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misspippireads's review against another edition
Time Period: 1890
Location: Copper Creek, Colorado, USA
Reviewed from a library copy.
Location: Copper Creek, Colorado, USA
Reviewed from a library copy.
bookish_kristina's review against another edition
5.0
Beauty and the Beast Western Style! 4.5 stars
I’m a sucker for a BatB retelling. Ironically I wasn’t a fan of the movie as a kid, I always wished the beast would stay beastie. I didn’t want that fancy-pants prince at the end, I liked the growlie guy who was only soft for his Belle. Yes I realize that says a lot about me and probably explains why I like monster smut, but it’s so much more satisfying to tame the beast and look beyond his beastliness. For him to come out of his shell and show his gentle soul. And for his beauty to love him anyway. So I always jump on these retellings with scarred heroes; sometimes they work, most times they don’t. This one worked. It was very good. The author stuck to a simple story, kept a simple setting and put all her work in character development and romance.
Grumpy/sunshine, scarred virgin hero, downtrodden but sweet widowed heroine, this is set on a ranch in 1890 Colorado. It’s a marriage of convenience trope with some family drama but is mostly a story about personal growth, finding one’s place in the world and unconditional love.
This was a really good read about inner strength and the value of heart over looks. Throw in the historical western element and it was magic.
The only critique I have is that his self-loathing went on too long and was overcome too quickly. I’d have rather seen a more gradual transition.
However this was not closed door so I boosted it to five stars for that!
Check out this older romance, it’s super sweet and satisfying.
I’m a sucker for a BatB retelling. Ironically I wasn’t a fan of the movie as a kid, I always wished the beast would stay beastie. I didn’t want that fancy-pants prince at the end, I liked the growlie guy who was only soft for his Belle. Yes I realize that says a lot about me and probably explains why I like monster smut, but it’s so much more satisfying to tame the beast and look beyond his beastliness. For him to come out of his shell and show his gentle soul. And for his beauty to love him anyway. So I always jump on these retellings with scarred heroes; sometimes they work, most times they don’t. This one worked. It was very good. The author stuck to a simple story, kept a simple setting and put all her work in character development and romance.
Grumpy/sunshine, scarred virgin hero, downtrodden but sweet widowed heroine, this is set on a ranch in 1890 Colorado. It’s a marriage of convenience trope with some family drama but is mostly a story about personal growth, finding one’s place in the world and unconditional love.
This was a really good read about inner strength and the value of heart over looks. Throw in the historical western element and it was magic.
The only critique I have is that his self-loathing went on too long and was overcome too quickly. I’d have rather seen a more gradual transition.
However this was not closed door so I boosted it to five stars for that!
Check out this older romance, it’s super sweet and satisfying.
sabakne's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
yousrabushehri's review against another edition
4.0
I've always had a soft spot for the 'beauty and the beast' type story. All about finding love and accepting a person who has been shunned due to their different exterior. Especially in this day and age where appearance has taken over as one of the most important things in a person's life. It's kinda sad to see how preoccupied people get on their exteriority that they forget and neglect their interiority and personality.
Anyway, this story is about a man name Noah who decides to do the honorable thing and take care of his half-brother's widow. Noah has, since the age of 13 (I think, if I'm remembering correctly), been self conscious and disgusted from his scarred appearance due to an unfortunate accident. And so, this is about the struggle of not only finding love, but also accepting love from others and accept yourself.
Kate was such a bubbly and fun character and I really loved that nothing got her down. She looked at the good in everything and just sort of accepted life with all its flaws.
I just really loved seeing their relationship grow and especially Noah grow as a person. It was like watching him slowly come out of his shell and just find peace in the love of this one woman.
Some people might comment on the fact that this book had details similar to Beauty and The Beast, but I honestly didn't notice until I finished the book. It was so seamlessly written and incorporated within the story and setting that it didn't feel out of place or forced to fit.
There was a couple hot scenes, but it was beautiful to read because it wasn't just about the act of sex, it was so full of struggle and pain for Noah to open up in this way, you could feel it jump out at you from the page. It was just so intense.
Overall, I give this a good 4.5 stars.
Anyway, this story is about a man name Noah who decides to do the honorable thing and take care of his half-brother's widow. Noah has, since the age of 13 (I think, if I'm remembering correctly), been self conscious and disgusted from his scarred appearance due to an unfortunate accident. And so, this is about the struggle of not only finding love, but also accepting love from others and accept yourself.
Kate was such a bubbly and fun character and I really loved that nothing got her down. She looked at the good in everything and just sort of accepted life with all its flaws.
I just really loved seeing their relationship grow and especially Noah grow as a person. It was like watching him slowly come out of his shell and just find peace in the love of this one woman.
Some people might comment on the fact that this book had details similar to Beauty and The Beast, but I honestly didn't notice until I finished the book. It was so seamlessly written and incorporated within the story and setting that it didn't feel out of place or forced to fit.
There was a couple hot scenes, but it was beautiful to read because it wasn't just about the act of sex, it was so full of struggle and pain for Noah to open up in this way, you could feel it jump out at you from the page. It was just so intense.
Overall, I give this a good 4.5 stars.
alexmcf's review against another edition
4.0
It’s official, I love historic western romances. I’ve been ill and looking for something easy and heartwarming to read. This book tucked all the boxes. Here we have the classic conundrum of two people who don’t think they are worthy of love finding it. I thought I would find the fact she is pregnant with the MMCs brother’s child off-putting but it actually didn’t bother me.
taramisu's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 ⭐
There's nothing worse than starting a book with your favorite trope, that's well loved and highly rated...only to find it mediocre at best.
The Good:
1) I was able to finish it.
The Bad:
1) Poor writing.
2) The author rarely indicated who was speaking, making me go back multiple times to try and figure it out.
3) Prolonged misunderstanding that made me want to scream.
4) The emotional turn at the end felt hollow and forced. Maybe it's just that they both insisted the other one was only married out of obligation for way too long. Maybe it was just poor writing. Either way, the end did not give me feels. It just made me happy the book was at 99% and I could finally move onto something better.
5) The step-mother-in-law was OTT nasty. This made her emotional turn at the end completely unbelievable and not satisfying in the least.
There's nothing worse than starting a book with your favorite trope, that's well loved and highly rated...only to find it mediocre at best.
The Good:
1) I was able to finish it.
The Bad:
1) Poor writing.
2) The author rarely indicated who was speaking, making me go back multiple times to try and figure it out.
3) Prolonged misunderstanding that made me want to scream.
4) The emotional turn at the end felt hollow and forced. Maybe it's just that they both insisted the other one was only married out of obligation for way too long. Maybe it was just poor writing. Either way, the end did not give me feels. It just made me happy the book was at 99% and I could finally move onto something better.
5) The step-mother-in-law was OTT nasty. This made her emotional turn at the end completely unbelievable and not satisfying in the least.
papercaper's review against another edition
5.0
4.5⭐Rounded up! This is my first re-read, I didn't rate it the first time around but I remember I went absolutely feral for it. Noah is a quintessential gruff recluse, rife with both physical and emotional scars. Kate is almost endlessly optimistic and tries to make the best of her situation, though it's not always sunny for her. But both are desperately lonely and yearn for a family which makes them perfect for each other.
One thing I didn't really remember from my initial read but loved seeing was the friendships Kate got to make with some of the local women. Sometimes these ranch settings is they can be isolating so having solid, meaningful friendships really helps stories like these.
One thing I didn't really remember from my initial read but loved seeing was the friendships Kate got to make with some of the local women. Sometimes these ranch settings is they can be isolating so having solid, meaningful friendships really helps stories like these.