When Beauty Tamed the Beast

A classic retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Except the Beast is a Duke with a limp and a bad temper and the Beauty is a delightfully snarky heroine with bite. 5 stars.

I adore Beauty and the Beast and I loved this retelling. Linnet and Piers are hilarious. The banter between them had me giggling and their chemistry is off the charts. Piers can be a complete and utter ass and Linnet was perfect at calling him out for it. Honestly, Piers wasn't even really all that charming when he tried but Linnet seems to like him as is. She gets bored with men who pander to her and her beauty. And Piers definitely won't pander to her.

I liked the way their relationship developed, beginning with friendship of sorts and working up to the romance. Their show more daily swimming lessons was a nice touch. And I enjoyed the way Linnet gets involved with the medical clinic - helping out to keep the patients entertained. The supporting cast were amusing (Prufrock the butler was a gem) and I liked that the three doctors were named Piers' Ducklings.

The only complaint I had was Linnet's naivety/innocence concerning sexual relations - I mean she's well read - she never bothered to pick up a book? That part seemed a bit odd. Still it was a minor issue and it was funny if nothing else.

A quick and witty retelling with tons of heart and a lot of snark. 5 stars. show less

When Beauty Tamed the Beast
4.5 Stars

Synopsis
Linnet Berry Thrynne is the belle of the ball until she is dumped by a prince and snubbed by the ton. Her only prospects are to marry Piers Yelverton the misanthropic Earl of Marchant nicknamed the Beast. Will he succumb to her charms or will she fall for a man incapable of loving her in return?

Review
A sexy and steamy retelling of the traditional Beauty and the Beast tale and a must read for lovers of historical romance.

Piers is obviously modeled on my favorite TV doctor, Gregory House (didn't need the historical note to confirm this). He is scarred, tortured and downright rude but not nearly as beastly and irascible as I thought he would be. Linnet is beautiful both outside and in, and she show more never allows Piers to bully or intimidate her. Their verbal sparring is witty and snarky, and their steamy scenes sensual and sexy.

My one small issue is with Linnet's father and aunt who are ridiculous caricatures but the rest of the secondary cast from the nosy butler to the endearing boy and his flea bitten dog are simply wonderful.

Run, do not walk, to the nearest bookstore or website and get this book. show less

Quando iniciei a leitura deste livro já esperava encontrar uma história que tivesse por base a conto de fadas “A Bela e o Monstro”, mas o que encontrei acabou por ser muito mais que isso. Primeiro, logo na segunda página acabei a dar umas grandes gargalhadas com a descrição de uma cena que se tinha passado entre a personagem principal feminina e um seu pretendente. Não há palavras, só mesmo lendo… Como personagem principal feminina temos Linnet que é a típica Bela, de linhagem nobre, linda, educada, em idade de casar, mas que vê o seu futuro arruinado por um mal-entendido. Por isso, a única hipótese que lhe resta é casar com o Monstro. Bem, na verdade não o achei assim tão monstruoso! A cada página que lia acerca show more dele achava que era apenas muito irónico e com um sentido de humor muito negro, na verdade sempre o comparei ao tão nosso conhecido Dr. House, protagonizado por Hugh Laurie. Na verdade conseguia mesmo imagina-lo com a cara daquele actor, desde o olhar frio, até estar coxo de uma perna, a bengala, a ironia como falava com as outras pessoas, o mau feitio, a forma como fugia dos sentimentos…tudo! Mas o que acontecia na realidade é que por debaixo daquela armadura encontrava-se um homem muito simples e bondoso, que apenas tinha sido marcado pelo passado.
Ele foi praticamente empurrado na direcção daquele noivado que não desejava, mas a verdade é que nunca pensou encontrar em Linnet a sua metade. No mesmo de tantas discussões e teimosias, acabam finalmente por se envolver e a descobrir que afinal sentiam algo mais profundo um pelo outro. É um romance de época bastante simples, que se lê com alguma rapidez, mas que não deixa de ser simplesmente delicioso e engraçado. Este foi o único romance que li desta autora, mas com certeza que não será o único. Dou os meus parabéns à Quinta Essência por apostar nestes autores que realmente nos deixam com vontade ler mais ainda e também pelas capas com que nos presenteiam, que são maravilhosas. show less

Linnet Thrynne has just thoroughly botched up her debut first season. What started as a harmless flirtation with a prince has ended in her being the talk of the ton. Of course she knew that a prince could never marry the daughter of a lowly viscount but it was just a bit of kissing- a bit of kissing witnessed by the Duchess, mind you and now Linnet is ruined. Ruined, thanks to the kiss, the refusal of the prince and well, a ball gown that had far too many ruffles around the middle for people to believe that it was just a kiss. Now she's to be bundled off to Wales, rumored royal bun-in-the-oven and all, and given in marriage to a Duke's son. This would seem like a fortunate turn of events if it wasn't for the fact that the only reason show more the Duke desires the match is because his son is incapable of siring a child and he wants an heir with a tinge of royal blood. But there's no baby, and soon Linnet will have to break the news to her new fiancé, a man everyone refers to as The Beast.

