WINNIE'S REVIEW:
“Admire something more than what you can see on the surface.”
To Love a Beast is talented author Karen Witemeyer’s retelling of Beauty and the Beast, and it a delight to read. I loved the creativity Witemeyer used in adapting this story to a rural Texas setting with the heroine as a bookbinder. I enjoyed learning more about the process of bookbinding as I read the engrossing tale.
The characters were wonderful, relatable, and engaging. Callista Rosenfeld was an entrancing “Beauty” with enough spunk and courage to face up to Everett Griffin as the “Beast.” Everett had been badly scarred by a spurned socialite lady in New York and was living in the wilds of Texas with only a handful of servants and a huge dog. When Callista’s father was injured and unable to fulfill his bookbinding contract with Everett, Callista takes his place.
“Hope sees possibilities where fear sees only barriers.”
Against his better judgment, Everett lets Callista stay, and she promptly endears herself to his servants. I thoroughly enjoyed the interaction and banter between Callista and Everett. It was entertaining to see their relationship change as they got to know each other.
“He’d left careful behind the moment he’d let Callista Rosenfeld into his house. And it seemed he’d soon be paying the price for his reckless folly.”
This is one of my favorite fairytale retellings. It was very creative, well-written and charming.
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
Beauty and the Beast in 1800's Texas.
Once known among New York's elite as the American Adonis, Everett Griffin now lives as a recluse in the wilds of Texas. The treachery of a former admirer left his face and his spirit riddled with scars, so he hides himself away, his only companions a trio of trusted servants and an oversized dog. Locals whisper of the beastly man who lives in the gloomy manor outside of town and his tendency to attack anyone who dares approach. Everett relishes his fearsome reputation and uses it as a shield to guard his privacy. Until a young woman as stubborn as she is beautiful infiltrates his sanctum and lays siege to his defenses.
When an injury to her father jeopardizes the family's book binding business, Callista Rosenfeld determines to fulfill the contract herself, and no insufferable client or woman-eating dog will deter her. Finding unlikely allies among Mr. Griffin's staff, Callista secures her position and sets to work transforming the manor's remarkable library. Her employer transforms as well, his ill-tempered growls subsiding to reveal a considerate, intellectual nature. Affection blooms as Callista and Everett discover hidden depths in each other, but the evil schemes of a vengeful hunter threaten to leave their love and their lives in tatters.
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