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A Beast’s Belle
A Beast’s Belle is a fairy tale retold – echoing the ground-breaking BDSM Beauty books by Anne Rice.
The novel offers a twist on a classic story; Isabel is the daughter of a widowed inventor and tinkerer, but leaves home to join the indentured staff of a manor. Upon arriving, she explores the rigid structure of domestic servitude and discipline in the manor, and eventually grows fascinated with the Master of the house, a feral man with curious proclivities and voracious appetites. Isabel tries to find her way in a new life at the manor, but quickly finds herself bound up with the Master of the house and engrossed in the lifestyle and ritual the manor’s occupants share.
The novel offers a twist on a classic story; Isabel is the daughter of a widowed inventor and tinkerer, but leaves home to join the indentured staff of a manor. Upon arriving, she explores the rigid structure of domestic servitude and discipline in the manor, and eventually grows fascinated with the Master of the house, a feral man with curious proclivities and voracious appetites. Isabel tries to find her way in a new life at the manor, but quickly finds herself bound up with the Master of the house and engrossed in the lifestyle and ritual the manor’s occupants share.
192 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2017
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26 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
April 23, 2017
lol pls just leave me here recovering from this eyes blinding, cringy as fuck erotica piece of repetitive shit that actually somehow got published
I received an arc in exchange for an honest review via Netgalley
I received an arc in exchange for an honest review via Netgalley
June 18, 2017
[After reading it:]
Well, well. That was a bit of a surprise. Most reviews for A Beast's Belle are negative, so I was sure it had to be bad. Just that it wasn't. I kind of liked it. And I wouldn't compare it to Anne Rice's The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty because I hated that one. I would rather compare it to Pauline Réage's Story of O. But Gambardella is milder even than Réage. And I like that because too much BDSM is too much.
Trigger warning for rape.
*Copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
*******************************************************
So... I'll be honest. I'm not sure how I ended up requesting this arc. I deeply disliked Anne Rice's Beauty books.
Well, well. That was a bit of a surprise. Most reviews for A Beast's Belle are negative, so I was sure it had to be bad. Just that it wasn't. I kind of liked it. And I wouldn't compare it to Anne Rice's The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty because I hated that one. I would rather compare it to Pauline Réage's Story of O. But Gambardella is milder even than Réage. And I like that because too much BDSM is too much.
Trigger warning for rape.
*Copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
*******************************************************
A Beast’s Belle is a fairy tale retold – echoing the ground-breaking BDSM Beauty books by Anne Rice.
So... I'll be honest. I'm not sure how I ended up requesting this arc. I deeply disliked Anne Rice's Beauty books.
April 16, 2017
*** Disclaimer: I received this book from the author/publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.***
I literally finished this book a few seconds ago and did not want to wait a moment longer to review it. I did not enjoy this book in the slightest and it was primarily with the grammar and then the plot of the book.
This is suppose to be a Beauty and the Beast retelling but I felt that it was a very loose retelling. I didn't feel the magic or the love that is suppose to supersede all in this story. The only points borrowed from the original story were the character of the Beast and the fact that he kept her in a castle and that there was a guy named Gaston. I think that a BDSM version of this tale is a possibility but I did not think it was executed well here.
The writing was very repetitive and more than a third of the book was dedicated to nothing of importance. I had to re read whole sections at the beginning only to realize that it wasn't that I didn't understand what was happening at that point but that the writer had chosen to repeat themselves unnecessarily. I kept thinking that the only reason why the author would be doing this would be to try and give the book bulk. Without all the repetition, this book would have been half the size. The whole story was basically about Isabel and her barely explored lusty thoughts. There was no relationship of any kind between her and the Beast and I felt like this book only needed to be rid of him for it to become any generic, unaccomplished contemporary.
