This book is a new favorite of mine! It's loosely inspired by "Beauty and the Beast". But there was a dragon! Grand flying scenes. A romance that gave me butterflies. Villains I hated but also later understood? Gah! This is honestly a masterpiece!
Okay, though, how genius was it to have the beast being a dragon-man? I get the whole "he's ugly but still lovable" trope the "Beauty and the Beast" retellings tend to get. But I do love myself a scary beast, or in this case, a dragon. I mean, dragons are lovable. Especially Alex. ;) To be honest, I wasn't an Alex fan in the beginning. He was a bit of a hothead. But that's why I love this book. It makes these characters feel so real and tangible by showing us so many real emotions. The further you get into the story, the more and more you start to love and feel for these characters. And soon enough, Alex became a favorite character of mine.
Plus the purring! I laughed so hard at that. It was adorable!
Raelyn's and Alex's relationship was both raw and cute. They were both put in difficult situations and fought like crazy. But once they both decided to try to just be friends and pleasant with one another, despite all the tension, was when their relationship grew. I really appreciate this kind of romance, because it feels the most natural to me. (Sometimes bad things happen, it's how we choose to react to those things that can make or break a relationship). I shipped them so hard together.
One of the things this book was big on was family. I loved, loved, loved, the good representation of sibling love. How Gareth would do anything to make sure Raelyn was happy and safe. The banter between Alex and Lucas. It was so real and raw, I just loved it!
Tristan though... I hated him so much. He was so cruel and horrible. Geez. Sure, he might have turned a corner at the end, he might have had a bad past, but that didn't make me dislike him any less. I am curious how the next book is going to portray him, though. Because I keep seeing him as the fan favorite, so I'm very intrigued as to how this character is going to change. But for right now, nope, I do not like him.
That ending though! While necessary, I was crying so hard! Why Gonzalez?! Why!? Why hurt me like that?! Actually, though, if a book can make me cry or laugh, then it's a pretty good book. Especially when whatever you did to make me feel things is 100% necessary to the plot. And Gonzalez's writing managed to make me laugh, cry, gasp, swoon, and wanting to shake the characters.
Who I Would Recommend This Book To:
Those who want a story that is loosely inspired by "Beauty and the Beast". Those who want a dragon-man beast. Those who want a good family-tied story with good, deep romance. Those who don't mind crying. Those who don't mind laughing.
Content in Book:
1. Violence. (Fantasy creature violence (someone dies, not detailed. Someone is scratched. A horse is killed, and its remains are found, not detailed. Several creatures threaten to eat characters. Etc.). With swords. With arrows (someone is killed). Someone gets tortured with a knife. Physical abuse. Mentions of wounds and blood (not detailed). Poison. Etc.).
2. Abuse. (Some characters are physically, mentally, and emotionally abused).
3. Some nudity from shapeshifting. (Not detailed).
4. A character is touched and kissed without consent.
5. Magic. (Dark magic and curses. Shapeshifting).
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From the Publisher
About the author
BEST BEAUTY AND THE BEAST RETELLING EVER
I almost skipped this book, because it is another Beauty and the Beast retelling, but I am so glad I changed my mind. I 💜LOVED THIS BEAUTY AND THE BEAST RETELLING. This is my ABSOLUTE favorite Beauty and the Beast retelling😍EVER. There were dragons, manticores, and even a minotaur. Not only is their so much action and intrigue to keep you glued to the pages, but their is also a sense of fun. I don't know how many times I had to stop myself from laughing at Raelyn's and Alex's banter at times. I just💜LOVED the main characters Raelyn and Alex. They made such a perfect couple and complemented each other very well. They each had something the other needed. Alex had a loving family, which Raelyn did not. The only one who seemed to care was her brother. Raelyn was able to be seen walking amongst people, which Alex couldn't due to his curse. People would be afraid of him if he did try to go to the village he lived near. Raelyn helped him finally face his uncle after all this time and Alex😍 I just 💜LOVED it when he basically told her father NO. Haha he said it in a nice way, but I was soooo glad he did. Poor Raelyn after everything she went through her father was still trying to use her. Another thing I 💜LOVED way before that scene was that Alex had a legitimate reason for not helping Raelyn down the mountian until well no spoilers. I also 💜LOVED the side characters. It made me think of how nice my family used to be before my grandmother passed years ago. I VERY HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK. Especially, if you 💜LOVE dragons, mythical creatures, Beauty and the Beast Retellings, and clean romance. You will not be disappointed. I couldn't put this book down and if you love Melanie Dickerson length books this will be perfect. Because I finished it in the same amount of time her books take me😊. **** The quote collage I made is of my favorite quote in this book. Raelyn was tormenting Alex 😂 when she said this
