This lovely Regency romance is a retelling of the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale. It does that very well. I enjoyed reading it.
Our Beast is Lord Nathaniel Harte, a second son who never expected to become duke. Thane,as he named himself as a child, went off to fight for King and Country. For his efforts, he was badly wounded. Army surgeons were more interested in saving his life than preserving his looks when they sewed him back together. As a result, he was badly scared and rejected by most of his family and friends. Only one aunt stood by him.
Our Beauty is Lady Astrid Everleigh. Her parents died, leaving her and her younger sister in the keeping of her uncle, a greedy man who soon ran through most of the family fortune. He wants to marry off the sister and in the deal, get his hands on her substantial dowry. Astrid will do almost anything to keep her sister safe, including braving the Beast's manor.
They do marry because Astrid needs a man's support to keep her sister from the clutches of a scoundrel. This subplot exists to provide the reason for the Beauty to be with the Beast. Thane acts as he thinks a gentleman in his position should act, but he would rather stay hidden from the world. Better to run everybody off than to allow any of then to get close and then hurt him by leaving is what he thinks. He believes Astrid will leave him once her sister is safe, and he can't abide that.
If you remember the fairy tale, Beauty does eventually convince the Beast he is worth of her love and she won't leave. Watching that struggle is the best part of this book. I hope you indulge.
Our Beast is Lord Nathaniel Harte, a second son who never expected to become duke. Thane,as he named himself as a child, went off to fight for King and Country. For his efforts, he was badly wounded. Army surgeons were more interested in saving his life than preserving his looks when they sewed him back together. As a result, he was badly scared and rejected by most of his family and friends. Only one aunt stood by him.
Our Beauty is Lady Astrid Everleigh. Her parents died, leaving her and her younger sister in the keeping of her uncle, a greedy man who soon ran through most of the family fortune. He wants to marry off the sister and in the deal, get his hands on her substantial dowry. Astrid will do almost anything to keep her sister safe, including braving the Beast's manor.
They do marry because Astrid needs a man's support to keep her sister from the clutches of a scoundrel. This subplot exists to provide the reason for the Beauty to be with the Beast. Thane acts as he thinks a gentleman in his position should act, but he would rather stay hidden from the world. Better to run everybody off than to allow any of then to get close and then hurt him by leaving is what he thinks. He believes Astrid will leave him once her sister is safe, and he can't abide that.
If you remember the fairy tale, Beauty does eventually convince the Beast he is worth of her love and she won't leave. Watching that struggle is the best part of this book. I hope you indulge.