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Duty and Desire takes places during the majority of the silent period. It is the second book in the Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy Gentleman Trilogy. The first is An Assembly Such as This which ended in London at the beginning to the silent period of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.

Darcy is in quite a pickle. He’s managed to successfully divert his friend from near disaster, but his mind won’t stop resting on the delights of Elizabeth Bennet. Thinking Pemberley will help orient his mind, Darcy finishes his business in London and hies home. There he meets his sister, Georgiana much changed from her misfortunes of last summer. Bright sunny and remarkably mature, Darcy can hardly believe his eyes. He’s worried that one wrong move on his part will ruin all of Georgiana’s progress.

Christmas comes to Pemberley and Darcy is caught more than once daydreaming about Elizabeth’s fine eyes. He knows he must do something about his wandering imagination and fast. Determined to erase her presence from his thoughts, Darcy decides to enter into the hunt for a wife. Leaving his sister in the care of family and his best friend Dy, Darcy goes to a reunion house party of old Cambridge and Oxford mates.

There he meets his cousin’s fiancee and is at once charmed and disturbed by her flirtation. He finds solace in the dark beauty that is his host’s half-sister. As his thoughts war between Sylvanie and Elizabeth, both gray eye beauties, a dark nearly Gothic mystery begins to unfold. His host is in dire need of funds, a piglet is slaughtered and made to look like a human baby, personal affects are stolen, and more. Fletcher, Darcy’s valet, is the only one he can trust to help unwind the threads of this coil.

I guessed immediately who was behind everything, but had not guessed at the second mystery that was present in the writing. It took me by surprise at the end during the revelation. In hind-sight I can see the clues that I could not before. A masterful tale, if a little drawn out. Would have preferred more Bingley in this part of the story, as it was there was very little. I suspect Dy and/or Colonel Fitzwilliam love romantically the sixteen year old Georgiana. My suspicions will have to wait until the next and final chapter of Mr. Fitzwilliam, Darcy Gentleman Trilogy.

Review: 3 Stars

Buy: Duty and Desire

This novel is Pride and Prejudice retold from Darcy’s POV. He’s very wordy–can you imagine? His version is in three parts! Part one of the Mr. Darcy, Gentleman trilogy, An Assembly Such as This, and the only one I’ve read so far, details his time in Hertfordshire. It starts with the Meryton Assembly and ends after departing Netherfield and before Jane Bennet arrives in London.

I liked the book a lot. The language matches the feel of Pride and Prejudice. It’s written in a slightly more updated fashion than Jane Austen’s original. Purists might dislike that, but it made me happy.

It’s written at a good pace. I was halfway through before I realized the novel couldn’t possibly end with them together. (I hadn’t realized it was part of the trilogy when I started.) That’s not to say it was all easy reading—some parts dragged; getting bogged down in the details. Luckily they are few and far in between and you can skimmed them and still understand what’s happening.

Observing Mr. Darcy fall for Elizabeth was a hoot. His thoughts on the subject of Elizabeth are quite a riot. I loved learning that in some situations when others see a stern visage his mind is more favorably inclined. The duality created many “aw—that’s so cute!” moments for me. Darcy comes to the conclusion he’s in love with Elizabeth at the very end and the very idea terrifies him as much as it exhilarates him.

Rating: 4 Stars

Buy: An Assembly Such as This: A Novel of Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman

One word: charming.
Two words: engaging hilarity.
Three words: sparkling/sparking chemistry.

Most decidedly, Compromised, is a great way to kick off your summer reading. Kate Noble engages readers with narrative that is tongue-in-cheek. Part of the narrative reads third person omniscient and part is third person lead-centric as we are use to in romance. It changes without warning sometimes, but after the first time or two you don’t really notice it. I started to look forward to it actually because it was so funny, not that the lead-centric parts were not, but the omniscient portions offered a look into Regency society and how gossip spreads.

Maximillian (Max) St. John, Viscount Fontaine, the future Earl of Longbowe, is in desperate need of a wife. Not because he needs money, not because he particularly wants one, but because his father is determined to wield the very last bit of his power over his son before he dies.

