Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
adventurous
lighthearted
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:
No
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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:
No
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-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:
No
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Fancied a quick one off palate cleanse book between series so didn’t have any expectations really but was positively surprised - super fun read ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A twist on the classic Beauty and the Beast fairytale, mixed with a touch of the cinematic masterpiece that is Anastasia, this was a really well done retelling.
Instead of Belle being the one to break the curse placed on the prince and his entire kingdom, her granddaughter, Alix, gets roped into breaking it in her place. Only problem is that said granddaughter unknowingly has a one-night stand with the guard that was in charge of finding the original Belle, so now of course he is put in charge of Alix/Belle's well being while preparations for the curse to be broken are made.
From there, the book it is an unfolding of tension being built up between Alix and the guard, Daemon, and the both of them trying to deny their attraction and feelings toward one another. For Alix, this is all coming after the "shocking" discovery of her husband's infidelity with her best friend; for Daemon, if the curse is broken he is forever free from his imprisonment originally set to him by the very prince he's assigned to.
The author put in some twists into the nature of the curse as to what happens to the citizens of the kingdom, and what must be done in order to break the curse that departs from the original "declaration of love" trope, which I truly did not see coming and really appreciated the new spin of the curse. Additionally, Alix was not characterized to be a carbon copy of her grandmother; she preferred music/was more musically inclined than her grandmother; this I wish was expanded on/integrated more into the storyline with her affinity for music playing, but it did differentiate her well enough that she was made into her own person rather than, again, being a carbon copy of her grandmother.
Mentioned before was the one-night stand with Daemon, which kicked the dynamic between the two of them off extra spicy (very millennial to bring home a stranger to your grandma's house and hook up with them on the family couch, lmao). The spice didn't happen at like every other chapter, but when they did because of the tension built up between Alix and Daemon it left me wanting more. Loved the carriage scene added in there, it was very Colin/Penelope of Bridgerton-esque.
Overall, a very fun read for those of us that love fairytale retellings now that we are grown adults with (stupid, lol) adult responsibilities and need a little bit of escapism.
Instead of Belle being the one to break the curse placed on the prince and his entire kingdom, her granddaughter, Alix, gets roped into breaking it in her place. Only problem is that said granddaughter unknowingly has a one-night stand with the guard that was in charge of finding the original Belle, so now of course he is put in charge of Alix/Belle's well being while preparations for the curse to be broken are made.
From there, the book it is an unfolding of tension being built up between Alix and the guard, Daemon, and the both of them trying to deny their attraction and feelings toward one another. For Alix, this is all coming after the "shocking" discovery of her husband's infidelity with her best friend; for Daemon, if the curse is broken he is forever free from his imprisonment originally set to him by the very prince he's assigned to.
The author put in some twists into the nature of the curse as to what happens to the citizens of the kingdom, and what must be done in order to break the curse that departs from the original "declaration of love" trope, which I truly did not see coming and really appreciated the new spin of the curse. Additionally, Alix was not characterized to be a carbon copy of her grandmother; she preferred music/was more musically inclined than her grandmother; this I wish was expanded on/integrated more into the storyline with her affinity for music playing, but it did differentiate her well enough that she was made into her own person rather than, again, being a carbon copy of her grandmother.
Mentioned before was the one-night stand with Daemon, which kicked the dynamic between the two of them off extra spicy (very millennial to bring home a stranger to your grandma's house and hook up with them on the family couch, lmao). The spice didn't happen at like every other chapter, but when they did because of the tension built up between Alix and Daemon it left me wanting more. Loved the carriage scene added in there, it was very Colin/Penelope of Bridgerton-esque.
Overall, a very fun read for those of us that love fairytale retellings now that we are grown adults with (stupid, lol) adult responsibilities and need a little bit of escapism.
What if Belle never returned to the enchanted castle? After her cheating husband ruins her life, twenty-nine-year-old musician, Alixandria Knight, moves from Chicago to Ironhill, Pennsylvania—a near-abandoned Appalachian ghost town with a firey history. Officially, she’s there to help her aging grandmother. Unofficially, Alix just wants to escape reality. She’ll get her wish. When a one night stand with a wickedly handsome stranger turns out to be more than she bargained for, Alix is whisked away to the land of the fae. There, she uncovers her family’s darkest secret: sixty years ago, Alix’s grandmother, Isabelle, broke her promise to marry a beastly king. Now, the fae are hungry, and it’s up to Alix to clear her family’s debt.
Thoughts
This was a super cute idea of a story and it was fun to read. It was a little too on the nose, maybe that was the point, but it was a little too soft and very predictable. It felt like reading a golden books fairytale written for mature audiences only. I still enjoyed it and will probably read the next book in the series.
I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it. I did finish it, but it was a bit of a struggle to get through. Several typos and inconsistencies. I didn't really like the weird not so love triangle going on.