Lady Beast's Bridegroom (A Twist Upon a Regency Tale, #… (2024)

If you like romance novels, it's a good idea to cultivate an appreciation for the fairy tale retelling. As soon as we saw that Lady Beast's Bridegroom was a gender-swapped Regency romance retelling of Beauty and the Beast, we knew we had to read it. His name is Beau! Lady Beast is wearing a mask on the cover!! There's a marriage of convenience because she's so ugly no one else will have her!!! So, y'know, maybe we had a lot of expectations going into this one...

Is this a fun read with a scarred heroine and a gorgeous hero? Yes! Is it the BatB retelling we were looking for? Not exactly. On the one hand, we do love books where the main characters are decent, nice people. Ariel and Peter (he doesn't actually go by Beau, sadly) end up being childhood friends. Their marriage of convenience is based not only on what benefits they receive, but also mutual, longstanding respect. It's really nice to read a romance with a hero who supports and defends his wife. On the other hand, we were also kind of in the mood for a bit of the darker feel of the original tale. Like why isn't Beau a prisoner in Ariel's castle?!?

That said, this is a well-written, cute little take on Beauty and the Beast, with an emphasis on period details of inheritance and asylums (we're thinking hard about Rochester's wife). All in all, check this one out if you're in the mood for a kind, respectful relationship, a hint of spice, and a pretty thoughtful look at appearance and reputation.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

Кинула на 59%.
Історія про шлюб за розрахунком між заможною юною леді з опіком на обличчі, в якої хочуть відібрати спадок, і вродливим лордом, який має рятувати свій маєток від боргу, нажитим покійним батьком.
Я не знаю, як авторам псевдоісторичної романтики це вдається, але що сюжет, що конфлікт, що стосунки між персонажами дуже прісні.

A fun & emotionally entangling reimagining of Beauty and the Beast!

I can't resist a reimagining of a well known fairytale, with Beauty and the Beast topping my favourite list, and this was a resoundingly wonderous and satisfyingly good one.
The cover and title, LADY BEAST'S BRIDEGROOM effortlessly pulled me in as much as it intrigued while the fast paced drama that unfolded, the role reversal plot twist and compelling characters had me hooked. Creating a well put together, emotionally entangling, twisted fairytale come childhood friends to lovers meets marriage of convenience mashup romance.

Arial and Peter, instantly sucked me in with their dire situations and struggles as the venomous detestable actions and scheming machinations of the selfserving, ungrateful and superficial escalated the threat that hung over their heads and built a compelling suspense from the get go. One that had me instantly jumping to defend their corner.
The kindness, compassion and fierce protectiveness of Peter, his steadfast support and how quick he, his bestfriend and wee sisters, her friends and loyal servants stood tall to defend her. Combined with the courage, strength and aplomb Arial had to stand up against the scorn and judgemental attitudes of others towards her scars ... though it clearly wounded her... was heartwarming, tear inducing and empowering. While, the smooth friendship, so readily evident between the couple, radiated a hope and promise of so much more flourishing between them through admiration, building awe, attraction before delightfully blossoming into love. Making this a read I found very hard to put down, becoming entangled and invested in their fates and ever hopeful, love would deservedly result as they worked together to outsmart and disenable their tormentors.
In addition, a host of secondary characters, well shaped, with their own crosses to bear, from his little sisters, Viv and Rose, to his bestfriend, John, had this ability too to dig deep and win a piece of your heart as they proceeded to eject a warmth and lightness into the darker danger encroaching moments, embellishing the drama with heart while cleverly not taking away the shine and focus from the leads.
Overall, an absorbingly engaging book for me, one I hope promises more intrigue and emotional entangling drama as the series continues!

He the Beauty and the she the Beast + a Cinderella man =3.5 stars.

If Disney wanted to make regency novels this would be the result.