The characters were all lack lustre and they were not ones you could relate to or root for. They were all completely forgettable. We barely learned anything about the Beast initially and only started to learn more about him and his background in the last 10% of the book. That is way to late to give a damn anymore. In fact the Beast was so invisible in this story, I thought a romantic relationship was actually going to happen between Isabel and another servant named Kat. Thinking maybe 'the Beast' was a metaphor for the way Kat would treat her at some point later on in the story. With no real interactions between Isabel and the Beast can this truly be called a retelling? Gaston was made out to be a villain with no real reason initially. When we meet him he is not overly vain and self centred like in the original work and his interactions with Isabel were very few. I believe they only interacted twice at the beginning and then one final time near the end of the book where her disliked him actually was for a good reason.
The world building was none existent. I was honestly confused in what era we were in for this book. I mean I know there was no specific year was given in the original Beauty and the Beast but at least we had a general idea of the time it fell in. Here I was not sure because there was talk about steel and machinery that seemed to advanced for my liking. I did have to look up things like the discovery of steel to make sure it fell in the era that the author was aiming for. The other thing that took me out of the era of the book was Isabel's talk about her sexual gratification. What girl in that era referred to her labia?!?!? It just seemed to modern of a tone there and so anytime sexual observations came up, I was thrown out of the little story that was keeping me reading.
Above all of this was the fact that this book was given to me to review and it was poorly edited. There was an insufferable (well I made it through but only to review this book) amount of grammar and spelling mistakes that it throughly ruined the reading experience. I feel it was a disservice to the author for the publishing company to put out his work in such an unpolished manner.
In the end I am glad to have finished this book and will not be recommending it to anyone in the future.
I literally finished this book a few seconds ago and did not want to wait a moment longer to review it. I did not enjoy this book in the slightest and it was primarily with the grammar and then the plot of the book.
This is suppose to be a Beauty and the Beast retelling but I felt that it was a very loose retelling. I didn't feel the magic or the love that is suppose to supersede all in this story. The only points borrowed from the original story were the character of the Beast and the fact that he kept her in a castle and that there was a guy named Gaston. I think that a BDSM version of this tale is a possibility but I did not think it was executed well here.
The writing was very repetitive and more than a third of the book was dedicated to nothing of importance. I had to re read whole sections at the beginning only to realize that it wasn't that I didn't understand what was happening at that point but that the writer had chosen to repeat themselves unnecessarily. I kept thinking that the only reason why the author would be doing this would be to try and give the book bulk. Without all the repetition, this book would have been half the size. The whole story was basically about Isabel and her barely explored lusty thoughts. There was no relationship of any kind between her and the Beast and I felt like this book only needed to be rid of him for it to become any generic, unaccomplished contemporary.
The characters were all lack lustre and they were not ones you could relate to or root for. They were all completely forgettable. We barely learned anything about the Beast initially and only started to learn more about him and his background in the last 10% of the book. That is way to late to give a damn anymore. In fact the Beast was so invisible in this story, I thought a romantic relationship was actually going to happen between Isabel and another servant named Kat. Thinking maybe 'the Beast' was a metaphor for the way Kat would treat her at some point later on in the story. With no real interactions between Isabel and the Beast can this truly be called a retelling? Gaston was made out to be a villain with no real reason initially. When we meet him he is not overly vain and self centred like in the original work and his interactions with Isabel were very few. I believe they only interacted twice at the beginning and then one final time near the end of the book where her disliked him actually was for a good reason.
The world building was none existent. I was honestly confused in what era we were in for this book. I mean I know there was no specific year was given in the original Beauty and the Beast but at least we had a general idea of the time it fell in. Here I was not sure because there was talk about steel and machinery that seemed to advanced for my liking. I did have to look up things like the discovery of steel to make sure it fell in the era that the author was aiming for. The other thing that took me out of the era of the book was Isabel's talk about her sexual gratification. What girl in that era referred to her labia?!?!? It just seemed to modern of a tone there and so anytime sexual observations came up, I was thrown out of the little story that was keeping me reading.
Above all of this was the fact that this book was given to me to review and it was poorly edited. There was an insufferable (well I made it through but only to review this book) amount of grammar and spelling mistakes that it throughly ruined the reading experience. I feel it was a disservice to the author for the publishing company to put out his work in such an unpolished manner.
In the end I am glad to have finished this book and will not be recommending it to anyone in the future.
March 28, 2019
DNF
This was one I got from NetGalley a while back started-stopped: then promptly forgot all about it.
