Customer Reviews

To Beguile a Beast

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

WARNING: FULL OF SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, lemme get this straight. Sir Alistair is a scarred recluse, hiding from the world in his family's filthy castle, interacting with as few people as possible. Then, like a present left under his tree by Santa, comes a beautiful woman fleeing from her emotionally abusive and controlling lover. Sent by a friend to be Sir Alistair's housekeeper, Helen literally drops into the man's lap.

Before you can say "facial disfigurement", Helen is sprawled naked over his desk like a teenager's homework, giving him the first sex he's had since before he lost half his face to a vengeful Indian tribe. He has been cringing from the the gaze of the world, only venturing out when he has to, yet we're supposed to believe that all of a sudden he's going to be flirting and pursuing this gorgeous woman? I'm not saying a man like him wouldn't be attractive to me, or probably 90% of the thinking female world. But this book makes him sad and lonely, hating the world and hiding from it. All of a sudden he's found the confidence to pursue this babe in a fairly short time, despite the fact that the only sexual pleasure he's had in years is from himself?

Ok, they find a lovely little world of hot sex and mutual passion, so what does he do when he finds out the truth about Helen's life? He rises to the occasion once again in more than the physical sense, but not before he chastises her for getting pregnant out of wedlock twice AND calls her a whore. More than once. Not just a whore, but a common whore. Let me remind you that this is supposedly a man who makes women scream with horror when they take a gander at his face. Let me also remind you that this is a guy who took at stab at having a "common whore" and she wouldn't even lie down for him without more money. Helen has spent several weeks lying down, sitting down, standing up, kneeling down for him, of her own free will, because she finds him sexy and attractive...and he repays her that way. Most women would have slapped the eyepatch right off his face and found someone else to help her out of her dilemma. But sweet Helen forgives him, and even loves him.

He (occasionally) gives a thought to her beauty, his ugliness, and how it will feel to face the inevitable moment when she smacks herself on the forehead and says, "Good God, are you ugly!" But he never speaks to her about his fears, using their time together merely to nail her in a number of innovative ways that, to me, show a higher degree of confidence than you'd think from the theme of the book. And she never explains to him that, ok, a small part of his overall looks are slightly awry, but he more than makes up for some scars and missing body parts with his phenomenal brain, incredible talent, bulging wallet, gorgeous hair, fabulous body and highly glorious manhood. To read this book, you kind of wonder why he didn't just slap a bag over his head and wander the streets of Edinburgh naked as a jaybird--he'd have had a woman in 20 minutes.

And when she tells him she loves him, words that the average scarred, misanthropic recluse (his words) would love to hear, does he tell her his fears? No, he just lies there like a lump, letting her walk out of his life. (Granted, after that degree of hot sex, maybe he was merely asleep, like a normal man would be). It takes his sister showing up to smack some sense into him. Now, this is the sister he hadn't seen for a number of years, remember? But all of a sudden, when he has a woman, she is regularly riding in to save the day.

This was a really good book, and I enjoyed it for the most part. I've only just discovered Hoyt's books and they really are a cut above the average sensual romance. But I'd have enjoyed it a lot more if his behavior bore out the emotionally damaged guy he was being portrayed as, and if they had shared their weaknesses and needs as much as they shared their lust-engorged body parts. Then I would have felt that this book was as perfect as it could have been.

This book had me laughing, crying, flying through the pages, and left me with that warm and fuzzy feeling only a truly great romance story can.

Our heroine is fleeing London (an escaping mistress) with her 2 children and goes to a filthy castle in Scotland where she meets the tall, well built, but scarred (inside and out) 1 eyed hero.

The bits of fairy tale that start each chapter, the tension of the children's father hunting them down because they are his (as is she, his former mistress he won't let go), the 'beast' coming back to life after so many years shut away in solitude...

just holy wow and fantastic reading all around. The romance has time to build into lust and then love, the children and supporting characters are charming, and the pace is great. Elizabeth Hoyt has a way with story telling and words that had me flying through each page. I'm not a big historical fan, but I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!

re-read potential for sure.

I never seem to tire of the old Beauty and the Beast plot lines. I'm not sure why, but I find it--and the Ugly Duckling stories-- to be redeeming in some way. Perhaps it is my innate distaste for the way modern society focuses on appearance, but I really enjoy it when one--or both--characters don't follow the 'they're so beautiful' mold.