The plot: James inherited a bankrupt title from his father, with properties that are a disaster and failed businesses, plus his stepmother and stepsisters are cold and spend too much money, basically James only has 2 half-sisters (1 illegitimate) who support him, they are girls who depend on him and love him very much, he loves them as well.
On the other hand we have Ariel, daughter of a count who inherited a lot of money from her father, but a cousin of hers who inherited the title wants the money so he threatens to put her in an asylum for the mentally ill, all so he can keep the money, Ariel is a strong and independent woman surrounded by trusted employees, but unfortunately she is a single woman, which in her time makes her a weak woman. In addition, due to a fire in her childhood, Ariel has half her face burned and only can see with one eye, so she wears a mask and lives away from society. When she realizes that she cannot protect herself from her cousin, Ariel takes the advice of her lawyer and looks for a husband, but sets certain criteria and interviews men. In question, some reject her because of her appearance, others do not convince her, until James shows up, in fact Ariel and he know each other from childhood since their parents were friends, the two decide to get married and Ariel immediately feels protected by James, while James gets help for himself and his sisters, besides everything they like each other and begin to love each other but together they must face a prejudiced society, bad people who threaten their lives and many problems.

As I said at the beginning, it is a mix of two classic stories but with interesting twists. Many regency books have been made where the hero is "a beast" with a marked face who ends up in love with the beautiful heroine, but in this book things are different hand she is "the beast" he is the beauty, and she is the rich one, he is the poor that has been mistreated by his step mother, I even believe that she is the strongest person in the relationship, all that was refreshing and interesting I love how she helped his sisters.

I'll be honest, I think this book could easily be given 5 stars. I can't imagine anyone giving it one star. It's very well written, it's entertaining, and story with originality, but despite everything, I don't like it, it is really too fanciful, even for a regency novel, cartoonish things happen here, the bad guys are ridiculously villains and the good guys are practically saints, that's not what I enjoy in reading so it's not a book that I would recommend, but I still think I will turn to the author again because from time to time it is refreshing to read something that feels so solid from beginning to end, something where you read about the bad people paying and the good people living happily ever after.

Lady Ariel lives retired in the country after being badly scarred by a fire. She hides her burns from others by donning a mask, only enticing more gossip by Society who has dubbed her “Lady Beast”. But she has a problem, hen her father died he left all of his wealth to her not her second cousin, who inherited her father’s title now this money grabbing cousin wants to have her committed so he can have her fortune. Only finding a husband will prevent the cousin from having his way. Peter, Viscount Ransome, a man so handsome Society has dubbed him “Beau”, inherits not only his father's debts but also his burdens. He must manage and care for a spendthrift stepmother who loathes him, her daughters, and his own two half-sisters. His only recourse is to find a wealthy bride to save his estate and his family. For him, that means marrying Ariel. It’s merely a business transaction, after all or is it?
The first in a new series & an interesting retelling of the fairy tale. I loved both Peter & Ariel, both are strong characters & I adored how their relationship grew & changed. She’s amazingly strong & with the support of some friends faces the ton. Viv & Rose are also a delight. The secondary characters whether you love or hate them were also well portrayed. As well as a delightful romance it also highlighted the plight of people who were different in Regency times. The pace is very good & never lagged & I devoured it in two sittings. The cherry on the cake was Ariel had support from The duch*ess of Winshire – well Eleanor would support her! I eagerly await the rest of the series
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

What lies within

Arial is badly scarred from a fire and had a pleasant upbringing prior the fire that took her mother and young brother! Peter a Viscount was a soldier and returned to an impoverished estate and wicked stepmother and abused stepsisters!
Arial has facial and body scars and has long given up on a husband and family until her wicked family member means to have her declared insane to seize her fortune!
Peter aka Lord Ransome is so handsome he is nicknamed Beau! He has 2 sisters Vivienne and Rose who have run away from the evil stepmother and actually help endear Peter even more to Arial! Handsome is as handsome does and Peter is a handsome man inside and out!
Ex-military he knows trouble when he sees it and stands up to it!
Both if them fail to realize how evil their family is! Josiah the Earl of Stancraft is a vicious piece of work that is determined to have Arial committed to an asylum! Will Peter rescue his lady in time?
Arial has finally squashed the rumors and found happiness but there are snakes in the garden! Love Peter and his fearless protection of Arial! Bravo!!!

4 1/2*STARS*
Childhood friends reconnect as adults. Lady Ariel needs a husband for protection against her cousin, Josiah, Earl of Stancroft, who inherited the title, but not the private money. He is not to be trusted. With the help of her attorney, interviews for a husband commence with Peter, Lord Ransome as one of the four to be interviewed. He is delighted to see Ariel again. The last time they saw each other was the night of the fire. That night she was burned and lost her brother and mother. He lost his mother. Embarrassed to need money to support his father's second family after his death and to get out of debt, marriage to a wealthy wife is his only option, no matter how embarrassing. Though Ariel has visible scars from the fire, Peter sees only a woman to love. Attempted murder, kidnapping, slander, public humiliation, a little humor and lots of love. I like this new series!
Open bedroom door.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

This was an okay Regency romance with a pretty cool premise. It reminded me of a beauty and the beast retelling except the women was wearing the mask she was the one that got burned as a child.
It had a really cute childhood-friends-to-lovers trope. Ariel was heart felt while peter was strong willed character. Loved them together. I loved the ending it was so beautiful written. 100% opinions are my own.