Just back to give a brief explanation for my reasons.
So this was a Beauty and the Beast themed retelling which is the main reason I requested.
Anyone who knows me is aware that this is my favourite fairy tale of all time.
So what can I say about this well it's hardcore BDSM and it's definitely NOT!!! a romance.
This is one that I really didn't like at all and it didn't work for me on any level at all sorry.
I think its the worst beauty and the beast themed book I have experienced to date and that's not because it's BDSM either, I happen to like a bit of kink in my reading but this just wasn't authentic or realistic on any level.
I voluntary reviewed a copy of "A Beast’s Belle"
All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com
This was one I got from NetGalley a while back started-stopped: then promptly forgot all about it.
Just back to give a brief explanation for my reasons.
So this was a Beauty and the Beast themed retelling which is the main reason I requested.
Anyone who knows me is aware that this is my favourite fairy tale of all time.
So what can I say about this well it's hardcore BDSM and it's definitely NOT!!! a romance.
This is one that I really didn't like at all and it didn't work for me on any level at all sorry.
I think its the worst beauty and the beast themed book I have experienced to date and that's not because it's BDSM either, I happen to like a bit of kink in my reading but this just wasn't authentic or realistic on any level.
I voluntary reviewed a copy of "A Beast’s Belle"
All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com
April 25, 2017
I received this book from the author/publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.
https://tanyasreading.wordpress.com/2...
.5 Stars!
What the hell I just read??? This was so damn boring and I didn't relate to no of the characters.I was bored to tears with the Belle character. This was so loosely based off of BATB that only two things resemble it was the fact it had a character who was named Gaston aka potential rapist and the Beast was deformed. That's it.
Two notes for the author
1. Learn what all of BDSM inclined before trying to pin your novel as one. It's more to it than having a couple scenes of people being resistant and getting whipped with a cane until welts come up. This felt like if E.L James decided to do a novel version of Eyes Wide Shut.. Like 50 Shades of grey wasn't good enough for her... It doesn't hurt to do research on a subject matter regardless if it's deemed taboo.
2. Giving someone a backstory when 90% of the book is over is not a good way to go. Especially when that character was like at least 50% of the book. That just shows how lazy the writing is. It was also very repetitive. Like they just copy and paste the same paragraph and put it on a different page.
If you want to read a BATB retelling with a little BDSM favor, read Petals and Thorns by Jennifer Parisinstead. You actually can tell that writer did her research.
https://tanyasreading.wordpress.com/2...
.5 Stars!
What the hell I just read??? This was so damn boring and I didn't relate to no of the characters.I was bored to tears with the Belle character. This was so loosely based off of BATB that only two things resemble it was the fact it had a character who was named Gaston aka potential rapist and the Beast was deformed. That's it.
Two notes for the author
1. Learn what all of BDSM inclined before trying to pin your novel as one. It's more to it than having a couple scenes of people being resistant and getting whipped with a cane until welts come up. This felt like if E.L James decided to do a novel version of Eyes Wide Shut.. Like 50 Shades of grey wasn't good enough for her... It doesn't hurt to do research on a subject matter regardless if it's deemed taboo.
2. Giving someone a backstory when 90% of the book is over is not a good way to go. Especially when that character was like at least 50% of the book. That just shows how lazy the writing is. It was also very repetitive. Like they just copy and paste the same paragraph and put it on a different page.
If you want to read a BATB retelling with a little BDSM favor, read Petals and Thorns by Jennifer Parisinstead. You actually can tell that writer did her research.
April 5, 2017
I was unaware that this was a story based on hard core BDSM. Unfortunately, that is not really my cup of tea. However, the writing was eloquent and flowed while the main character, Isabelle, was well developed. It is a great twist on the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast minus the magic and adding the strange restraining devices. It even includes the villain Gaston. There is not any romance or a couple falling in love. This is simply the story of a young woman who chooses to serve the Master in order to broaden her knowledge of the world around her.
This is the perfect book for someone that enjoys reading a story centered on BDSM. No epilogue and it feels as if there will be another book to follow it up.