You’re probably wondering why on earth Max would give in to this ridiculously patented scheme.

He gives in because his father threatens to spread gossip that Max is a bastard child from a time when his wife cuckolded him (which is completely false mind you), sell off everything that is not entailed and will all of the money to distant relations leaving Max without a name, without funds, and with land in perpetual need of expensive upkeep. Wow! That is pretty darn harsh.

Max is determined to make the best of it, but he only has three months to accomplish such a feat. He’s attending balls, musicales, and parties meeting women who are tall, short, blond, brunette, intelligent, insipid, but none of them are for him. In fact, all of the ladies he’s been meeting lack something.

Gail Alton is unfashionably tall and unfashionably intelligent and unfashionably irksome. She prefers to spend her time at museums and in a book. She loves history and languages and horses. Her sister, Evangeline, is petite, blond and practically perfect in every way. They share a loving relationship and neither one begrudge the other anything. However, compared to Evangeline, Gail is basically invisible, which works for her because she doesn’t find conversations about ribbons to be particularly interesting.

What follows is a regular comedy of manners as Max stumbles into a compromising situation with both ladies. Once with Gail while riding through Hyde’s Park and once with Evangeline including a stolen kiss in a conservatory. He ends up engaged to one girl and falling in love with the other. How will this tangled mess unravel?

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Buy: Compromised

This novel is definitely one of my overall favorites of Heyer’s so far. It’s easy to read and follow despite the language and research. I loved all the side characters and Rule most of all. The leads were very well matched for each other.

Lizzie Winwood, the Beauty, is engaged to the Earl of Rule, an older man whom she does not love. Edward Heron holds her heart, but Lizzie is too well bred to ignore the duty she owes her family to accept this great match. Her youngest sister, Horatia—Horry—Winwood, decides this situation will just not do. In a scandalously forward manner Horry approaches Rule and offers herself up in trade to her sister despite her disadvantages in looks and speech. She knows she’s not his first choice, but as Marcus obviously does not know Lizzie well enough to love her, he must agree any Winwood would do. Amused by the young girl, (he’s twice her age), Rule accepts her proposal and marries her right away.

Horry experiences wealth and freedom for the first time and goes a little wild. She learns to gamble, though she does fairly poorly, purchases things without any real thought to cost, and makes friends with unacceptable members of society. Horry comes off immature for the first half of the book because she is, but Rule keeps an eye on her in his usual casual and easy going manner and does not involve himself overmuch. He came to the marriage thinking he was in love with a widow. He did not marry the widow because he knew she could not, or perhaps, would not be faithful in the years to come and has determined Horry is and will be even if she is young and prone to fancy.

Rule’s amusement and fondness easily translate themselves to the reader. From his actions you can tell he’s falling for his young new wife. It’s harder to tell with Horry, as she spends a good portion of the book running around after Lord Lethbridge in pursuit of his friendship and the chance to pit her card skills against his. Lord Lethbridge is after revenge against Rule and uses Horry in an attempt to instigate it. Other characters seek to help him or eagerly wait in the wings watching for a chance to run to Rule with news of her scandalous ways. Luckily Rule, her brother and his friends come time and again to Horry’s rescue. A Convenient Marriage is an amusing romp through Regency England and sure to win your heart.

Rating: 4 Stars

Buy: The Convenient Marriage

The second Georgette Heyer novel that I read was a lot easier to get through. It helped that there was few if any references to my lord or my lady in the narrative. The diction used is as exacting and up there as Devil’s Cub. This novel was longer but I read it in less time devouring it with enthusiasm. I do have one question, when did the term Tom, Dick, and Harry first get used? Heyer used it in the novel and I thought it was a modern term not one that dated back to the Regency period.

In a single sentence Friday’s Child is a fantastic tale of a poor besotted girl and a rich spoiled Viscount. Lord Anthony Sherington, Sherry to his friends, is in a pickle. He has a few years left on his trust until he can access his money in full. Worse, both of the two uncles managing his estate are not doing so in his best interest; one is negligent and the other is pulling money aside to feather his cap. Sherry has gambling debts to pay and refuses to get another loan from loan sharks. His idea is to marry.