I loved the concept but didn’t really get into it. I also did not enjoy the alternate words used during steamy scenes for body parts. Or referring to cum as juices. 😬

Nice

This was a nice clean cut romance. Both the leading characters were very likeable and wise enough to look to a persons inner character rather than their looks alone. The heroine was very likeable and as strong as she could be having suffered a nasty disfigurement after a fire as a child. I enjoyed the book, it wasn’t one of the best ive read but it was a pleasant read.

I hated this book and I was so disappointed. I was excited to see it was a gender reversal of Beauty and the Beast (my absolute favorite) and this author butchered it.
The characters were superficial and was written as being absolutely perfect. The attempt at making them seem human was laughable.
The MC Ariel was ridiculous. She was being made a laughingstock, being called horrendous things and was like, "it doesn't bother me".
It's one thing to be unflappable in public but to continually be like that is completely unbelievable.
Her husband, who says he wants to protect her comes off as weak.
The one naughty scene I could stand reading seemed like it was written by a juvenile man. I was laughing at her attempt to write a romantic scene.
The plot was laughable and I was so glad for the book to end. I will not recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley for sending me this book. This review is entirely my own.

I was intrigued by the role reversal of the Beauty and the Beast trope. While there were some aspects I liked in this story, on the whole, this was only and OK read.

I did applaud Arial’s self assurance and Peter’s compassion but I felt these 2 characters were flat. I was also disappointed in the rush with physical intimacy. Given Arial’s natural wariness with other people, especially strangers, I would have preferred a longer courtship for Peter to prove his affections and worthiness to be let behind her defences. Afterall, Peter was pretty well a stranger even though they were briefly neighbours as children. I also thought the euphemisms for sex organs was prudish given their immediate passionate and numerous encounters.

I received a free copy from Netgalley. This is my unbiased review.

Good beginning

I was in love with this couple in the beginning. However a good part of the book is just reading about their problems. There wasn't enough fun stuff to keep me interested mixed in. I got to 80% and gave up. There was so much potential & then it just faded.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book and this is my freely given opinion.

I am a sucker for a Beauty and the Beast story and this caught my eye as a reverse version of that story, with the beauty being the MMC and the beast, the FMC.

It is also a bit of a childhood friends to lovers story to, as the characters also were childhood friends/acquaintances before the tragedy that occurred causing the FMCs scars.

Lady Ariel lost her mother and brother in a fire in their home years prior, and in that fire, she had suffered grievous scars to her face and body. But she survived, and being of strong mind and body, with the support of her father, she developed into a capable, intelligent woman, though she confined her herself to their home and only socializes masked, with a trusted small group of close friends. When her father died, his title went to a cousin, but he bequeathed all his wealth to his daughter. Unfortunately the new earl felt entitled her wealth and conspired different ways to get his hands on it. When he failed via legal means, he threatened her with bullying and incarceration in an asylum for insanity. Ariel and her lawyer figured the best recourse she had to protect herself was to have an arranged marriage where she could find a partner who would be willing to marry for her wealth, but would be honourable enough to protect her and allow her to control her wealth, which she would use to aid them. Such as someone who inherits an impoverished estate, but does not have disreputable habits themselves, such as being a gambler.

Peter, the Viscount Ransome, so beautiful he is given the hated nickname of Beau, inherited an impoverished estate, a mountain of debt, the guardianship of his half sisters, and a selfish, spendthrift, harridan of a stepmother and two step sisters of similar nature to their mother. He is doing what he can to cut expenses down and bring his estates back to decent function. But he is stymied by his stepmother who wants to undermine him and acts as though she is entitled to living a life of endless wealth.

Peter and Ariel marry and it does become a fairy tale of a romance as they find themselves enjoying a full marriage and relationship. Peter sees beyond the scars to the person Ariel is, and falls for her. Ariel builds her confidence and circle of friends as they are forced to go into society to prove their marriage and build proof against her cousin's lies about their marriage and her sanity as he still tries to gain control of her money. But they both are too lacking in confidence in each other and their new feelings to voice how they are coming to care for each other.