I fell in love with Eloisa James when I read the first book in this series, A Kiss at Midnight. It was so witty and funny and wildly romantic that I ran out and picked up a few more of her books. Her writing is gorgeous and she writes the most adorable characters! She makes even the bad guys loveable.

This little story was so much more than I expected. With all the Beauty and the Beast overtones, I was expecting something much more predictable than I got. I adored Piers, The Beast, instantly. He's a remarkably gifted doctor with the very worst bedside manner and where one would expect that he'd fall face first under the spell of his new Beauty, it's quite the opposite in fact. He openly mocks her coquettish behavior and refuses to be another of her ballroom conquests and why shouldn't he? After all, he is completely unaffected by her, having suffered a debilitating injury that has left him, ahem, immune to her charms. Linnet is forced for the very first time to rely on something other than her beauty to get her out of her most unfortunate situation. I laughed and laughed at this story, until I started crying like a big burbling idiot towards the end where it takes a most unexpected turn.

I plan on reading each and everyone one of Miz Eloisa's books because I just love her characters and her excellently crafted little worlds. If you are a fan of happy romances, regency ones at that, you'll fall just in much in love with this book as I did. show less

I have tried reading a couple of other books by Eloisa James, but was never able to finish them. I had heard so many wonderful things about When Beauty Tamed the Beast that I knew I had to try again. Luckily – this time was different! I absolutely loved When Beauty Tamed the Beast. The characterization was absolutely out of the park. Now that I can see what Eloisa James can do I definitely intend to go back and try the other books again!

Obviously When Beauty Tamed the Beast is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Well, I am here to tell you that Piers Yelverton makes an awesome Beast. Not only does he have the personality and appearance issues that you would expect – but there is an added bonus. Y’all, Eloisa James knows what she show more is doing. I can almost see her sitting in her lair thinking “hmm, what well known love-to-hate-him-jerk can I base Piers on? Who can I choose so that people will have to love him despite all his issues?”

Who do you think she chose?

One word: House. DR. HOUSE YOU GUYS! Have you ever heard of anything more brilliant than that? A character that fuses together the Beast and Gregory House? I absolutely love this guy. He is a smart ass. He is difficult to be around. But yet…if you have seen the TV show, than you know. No matter what House does there is always something about him that makes you love him anyway. Well, Piers Yelverton has that something.

Okay, so now that I’ve rhapsodized forever about him, I’ll keep it short and sweet on the female MC. Linnet Thrynne is awesome too. She craves knowledge and freedom. She doesn’t take crap from anyone: least of all Piers. She manages to get herself into female trouble at the beginning of the book and is therefore banished to be Piers’ fiancee in his castle at Wales with all his sick patients.

She takes to her new life pretty well, considering. I love how she stands up for herself! I also adore the way she and Piers interacted. Some of the best situations and dialogue ever. I love how Eloisa James plays on the plot point that Piers is wounded and unable to er…perform (if you know what I mean. wink wink nudge nudge). Anyway, the way that whole situation worked out absolutely cracked me up.

Clearly, I absolutely loved When Beauty Tamed the Beast. I highly recommend reading to everyone who loves historical romance. Even if you aren’t a big fan of the genre, When Beauty Tamed the Beast might be a good book to change your mind! Put your faith in Eloisa James, y’all. show less

In her afterword, Eloisa James said she'd drawn some of her inspiration for this one from House. I see it! Irascible (isn't that a great word) male protagonist, who's a doctor, a grump, and walks with a cane.
Banter!!! A heroine who's kind of a bluestocking!
Just the right amount of sexiness. A medical mystery.

God, I love smart Regency-ish romance!

And I actually like this BETTER than House, because actual modern hospital stuff gives me SUCH creeps! Leeches are apparently less horrifying.

In her afterword, Eloisa James said she'd drawn some of her inspiration for this one from House. I see it! Irascible (isn't that a great word) male protagonist, who's a doctor, a grump, and walks with a cane.
Banter!!! A heroine who's kind of a bluestocking!
Just the right amount of sexiness. A medical mystery.

God, I love smart Regency-ish romance!

And I actually like this BETTER than House, because actual modern hospital stuff gives me SUCH creeps! Leeches are apparently less horrifying.