It’s been awhile since I read a historical romance, but after reading Kimberly over at Caffeinated Reviewer, review I knew I had to read The Beast of Beswick ASAP. I downloaded a copy from Edelweiss, and I am so glad I did. I enjoyed Astrid and Thane’s story. It had all the feels, and it swept me away and kept me reading through the wee hours.
Astrid and her sister are under the guardianship of their aunt and uncle until they got married. Astrid’s chances of getting married were ruined when the man who had been courting her ruined her reputation. Since then, her sole focus was on protecting her sister. She was determined that her sister had the chance to marry well, but their uncle had other plans. He intends to marry Astrid’s sister to the same man who had ruined her reputation. Astrid is no fool, and she devised a strategy, which involves finding a husband to thwart her uncle’s plan. The perfect man for her plan was none other than the Duke of Beswick, Lord Nathaniel Harte.
Thane dubbed the Beast of Beswick because of scars he received while at war. The scars were so severe he rarely appears in public because of the stares, whispering and ridicule he faces. Physical scars wasn’t his only issue. His biggest issue were the scars that could not be seen. These scars led to him distancing himself from his peers and living in complete isolation. He believes no woman would want to be with him much less to marry him. So imagine his surprise when Astrid approached him with what he considered a ridiculous proposal.
I found their initial meeting fun, which led to me wanting more of these two. Their chemistry was undeniable. There may have been instant, but their love for each grew overtime. Thane fought his feelings, but with a strong, outspoken, independent and determined woman like Astrid he didn’t stand a chance of winning that battle.
The secondary characters played an important role in driving the story. Thane’s valet, butler and aunt had me laughing throughout most of the story. Thane’s aunt had no shame, and she made no apologies for her actions. His valet and butler proved to more than mere servants. They didn’t fear speaking their minds especially in the face of Thane’s ire.
The author weaved an emotional and steamy tale and I enjoyed her spin on the classic Beauty and the Beast.
Conclusion/Recommendation
I have no reservations recommending this book to fans of historical romance. I enjoyed Thane and Astrid’s story and I am looking forward to reading more from this author.
About Amalie Howard
AMALIE HOWARD is the author of several young adult novels critically acclaimed by Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, VOYA, and Booklist, including Waterfell, The Almost Girl, and Alpha Goddess, a Spring 2014 Kid’s INDIE NEXT title. Her debut novel, Bloodspell, was a #1 Amazon bestseller and a Seventeen Magazine Summer Read. The sequel, Bloodcraft, was a silver IPPY medalist and a Children’s Moonbeam award winner. She is also the co-author of the adult historical romance series, THE LORDS OF ESSEX, written with her good friend and fellow author, Angie Morgan. As an author of color and a proud supporter of diversity in fiction, her articles on multicultural fiction have appeared in The Portland Book Review and on the popular Diversity in YA blog. She currently resides in Colorado with her husband and three children
Nadene's addiction to reading began at an early age, when a family friend gifted her a copy of Wuthering Heights. From that moment she was never without a book.She will read anything as long the material is compelling enough to hold her attention. She gained many experiences through the pages of the books she had the opportunity to read.She created this blog to share her love of books with like minded individuals hopes that in sharing reviews of the books read visitors to the blog will discover their next addictive read. When not reading, Nadene enjoys cooking, listening to music and watching television.
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Amazing review now I really want to check this book out after reading your review. This book looks and sounds like my kind of book that I would really enjoy reading. I’m really glad you fully enjoyed reading this book. Thank you so much for sharing your awesome post.
Yes I saw her review of this too Nadene and I have to admit that wounded warriors do pull on my heartstrings no matter the century. Great review thanks this is going on my recovery reading list 🙂
Glad you enjoyed this book.
This sounds great. I love historical romance. Thanks for sharing
Being married off to a man who ruined your reputation just seems mean. Good for her coming up with another plan.
Amazing review now I really want to check this book out after reading your review. This book looks and sounds like my kind of book that I would really enjoy reading. I’m really glad you fully enjoyed reading this book. Thank you so much for sharing your awesome post.
It’s been a long, long time since I read a historical romance, but this one sounds wonderful, and I love the cover too! Happy Friyay!
Great review, fairytale retellings is a hot subject at the moment. Looks good. Glad you loved it.
I don’t think I’ve ever read a historical romance book – this certainly sounds intriguing. Glad you enjoyed it.
Oh this one definitely sounds good there!
I adored the secondary characters. Glad to see you enjoyed this one as well.
This one caught my eye when I read her review, too. So glad it was also a fab read for you and gave you good feels, Nadene.
I am so glad you enjoyed this one, Nadene! I just loved Thane and Astrid together and agree that they had fantastic chemistry. Great review!
I seldom read this genre as I get too torqued with how poorly women were treated in that day and age, glad you got lucky with this one
Yes I saw her review of this too Nadene and I have to admit that wounded warriors do pull on my heartstrings no matter the century. Great review thanks this is going on my recovery reading list 🙂