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colorfulleo92's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This romance book time travel. Laurent is from 1805. Having a terrible life and after a catastrophe he walks into the abyss and into the future where he meets a man called Beast. Being disfigured in a fire he has covered his scars with tattoos. Will the two men be able to help each other and find true love in the process? The premise had me intruiged and I'm happy to report the book it self is even better. Really enjoyed Laurent and Beast and the romance was intruging. Really want to look into the other books in the series because I enjoyed this so much!
bookish_notes's review
2.0
This is a Beauty and the Beast retelling involving time-travel, motorcycle clubs, and a deal with the devil. For the most part, the story was pretty good despite some problematic aspects, but the last 20% of the story completely threw me for a loop. I think it had more to do with the writing in the last half of this book was rather different from the first half and that's what ultimately turned me off from the story, even when I was so close to the end of the book.
The story itself is intriguing and unique. I'm generally not a fan of time-travel books, and usually won't read them at all, but I decided to give this a try. Laurent is from the year 1805 and he's not doing well in life. His eyesight is failing him, and that's almost a death sentence in that day and age where he's an indentured servant. He's also gay, which would have been completely unacceptable during that time. Well, when he narrowly escapes with his life by making a deal with the devil and winds up in 2017, he lands right in the middle of a motorcycle club, more confused than he's ever been.
The story is told from alternating POVs, and it was okay in the beginning. The story is captivating, and the story is a new twist on a classic tale. I do appreciate all the work that went into pointing out how different life would be for someone to live in 2017 if they just got dropped in from 1805, like with simple things like showering or shopping at a mall. This book isn't long. Not really. But, after the initial introductions where Laurent is introduced to Beast's world, the story is...not for me, I guess.
Some things were totally unnecessary. For instance, Laurent kept referring to a character Nao as "Oriental". It was initially pointed out as inappropriate and that would have been fine as a one-time thing because it was challenged by another character, but he did it again later in the book for no reason at all and it was left just brushed off. And instead of having Laurent be understanding and showing him learning the modern ways women dress compared to his time, he kept referring to women as prostitutes the entire book.
The treatment of the female characters is bad overall, and sticks to the typical motorcycle club stereotypes like what we see from TV shows like Sons of Anarchy, I think. Constantly pointing out Knight's girlfriend as the bad person in the relationship instead of trying to understand her from her point-of-view (because Knight was being awful to her in the first place) was irritating to read.
The terminology in this book was what my mind kept focusing on, because it was so awkward. It's a minor thing, but it's one of those things that just completely takes me out of the story. This book is set in the United States with American characters, but there are words used that maybe for Laurent it would have been acceptable from his POV chapters, but definitely weird from Beast's POV. The sex scenes were also really awkward to me. Again, that's a personal thing, because I know people love this book. The writing for the sex scenes just wasn't for me, so I winded up having to skim through most of it just to get back to the main part of the story.
At this moment, I don't really care to read Knight's story. I took a glance at the first few chapters, and the characters and the supernatural aspect of the series just isn't all that appealing to me.
The story itself is intriguing and unique. I'm generally not a fan of time-travel books, and usually won't read them at all, but I decided to give this a try. Laurent is from the year 1805 and he's not doing well in life. His eyesight is failing him, and that's almost a death sentence in that day and age where he's an indentured servant. He's also gay, which would have been completely unacceptable during that time. Well, when he narrowly escapes with his life by making a deal with the devil and winds up in 2017, he lands right in the middle of a motorcycle club, more confused than he's ever been.
The story is told from alternating POVs, and it was okay in the beginning. The story is captivating, and the story is a new twist on a classic tale. I do appreciate all the work that went into pointing out how different life would be for someone to live in 2017 if they just got dropped in from 1805, like with simple things like showering or shopping at a mall. This book isn't long. Not really. But, after the initial introductions where Laurent is introduced to Beast's world, the story is...not for me, I guess.
Some things were totally unnecessary. For instance, Laurent kept referring to a character Nao as "Oriental". It was initially pointed out as inappropriate and that would have been fine as a one-time thing because it was challenged by another character, but he did it again later in the book for no reason at all and it was left just brushed off. And instead of having Laurent be understanding and showing him learning the modern ways women dress compared to his time, he kept referring to women as prostitutes the entire book.
The treatment of the female characters is bad overall, and sticks to the typical motorcycle club stereotypes like what we see from TV shows like Sons of Anarchy, I think. Constantly pointing out Knight's girlfriend as the bad person in the relationship instead of trying to understand her from her point-of-view (because Knight was being awful to her in the first place) was irritating to read.
