Of Beast and Beauty by Chanda Hahn

My edition: Kindle Owned
Pages: 303
Series: Daughters of Eville #1
Genre: Fantasy, Fairy-tale retelling
Published: June 18th, 2019
Rating: 4 stars

Synopsis:

Something evil this way comes.
7 Vengeful Sisters
7 Fairytale Kingdoms
7 Daughters of Eville

Everyone dreams of marrying a prince—except for me. I am nothing more than a pawn in my adoptive mother’s diabolical plot against the seven kingdoms. I was the chosen tool, her sharpened blade that would cut the deepest into the heart of the Kingdom of Baist. But like all deadly weapons, my wedding is two-edged sword that could cost me my soul.

For I am Rosalie, one of the adopted daughters of Lady Eville, and it is my duty to enter into a loveless and hate-filled marriage with the narcissistic Crown Prince of Baist. My choices and heart are not my own to give. Yet even in the thick of dire situations, beastly vengeance can give way to beautiful attraction.

Review:

I didn’t think I would like this at first. But like the cross-dressing goblin, it grows on you. Oh, I’m serious about the goblin. He steals dresses and lipstick.

Rosalie is now married to Prince Xander who has a horrible temper. I love Rosalie. She is funny and witty. She doesn’t let anyone push her around. She uses her magic to sneak around the castle and her run-ins with the prince are entertaining.

I’m debating on the rest of the series. As for right now, I have a ton of books on my TBR and for some dumb reason, I keep adding on. When I feel like moving on in this series I will get the second book.

Hook: Dead to Rights by Melissa Snark

My edition: Kindle owned
Pages: 214
Series: Captain Hook and the Pirates of Neverland #1
Genre: YA, Pirates, Fairy-tale retelling
Published: Sep. 25th, 2018
Rating: 3 STARS

Synopsis:

Neverland is a wondrous isle of adventure.

Neverland is a cruel lie.

Children follow Peter Pan believing their dreams will come true—to never grow up.

Surprise, surprise… they never will. The children Peter Pan abducts are murdered or meet a grimmer fate.

I’m the child who escaped Peter’s treachery. I’ve made it my life’s calling to rescue the Lost Boys, even those who don’t wish to be saved. Now Pan has a schooner he’s using to steal even more children. I’m the only one who can stop him.

Call me Hook. I am the master and commander of a pirate ship, and I’ll have my revenge on Peter Pan if it’s the last thing I do.

Review:

Captain Hook is a woman who isn’t fully human. She has sunk ships in bouts of anger. But when it comes to Pan… She is full of hatred to the point of obsession. Peter has told the Lost Boys that Hook is a man that he killed. But oh how his tale is mistaken.

Pan doesn’t just bring children to Neverland. He abducts them. His voice is hypnotizing. Hook happened to be a child that Pan brought to Neverland. Now she and her crew (some being former Lost Boys) hunt for Pan. Hook wants to save children from Pan even if they don’t want to be saved.

I had a reputation for ruthlessness, but this crossed lines, even for the dread Captain Hook.

Hook, I would say is an interesting character. It’s the first time I have read a version of Hook as a woman. She is a true pirate who pillages but when it comes to Pan, she will do anything to save the children from him.

I got tired of the constant repeat of Hook and the first mate’s hatred for Pan. It was said in almost every chapter. It got quite annoying.

As to the second book, I am debating on reading it. I just wanted this book to end. I had more high hopes than what I got. Maybe I went into this with too much of an expectation instead of just being open-minded.

Finding Beauty in the Beast by Jessilyn Stewart Peaslee

My edition: Kindle Unlimited
Pages: 263
Standalone
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Fairy-tale retelling
Published: Jan. 9, 2018
Rating: 4.5 STARS

Synopsis:

Princess Rose’s fiery temper has kept every potential suitor away…until now. After being spurned and humiliated for the last time, the princess forces every eligible man to present a gift to her under pain of death. The man who brings her the best gift will be chosen as her husband.

When Corbin presents his gift, he hopes that his simple offering will keep him safely overlooked. All he wants is to return to his quiet life as a blacksmith away from forbidding castles and beastly princesses. But love works in mysterious ways, and it all starts with a rose…

Review:

Everything changed that day. I suppose everything and everyone died a little when the king and queen died, but no one more than Princess Rose.

Everyone calls her the Beast. Rose has a temper that has given her quite a reputation. Corbin is a blacksmith, who recently moved back to Laurel when his heart got crushed by an ex-fiancee. Rose was supposed to be married to a prince who called off the wedding to marry a commoner. She then demands all eligible men who live in her kingdom to bring her a gift so she can choose from them for a future husband. Any who refuses will be hung.

Corbin just moved in and didn’t know about the ordeal until it was time for him to go to the ceremony. On his way, he finds a rose for his gift. When it is his turn, Rose chooses him to become her husband.

I loved this. It was so cute. I loved the relationship between Corbin and Rose. Its growth was believable and well written. The gender swap was done amazingly. I love when fairy tales are gender-swapped. With Rose as the beast, and Corbin as the “prisoner”.

I wish there was another book of these two but the end was the end. It was tied off quite neatly. I feel like my next read might not be so interesting.

Before Beauty by Brittany Fichter

My edition: Kindle Owned
Pages: 292
Series: Becoming Beauty #1
Genre: YA, Fairy-tale retelling, Beauty and the Beast
Published: March 9th, 2015
Rating: 3 stars

Synopsis:

Can an accursed prince and a broken beauty move beyond their hatred for one another, not only to break the curse and save their kingdom, but to find love as well?

Prince Everard’s father spent the boy’s youth forging the prince into a warrior. Upon the king’s death, however, Everard realizes he’s lost himself somewhere along the way, and in his pain, makes a decision that brings a dark curse upon both him and the great Fortress that has so long guarded the people of Destin.

The prince’s sin doesn’t simply affect those of his citadel, however. Isa, the daughter of a local merchant, has suffered the prince’s hasty temper before, and it changed her life forever. When Everard’s final outburst cuts off his people’s source of protection with the curse, he demands that she, a crippled commoner, come to help him break it. All the while, Destin’s northern enemy crouches at the foot of the Fortress’s mountain, waiting for the right moment to capture the stronghold that has stood for a thousand years.

Can Ever and Isa move past their brokenness to save Destin together, or will they and their beloved kingdom remain under darkness forever?

Buy Before Beauty today to escape into the world of The Becoming Beauty Trilogy, as well as the Classical Kingdoms Collection, a series of fairy tale retellings for grownups who still believe in sacrifice, true love, and the magic of happily-ever-afters. Even though Before Beauty is an introduction to both series, it can be read as a stand-alone as well. 

Review:

This was quite a different take on the Beauty and the Beast story. I quite liked it.

It was different. A little slow-paced. I recommend this to anyone who loves Beauty and the Beast. It has a different curse and our heroine was actually crippled by the very prince she will soon fall in love with.

It was a story of two broken people who found that life isn’t always so fair and that being selfish isn’t the best thing for anybody. Especially when you are a ruler of a kingdom.