Of course Sherry goes after the Incomparable Beauty of the season, a girl from his past that he has known all his life who also happens to be an heiress. Sherry is just one of the men that float around the Incomparable, others vying for her affections include a Duke, a nasty man who disguises his true face underneath a mask of charm, and a volatile soul who also happens to be Sherry’s friend George. (George for his part loves Isabella, the Incomparable Beauty and tries his hardest to gain her affections throughout the book.)

When the Incomparable turns him down flat, Sherry in a fit of pique vows to marry the first girl he sees. That girl is the penniless Miss Hero Wantage. Hero has also known Sherry all her life and when she was younger she used to follow Sherry around and be his fetch and go girl. They marry in London through a special license with Sherry’s friends as witnesses. Sherry nicknames Hero and everyone starts to call her Kitten by this point.

Well Kitten gets into scrape after scrape not meaning to do so but unable to stop herself. She doesn’t know the rules of society having been bred as the poor relation in her cousin’s home with the idea she would become a governess. All of Sherry’s friends are sympathetic and watch out for her the best they can – Sherry too when he pays attention. Unfortunately for Kitten one scrape gets to be one too many and Sherry explodes causing her to run away. Will spoiled Sherry realize his mistake? Will he realize he loves having her in his life? Will he find her? Will his friends help him or Kitten, whom they adore?

In short I find Heyer’s Regency set tales quite unique – we should start a Heyer Book Club! She after all has written over fifty novels, it could be fun!

Rating: 4 Stars

Originally posted 2008-09-08 05:07:11. Republished by Old Post Promoter

Have you ever wanted to get out of your current job? Anne Wyatt feels that way too. Ever want to put in less than 110% and in fact put 110% in doing the wrong thing? That’s exactly what Anne does in Fire Me! Come meet Libby Malin, the author behind this hilarious outtake of working life in corporate America.

Was Fire Me your original title for your book?

Fire Me was definitely the original title and the one I dearly loved and wanted to keep-I was very lucky to have an editor who helped retain it even as other titles were considered.

What were some of the other titles that your book went through?

At one point during my writing, I did title it Feels Like Today, from the Rascal Flatts song of the same name, since the book takes place in one day. But Fire Me kept calling out to me!

What were some difficulties that you faced when writing Fire Me?

Thinking of things for Anne to do to get her boss’ negative attention and get her name on the lay-off list was actually harder than I thought it would be!  I could think of plenty of things she could do to mess things up, but her stunts had to be attention-grabbers (her boss’ attention, that is) and they couldn’t be…cruel….or mess things up too much for those with whom she worked.

How on earth did you come up with all those crazy antics that were pulled? I was laughing my butt off throughout the whole book!

Aww….thank you! I love hearing that people laughed out loud while reading the book.  I came up with a bunch on my own, trying to think what I’d LOVE to do (like having the boss announce a cut in his own salary!). But I also surveyed friends and relatives and asked what they would do or what sorts of weird things they’d seen employees do. One friend mentioned how she’d had to wait to talk to an employee who was finishing a computer game.

How do you come up with characters (names, appearances, personalities)?

Anne’s name and appearance just came to me. I thought of her as having an impish personality, so a pixie-like look fit perfectly.  Ken I struggled with a bit, wanting to create someone who had an artistic bent (and thus a rebel kind of look) but who was also very grounded in financial issues.  For Mitch….well, there are some CEOs whose images came to mind when I was mentally drawing him.

Do you work with pictures when it comes to appearances and if so who did you base your characters Anne and Ken?

No, I can’t say I worked with any pictures other than the ones in my crazy head!

What was your inspiration for this book?

I had a dear friend who was struggling with whether to stay at her job or seek something else more fulfilling. We started joking about how she could mess things up enough that she’d be let go, and thus the torture of indecision would be lifted from her. That lit the spark of the story idea.

Do you believe in love at first sight?

Yes, I do.

How do you define love?