I enjoyed the romantic aspect to it, and there is a good tension and conflict provided by their challenges in dealing with the vicious stepfamily and her evil cousin. Their feelings for each other are forced to come to a head when they almost lose each other because of the mechanisms of those working against them. Peter is a very sweet character and I really enjoyed his interactions with other characters such as his half sisters and how loving he was with them.

Just a sweet and enjoyable romance, with some threat and adventure to add a bit of "us against the world" spice to the story.

4.25 stars out of 5

This was a really great read. Lady Arial Bledisloe lives a reclusive life away from london at her country house with her governess turned companion and a loyal cadre of servants, badly scarred as a child by a fire which took the lives of her mother and brother and Lady Ransome, she wears a mask and lives a quiet life. She is a wealthy young woman as her father left his entailed estate to his heir, her second cousin Josiah, but left the bulk of his money to her. Josiah and his wife have tried to bully and cajole the money out of Arial, but are now threatening to commit her to an asylum to seize the funds.

Lady Arial decides to marry to protect herself, and knowing that she is too tall and statuesque as well as badly scarred knows she will have to approach men in need of her money to secure a husband. She asks her solicitor to compile a list of suitable candidates, and one of them is Lord Peter Ransome, her childhood friend.

‘Handsome Ransome’ is known, much to his disgust as .Beau’, he is extraordinarily handsome, and also burdened by 4 siblings and a very difficult stepmother, a sadly dilapidated and depleted estate, and no inheritance to solve his problems. His father married a grasping and unpleasant woman, who brought two stepsisters with her, now grown and needing to find husbands. Their dowries have been spent by his father, and a Peter is not sure how he will manage to control his spendthrift stepmama, and provide for his step sisters and the two half sisters, still in the schoolroom. One is the child of his father and his stepmother, and the other is the illegitimate daughter of his father and his mistress..

Peter and Arial make a marriage of convenience and start to build a home for his younger sisters, and to manage his Stepmother and older step sisters into their own establishment. They also start to build a strong bond with each other, and find they are very compatible where it counts. Arial starts to blossom, and find her confidence as both the young sisters and Peter bolster her confidence and she starts to go out in society. However, cruelty from Peter’s best friend betrothed, and her mother plus Josiah’s machinations result in nasty caricatures and articles about Arial and Peter, as well as physical danger to Arial.

Peter becomes very attached to his brave and wonderful wife, as does she to him, but they are both too reticent to be honest with each other, as the danger around Arial and Peter’s young siblings grows, will they be able to get society on their side and admits their feelings for one another.

This was such a satisfying read I loved it.

I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book and all opinions are my own.

This was an okay Regency romance with a pretty cool premise. I've read many romances with heroes who have scars (occasionally burns) and even a few heroines as well. Usually, especially with heroines, the scarring, mark, or injury is either superficial or not on the face. Here we have a woman who was severely burned as a child; she does not overstate the severity of her injuries at all, and that is a brave and bold choice by this author.

Arial is not pitiable, however. She has grown into a strong woman who has heard it all and is almost inured to the reactions of others. She's earned the respect and love of her servants and companion, and, if she does long for a family of her own, she is pragmatic about the odds. It's only the threats of her second cousin that prompt her to take a more proactive approach to marriage.

Enter Peter, a friend from long ago, a viscount in dire financial straits. He is repelled by the idea of selling himself but is in no way repelled by Arial. He finds her both beautiful and alluring, inside and out. There's very little conflict between them; in fact, they work almost too well together, presenting a very united front almost immediately. Only Peter's discomfort with the money situation causes any awkwardness, but does not particularly have a negative impact on their marriage.

The negativity and dash of suspense instead comes from a myriad of secondary characters. In fact, there are so many, it's easy to get confused. We have Arial's cousin and his bitchy, entitled wife, Peter's stepsisters and his bitchy, entitled stepmother, and Peter's BFF's awful betrothed and her bitchy, entitled mother. We also have a seemingly shifty butler and a seemingly shifty guard and several obviously shifty extras. On the side of the good guys, we have companions and governesses and maids, and even more butlers, but not the shifty kind. I gave up trying to tell some of them apart.

