It was fine, I don't recall much.

The Beast of Beswick
4 Stars

An engaging retelling of the classic Beauty and the Beast with a touch of The Taming of the Shrew added in for good measure. In this version, the beast is Nathaniel "Thane" Harte, the Duke of Beswick, whose disfiguring scars and barbaric behavior have made him a social outcast. Beauty is Lady Astrid Everleigh, a shrewish spinster with a wicked tongue determined to save her younger sister from marriage to a despicable lech. When these two meet, tempers fray, sparks fly and sheets sizzle.

Amalie Howard's writing is very appealing albeit somewhat anachronistic for the time period - this is definitely not Jane Austen. Nevertheless, the narrative contains just the right mix of tension, angst and romance to make a satisfying read.

Astrid and Thane's sexual chemistry is off the charts, and their banter is delightful. Thane does have a somewhat irritating tendency toward moroseness and tries to push Astrid away, but she, thankfully, is having none of it and simply pushes through all obstacles.

The secondary characters are delightful, especially Thane's butler and valet whose witticisms steal the show, not to mention Thane's Aunt Mabel and her penchant for sexy footmen.

All in all, a wonderful romance and I will definitely be reading more of Howard's works. ( )

I really enjoyed this. Astrid was hilarious. And Thane was pretty funny himself. Both of them are intelligent and it was interesting to see Astrid outwit Thane. Isobel seemed a bit naive at times but she certainly learnt how to be a strong fierce woman from her older sister. And Astrid had that in spades.

Another Beauty and the Beast type story. I really enjoyed this. The banter is wicked - fast and fresh and funny. Astrid is a strong intelligent woman who is fiercely indepdendant and determined to look after her younger sister. Her relationship with Isobel is sweet even if Isobel herself kind of annoyed me with her judgement of Thane. Still, even though Isobel seemed rather naive she definitely picked up some of her sister's tricks and is soon forging her own path.

Thane and Astrid together is intense. They're both fiercly passionate and unbelievably stubborn. And hilarious. The banter has me cackling like mad and the romance had me breathless. It was just perfect, everything you want in your Beauty and the Beast tale.

The only thing I loved more was Aunt Mabel because seriously - "Smiling, Astrid grabbed the hoop from where it had rolled and stared at it, horrified. And then Mabel’s earlier concentration suddenly made sense. The lovingly stitched image was not a leaf motif as hers had been. Instead, it was a…phallus. A very large, very detailed specimen, complete with a pair of embroidered testicles."

Howard, Amalie. The Beast of Beswick . Entangled Publishing, LLC. Kindle Edition. ( )

This one had an interesting enough premise. A girl who was caught in a scandal during her first season and ended up on the shelf. Years later, the same man who lied on her tries to marry her younger sister and she won't have it. So she offers herself to the "beast" in order to gain some time and protection so her little sister will be able to have her choice of husbands. Things don't go exactly as planned and a marriage of convenience turns into a marriage of love. But he's still a beast and believes she deserves better than the stares and gossip that comes with life with him. And once her sister's safety is no longer an issue, what can keep them together? This is a pretty good story about two people who are both scarred, her emotionally and him physically, and how they find love. And it also asks the question of is love enough. ( )

Beauty and the Beast is my favorite fairytale because it is the one where the couple's love doesn't happen at first sight. I am always interested in reading an author's take on the classic tale and how they see the couple coming together. I read several glowing recommendations for this book and was excited to give it a try. Unfortunately, my only thought as I closed the book was, "What a waste of potential."

Full review: https://rebeccasreadingcorner.blog/review-amalie-howard-the-beast-of-beswick ( )