitless! Good luck, Perrianne!
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Hey Kav, I tried to leave a comment on the giveaway post but it wouldn’t take it. I’ve enjoyed Karen’s fairytale retellings and would love to read this one! Anne Payne
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That’s strange — it’s here now. Good luck, Anne!
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I always enjoy these fairy tale retellings! A combination of Red Riding Hood and Sleeping Beauty should make it a fun read.
pbclark(at)netins(dot)net
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Good luck, rubynreba!
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I love these Retellings. On my wish list. leliamae54(at)aol(dot)com
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Good luck, Lucy!
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I LOVED the first two books in this series. My library has been slow about getting in new books, so I’m waiting impatiently for it XD!!! I’m glad to hear it’s as amazing as the GORGEOUS cover would suggest!
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Such an awesome series. I’m so glad she will be writing more retellings. Good luck, Courtney!
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