2.5 stars

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Dair is the seafaring prodigal son of chief Padraig of the clan Sinclair. When bringing his cousin to France to join a convent, they are captured. After being beaten and forced to watch his cousin raped and murdered, Dair returns home a broken man. His body is slowly healing but his mind seems beyond repair. A healer declares that only a pure virgin can heal him and his father sets out to find him one.
Fia is physically scarred and has a limp from an accident in childhood, therefore, her father and sisters are very protective of her. When Padraig meets her and sees how she heals a bird, he instantly wants to bring her to his son.
Dair and Fia are about to learn the true meaning of strength and healing.

He was still a prisoner, trapped inside the cage of his injured flesh, his damaged bones, his memories of unspeakable horrors. What would it take to set him free?

First in the Highland Fairy Tale series, this story plays off of the beauty and the beast theme. The fairy tale aspects, animals flock to our heroine like Snow White and our hero is a "beast", gave this a very light and fluffy tone. Fia also has an ill tempered cat named Beelzebub whose antics and fear he strikes in the hearts of big strong men, create the comic relief. While the abuse the hero suffered from his imprisonment and mental anguish from watching his cousin raped and hung (actually memories from the hero about this are told by him only once) give him a serious case of PTSD and the story a heavy tone. Unfortunately, these two contrasting tones didn't always mesh well together and gave the story a very uneven feel.

Dair was the best flushed out character with his storyline of being called "mad" by the clans people because of his nightmares, heavy drinking, and claiming he was seeing the ghost of his cousin. It's obvious he has PTSD but in 1700s Scotland, the priest is convinced its demons. Dair will definitely have your sympathies for what he has been through but a lot of his appearances have him solely being "mad". The few times he is not acting the part, he one dimensionally is attracted to Fia because of her gentle beauty. Fia had more facets to her character bio but they were just kind of thrown out there. She is said to have scars and a limp, why her family was protective of her but then her beauty is often discussed and no one seems to find her off putting, so which is it? (I'm not saying a woman can't be scarred and beautiful, just that the author seemed indecisive whether she wanted her heroine to be viewed as overtly beautiful or covertly) Then there was how Fia got her scars, the story is told once, with vague reasoning and details, and never brought up again. Not fully flushed out and incomplete reasoning had me never fully growing attached to our leads.

Along with the heroine's thrown out there details, I have to say the story's plot points, overall, were thrown out there to be left dangling. The villain was fairly obvious and his eventual reasonings made sense but the tie in with the ghost was pretty unbelievable. Sort of Even if you think you are seeing a ghost, I would think most would notice the difference between a big MALE and a female in a dress. Also, no one else ever saw this "ghost" running around? The whole thing was a bit eye-rolling. I know the ghost drama was dragged out to create suspense for the reader but it fell extremely flat for me. The reasoning for why Fia's sister came along too, she was the one supposed to marry Dair while Fia was only supposed to heal him, was extremely awkward. It wasn't worked out well, which tied into how indecisive Fia was portrayed. The whole talk of only a "pure virgin" (the word virgin was used 61 times in this story, it got pretty tiring) healing Dair honestly felt like added in nonsense.

The writing at times felt a bit simplistic but that could have been the brought up and dumped elements. I enjoyed the overall concept of the story and the broad way the characters and story moved along and interacted but the structure and plot points to get them there, were willy nilly and some were simply unnecessary. This could overall be called a sweet story, only two bedroom scenes, so if looking for that aspect along with a Scottish setting and in a fairy tale vein, you might want to try and see if this author's style is for you.
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I was intruded to this book by Anna @ Herding Cats and Burning Soup. I read her review, featured here, and become intrigued. Historical Romance's are not a genre I usually pick up, but her review made this book sound fascinating and something I might relish.

Their was so much to savor. Dair, the laird’s son and future heir, has been gravely injured and is grief stricken so much that he has gone rather mad. Fia, one of many daughters to a neighboring clan see’s her chance to see a little of the world and maybe help heal the laird’s son.

I loved both Fia and Dair. Both have scares inside and out. They also complement each other in that he’s bold and she’s gentle. I just loved seeing them together. They both needed someone to see them, help them heal, and see past the scars. Watching them come together was sweet and endearing.

There is also danger afoot and strange things happening in the clan. Rumors and murmurs of witch craft, evil, and that Dair is not fit to rule. Some shady things go down and a few people I definitely wished harm too. I’m curious to see where things will go from here.

Overall, I had a marvelous time. I’m glad I gave Beauty and the Highland Beast a try. I was captivated from the first to last pages and can’t wait to read the next in A Highland Fairy Tale series.

Rated: 4 Stars


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I love books that Lecia Cornwall writes. She creates interesting plots and her characters tend to be complex. Yet in this story, despite the complexity of the main characters, I had a difficult time connecting and caring for either of them. It did get better as the story developed and as we watched them develop and turn into the people they truly were and not just what other perceived them to be.

I also wished that the pace was a bit faster.

All in all, not a bad retelling of an old fable and if you like them, than you’ll probably like this one too.

Melanie for b2b ( )

When I read about this story I just knew that I need to read it. I've always loved Beauty and the Beast. In fact after Disney came out with the movie I was given a Belle collectible doll. I still have it. How lucky was she. To find her man (beast) and all those wonderful books! To say the least, I couldn't wait to read Beauty and the Highland Beast.

Lecia Cornwall is giving me a beast and highlander. I'm not sure my heart is strong enough.

I really enjoyed this story. It's a wonderful, fun read that will make you laugh and cry. It has all the characters you want in your romance. I loved both Fia and Dair's families. Their fathers both want what's best for their children.

Fia and Dair are scared, both inside and out. They are perfect for each other. They can understand each other in ways the people around them can't.

You'll be heartbroken for Dair who has to watch his cousin Jeannie go through some pretty horrific things before she dies. After all he's seen he can't get over or forgive himself for not doing more for her.

The story isn't all gloom and dome, there is humor in the story too. The author does a great job of balancing them both. The story is so enjoyable that I couldn't put it down. Beauty and the Highland Beast has it all! Plus at that price how could you not give it a try?

Reviewed for Romancing the Readers Blog:
http://romancingthereaders.blogspot.com/2016/06/review-beauty-and-highland-beast...

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ARC received for a honest review ( )

3.5 Stars
A historical Scottish romance that is loosely based on Beauty and the Beast. This novel is the first in a series and is a quick and light-hearted read. The characters are interesting although sometimes a bit hard to believe, and the setting is described very well. It's not a complicated plot, but the author ties the story together nicely. Some of the best characters are the supporting ones (I especially liked Moire, Angus, and English John). For romance readers and fairy tale adaptation fans.

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