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2024
- Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2024
- Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2021
I almost skipped this book, because it is another Beauty and the Beast retelling, but I am so glad I changed my mind. I 💜LOVED THIS BEAUTY AND THE BEAST RETELLING. This is my ABSOLUTE favorite Beauty and the Beast retelling😍EVER. There were dragons, manticores, and even a minotaur. Not only is their so much action and intrigue to keep you glued to the pages, but their is also a sense of fun. I don't know how many times I had to stop myself from laughing at Raelyn's and Alex's banter at times. I just💜LOVED the main characters Raelyn and Alex. They made such a perfect couple and complemented each other very well. They each had something the other needed. Alex had a loving family, which Raelyn did not. The only one who seemed to care was her brother. Raelyn was able to be seen walking amongst people, which Alex couldn't due to his curse. People would be afraid of him if he did try to go to the village he lived near. Raelyn helped him finally face his uncle after all this time and Alex😍 I just 💜LOVED it when he basically told her father NO. Haha he said it in a nice way, but I was soooo glad he did. Poor Raelyn after everything she went through her father was still trying to use her. Another thing I 💜LOVED way before that scene was that Alex had a legitimate reason for not helping Raelyn down the mountian until well no spoilers.
BEST BEAUTY AND THE BEAST RETELLING EVER
Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2021
I also 💜LOVED the side characters. It made me think of how nice my family used to be before my grandmother passed years ago. I VERY HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK. Especially, if you 💜LOVE dragons, mythical creatures, Beauty and the Beast Retellings, and clean romance. You will not be disappointed. I couldn't put this book down and if you love Melanie Dickerson length books this will be perfect. Because I finished it in the same amount of time her books take me😊.
**** The quote collage I made is of my favorite quote in this book. Raelyn was tormenting Alex 😂 when she said this
Images in this review
Top reviews from other countries
- FayeReviewed in the Netherlands on July 5, 2022
Favourite Beauty&theBeast retelling!
- ninon HaurillonReviewed in France on April 10, 2021
A Lovely beauty and the beast retelling
- Nils ÖdlundReviewed in the United Kingdom on August 4, 2022
All the Warm Fuzzy Feels
This is a sweet fantasy romance.Nils ÖdlundAll the Warm Fuzzy Feels
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 4, 2022
That means it's not focused on one person putting a part of their body inside another person while making weird faces and groaning a lot. Instead, this is book about shy smiles, warm fuzzy feels, and bellies full of butterflies (figuratively speaking).
There's also a princess, a treaty to be sealed by marriage, an evil king, and a dragon. On top of that, there's a manticore, a minotaur, a threat to the peace, four princes of varying importance to the plot, a vile curse, and a fifth Prince (capital P).
Princess Raelyn has known since she was a kid that she's destined to marry the prince of the neighboring kingdom (whom she's never met), and while she's not exactly happy about it, it's a fate and a responsibility she's learned to live with. After all, it's for the best of the kingdom, and a princess needs to make some sacrifices.
On her way to the wedding, her traveling party is attacked by a manticore, Raelyn's horse bolts in panic, and disappears into the forest. After a lot of searching the party decides she's dead and goes on their way to see if they can salvage the treaty anyway.
The story, however, is about what happened to Raelyn after her horse bolted, after she wakes up in a cavern with a monster, and after she learns she can never go back to her family or the life she once knew.
I'm not well versed in fairy-tale retellings, so I'm not sure this counts as such, but it's at least heavily inspired by Beauty & the Beast.
What I'll whine about
World building. There's very little actually explained about the “mechanics” of the world, and while I know that's not the focus of the story, I still would have liked to see more of it. There's a curse, and somehow a witch is involved, but there's no real explanation. The same goes for the manticore and the minotaur. Apparently, such creatures just wander around in the forest, and it's not quite what I'm used to.
What I'll gush about
The warm fuzzy feels. This is a feel-good love story, and it does what it sets out to do really well. There's the slowly building romance, big misunderstandings, some good laughs, and a few tears. There are the complications, the bad guy, and the unreasonable father of the bride – and of course there's the happily ever after.
Final Words
Wholesome feel-good fantasy romance – with dragon.
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