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A review by jacqueline1989
Beauty and the Rake by Erica Monroe
4.0
DOWN & DIRTY QUICKIE REVIEW!
One Sentence Summary:
She's a "Beast" with a disability, and he's a hot playboy detective who's keeping her under witness protection.
Name That Trope:
1. Beauty & the Beast Retelling/Reimagining
2. “Be My Mistress, Never Mind; Be My Guest!”
3. Sasstacular witty heroine with a tortured past
4. Carefree sexy hero with epic horny pants
5. Class divide set among the working class
6. Historical Not In A Ballroom
7. Forced proximity via temporary housemates
What part made you fangirl squeal:
* SO MANY BATB REFERENCES! A “short & stout” (teapot nursery rhyme, anyone?) housekeeper! The wardrobe shout outs! The snowball fight!
* Every scene where Abigail clapped back at Michael! I lost count of the times this super witty, super smart chick verbally slayed his ass for dinner.
* The 647 times this book emotionally fucked me up with a sentence or paragraph. Socially conscious woke shade throwing! Poignant pain poetically prosed! This book got it all, y'all.
* When Abigail walked up to Michael butt-ass nude & all dude could say was "I, ah, I did not, ah, naked."
Favorite Character:
Oh for sure, Abigail! Her emotional narrative was way more hard-hitting than Michael’s.
While both are witty and engaging characters, your heart feels most for our heroine. That's partly 'cause gal is a tough survivor, & partly because she’s heartbreaking.
How smexy was the smex?
HOT...but brief. The sex has DAAAAAMN good dialogue, but the scenes don’t last long. And yet!
We got a "Hero Catches Heroine Masturbating" scene, and for that alone the Pound Town deserves my love! Female self-pleasure AND a hero who gets a jealous, who-sexing-my-crush Rage Boner which turns into a Boner Boner? Yes, bless!
Throw in Michael’s "Say my name or I won't let you come” bed talk, and I fangirled til I couldn't fangirl anymore.
Whose Line Is It Anyway:
Michael: If you continue to talk like that, I shan't be responsible for my actions.
Abigail: Men of your ilk never are.
*****
“She walked until her knees began to throb, and then she walked some more, welcoming the ache. Pain was a language she understood. Pain spoke in stops and starts, in the sudden unexpected stab, in the unnatural twist of a joint. Pain did not make false promises, nor give false hope. In its unpredictable, selfish nature, pain became a friend she could trust. There was no use making plans. Pain would creep in at the slightest provocation, without warning or due course. To win against pain, she simply must exist. Every waking moment was a victory.”
*****
Michael: You've as much right as any man to seek your pleasure. Anyone who tells you otherwise is wrong.
Abigail: An entire society cannot be wrong.
Michael: It most certainly can.
Got any bitching to do?
Sadly, there were a couple police policing scenes that made me yawn.
And, infuriatingly enough, this book pulled the Virginal Sex Pain game! THIS IS NOT A THING, PEOPLE! For the last time, the hymen doesn't work like that. If a healthy woman’s first time having sex hurts, then she's either not aroused enough OR she's not relaxed enough.
Translation? That means hero sucks at sex!
Visually Depict Yo Book Feels:
Famous last words:
Despite its occasional lulls, overall the book was a good read!
Sure, the heroine’s “beastly attributes” felt less significant than most batB retellings. But! I can see what the author was trying to do within the scope of the story. And yeah, I side-eyed the crap out of this couple's first sex scene. But! Their intimacy was amazingly beautiful and equally intense.
Guys, this historical romance took us out of the ballroom! It gave us a working class romance that explores classism, poverty, & survival. The writing was art, the characters were real, & the romance was gorgeous. GOOD READ WAS GOOD!
-------------------------------
For a more in depth, LOL-fest discussion on romance novels, HERE BE MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL:
https://www.youtube.com/fangirlmusings
One Sentence Summary:
She's a "Beast" with a disability, and he's a hot playboy detective who's keeping her under witness protection.
Name That Trope:
1. Beauty & the Beast Retelling/Reimagining
2. “Be My Mistress, Never Mind; Be My Guest!”
3. Sasstacular witty heroine with a tortured past
4. Carefree sexy hero with epic horny pants
5. Class divide set among the working class
6. Historical Not In A Ballroom
7. Forced proximity via temporary housemates
What part made you fangirl squeal:
* SO MANY BATB REFERENCES! A “short & stout” (teapot nursery rhyme, anyone?) housekeeper! The wardrobe shout outs! The snowball fight!
* Every scene where Abigail clapped back at Michael! I lost count of the times this super witty, super smart chick verbally slayed his ass for dinner.
* The 647 times this book emotionally fucked me up with a sentence or paragraph. Socially conscious woke shade throwing! Poignant pain poetically prosed! This book got it all, y'all.
* When Abigail walked up to Michael butt-ass nude & all dude could say was "I, ah, I did not, ah, naked."
Favorite Character:
Oh for sure, Abigail! Her emotional narrative was way more hard-hitting than Michael’s.
While both are witty and engaging characters, your heart feels most for our heroine. That's partly 'cause gal is a tough survivor, & partly because she’s heartbreaking.
How smexy was the smex?
HOT...but brief. The sex has DAAAAAMN good dialogue, but the scenes don’t last long. And yet!
We got a "Hero Catches Heroine Masturbating" scene, and for that alone the Pound Town deserves my love! Female self-pleasure AND a hero who gets a jealous, who-sexing-my-crush Rage Boner which turns into a Boner Boner? Yes, bless!
Throw in Michael’s "Say my name or I won't let you come” bed talk, and I fangirled til I couldn't fangirl anymore.
Whose Line Is It Anyway:
Michael: If you continue to talk like that, I shan't be responsible for my actions.
Abigail: Men of your ilk never are.
*****
“She walked until her knees began to throb, and then she walked some more, welcoming the ache. Pain was a language she understood. Pain spoke in stops and starts, in the sudden unexpected stab, in the unnatural twist of a joint. Pain did not make false promises, nor give false hope. In its unpredictable, selfish nature, pain became a friend she could trust. There was no use making plans. Pain would creep in at the slightest provocation, without warning or due course. To win against pain, she simply must exist. Every waking moment was a victory.”
*****
Michael: You've as much right as any man to seek your pleasure. Anyone who tells you otherwise is wrong.
Abigail: An entire society cannot be wrong.
Michael: It most certainly can.
Got any bitching to do?
Sadly, there were a couple police policing scenes that made me yawn.
And, infuriatingly enough, this book pulled the Virginal Sex Pain game! THIS IS NOT A THING, PEOPLE! For the last time, the hymen doesn't work like that. If a healthy woman’s first time having sex hurts, then she's either not aroused enough OR she's not relaxed enough.
Translation? That means hero sucks at sex!
Visually Depict Yo Book Feels:
Famous last words:
Despite its occasional lulls, overall the book was a good read!
Sure, the heroine’s “beastly attributes” felt less significant than most batB retellings. But! I can see what the author was trying to do within the scope of the story. And yeah, I side-eyed the crap out of this couple's first sex scene. But! Their intimacy was amazingly beautiful and equally intense.
Guys, this historical romance took us out of the ballroom! It gave us a working class romance that explores classism, poverty, & survival. The writing was art, the characters were real, & the romance was gorgeous. GOOD READ WAS GOOD!
-------------------------------
For a more in depth, LOL-fest discussion on romance novels, HERE BE MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL:
https://www.youtube.com/fangirlmusings