The terminology in this book was what my mind kept focusing on, because it was so awkward. It's a minor thing, but it's one of those things that just completely takes me out of the story. This book is set in the United States with American characters, but there are words used that maybe for Laurent it would have been acceptable from his POV chapters, but definitely weird from Beast's POV. The sex scenes were also really awkward to me. Again, that's a personal thing, because I know people love this book. The writing for the sex scenes just wasn't for me, so I winded up having to skim through most of it just to get back to the main part of the story.
At this moment, I don't really care to read Knight's story. I took a glance at the first few chapters, and the characters and the supernatural aspect of the series just isn't all that appealing to me.
liza5326's review
5.0
My second read/listen of this story made me appreciate it even more. The intricacies and details are something that KA Merikan excel at. And the characters are amazing. I loved how enamored Laurent is with plastic, especially his pondering if there was plastic music since he didn't like heavy metal. The villains are so thoroughly evil that there is no rooting for them and their acts are so depraved and cruel that you are glad when they are defeated. I love this series, like all of KA Merikan's darker books, it's like crack to me!!
iam's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars.
Omg I loved this.
Laurent and the Beast is in fact not a Captive Prince Beauty and the Beast AU, as the title could make one think. It's the story of Laurent, who's an indentured servant in 1805, and Beast, son of a Motorcycle Club president in 2017 who after an accident covered his scars and broken self-esteem with tattoos and posturing. Now, how do these two meet? Laurent, after going through a horrible situation that leaves him covered in blood, traumatized and with no options, makes a pact with a devil-like-creature that ends up with him travelling through time into the future - right into Beast's arms. They more or less immediately bond as Beast helps Laurent discover the wonders of his newfound freedom, but of course such a thing comes at a prize...
I was a bit unsure about the time-travelling at first, but I adored it in the end. Laurent is adorable and the way he navigates all the new and unfamiliar things in the future is admirable and hilarious, and I enjoyed those parts a lot.
Beast also was a great POV character, though one of the things that I disliked the most about the book comes from him: he gets angry very easily, most if not all of the conflict in Laurent's and Beast's relationship (possibly even the whole book) is based on him throwing a tantrum about something Laurent did - things that Laurent has EVERY RIGHT to do, and of course when Beast does the same things it's completely fine. That irked me A LOT since most of Laurent and Beast's actions that are mistakes are pretty much direct results of the different sorts of abuse they have faced and miscommunications given their different origins.
Ultimately, their relationship is very sweet though and I liked them together.
Another minor thing is that the book would benefit from a few more edits - there were several typos and grammar mistakes.
A big plus for me though was the MC's acceptance of homosexuality, since in other books (especially with MCs) the overcoming of homophobic prejudice is often a big plotpoint.
I'm definitely going to read the rest of the series - in the epilogue there's already a glance at the way this will continue, which I'm really looking forward to.
Omg I loved this.
Laurent and the Beast is in fact not a Captive Prince Beauty and the Beast AU, as the title could make one think. It's the story of Laurent, who's an indentured servant in 1805, and Beast, son of a Motorcycle Club president in 2017 who after an accident covered his scars and broken self-esteem with tattoos and posturing. Now, how do these two meet? Laurent, after going through a horrible situation that leaves him covered in blood, traumatized and with no options, makes a pact with a devil-like-creature that ends up with him travelling through time into the future - right into Beast's arms. They more or less immediately bond as Beast helps Laurent discover the wonders of his newfound freedom, but of course such a thing comes at a prize...
I was a bit unsure about the time-travelling at first, but I adored it in the end. Laurent is adorable and the way he navigates all the new and unfamiliar things in the future is admirable and hilarious, and I enjoyed those parts a lot.
Beast also was a great POV character, though one of the things that I disliked the most about the book comes from him: he gets angry very easily, most if not all of the conflict in Laurent's and Beast's relationship (possibly even the whole book) is based on him throwing a tantrum about something Laurent did - things that Laurent has EVERY RIGHT to do, and of course when Beast does the same things it's completely fine. That irked me A LOT since most of Laurent and Beast's actions that are mistakes are pretty much direct results of the different sorts of abuse they have faced and miscommunications given their different origins.
Ultimately, their relationship is very sweet though and I liked them together.
Another minor thing is that the book would benefit from a few more edits - there were several typos and grammar mistakes.
A big plus for me though was the MC's acceptance of homosexuality, since in other books (especially with MCs) the overcoming of homophobic prejudice is often a big plotpoint.