Arial and Peter are cute together, and you will find yourself rooting for them. The overall tone of the novel, however, is a little cold and formal, sexy-part euphemisms notwithstanding. I never really felt like I knew either protagonist well, or maybe it was just like I was watching the story from behind a glass rather than from their eyes. I enjoyed reading it but was not sorry when it was over.

I received an ARC of this book for free from the publisher and Netgalley. I'm writing this review voluntarily, and it reflects my honest opinion. Thanks!

*This review is based on an ARC received from NetGalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

4 STARS!!!!
Lady Beast's Bridegroom is a well-written story with great plot and characterization. As mentioned, it is indeed a twist - a subversion of the usual Beauty and the Beast, with the lady getting a chance to have a beastly appearance and the beauty being, well, Beau.
This book was a great read, the kind you can't put down when even when you know you have to sleep! It reminded me of one of my favorite books - Mary Balogh's Someone to Wed, which is more points in its favor!

Apart from the obvious 'Beauty and the Beast' trope, the author makes use of several well-loved romance tropes - and does so marvelously! There is the all time favorite marriage of convenience, as well as some really cute childhood-friends-to-lovers, the angsty "I love them but they don't love me back"(spoiler alert-they do) and of course, the quintessential evil stepmother! And evil stepsister. And evil butler. And evil cousin turned heir. And evil asylum doctor and workers. And evil pretty gold digger debutante. And evil pretty gold digger debutante's mother...
So yeah, we have a whole gamut of evil people ready to torment, ruin and destroy the happiness of our couple - which is great, because it pretty much leaves no space for within-relationship torment and trauma!

Arial and Peter are very mature and understanding humans, not to mention strong, brave and kind, but what really makes this relationship work the best is Peter seeing Arial in a figure-flattering dress one(1) time and going - Gasp! Goddess. The best kind of heroes are always the simpy ones, and Peter never disappoints!

Special mention to the quite delightful sex scenes, and extra special mention to the euphemisms for body parts! I'm down for 'garden of delights' but 'generative organ' is a NO from me!

My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley!

Wow, what a story!! Any book dealing with a beast and beauty is for me. I have loved the Disney movies since they came out. Unfortunately, this story doesn’t have a fairy godmother to solve all of our couple’s problems.
Ariel has had a lot of pain in her life. She was horribly scared by a fire as a young girl. After she healed they went to live in the country so she would not have to deal with the ugliness of the ton. Everything changed when her father dies and leaves her all his money, but the title goes to her cousin, Josiah. Josiah and his wife want the money and will do anything to get it. He is trying to get her sent to an Asylum. The only way to stop him is for her to marry but who will marry a beastly woman? She uses her money to find a man to help, the last person she thought she would see is a childhood friend. Peter is the son of her father's best friend. They have history, as the fire also killed his mother and sister.
As Peter and Ariel set out to save each other but they will have to deal with not only her cousin, but Peters wicked stepmother and her daughters. Peter is beyond handsome and has been nicknamed Beau!! Peter knows Ariel has been scared more than on the outside but also on the inside by the world they live in. People of the ton think only of how pretty one is on the outside, most being very nasty and ugly on the inside. Ariel scars are only skin deep, but her soul is that of a wonderful, loving and caring person for all. They will have a lot to deal with and overcome to reach a happy ending. This is a story full of love, understanding, passion but also evil, mean, wicked people. Once you start reading you can’t put it down. Be sure and get a copy, you don’t want to miss this one.
I received an ARC from the author and wish to thank her. This is my honest opinion and am freely giving it.

What an amazing story!

I thoroughly loved this story about a terribly scarred young lady and the man who, though he married her for her wealth, came to love her for her kindness and beauty. Lord Ransome had known Lady Ariel as a young girl, as their families were rather close. Through a terrible fire that impacted both of their lives, Lady Ariel was disfigured and what was left of the two families grew apart. Lord Ransome joined the military, only returning home upon his father’s death to find the estate in dire financial straits with an incredibly nasty stepmother. Finally agreeing with his solicitor to marry for money, Peter, Lord Ransome, finds himself married to his once friend Ariel. And it is here that the real story begins.

