Customer Reviews

Beauty and the Beast

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This book features something new (at least to me): a hero who isn't drop dead gorgeous and is insecure because of it.

Thayer thought he was about to attend his cousin William's wedding & soon discovers he is the bridegroom of the beautiful Gytha (ugh, what a name) due to a twist of fate. Thayer is appalled at this news. Years earlier his heart was severely broken by a beautiful but heartless well-bred woman and he promised himself he would never become that vulnerable again. Gytha slowly breaks through the barriers he's constructed around his heart with her innocence and loving ways. But deep down Thayer still isn't convinced she is as pure as she seems and dreads the day when he will find her in bed with another man. Because of Thayer's mistrust, a greedy uncle & Thayer's ex-love Elizabeth (who decides she wants him back in her bed) he and Gytha have a very rocky road ahead of them.

I really enjoyed this delightful Beauty & The Beast retelling! It was refreshing to read about a heroine who had no care for looks and although she was physically perfect she didn't feel it was an important part of who she was. This book was very funny in parts, while still being emotionally intense and the chemistry between the h/h was smoldering. This one teared me up & had me smiling at the same time. I hated to see their story come to an end. Track this book down & move it to top of the TBR [to be read] pile.

I would give this a 3 and a half if I could. The characters are likeable and engaging. The story is good, but it lacks a certain suspense. There's no real feeling of urgency to pick it up and nothing that really stops you from putting it down.
Gytha is immediately drawn to him and is soon in love with him. The same is true for him. She won't tell him of her love because she fears he won't believe her. He won't tell her because he's afraid she can never love him.

This is not Howell's best work, I would borrow it or get it used. To be honest it was a waste of a yummy yummy cover. That was basically the best part of the book.

My biggest issue with this book is how stupid the hero is. I found that extremely unattractive and it had nothing to do with how he was described `cause FYI I love red heads. The first misunderstanding between Gytha & Thayer was worse than what a normal human being could just overlook, especially in a chapter or two. Now I realize I can be sensitive about certain things so maybe everyone would not agree with me. As you can see by the other reviews, some really liked this book.

It's a taste thing and only my opinion, so no offense. Without telling what happened I would like to point out that this man is a warrior. A knight. He is a trained solider, worked as a solider for hire. They call him the Red Devil. THE RED DEVIL. Been in a few battles y'all is what I'm saying. She's telling us "shock" would have kept him still? Yeah maybe for like 3 seconds. And just because of some tramp from the past hurt his little feelings? Give me a break. What a candy a**. And by the way, just because you are not the most beautiful person in the world and have low self-esteem is not an excuse for being a moron. And I never thought he accepted himself. It was all about how she didn't mind him being "ugly" even though she was unbelievably beautiful.

Nothing wrong with having an issue or two about they way you look... this I understand. And I think we all like to see character growth in our heroes and heroines but at what point do you say, wow will you ever learn? Isn't the basic premise behind Beauty and the Beast stories about inner beauty and self-worth blah blah blah? Did I watch the wrong Disney movie?

Gytha's reaction was dead on yet when it was time for Thayer to pay pay pay and suffer suffer suffer, she felt guilty because she thought she was being tricky or manipulative?!!? And on top of it Gytha never saw the groveling the situation called for. And it called for GROVELING! She lets him off the hook when nothing has really been settled. And that was typical of the entire book, he would do something really dumb and it was a huge deal, she would be furious and hurt but then not a lot would come out of it. He would say in his head how horrible he felt but that she just didn't understand.

I never was convinced that he really got it regardless of the last 3 pages of the book. Some of Howell's books are good; she is someone I like to read. Her Highlander books are light, entertaining, and perfect for escapism. I own every single one of them. Yet there are a few of her books that are so irritating (Wild Roses is another waste of good paper) because the men are weak, stupid, or selfish and there is little to sympathize with or make you want to root for them. I could barely make myself care if they ended up happy ever after or not and had to force myself to finish the book even when I had like 2 or 3 chapters to go. This is not the worse book I've read, that dubious honor goes to Lynn Kurland's Another Chance to Dream, but now I'm hesitant to read her other books.