Wow-that’s a deep question. I guess I define love as the feeling of connection and affection that transcends the mundane, a bond between two souls.

What do you think makes a good contemporary romance?

I think characters you can relate to makes for a good contemporary romance. I like characters who are finding their way, muddling through. Not perfect, in other words.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?

Just a big thank-you to everyone who’s read the book so far, enjoyed it, and let me know!

Visit Libby at her website.

Buy Fire Me

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Devil’s Cub by Georgette Heyer is enchanting and will assuredly transport you to another world. Georgette Heyer, praised to be the new Jane Austen, was born in 1902 and her tales are quite old but hold the same classic feel as any one of Austen’s novels. I can picture the whole novel as a movie and am surprised that I’ve not seen it made into one. Of course I haven’t checked in at IMDB so I could be quite wrong about its silver screen status.

This is my first time reading Heyer and such I found it tough to start (as such it’s affected my rating). The writing while at first difficult to read and to get into because of the level of vocabulary and particular word phrasing which is unusual for today’s standard’s. However it gets easier the more you read. By the end of the book you’re practically flying through the pages trying to get to the end of the story and see the leads get their happily ever after.

In the true spirit of a Regency novel, this novel includes a secondary romance to entertain us. Neither romance goes to the bedroom, in fact the first and only kiss mentioned is at the very end of the tale. My one fault with the story was there was much too much time spent on ditherings going on around the leads and not nearly enough time focused on them. They were more thrown together in the beginning when Dominic kidnapped poor Mary than later.

Mary Challoner is determined to save her sister from scandal and intercepts a letter from Marquis of Vidal to her sister Sophie arranging an illicit tryst. A daring scheme to take her sister’s place and fool Vidal comes to her and Mary rushes through with it, barely thinking out the consequences.

When Vidal finds out he’s most upset and assuming her to be like her untoward and loose sister, Vidal forcibly takes her the rest of the way to France. Once there, Mary is able to make her true nature known and flummoxed Vidal is forced to do the one thing he never thought to do – propose marriage. Imagine his surprise when Mary refuses! What’s a Marquis to do?

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Originally posted 2008-09-02 05:43:56. Republished by Old Post Promoter

Anne’s found another job three thousand miles away from her current one and she couldn’t be happier. Life for her has stalled, and she’s eager for it to start again. On the day she goes into work to tell Mitch that she resigns, no quits, that he plans to fire one of his communications team members. Mitch decides to make a game of the experience and won’t tell them who he’s going to fire, instead he’ll make them work to keep their jobs. The loser voted off the island as it were could easily turn out to be the winner in this farce, because the loser will be sent home with six weeks of severance pay for every year worked. For Anne that’s two years worth of salary. Immediately her plans change, she won’t tell Mitch she’s quitting, she’ll get him to fire her!

Fire Me is the direct opposite of The Devil Wears Prada. Instead of vying for approval from the boss that can’t be pleased, our heroine is trying to attract his attention and disapproval. The book takes place in a single day and I devoured it in the same time frame. For hijinxs and crazy shenanigans that’ll leave you chuckling to the bewilderment of those around you, I highly suggest this book.

Along her trip to the land of pink slips, Anne finally notices Ken. She struggles to keep her secret and gets both irritated at sweet Ken’s helpfulness to sooth over all her over the top schemes and falling just a little bit in love with the white knight routine. Ken is the new graphic design manager for the communications team. He’s only been working for six months and finds Mitch to be a charlatan and takes great pleasure in mentally dissecting the man. He also has a thing for Anne, whose face he’s been trying to capture in the moment right before her smile takes off and lights her up.

It’s hard to work romance into a single day but Libby manages to do it. There are stolen kisses in the elevator, a lunch date, and some lovely emotional concern for the other by both parties. Ken thinks Anne is taking the news and pressure badly, not realizing what she’s up too and Anne works to keep Ken’s name away from Mitch’s axe. While the heroine and hero are not officially together at the end of this story the possibility is there. They meet up the next morning after the ridiculous day before and the promise is wonderfully uplifting.

Rating: 4 Stars

Buy: Fire Me

PS - this would make a great movie!

