Beauty and Deceit by Carol Beth Anderson

Read Dates: October 18, 2023 – October 21, 2023
Date Published: July 11, 2023
Source: Kindle ebook

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Well well well! We got ourselves a proper Beauty and the Beast retelling!

This was so so so GOOD! I even wrote at the end of my notes, “This was a GOOD ONE!” with three little hearts.

“You intrigue me.” His warm breath falls on my forehead—he certainly is tall, isn’t he? “The feeling is mutual,” I whisper. He lets out another of those lovely laughs. “Well, I’d say that’s a good start, isn’t it?”

A contest is set up with 10 girls who are competing for the Beast’s, Tor’s, heart in order to break his spell. Think Bachelor vibes. Someone is eliminated after each challenge. Aeryn is one of the contestants. She’s not entirely attracted to him but she knows what she needs to do to ensure her family’s safety. So she goes along with the contest and even tries her hardest to relate to Tor. She seeks help from the groundskeeper whom she develops a very close friendship with, Wyatt. He gives her tips and points her in the direction of Tor’s likes and dislikes giving her a bit of an advantage. But the other contestants are dangerous, downright murderous even. Can Aeryn survive the trials of the competition and win the beast’s heart and a lifetime of safety for her family?

This book was such a beautiful twist on the typical Beauty and the Beast story. There were so many moving parts and so many characters. There was world-building even within the confines of Tor’s castle and there were characters constantly coming in and shaking things up.

Aeryn was so REAL. So often I read books where the FMC is all, “Oh. He’s grotesque but he’s so irresistible.” Aeryn was not that. She was constantly at war with herself because of the way the beast looked. I mean, c’mon. Even Belle couldn’t stomach even touching the beast until he started to soften and show his true personality. Not to mention, in this book, there were other contestants and they were seemingly all over Tor. Which is a low-key turn-off, amirite!? Aeryn certainly thought so. Anyway, I guess I was just able to relate to Aeryn and that made this book so enjoyable. Also, the fact that it was a standalone. Loved that. Sometimes ya just need a really good standalone book to break through the reading slump.

This was a fast-paced page-turner with faeries, magic, mystery, and happy endings. I highly recommend it!

I expect him to thank me for fighting for him. To tell me how strong I am. To assure me I can win. Instead, he breathes, “I love you.”