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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
This book is very well written, but Ash saying “Ellie” after everything he said to her got repetitive and annoying to me lol. But I liked the twists at the end. Wish we would’ve gotten a little more softness from Ash.
Beast -- Measha Stone -- In a blend of Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella, being sold to the Annex club owner to cover her father's gambling debts may be the best thing that ever happened to Ellie. After her mother's death, Ellie has been working her tail off to take care of her gambling father and the family coffee shop with art classes squashed in where she can. Ash realizes that he is instantly attracted and protective of the woman who volunteered to take her father's place, but Ellie creates a danger to herself and to him when the wrong sicko gets obsessed with her. Good thing Ellie and Ash have been built tough by life. Enjoy this grown up HEA! Happy Reading!
Interesting series starter. I can hardly wait to read some more.
Beast is my first Measha Stone book, and I’ll certainly be back for more. Although this is not quite a full four-star rating, I was addicted and I need more.
Beauty and the Beast retellings are some of my favourites, and I especially love the trend of BDSM Beauty and the Beast stories. I should be bored of them by now, having read so many, and yet I continue to dive into every possible tale. It’s a drug, and I cannot get enough. Thus, it should come as no surprise to find out Beast was on my radar instantly.
It starts out the way every good Beauty and the Beast retelling starts out – with our leading lady putting herself on the line for someone she loves. We all know how it is going to start – hell, we all know how it is going to end – yet it is the story of how things play out that makes these books so interesting.
I’ll be honest, this is not my favourite story of the genre. I recently read one that blew my mind, though, so I may be slightly bias. Nevertheless, this was an enjoyable read. It had all you would expect from such a read, and I was sucked into the story.
Honestly, this one was so addictive. I was turning page after page, waiting for all the information to come together. Although some elements were a bit on the predictable side, there were some nice surprises thrown in to keep us on our toes. In fact, surprises thrown in at the end really gripped me – I wasn’t expecting things to play out in quite the way it did. The situation, sure, but not the specifics of how everything came together.
Without a doubt, fans of the genre should dive straight into this one.
Beauty and the Beast retellings are some of my favourites, and I especially love the trend of BDSM Beauty and the Beast stories. I should be bored of them by now, having read so many, and yet I continue to dive into every possible tale. It’s a drug, and I cannot get enough. Thus, it should come as no surprise to find out Beast was on my radar instantly.
It starts out the way every good Beauty and the Beast retelling starts out – with our leading lady putting herself on the line for someone she loves. We all know how it is going to start – hell, we all know how it is going to end – yet it is the story of how things play out that makes these books so interesting.
I’ll be honest, this is not my favourite story of the genre. I recently read one that blew my mind, though, so I may be slightly bias. Nevertheless, this was an enjoyable read. It had all you would expect from such a read, and I was sucked into the story.
Honestly, this one was so addictive. I was turning page after page, waiting for all the information to come together. Although some elements were a bit on the predictable side, there were some nice surprises thrown in to keep us on our toes. In fact, surprises thrown in at the end really gripped me – I wasn’t expecting things to play out in quite the way it did. The situation, sure, but not the specifics of how everything came together.
Without a doubt, fans of the genre should dive straight into this one.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
This is a very adult spin on a classic fairy tale. There are different ways to identify a beast and Mr. St. Clair does a great job in showing Ash's side of that. I wasn't too sure in the beginning if I was going to enjoy listening to him but as the story went on, he made me both a fan of his and of this series. Whenever I want my fairy tale fix, the adult version, I will make sure that this is at the top of my list.
The author has done a great job of getting me to forget the Disney version of this tale. After listening to her take, I'm not so sure that I'll ever think of the Beast as anything else. She's turned Ellie's story around as well - not the white as snow woman that you might normally think of. But that doesn't mean that she's not a little naive about some things. Once she meets Ash, she seems to blossom.
Depending on how much hot you like in your story, this may just short your earbuds out. It's a longer story than some but once I really got into what Mr. St. Clair was telling me, everything seemed to disappear and time meant nothing. That also shows how well the author did on putting her spin on these characters. Even Ellie's father is not what you expect and that shows that the author has made this her own - not trying to copy the original. The author doesn't include smut for smut's sake. Her scenes flow nicely and everything seems plausible. I could picture any of her characters living in any of the big cities. Could see myself walking around that city listening to this book and picturing the scenes as I go by buildings and some of the fancier homes.