Julie Garwood is a staple, a household name, and Wedding is the first book of hers I ever read. Recommended to me by my closest friend, I came to the conclusion that it must go to the top of my TBR pile. I found the Wedding to be a delightful combination of bride stealing, tortured hero, and a quest for justice. The tortured hero was my favorite part, though the heroine was pretty great too. The Wedding is the sequel to The Bride, but I don’t think you miss anything by reading this one first; it is after all what I did first. I also found pieces of text to get choppy when going from scene to scene near the end or from heroine to hero point of view. Overall it wasn’t a bad start to learning about who this fabulous author is. Spoilers ahead…

Wedding focuses heavily on a revenge plot, which in the end I felt could have been wrapped up better. When young Laird Connor McAlister comes to his father’s death bed, he is made to promise to seek justice for the wrongs of his father. At ten, one would not think this would be particularly important or something that would be a driving force in the child’s life but we’re underestimating the loyalty between father and son, the pride of the Highlanders, and of course the time period. Connor seeks protection from Alec, forms a lasting brotherhood with the man and grows up to search for his father’s killers.

The man Connor’s father thought was behind the plotting is getting married. Since he cannot prove his involvement with his father’s death, Connor decides to seek a lesser revenge by stealing his bride, Brenna Haynesworth. Lucky for Connor, his soon to be bride, Brenna, shares a bit of history with him. I’ll give you it’s a relatively brief history, but this history is needed so that Connor can justify his actions to his brother Alec. See, Brenna as a young girl asked Connor to marry her three times during his one and only stay at her childhood home. Brenna is an amusing heroine because she loses her possessions constantly. Hair ribbons, knifes, shoes, it all follows behind her like a trail of bread crumbs.

When the novel focused on the hero and heroine falling in love, it was a very good read but then it drifted back into the revenge plot and stuck there with a few too many clichés. Connor’s stepmother is plainly evil. She affects a loving spirit still in mourning for her dead husband in front of Connor, but sabotages Brenna at every turn and picks on all her fears about herself and Connor whenever the man isn’t looking. And Brenna is so concerned about gaining his stepmother’s favor and love that she doesn’t bring up her problems with Connor or anyone for that matter.

Then when Connor’s stepbrother arrives on the scene he is a lecherous cretin, bent on seducing Brenna as soon as possible, not caring at all if she’s willing or not. While this is going on the man Connor thinks plotted his father’s death is moving his players around and causing mischief so that Connor cannot be near Brenna or observe what is going on in his own household until it’s nearly too late. Then to top it all off is another communication misunderstanding and the happily ever after is almost caput. In the end they have it, but I would have preferred Garwood to draw it out more instead of tacking it on at the end as if she’d forgotten about it.

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Originally posted 2008-12-27 09:35:12. Republished by Old Post Promoter

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I saw this movie 3 times within 3 days and enjoyed it every time.

Todd Anderson is the vice president of customer relations and order fulfillment for a company that sells over the phone patriotic kitsch. Within five minutes of the movie starting, Todd learns that despite his excellent record and that of his team they’re being outsourced. If he wants to keep his job he must head to India for the purpose of training his replacement and the new team. Part of the job description is to get the minutes per incident down to six, a nearly impossible feat due to the accent and cultural differences.

Culture shock hit the minute Todd lands in India and gets off the plane. Frustrated, irritated, and disappointed with everything Todd bungles his way through 24 hours. Some of the things he misses that seem common knowledge enough to me are worthy of a little eye rolling. If it’s a social gaffe to double dip in America why would you think it’s okay to lick your fingers before putting your hand back into a bowl of food?

In any case, the more Todd resists India the bleaker things seem. Will he ever be able to return home to America or will he be stuck in India forever? Luckily he learns quickly that the best way to get what he wants is to stop resisting India’s culture and charm. Within the month this movie takes place becomes a top notch manager and teacher.