The author deals very bluntly and honestly with what a disfigured young lady would have had to endure in the 1800’s, as well as the vocal judgements and opinions of society on their marriage. Add in the nasty stepmother, a greedy, evil cousin of Ariel’s who wants the money (not just the title) and the caricature artists of the day and you have numerous twists and turns throughout the storyline that kept me reading, unable to imagine what could happen next or how Peter and Ariel were going to manage the next “roadblock.” Thank goodness for the secondary characters that had compassion and common sense to lend belief that no matter what era or time, human beings could be accepting and kind, especially Peter’s friend, John, and his brother, the Marquess and his wife.

This was a well written story about two strong leading characters with the ability to persevere, along with a few side stories about secondary characters that leaves the reader with a sense of justice served and the feeling that hope and optimism should never be discounted or ignored.

I think this story is one of the author's best.

I do agree with another reviewer that there are many secondary character's and it was hard at times to keep them straight, so pay attention. Characters are written with depth from main to secondary.

So many villains trying to hurt either physically or mentally both the H/h. Story was very suspenseful because so many haters you never knew what would happen next. From kidnapping to attempted murder, this story has that and so much more.

What touched me in this story was the honest dialogue when each confronted by the haters. I'd admired the strength of the h and her kind heart even though you knew the pain she felt. Both could put the haters down. I liked how the H let her handle it her way, but also was in her corner and you felt his pain having to hear the words.

I'm not a fan of retelling of fairy tales because you know where the story is heading. I can honestly say this one surprised me and in a good way. The H is the Beauty and our h the Beast and so much more than in the normal fairytale.

Lovemaking within marriage - heat level 4 out of 5 and filled with passion and love. They both fall in love but don't want to admit it.

They knew each other as children until tragedy strikes both their families and they lose touch until forced to make a change in their lives they end up together.

No cheating, no cliffhanger, HEA, romantic, sad at times, heartwarming at other times, and some steam. I can't improve on the blurb, just giving you some other tidbits to make a decision whether to purchase or not.

I've purchased this story and also received ARC from publisher and Netgalley. All opinions are my own and freely given. (ljb)

*I received a free ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion*

This isn't really a full retelling of Beauty and the Beast, but it does keep the aspects about falling in love with a person for who they are rather than what they look like and with characters wanting to lock up the "beast". Arial is probably the most kindhearted and generous person ever. Despite having been a recluse since the fire that nearly took her life (and did take her mother and brother's) she immediately jumps into action to help protect Peter's sisters and goes after the life she always dreamed of. Peter's immediate acceptance of Arial's burns makes you fall a little in love with him too. Having him be a former soldier made his reaction to seeing her without her mask realistic (he wasn't blind to the burns, but he had seen others with such burns so it wasn't as shocking for him). I did like the part where he thought Arial must be exaggerating about someone wanting to lock her up (before he knew the whole story) - it was humorous without really trying. I really enjoyed getting to follow along as Arial and Peter fell in love. It happens so naturally, helped in large part since they had known one another as children. The villains add just the right amount of drama and intrigue to the story. It was a little coincidental that all the players knew one another, but not enough to make the story too far fetched. I hope that John gets another story later in the series. I felt so bad for him that he had initially chosen such a wretched woman to fall in love with.

If you're looking for a book that rehashes the "Beauty and the Beast" storyline, just with genders reversed, this is not it. But, this is a well-written book about a young woman, Ariel, who was scarred in a fire as a child and is desperate to escape her nasty cousin, so she marries a childhood friend, Peter. She gradually learns to accept herself as a woman and is able to overcome the pettiness of the ton, and the scheming wiles of her cousin and others, through friendship and courage.

I would say this is more a plot-driven than romance-driven book. There is some steam, but the MCs' chemistry isn't the focus. Instead, there are many tense scenes as Ariel tries to stay one step ahead of those trying to get to her both mentally and physically. The plot is rather sad in places, with an emotional subtext about bullies and small-minded gossips. There is also a realistic peek into insane asylums at the time (this ends up rather smoothed over, though).

Some of the secondary characters shine, especially the strong women who become Ariel's support system. Others seem to blend into each other. Maybe there could have been a bit of consolidation?

If I have any other critique to add, it's that, as in many of the current books coming out about curvy heroines, sometimes the unusual trait becomes too salient. I really wanted Peter to come to the point that he didn't notice Ariel's scars at all, as is often the case in books where the man is scarred.

The epilogue is very sweet, though, and I plan on reading the next book in the series.

Lady Beast’s Bridegroom by Jude Knight
A Twist Upon a Regency Tale #1

Riveting read…thought I could start reading at 10:30pm, read a bit, and put the book down to continue reading when I woke in the morning BUT once begun…I could not stop till the last word was read at 2:40am.

