Synopsis

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.

(via Amazon)

Review

This was such a breath of fresh air. The way the author blended the fairy tale nature of Beauty and the Beast with the rugged setting of historical Texas, was very nicely done. There were easter eggs within the book pointing to the Disney animated film which I enjoyed. This is a dual-POV story that swaps between Callista’s and Everett’s perspective.

Callista Rosenfeld as the Belle character was the main female protagonist in this story. In this rendition, she works alongside her father in their family-owned book binding business. She bravely volunteers to go to an extensive job in her father’s place after he injures his hand. The job ends up calling her to Graham, Texas at the Manticor Manor, home of the social outcast Everett Griffin. Similar to the original story, Callista is a lover of books, puts other’s wellbeing above her own, and does not shy away from the harsh exterior and personality of the “beastly” character. She takes her family’s business quite seriously and dives in to completing it. She remains steadfast in the sight of danger and is able to make quick decisions in order to protect those she grows to care for. She also has a strong relationship with her faith in God, which she uses as a comfort during the stressful journey of relocating to a whole new environment for this job as well as the events she finds herself in while at the manor.

Everett Griffin (the Beast) is scarred both physically and mentally from a traumatic event in his past. He travels from New York to his Manticor Manor in Texas in order to isolate himself from the shame. Due to the event, he is particularly wary of women. When Callista first shows up at his door instead of her father, he makes multiple attempts to scare her from his household, relying on his brutish nature and mangled face to send her running for the hills. As he quickly realizes, she is slow to back down from her set purpose, so he resigns himself to her remaining for the time being. In this rendition, he started out as an artistically talented member of high society. He was a massive flirt, always prepared to woo any and all women he came into contact with. After the event, he locks himself up in his attic where he spends his time painting and reading, avoiding society unless absolutely necessary. Like Callista, he is willing to put himself in front of a barrel in order to protect those close to him. He seems to have been on a spiritual journey with his own faith. He has a bible he has seemingly worn out by the number of times he had read it.

As Callista and Everett spend more time with each other, they become aware of each other’s pasts and the reasons behind their personalities and behaviors. Callista is able to knock down Everett’s walls which allows him to open up to her. He eventually allows her to see his paintings, one of which showcases one of the easter eggs from the movie: the rose that has a final petal on the edge of falling off and floating to the ground. The development of their relationship does come off as rather quick, since it is such a short book, but their feelings for each other never feels forced. It remains innocent throughout and rather romantic. Callista is the more realistic partner in the relationship, as she understands there is more to becoming involved with somebody than what your heart wants. She remains grounded especially where her responsibilities to her dad is concerned. They are both loyal to each other as well as those they care about.

Some of the other characters that make appearances include Ambrose Batton (The Gaston antagonist), Mrs. Potter (Mrs. Potts), Mr. Lightfoot (Lumiere), and Mr. Timens (Cogsworth). I enjoyed seeing each of their personalities shine through and connect themselves to their Disney counterparts. Mrs. Potter was my favorite side character as she becomes similar to a mother to Callista, as her own mother had passed away years before. She is a nurturing soul who takes care of everybody. Ambrose Batton feels even more sinister than Gaston in the way he treats Callista and will seemingly do whatever it takes to get what he wants. The ending is not too kind to him in this rendition either lol

All in all, if you are wanting a quick fairy tale like read, this could be for you. There are nods to Christianity but not as much as the Brothers of Sapphire Ranch series that I have reviewed previously. Beauty and the Beast has been one of my all-time favorite Disney movies, so I was pretty excited to give this a read, and I enjoyed pretty much every minute of it. This is the first novel in the series, so I am excited for the next book to be released. Hopefully sometime in the very near future.