As the story develops, Todd also finds a love interest. He learns the differences of courting and just how important appearances are for women. The romance is referred to by Asha, the girl, as a Holiday in Goa, which means the love affair before one has to enter an arranged marriage. She is accepting that it’s not a love match, but expects love to develop over time. When confronted by how crazy it was to agree to something so archaic, Asha tells Todd it’s crazier that Americans have a 50% divorce rate.

They fall in love and naturally must part ways, but wait!!!! Without giving too much away I will say this: the ending is positive and open ended with enough leeway to write any conclusion a viewer wishes.

Rating: 5 Stars

Buy: Outsourced

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Old School romance daydreams + embarrassing contemporary situations * 2 potential heroes = exponential fun.

Inara Lavey writes loving parodies of old school romance for Cassandra to daydream. Of course our plucky heroine (who is the very definition of spitfire) gets caught out time and again. She lands in some very funny situations as she sleep walks during some of them.

Cassandra Devon works in customer relations at a paper product company back in San Francisco and when her skuzzy boyfriend ditches weekend holiday plans she is determined it’s for the last time and dumps his sorry butt. Cassandra calls up her best friend Val and remakes plans to enjoy a holiday with her in Palm Springs.

There she meets:

Connor is the charming Irish rogue who’s passionate personality makes him the ideal romance hero.

Raphael (Rafe) is “the physical incarnation of every romantic hero who’d ever strode, seduced, stalked or swashbuckled across the pages of countless romance novels.”

What did I tell you about Lavey? That’s just a sample of her voice. Trust me, her writing is a hoot! Cassie’s internal dialogue is as sassy as any contemporary romance heroine and the daydreams are as equally riotous.

Now the only question that remains is who Cassie will choose: Rafe or Connor?

Rating: 3.5-4 Stars

Buy: Ripping the Bodice

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I read a really funny review of 17 Again right before going to see the movie. It said something along the lines of if you can suspend belief that someone who looked like Zack Efron could wind up looking like Matthew Perry in twenty years then you can enjoy the movie. Truer words never spoken.

Matthew Perry plays in the beginning and at the end of the movie with the majority of the film being driven by Zack Efron. What I liked about the casting the most (besides that Zack is such a hunk) was that both Matthew and Zack developed and acted mannerisms in the same way and also were able to deliver similar lines in the same manner.

Zack was also very believable. He did nothing over the top. It was funny to watch him extract himself from his “daughter’s clutches” and a delight to watch him become good friends with his son. While there was a slight weird factor, it was still cute to watch him fall back in love with his wife. Very romantic. Loved his scene in the court room!

I was non-stop laughing throughout this movie. I was laughing at everything (in a good way) from the dialogue to the actors to the clothes. I highly recommend going to see this movie. It’s feel good, ends happy, and let’s face it has Zack Efron in it. What more of a reason do you need?

As I was walking out of the theater, everybody was raving. If you’re still not convinced go in the morning to a matinee and pay less for your ticket. You’ll be glad you did.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

What is regency romance and how does it differ from historical romance?

You may well recognize Jane Austen as a regency romance writer. She is best known for works such as Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility.

So what makes a regency romance?

Well if you look at Pride and Prejudice you can see quite clearly the basic setup of a regency romance. Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy and Miss Elizabeth Bennet stir the hearts of readers as they bicker and dance around each other, but a key element to the novel is that their romance is not the only one. Miss Jane Bennet and Mr. Charles Bingley also fall in love in this classic tale, though perhaps with fewer hindrances on the characters’ part.

To break it down:

Regency romance is based in the early 19^th century and will normally revolve around a comedy of manners. The romances are very chaste and do not include conversations about sex between the main characters. In several cases, there will be a side romance to the main one.

The monarchs you will find in regency romances are George IV and William IV. Some novels may be included in this genre, even if George III is ruling, though technically speaking he is not part of this era. George III is before the regency era. The period starts when he was declared insane by the Parliament Regency Act and his son was placed on the throne as acting king. The regency (and post-regency) period ends prior to Queen Victoria’s reign.

Time Frame: 1810-1820, generally speaking.