This is the first book by Elizabeth Hoyt that I have read, and I must say I wasn't disappointed. She has a fresh approach to historical romance and her characters are well developed--from the servants to the heroes. Every single one of them is memorable.

I particularly enjoyed the fact that the heroine was a 'fallen' woman who didn't fit the 'perfect' heroine mold either.

To Beguile a Beast was a very satisfying book with an even more satisfying theme.

To Beguile A Beast is by far my favorite book in this series. I found that the first two books, though very good, lacked a lot eroticism and the necessary, passionate depth to the love scenes; Elizabeth Hoyt certainly makes up for it with this decadent love story which is the third book in the series. I have to say that I am a little disappointed with the book cover; I think it is absolutely gorgeous and the the colours are divine BUT...I can see the male cover model's face and it is not scarred; one side of his face should have been completely shadowed or covered by a hooded cape or something! Now onto the story... Sir Alistair Monroe and Helen Fitzwilliam are a most unlikely pair. Alistair has wounds that run much deeper then the skin's surface and Helen and her two young children seek refuge in the one place far enough away from her pursuers to guarantee their safety...or so they hope. I was wondering how I would react to a disfigured hero, if I would believe that someone as beautiful as Helen could fall for him; thankfully my concerns were mostly unfounded. There were moments where I found Alistair's disfigurement a little distracting, but the overall story is well worth reading. This novel is smoothly flowing and has a few predictable, but interesting plot twists. The love scenes between Alistair and Helen are very erotic; making me blush a time or two. I was happy to see more descriptive love scenes in this book and I hope that book four follows a similar format.

I highly recommend this book.

(8 out of 10 Diamonds) - Thoroughly enjoyed it

© 2008-2009 Bobbie Crawford-McCoy (Book Reviews By Bobbie).

All rights reserved.

I enjoyed the book. It had just the right amount of background characters. a bit descriptive but I expected that. I would definitely buy the book again. Great Read!

In this third book of the Legend of the Four Soldiers series, we meet Sir Alistair Munroe, a naturalist who was scarred and tortured in the Spinner's Falls massacre. Hiding in his castle where no one can see him and he can focus on his books, Alistair is not happy to have his peace shattered by an erstwhile "housekeeper" and her two children.

Helen Fitzwilliam has no where else to go. A friend suggested she run to Alistair and become his housekeeper, since no one would ever think to find her there. But being a former mistress doesn't do much to teach you about cleaning dirty old castles. And the scarred man who lives there doesn't do much to inspire comfort in her or her kids.

But as they get to know each other, they all realize that surfaces are not all there is to life and love.

I was very excited to read To Beguile a Beast,and while I enjoyed the previous book in the series (To Seduce a Sinner) more, this was still an excellent story. Alistair is scarred, but not so badly as to undesirable, both physically and emotionally. Helen is a sympathetic character, with her desire for a life not under the thumb of another and her love for her children. If you enjoyed the previous books in the series, you will enjoy this one, too.

Niki Lee

Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Oh, this book is my favorite in the series so far. I just love the hero and herione. Alistar is a beast, in action as well as apperance. Yet, how can you not fall in love with him, expecially after the bedroom parts! Of course the herione is great too. A loving mother who made some bad mistakes in the past. Read this book, I beg you!

I never thought that this book is 'that' good! I could give at least 10*. I always dream I could read a really remarkable romantic book with Beauty & the Beast theme...and by reading this book my dream is actually being fulfilled.

Before, I really don't care a romance with married heroine, especially she is having child already. But with this book all of that is very very not important, hence it made the romance more sizzle.

For me a HOT love-scene must have a great chemistry, and Ms. Hoyt successfully made it! I really love this book!

They just keep getting better! This one was truly wonderful. For Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite fairy tales and this reminded me of it.

Love the way the children react and interact with Sir Alistair Munore. Mrs. Helen Fitzwilliam is surprisingly strong and motivated. Like the way she took back her life and along with the children made some great decisions.

I also, liked Sir Alistair's true reaction to her life before she came to his home.

I like the way she is fitting the fairy tales to the novels.

Elizabeth Hoyt is joining the ranks of my favorite Historical Romance authors.

Enjoyed this book very much. So much in fact that I ordered the other three soldier's stories.

I still, however, wonder what happened to that 1/2 lemon!