ARC provided for honest review
This is the perfect book for someone that enjoys reading a story centered on BDSM. No epilogue and it feels as if there will be another book to follow it up.
ARC provided for honest review
May 24, 2017
My thanks to NetGalley and Riverdale Avenue Books for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.
I am the manager at an independent book store, where erotica sells rather well. I am not really into that genre, my boss and I call them the "naughty" books, but to be aware of what is popular so I can help my customers and not sound ignorant when they ask about that particular genre, I decided to try this book. I do like the story of Beauty and the Beast, so though that might help with my lack of familiarity with this genre.
Alas, the tying into the story of BATB didn't work for this story, as there wasn't really much of any sort of relationship between the Belle and the Beast. She and her father were inventors and the Beast was a wealthy man who wanted them to make furniture that was clearly for punishment/torture purposes. Belle and her father were intrigued and she was turned on by imagining what she could do to someone on said furniture. And she discussed the constructing of said furniture with her father. Squicky.
Belle then signs a contract with the Beast that she will be his servant and that physical punishment for disobedience, doing a chore wrong, basically whatever those above said, could occur. She signs the contract. What ISN'T in the contract, that she DOESN'T bat an eye to later, is that when the Beast entertains guests, ALL of his servants and the guests servants, do so NAKED. Which leads to the following.
Gaston was really horrendous, but in a "I'm not taking no physically" way.
TRIGGER warning, there was an attempted/possibly completed rape, it wasn't really explained very well, so I'm not sure if it was a completed act or not. Of course, since Belle is naked, the attempted rape is SO much more able to happen. How convenient. Then after the rape attempted is ended, she sleeps off some of her shock, then goes downstairs, watches a master/mistress sexual act mesmerized, then goes back to bed and freaks out that evening and the next morning about her ordeal. Yet witnessing the sex act didn't affect her at all? Not sure how realistic that is. It just stuck me as weird, since she had shown mental trauma immediately after the event, so it didn't come across as a delayed reaction.
Ok, I don't know a THING about the BDSM world, so maybe the portrayal of the whippings, with welts being raised and blood being drawn from it is a usual thing, but I somehow don't think so. When Belle is whipped for doing something poorly, it's described as painful and not pleasurable at all. Same with other described punishments. So I'm not seeing the smexy times in all of that. It wasn't described as such. It was really not pleasant to read, but like I said, I'm not the exact target audience for this.
Also, that cover has almost NOTHING to do with the book. Belle is a servant. She's either in her uniform or naked while at the Beast's home. There is no blue ball dress. Also, sorry to sound like a snob, but that hair style is just not attractive.
All in all, I didn't really enjoy this book. I am willing to try other books from the "naughty" section, but would rather read something that is maybe better written? I am open to suggestions, as this is not a book I would recommend to my customers.
Two stars, giving it the benefit of the doubt since I know nothing about the BDSM life-style and maybe my lack of knowledge is hurting my enjoyment of the book. I didn't enjoy it, others very well may.
I am the manager at an independent book store, where erotica sells rather well. I am not really into that genre, my boss and I call them the "naughty" books, but to be aware of what is popular so I can help my customers and not sound ignorant when they ask about that particular genre, I decided to try this book. I do like the story of Beauty and the Beast, so though that might help with my lack of familiarity with this genre.
Alas, the tying into the story of BATB didn't work for this story, as there wasn't really much of any sort of relationship between the Belle and the Beast. She and her father were inventors and the Beast was a wealthy man who wanted them to make furniture that was clearly for punishment/torture purposes. Belle and her father were intrigued and she was turned on by imagining what she could do to someone on said furniture. And she discussed the constructing of said furniture with her father. Squicky.
Belle then signs a contract with the Beast that she will be his servant and that physical punishment for disobedience, doing a chore wrong, basically whatever those above said, could occur. She signs the contract. What ISN'T in the contract, that she DOESN'T bat an eye to later, is that when the Beast entertains guests, ALL of his servants and the guests servants, do so NAKED. Which leads to the following.
Gaston was really horrendous, but in a "I'm not taking no physically" way.
