This book is simply delicious. Retelling of "The Beauty and the Beast" with a sprinkle of feminism on top. I simply loved Astrid: her wit, her sense of humor, her resolve to not take no for an answer. The banter between her and Lord Beswick (Thane) was extremely entertaining and I am glad it didn't stop. My favorite character was Aunt Mabel. She was a blast and I would love to have her for dinner (of course I would hire plenty of young handsome footmen just for her LOL). There were a couple of small plot holes (for example, I don't believe that Astrid would know of Jane Austin at that time, since she published her books anonymously even if she happened to read her novels), but they didn't stop me from enjoying this book.