Historical Romance on the other hand is considered to be everything prior to WWI in history. Contemporary attitudes usually color the writing enabling the female lead to be more educated, witty, or relatable. There are many sub genres to this type of romance including but not limited to pirate, colonial United States, and western.

In conclusion, regency romance is included in theme of historical romance as a separate genre.

Originally posted 2008-06-11 05:27:41. Republished by Old Post Promoter

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What is Opposite Sex about? The following phrase captures the idea nicely: “It’s like Freaky Friday…with f*&!king!” It takes the fantasy one step further than What Women Want where you can hear what the opposite sex truly think and let’s you experience things from their perspective.

Do you believe body switching is viable? It’s an interesting idea. I picked this book because it explored the concept.

Monica Westwood narrated Opposite Sex smoothly and naturally. I had no trouble following when Taylor and Jasmine switched bodies… it was effortless to pay attention and keep up, which is always a good thing when it comes to audio presentation.

The preternatural events leading up to the body switching involve sex, wish verbalization, and a smidge of role playing. McQueen wrote it believably or as believable as it can be written. I wasn’t required to make a large leap of faith or stretch my imagination beyond the realms of all possibility.

I disliked the Zack/Jasmine friends to lovers theme. It’s personally not my cup of tea, but you like it then you will enjoy the ending tremendously. I would have preferred Taylor staying the hero instead of slowly losing ground as the hero throughout the novel. I’m of the mind if two strangers can create sex magic and literally jump bodies, that it has to be a once in a lifetime sort of deal and the reason it can occur is because they’re meant for each other. Soul mates in other words literally and figuratively.

If you shy from curse words, this is not the book for you.

Favorite scene: Jasmine as Taylor trying to pass off as the author at the (Sci-Fi?) convention. When it got time for her to join the panel on erotica in books it gets even better. I was laughing uproariously at her thoughts on the philosophy of sex in books.

Writing: 4 of 5 Stars
Personal Preference: 2 of 5 Stars
Narration: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Overall: 3 of 5 Stars

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For the most part I truly enjoyed reading Beast. It’s a twist on the classic fairytale Beauty and the Beast and has a scarred hero who just happens to be a prince… a prince of nothing as it were because it was a French aristocratic title bestowed after the dissolution of the monarchy. The hero is extremely fond of perfumes and perfume ingredients. He’s a botanist, chemist, and a nose which is to say an expert at smelling things. He’s quite a vain creature who has worked very hard to be charming, well thought of, wealthy, and seen as handsome instead of grotesque. His manners are faultless, his skill as a lover unparalleled, and his person dressed and draped in the finest money can buy.

The heroine is a vain person as well, but hers is a beauty that was bestowed upon her from birth and not anything she ever had to work to achieve. In fact she sneers at anyone who comments upon her beauty. If only they could see the girl beneath whomever that girl may be… She doesn’t want to marry at all and she’s certainly not inclined to marry someone who is not as beautiful as she is because isn’t that something she deserved? Couldn’t the man she married be handsome as well as titled, wealthy, charming, and whole of body?

It was a good set up but about halfway through I thought wouldn’t it be great if the hero to put the heroine in her place. Of course it never happened. In fact the reverse did. Why though? Sadly, I believe it is how the initial key plot points unfolded. So despite the hero perpetrating the whole disaster and the heroine being the cause of the disaster, the hero was forced to grovel.

So what happened? Louise found out her husband wasn’t as magnificent as her parent’s said he was and she was determined to find a lover who could give her everything she was certain her new husband could not. Charles overheard and hatched a scheme to force her to see beyond his face and his original intentions were to reveal himself and make her the butt of the joke. Instead he fell in love and tried to unsuccessfully woo her as himself in daylight. She figures it out eventually because he slips up. He’s tried to tell her who he is/was but Louise is clueless and refuses to see the connection because that would just be too horrible!

So because Louise didn’t grow up and Charles did the only growing I’m going to have to give Beast 3 Stars instead of the 4 Stars I would have if the heroine had owned up all of her faults instead of just a few and try to make amends to her husband.

Buy: Beast

• Beauty The Beast Figurines Contemporary 1968-Now Disneyana Collectibles