The Bride and the Beast

4.5 stars. I REALLY liked it.
Teresa Medeiros's writing style is not my FAVORITE. It's too flowery and like... poemy... I don't know how to describe it. Fanciful, maybe. A lot of metaphors that... well, I feel like you should have a good reason to use a metaphor... it shouldn't just be RANDOM. But they were. And similes. And I just don't know. It was odd.

I liked the premise (a Beauty and the Beast story, obviously, that takes place in Scotland in the mid/late 1700s) and I really loved the heroine. And the hero--I think it's REALLY EASY to go overboard with "Beast" heroes, but he was really great. Plus, the two of them went together really well, which is essential to a good romance, obviously.

The plot was predictable, for the most part, but that's typical. You can tell who will end up with who by reading the back of most romances. This one didn't say specifically, but I thought it was pretty obvious who "the Dragon" was. The only surprise is how early into the book the hero will ravish the heroine, right? It could be on the first page, the last, or anywhere in between. I won't give that surprise away.

I loved the prologue. It was really cute. Poor little chubby heroine...

I thought she could have stopped the book about 30 pages short and it would have been 5 stars, for sure. The last 30 pages... I was sitting there, reading, and going, "No! You've got to be kidding! GAAAAAHHHH!!! Why do heroes ALWAYS DO THIS???!?!?!??" But they always do, so I'm not sure why it frustrates me. Maybe it's because most men aren't drama-kings and wouldn't really. (That's really confusing if you don't know what I'm talking about...) So that was silly. And the last two paragraphs... *PROCESSED CHEEEEEEEESE* Seriously. I read it to my husband, just for kicks, and he couldn't believe it. He was like, "She's totally trying to copy The Princess Bride!" with the "of all the kisses ever... blah blah blah"... It was silly.

But still 4.5 stars, because I can. ;)

Oh, one last thing. Men in kilts? I'm sorry. Skirts aren't sexy. That just doesn't do it for me. *shrugs helplessly* ( )

I just didn't feel the love for this Beauty and the Beast romance.

http://ktleyed.blogspot.com/2012/05/bride-and-beast-by-teresa-medeiros.html ( )

This book is why I read romance novels! Wow, did it have everything--humor, poignancy, sweep, drama, and a hot Scottish guy. It just might be the perfect romance! ( )

A retelling of Beauty and the Beast, set in the highlands of Scotland in the mid-1700's - very good.

As a child Gwendolyn had fallen (literally LOL!) for the young lad who would one day be laird of her clan, Bernard MacCullough. But, when the English came to destroy the castle and everyone in it, the small province of Ballybliss gave their laird up without a fight, bringing a curse upon the townspeople and breaking young Gwendolyn's heart. Now, years later, a dragon has come to the destroyed manor demanding retribution and payment from the townspeople for their past sins. In an attempt to atone the townspeople decide to give up what they think the dragon would want the most, an innocent maiden. Unfortunately, Gwendolyn is the only maiden in town and promptly finds herself tied to a steak in a courtyard ruled by a monster.

This was, overall, a very entertaining little tale. There are many simple little mysteries that we can guess at over the course of the book and even when I was proven right, it was more of a satisfying feeling than frustration that I knew what was going to happen. I really enjoyed the dragon and his past with Gwendolyn and even though Gwendolyn kind of went on a bit about her weight, I found her interesting as well. It is unusual to have a "woman of size" in a romance novel and being one myself, I have to say it adds an interesting slant. I enjoyed the side characters, even the obligatory animal, and thought the story, while predictable, was certainly a worthwhile historical romance. ( )