I'm definitely going to read the rest of the series - in the epilogue there's already a glance at the way this will continue, which I'm really looking forward to.
thosemedalingkidsss's review
4.0
LOVE THIS. No clue how to explain the plot besides time travel, mc romance, scarred hero, and a demon/dark magic happening.
aunbrey's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
castairs's review
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
The beginning was interesting, but it kind of went downhill from there. It had its moments and the overall premise kept me reading until the end, but I wasn't feeling much attachment to the characters. I was also expecting Beast to be wary of Laurent and that Laurent would need to work for it to earn his trust. It was a huge disappointment when Beast started lusting after Laurent and pursuing him mere hours after their first meeting.
These two didn't work well as a couple in my opinion. They were both too tangled up in their personal demons to treat each other with the care the other needed. Also, I can't get over a huge inconsistency towards the beginning of their relationship. Laurent and Beast spend a day at the mall, having and fun and forming a tentative connection. Beast, understandably eager to have some action after nearly ten years of celibacy, gets too far ahead of himself and makes a move on Laurent. When Laurent is hesitant to reciprocate Beast loses it and reacts with unwarranted vitrol. Laurent is put off by this behavior and calls Beast up on his bullshit. So far so good. Then there's a time jump to a week later and, inexplicably, Laurent is longing for Beast even though he hasn't been given anything close to an apology. They both kind of ignore that incident and for some reason Laurent is eager to have sex with Beast because...? I have no idea.
Despite Beast's bad behavior, I really felt for him. My problem is that this man needed to go to therapy, not get involved with a traumatized and confused man fourteen years his junior. I think I would have enjoyed it more if the authors had embraced Beast's darkness and Laurent was into it or something. What I couldn't take is Beast being portrayed as a good and gentle man unfairly accused of violence when he did things like push a man to the floor for being slightly rude to Laurent, making Laurent change pants in front of him to see his ass like a creep or get pissy when Laurent changed his mind about wanting to have sex.
I feel like they were the worst possible match. Laurent's hesitations and worries about having penetrative sex and committing to being Beast's "property" only fueled Beast's insecurities, and Beast's own trauma made him selfish and unreasonable. It doesn't help that both Beast and Laurent weren't the brightest at communicating. Beast should know that he needed to explain the meaning of certain things to Laurent instead of putting him on the spot without clarification and getting pissed off when Laurent didn't like what he was hearing, and Laurent should ask for clarification instead of assuming he knows what's going on.
I don't think Laurent handled certain things so well either. Sometimes he was bratty and immature. I was tempted to DNF when he heard something he didn't like and he "pouted". Beast referred to him as "the boy" several times while they were having sex, which was incredibly off putting, also fixating on his beauty and his small size and innocence. All of it reeked of a stereotypical MF romance dynamic with the pronouns changed.
These two didn't work well as a couple in my opinion. They were both too tangled up in their personal demons to treat each other with the care the other needed. Also, I can't get over a huge inconsistency towards the beginning of their relationship. Laurent and Beast spend a day at the mall, having and fun and forming a tentative connection. Beast, understandably eager to have some action after nearly ten years of celibacy, gets too far ahead of himself and makes a move on Laurent. When Laurent is hesitant to reciprocate Beast loses it and reacts with unwarranted vitrol. Laurent is put off by this behavior and calls Beast up on his bullshit. So far so good. Then there's a time jump to a week later and, inexplicably, Laurent is longing for Beast even though he hasn't been given anything close to an apology. They both kind of ignore that incident and for some reason Laurent is eager to have sex with Beast because...? I have no idea.
Despite Beast's bad behavior, I really felt for him. My problem is that this man needed to go to therapy, not get involved with a traumatized and confused man fourteen years his junior. I think I would have enjoyed it more if the authors had embraced Beast's darkness and Laurent was into it or something. What I couldn't take is Beast being portrayed as a good and gentle man unfairly accused of violence when he did things like push a man to the floor for being slightly rude to Laurent, making Laurent change pants in front of him to see his ass like a creep or get pissy when Laurent changed his mind about wanting to have sex.
I feel like they were the worst possible match. Laurent's hesitations and worries about having penetrative sex and committing to being Beast's "property" only fueled Beast's insecurities, and Beast's own trauma made him selfish and unreasonable. It doesn't help that both Beast and Laurent weren't the brightest at communicating. Beast should know that he needed to explain the meaning of certain things to Laurent instead of putting him on the spot without clarification and getting pissed off when Laurent didn't like what he was hearing, and Laurent should ask for clarification instead of assuming he knows what's going on.
I don't think Laurent handled certain things so well either. Sometimes he was bratty and immature. I was tempted to DNF when he heard something he didn't like and he "pouted". Beast referred to him as "the boy" several times while they were having sex, which was incredibly off putting, also fixating on his beauty and his small size and innocence. All of it reeked of a stereotypical MF romance dynamic with the pronouns changed.