Would I listen to this book again? Yes, I would. Would I read the book? That I'm on the fence about since I enjoyed listening to this so much. I also have the next two books on my wish list - especially since they're told by one of my favorite narrators. Would I follow the narrator and author? Yes to both. So, if you like a dark retelling of Beauty and the Beast you just might enjoy it too.
I was not compensated nor was I required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
This is a very adult spin on a classic fairy tale. There are different ways to identify a beast and Mr. St. Clair does a great job in showing Ash's side of that. I wasn't too sure in the beginning if I was going to enjoy listening to him but as the story went on, he made me both a fan of his and of this series. Whenever I want my fairy tale fix, the adult version, I will make sure that this is at the top of my list.
The author has done a great job of getting me to forget the Disney version of this tale. After listening to her take, I'm not so sure that I'll ever think of the Beast as anything else. She's turned Ellie's story around as well - not the white as snow woman that you might normally think of. But that doesn't mean that she's not a little naive about some things. Once she meets Ash, she seems to blossom.
Depending on how much hot you like in your story, this may just short your earbuds out. It's a longer story than some but once I really got into what Mr. St. Clair was telling me, everything seemed to disappear and time meant nothing. That also shows how well the author did on putting her spin on these characters. Even Ellie's father is not what you expect and that shows that the author has made this her own - not trying to copy the original. The author doesn't include smut for smut's sake. Her scenes flow nicely and everything seems plausible. I could picture any of her characters living in any of the big cities. Could see myself walking around that city listening to this book and picturing the scenes as I go by buildings and some of the fancier homes.
Would I listen to this book again? Yes, I would. Would I read the book? That I'm on the fence about since I enjoyed listening to this so much. I also have the next two books on my wish list - especially since they're told by one of my favorite narrators. Would I follow the narrator and author? Yes to both. So, if you like a dark retelling of Beauty and the Beast you just might enjoy it too.
I was not compensated nor was I required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. OMG, I cannot say enough good things about Measha's books. I so enjoy her books, I bold them to re-read. I don't do that often. So, take that to heart when you read this review and decide to read too!
~WRITING - PLOT - PACE~It's not often I get to sneak a non ARC book into my reading schedule but I just knew that I needed to give this one a read. It sounded like a book that would be RIGHT up my alley, and it WAS. It was very well written. The pace was perfect. The plot was engaging and kept me interested throughout. Lasy, it was all wrapped up in an OK ending. I would have liked to have seen an epilogue that gave us a peek at this couple in the future, but maybe there are more books coming and we will see them again in those.
~HERO~
ASH...I liked him. He was sexy. He was scarred. He was tortured. He was alpha. He knew his way around some discipline. He was pretty much all in with Ellie from the start. I would have liked to have seen maybe a bit more softness towards Ellie. Their sex scenes were all very strict and hard. So I found his sudden declaration that he loved her a bit hard to swallow. But overall he was a good hero.
~HEROINE~
ELLIE...I liked her just as much as Ash. She was sweet. Maybe a little naive and a little too accepting of everything Ash was doing to her straight out of the gate. But that didn't annoy me too much. She was an enjoyable heroine.
~SECONDARY CHARACTERS~
There were a couple interesting secondary characters in this one. I am hoping that Peter gets his own book as he intrigued me a lot. Danny as well. Those two are really the only ones that play any significant role in the book.
~HEAT LEVEL~
High. The sex scenes in this one were smokin' hot and plentiful. A lot of Dom/sub interactions. Spanking. Belt use. That type of thing. The couple had good on page chemistry as well.
~ANGST LEVEL~
Low. I didn't find this one particularly angsty. There are a few bumps in the road (mostly near the end) but nothing over the top. There is no OW or OM drama either. Neither were virgins and the past sex life talk is kept to a minimum.
~IN THE END~
I enjoyed it a lot and I hope this author plans to write more books featuring these characters in the future. Therefore yours truly is going to give this one two solid thumbs up.