What I liked:
* Lady Arial Bledisoe: intelligent, recluse, heiress, wealthy, survivor of fire that left her scarred, in need of a protector, responsible, wise, loved by her staff,
* Peter, Lord Ransome: ex-military, titled, dealing with deceased father’s debts, responsible for half-sisters and stepsisters and horrible stepmother, needs influx of cash, wise
* The tie-ins to Beauty & the Beast and Cinderella
* The maturity of both Arial and Peter, their compassion, ability to communicate, sense of responsibility, and strength of character
* That the marriage of convenience was based on respect and grew into so much more
* The plot, pace, writing, character development and many of the supporting characters
* That it was believable andtrue to the time period
* All of it really except…

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* The evil stepmother, wicked 2nd cousin, the nasty ton gossips, and the pain experienced due to their machinations

Did I like this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing for the ARC – this is my honest review.

5 Stars

This is the first in a new series, A Twist Upon a Regency Tale, and it is off to a brilliant start! Ms. Knight is one of my favorite Regency authors, and I never hesitate to pick one of her books up. Her stories are always captivating and pull me right in and she does an excellent job of bringing the characters and the story to life. This book was no different! If you like Fairytale retellings, then you won't want to miss this one. A twist on the classic Beauty and the Beast, the story is about Lady Ariel, who is hiding away from society in the country ever since she had been badly scarred in a fire. She is known in the ton as Lady Beast. She is quite wealthy, as her father left her with all his money when he died. She is in trouble, though, because her second cousin who inherited wants his hands on it and will try and have her committed to get it. Her only escape is to marry. Peter, Viscount Ransome, is drowning in debt. He needs a wealthy wife to help pull him out. Ariel is just the lady. He decides it is a business transaction only, but as he spends time with her and gets to know her, he realizes beauty goes far deeper than just appearances.
The characters were strong and the chemistry undeniable. The storytelling was well done and kept me engaged from start to finish. I absolutely loved this first installment and can't wait to continue the series!
I received a complimentary copy from Dragonblade Publishing via Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

With a twist on the fairy tale version of Beauty and the Beast, Knight creates a tale of a woman scarred from a tragic fire needing the protection of a marriage of convenience to shield her from a dastardly cousin.

I was excited to read a version of this tale where a heroine is the one shunned from society and finds love and acceptance in the hero. I found the actual construction of the plot and characters to be partially successful in achieving the angst and loveliness of this tale.

Arial was a wonderful heroine in that she is smart and practical about the ways of the world. She knows what she needs and goes after her goals methodically. Our hero, Peter, on the other hand, fell flat as a character. He seemed more like a thin foil by which we can better relate to Arial and hope that she gets the happy ending she deserves.

The villains were absolutely diabolical and over-the-top. I thought they brought wonderful tension, and a frantic pace, to the plot.

What I would have liked to see balance the dark elements of the villains, was more of Arial and Peter together and forming a loving bond. Unfortunately, I felt like I was watching a play in which half of the character development was left behind the curtain and I was being told the information second hand, rather than shown. Due to this type of storytelling, I cannot completely invest in the characters because I do not really know them.

I would recommend this story to readers who love villains that carry the plot and create a cat and mouse pacing to the story as they pursue the protagonist.

I read and reviewed an advanced copy of this eARC thanks to Dragonblade Publishing via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I knew I had to read this once I heard it was a gender swapped Regency retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I was not disappointed either.

I really thought Arial and Peter were so cute. I liked that they were both decent people and reunited childhood friends. They both are in dire straits (Arial's brother threatened to put her in an asylum & Peter needs financial aid for his estate and dependants) and so a marriage of convenience commences. I thought the reasoning for the marriage of convenience was believable and I liked that Arial interviewed suitors rather than just picking anybody. Arial and Peter were both so considerate of each other. Their romance is sweet and just makes your heart melt. I loved how Peter was so accepting of Arial's scars and never made her feel less than.

There is a lot of drama happening in this book but it's solely due to the secondary characters. We have Arial's brother trying to get rid of her for her inheritance, Peter's stepmother and stepsisters nagging him for money, and his father's two daughters he had out of wedlock depending on him to take care of them. There are a few other smarmy people as well. I think the secondary characters added a lot to the book and kept it interesting; however I think there were too many. The multiple side characters and storylines caused the pacing in the middle of the book to slow down quite a lot.

