"Enchanting twist on classic fairy-tale!"
Reviewed by Miranda Owen
Posted August 17, 2014
Romance Paranormal
BEAUTY'S BEAST by Amanda Ashley is an intriguing twist on
the classic Beauty and the Beast fairy tale with gothic
elements. It's a stand-alone paranormal historical romance.
BEAUTY'S BEAST is exactly the kind of fabulously gothic
romance Amanda Ashley excels at. Kristine is a damsel in
distress at the opening of the story when she is claimed to
be the bride of the mysterious Lord of Hawksbridge Castle.
Erik only goes out in public either masked or donning robes
so nobody will see his slow transformation to a beast. What
could be better than a tall, dark, masked man of mystery
hero?
Sometimes with these Beauty and the Beast themed stories,
the beast-like hero is often cruel to the heroine. However,
in BEAUTY'S BEAST, Erik is a sympathetic character. He is
sometimes firm with Kristine but never verbally abusive or
cruel. He is cursed by a wicked witch to transform into a
beast, not for any debauched lifestyle, simply because he
has the bad fortune to have a wicked witch mother-in-law.
She blames him for her daughter dying while trying to give
birth to his child. The injustice of Erik's plight and the
way he struggles to hold onto his humanity and sense of
honor pulls at the heartstrings. I think the romance between Erik and Kristine works well in
this gothic fairy-tale setting. The characters behave as
you would expect in that time period. I like that Erik ends
up caring for Kristine more than he ever thought he could.
Their relationship becomes very passionate and they are
willing to make many sacrifices to stay together. I like
that Kristine doesn't accept being separated from the man
she loves. Even though she is not a modern woman, she is
strong and fights for those she cares about. They are
equally brave and make for a perfect match. The depth of
their love is amazing and kept me enthralled from beginning
to end.
BEAUTY'S BEAST is a great twist on a classic fairy-tale,
with passionate characters and captivating story-telling. I
enjoyed the twists and turns BEAUTY'S BEAST takes and the
unusual characters Erik and Kristine meet on their journey
together. I would be interested in reading future books
about Valaree and her people. These supporting characters
show great potential for world-building in future stories.
I look forward to reading more things by Amanda Ashley.
SUMMARY
Beauty Fair of face and figure, Kristine is young, innocent, pure.
Yet she has been condemned to the gallows for killing a man.
The only one who can save her is a lord so infamous that
some say he is the son of the Devil himself. . . And the Beast Erik Trevayne is called the Demon Lord of Hawksbridge
Castle, but few know of the curse he lives under. Or the
terrifying changes slowly gnawing away at his humanity. When
he weds her, all he wants of Kristine is a son. But when he
beds her, a wild hope is born--that love that can tame even
the most monstrous of beasts...
ExcerptKristine woke with a start to find Erik standing beside her
bed. He had been so angry earlier, she hadn’t expected him
to come to her that night. Recalling the rage that had
burned in his dark eyes when he found her in his room still
had the power to make her tremble. He had extinguished the light she kept on the table at her
bedside. In the darkness, he loomed over her like the
shadow of certain death. After unfastening his breeches, he threw the covers aside,
flung her gown up over her hips. Unreasoning panic rose up
inside her as his body covered hers. She didn’t want him to
take her like this, as if she were no more than a receptacle
for his lust, some tawdry harlot whose favor he had
purchased for the night. She knew he didn’t care for her,
but she was his wife. Surely she deserved some small
measure of respect. She felt his hand on her breast, and suddenly, in the
darkness, it was Lord Valentine lying atop her, his hot
sweaty hands groping her. She closed her eyes, and
Valentine’s image rose up before her, his thick lips pulled
back, his pale blue eyes filled with lust as they raked her
body. “No,” she whimpered softly. “Leave me alone, please just
leave me alone!” Trevayne froze as she began to thrash beneath him. “My Lord Valentine,” she sobbed, her eyes tightly shut.
“Don’t! Oh, please, please, let me go!” “Kristine.” Lost in the nightmare of the past, she writhed beneath him,
tears coursing down her pale cheeks. “Kristine, it’s me, Erik,” he said, and then wondered why
that knowledge should soothe her. He had given her no
reason to trust him. “No, don’t...don’t...” She sobbed the words. Swearing softly, he sat up and drew her into his arms.
“Kristine, you are safe here. Listen to me! I will not
hurt you. No one will ever hurt you again, I swear it.” Opening her eyes, she stared at him blankly a moment. “My
lord?” “You’re safe now, Kristine,” he murmured. “I’ll not bother
you again.” Carefully, he lowered her back onto the mattress, drew her
gown down over her hips, and pulled the covers up to her
chin. Turning away from the bed, he fastened his breeches, then
walked toward the door. He was reaching for the latch when
she called his name. “Erik?” “What?” “Will you not stay with me?” He went still, hardly daring to breathe. “Why?” “I don’t want to be alone. I...I don’t want you to be
alone.” “We can’t always have what we want.” “Please, my lord, won’t you stay with me until I fall
asleep?” Every instinct he possessed urged him to leave the room.
Instead, he retraced his steps to the side of the bed and
sat down on the edge of the mattress. “Go to sleep,
Kristine.” He could not see her face in the darkness, but he heard her
soft sigh as she snuggled under the covers. “Thank you, my lord.” He made a soft, wordless sound deep in his throat. He
wondered how long she had spent in prison, if that was the
reason she feared the darkness, the reason she kept a lamp
burning at her bedside throughout the night. He took a deep breath, his nostrils filling with the warm
sweet scent of her - the soap she had bathed with, the
peppermint she used to sweeten her breath, the scent of
lilacs that clung to her skin. It was part of the curse,
his heightened sense of smell, of taste. His hearing was
more acute. He could hear each soft breath she took. He clenched his left hand, shoved his right hand into his
pocket to keep from touching the curve of her cheek, the
short silky cap of her hair. Desire rose within him, a desire to bury himself within her.
He yearned to shed his clothes and his accursed mask and
enfold her in his arms, feel the heat of her skin against
his ... His body hardened painfully. Why was he sitting here,
torturing himself with her nearness? He was not her
nursemaid, nor her governess. If she was afraid of the
dark, she had a lamp at her bedside. But he didn’t leave the room, only continued to sit there,
his hands tightly clenched, until the soft, steady sound of
her breathing told him she was asleep. Hating her, hating himself, he lit the lamp at her bedside
and then left the room, left the house. Outside, he removed his mask, ripped off his glove and his
shirt, and then he began to run. He threw back his head,
and the deep-throated sound of his despair pierced the
darkness in a long mournful howl.
What do you think about this review?
Comments
No comments posted.
Registered users may leave comments.
Log in or register now!
|
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy