3.25 stars

Thank you to the author for a gifted copy.

A TALE AS OLD AS TIME.

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This was by no means, a poorly written book. And it definitely has an audience. It’s a pretty classic fantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast. You’ll notice all of the usual components and dynamics that are often seen in these retellings.

I did like the characters. They were fleshed out well for the confines of a standalone fantasy. There’s three POV’s and I liked Adam and Lydia’s the most. The third POV was perfectly fine, I just didn’t understand the necessity of it. There’s some big world building but no major magic system which balanced best for a single book. I liked not having to worry about the magic when there were enough groups of people I was trying to get a hold on.

The romance is sweet, a slow burn that could have used a little more fire, but like I mentioned earlier, travels along the B&tB line well. They do have some chemistry and learned to work together. I liked the strength of Adam and Lydia in holding onto hope to rid the world of the Crimson Lord.

Overall audience notes:
- Fantasy Romance Retelling
- Language: none
- Romance: kisses
- Violence: moderate
- Content Warnings: loss of life, kidnapping