Overall, if you're looking for a well written Beauty & the Beast retelling, give this a try.

Rating: 3/5
Spice Rating: 1/5 (closed door)

After being badly scarred by a fire, Lady Ariel was determined to live peacefully in the country, aware from society, who called her “Lady Beast”. However, despite her solitude, her second cousin who was not content to simply inherit her father’s title but also wanted to steal her fortune. To do so, he must have her committed. Yet Ariel is determined that she will not allow her cousin to get his way and decides to find a husband. Peter, Lord Ransome, known as ‘beau’ for his good looks, must marry to settle his father’s debts and to care for his family, all of which care little for him. Whilst marrying Ariel seems the best business arrangement, he soon finds himself captivated by what lies behind the mask she wears.
I enjoyed reading about these two main characters. Ariel is strong minded woman who is well regarded whilst Peter, a man who seems beyond surface level. Together they work well together and develop a relationship that is mature and loving. There were plenty of evil characters, in particular, Ariel’s cousin Josiah and his wife, who threaten to destroy the couple’s happiness. I did find that there a few too many plotting against them, and at times, wished that this had been simplified. Overall, an interesting read.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Beautifully presented, this tragic story takes one on a roller-coaster of emotions as Lady Ariel has to face the stings and barbs of so-called polite society. When her life is threatened, Ariel has no choice but to find a husband. Lord Ransome's life is in ruins with debts he has inherited from his father, together with a spendthrift stepmother and sisters. When his attorney presents a solution to him, it is not what he is expecting, and realizing that his life has come full circle, he willingly enters into a marriage of convenience with Ariel, despite feelings of humiliation at having to do so. Peter quickly comes to the conclusion that it was the very best thing he could have ever done, especially when Ariel takes in his two younger sisters and gives them the protection and nurturing so missing in his home. Unfortunately, both Ariel and Peter have enemies who conspire together for the married couple's downfall, and the lengths to which they will go are devastating. I loved Peter's care and concern for Ariel and his younger siblings, and Ariel's strength of character. Together they are a formidable force and win support from surprising sources. In spite of all the evil done, the novel comes to a beautiful conclusion. I received a copy of this novel as a gift from Dragonlade Publishing and NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

Lady Beast's Bridegroom (A Twist Upon a Defence Tale Book 1) Jude Knight

This book deserves the 5 stars I have given. First it is the story of a young woman, Arial, whose face was burned as a child. She wears a half mask to conceal her scars as well as long sleeves to hide more scars. She is not a bitter woman but a kind and compassionate lady. When her father an Earl his title goes to a distant cousin but he was smart enough to leave his fortune to his very competent daughter. Enter evil cousin titled Earl wants the fortune also, he wants to claim Arial insane so he can be guardian over her and her fortune. Arial is a very smart woman who seeks a husband to keep her nasty cousin away from her and the money. Fortunately for Arial one of the gentleman is an old friend, Peter, that was in the Army until his father a Vicount passes. The Vicount estate is impoverished and his stepmother demands spending money they don't have. The author weaves intrigue, suspicions andfickleness of the ton into this love story with insecurities of our hero and heroine. We see a glimpse of evil, rudeness and also caring from friends and servants. The mistreatment of patients by some asylums and archaic treatment. Most of all this is a love story between two well deserving people. I loved this book!

Friends, Desperation, Gossip, Family:
A new author for me and I must this author bravely tackles a very emotional touchy subject with beauty and compassion. The plot and characters are very appealing, charismatic, stoic, and kind. This is a beautiful love story that from the first pages the more I read the more I was totally captivated.
Ariel is a wonderful heartfelt kind character with scars inside and out. We follow her as she learns to overcome her fears and finds true love. It's not an easy journey for her but with Peter's help, and many reassurances, along with his deep growing love for her they both find the love they deserve.
Peter's characters is strong and stoic, heartfelt and full of thoughtfulness and kindness.
Yes, there are villains, excitement, fear, and many disturbing scenes for the couple to overcome and they do so beautifully.
My favorite scene in the book if the wedding night where it is so beautifully written by the author.
Several heartfelt confessions brought forth a tear or two.
Wonderful epilogue brings joy to the reader.
Personally, John is a best friend character I would like to read about in future book by this author.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy for my honest opinion.
5 Star: Beautiful Cover for a beautiful story.