Wow, what a rant. Okay maybe I take romance books a little too seriously but when I'm spending my time and my money, I have high expectations.

Hannah Howell best known for her "Highland" series of books wrote this book early in her career and should not be missed by fans. The story is a familiar tale of a beautiful woman and a man that only she considers handsome. What sets this tale apart from many other Beauty and the Beast stories is the deepth of the characters.

The heroine is beautiful but not conceited and is annoyed and bored when people mention her looks. She is kind to everyone around her including her best friend the [...] daughter of her Uncle. Betrothed to marry a man she barely knows, she is willing to marry him and make the best of it. When he dies on the eve of their wedding she finds out that her betrothal contract requires her to marry his heir.

The heir turns out to be a very large warrior who has spent his life earning a living with his sword with his men, all of whom are [...] sons of nobles, at his side. He is not eager to marry such a stunning young woman due to a past bad experience with a shallow beauty. Forced to marry her he expects her to be disappointed by his looks and is stunned when she obviously likes him very much.

The story develops well and has several twists and turns. Subcharacters are also interesting. This book shows that Hannah Howell has a wonderful talent for writing romantic literature.

I enjoyed the book pretty good. As the previous person said...Gytha and Thayer automatically liked each other. Even the fact that Thayer was covered in red hair (the beast) didn't even turn Gytha off. His courage and honor seemed to outweigh the fact that he wasn't the most beautiful man she could have married. Of course, Thayer liked Gytha right away b/c she's beautiful and sweet. I don't really think the story lacked suspense. It just lacked the "love" suspense. Like in "Promised Passion" (another Hannah Howell book), the main characters always had someone out to kill them or tear them apart...so...we are kind of wondering if Gytha and Thayer will even be together in the end. I'd say...if you liked "Promised Passion"...you're more than likely going to like this book. By the way...I'd give this book 4 and 1/2 stars if I could.

If you are a fan of the "bodice ripper" genre, then you will like this story. Set in medieval England, Gytha has been promised to the heir of Saitun Manor, one of three cousins. On her wedding day, she discovers that her intended, William, has been killed in a riding accident. Since the next in line, Thayer, has reportedly been killed in France, Gytha finds that she is to wed Robert, the youngest, least regarded of the cousins. But before the nuptials can take place, Thayer rides in with his men, planning to attend William's wedding, which of course has now become his own. Although the scarred Thayer, known as the Red Devil for his flaming red hair and prowess on the battlefield, is considered ugly, Gytha is immediately drawn to him (he is, in fact, the first man in whom she has been truly interested). And Thayer is instantly taken with the lovely Gytha, but feels dread at the thought of being married to such a beautiful woman, who he is sure will eventually cuckold him. The story contains all of the elements of the "bodice ripper": misunderstandings and distrust between the thick-headed, stubborn hero and the fair, innocent heroine, the plot to separate the lovers, the seductive "other" woman, the villain intent on claiming the heroine as his own, bravery in the face of danger, and the lusty love scenes, to name a few. Some of the elements of the story could have been developed more, but overall, I found this to be a very satisfying use of my time and look forward to reading other stories by this author.

Loved this book. It has been a while since I have come across a book that was such a wonderful storyline. No need to recap the book as other reviewers have taken care of that. There was a wonderful mutual respect and appreciation of the two lead characters and a twist at the end. Thanks Hannah Howell for a nice read that will stay on my keeper shelf.

I too found it unbelievable that the main character (a warrior) would be so insecure about his looks. The conversations with his friend about his "ugliness" became irritating and redundant. I put it down after a 100 pages. It just was not that interesting. The main characters were basically in "love" and in bed by page 50.

I have read so many Hannah Howell books that you begin to see they all have the same plot pretty much. They are just so predictable and this one is no exception, but I am a sucker for Beauty and the Beast stories, where the heroine can see beyond the scars and less than handsome features of a man, to see the goodness inside, and love him for that alone. So even though the plot holds no surprises, I gave it a 4 star for that.

Don't waste valuable time reading this book. It was boring. They were in love and in bed before page # 200. No suspense, no plot, just empty words. I have read one or two of Hannah Howell books in the past (forgettable), I can't remember which ones, but this is the last.