TRIGGER warning, there was an attempted/possibly completed rape, it wasn't really explained very well, so I'm not sure if it was a completed act or not. Of course, since Belle is naked, the attempted rape is SO much more able to happen. How convenient. Then after the rape attempted is ended, she sleeps off some of her shock, then goes downstairs, watches a master/mistress sexual act mesmerized, then goes back to bed and freaks out that evening and the next morning about her ordeal. Yet witnessing the sex act didn't affect her at all? Not sure how realistic that is. It just stuck me as weird, since she had shown mental trauma immediately after the event, so it didn't come across as a delayed reaction.
Ok, I don't know a THING about the BDSM world, so maybe the portrayal of the whippings, with welts being raised and blood being drawn from it is a usual thing, but I somehow don't think so. When Belle is whipped for doing something poorly, it's described as painful and not pleasurable at all. Same with other described punishments. So I'm not seeing the smexy times in all of that. It wasn't described as such. It was really not pleasant to read, but like I said, I'm not the exact target audience for this.
Also, that cover has almost NOTHING to do with the book. Belle is a servant. She's either in her uniform or naked while at the Beast's home. There is no blue ball dress. Also, sorry to sound like a snob, but that hair style is just not attractive.
All in all, I didn't really enjoy this book. I am willing to try other books from the "naughty" section, but would rather read something that is maybe better written? I am open to suggestions, as this is not a book I would recommend to my customers.
Two stars, giving it the benefit of the doubt since I know nothing about the BDSM life-style and maybe my lack of knowledge is hurting my enjoyment of the book. I didn't enjoy it, others very well may.
November 10, 2017
I requested this book on Netgalley in return for an honest review
Okay. This is, I am sure, a record for me. I have a couple unfinished books but I never gave up that quick. I can handle some BDSM, but when it involves a man's ass and fingers, NOPE!
The story has no story at all... and the characters are really not that interesting, except for maybe the beast... but hey, he is supposed to be mysterious, just like the Disney-version.
Okay. This is, I am sure, a record for me. I have a couple unfinished books but I never gave up that quick. I can handle some BDSM, but when it involves a man's ass and fingers, NOPE!
The story has no story at all... and the characters are really not that interesting, except for maybe the beast... but hey, he is supposed to be mysterious, just like the Disney-version.
July 3, 2017
A Beast's Belle, a fairytale retold. In the beginning it was a little bit hard to see the fairytale part, but is was a nice story. I really enjoyed the read and I can't wait for the second part.
April 21, 2017
I LOVE this retelling of the Beauty and the beast story through the BDSM prism.
March 17, 2017
I received this book through NetGalley. I requested it because the blurb intrigued me and I was looking for short erotic tales to read in between daily life moments.
Unfortunately, this book was INCREDIBLY disappointing. My Kindle said it would take 2 hours to read this book, well, I read it in 45 minutes, and when I said READ what I really mean it flipped through to find anything worth reading.
While the prose is lovely and somewhat poetic, there is just too much introspection and deep thought in what is supposed to be an erotic tale. Just because the heroine gets off on pain and the thought of restraining others, and because it talks about naked people and "proclivities" doesn't make it an erotic tale.
I think Ms. Gambardella was trying MUCH too hard to be the next Anais Nin. While Ms. Nin's tales had depth of story, they were also graphic in their eroticism. This book failed to meet any standards other than that of a bloviating sadist, who is all "blo" and "sad" rather than sensual and daring.
This book was boring, long-winded, and BORING!
Unfortunately, this book was INCREDIBLY disappointing. My Kindle said it would take 2 hours to read this book, well, I read it in 45 minutes, and when I said READ what I really mean it flipped through to find anything worth reading.
While the prose is lovely and somewhat poetic, there is just too much introspection and deep thought in what is supposed to be an erotic tale. Just because the heroine gets off on pain and the thought of restraining others, and because it talks about naked people and "proclivities" doesn't make it an erotic tale.
I think Ms. Gambardella was trying MUCH too hard to be the next Anais Nin. While Ms. Nin's tales had depth of story, they were also graphic in their eroticism. This book failed to meet any standards other than that of a bloviating sadist, who is all "blo" and "sad" rather than sensual and daring.
This book was boring, long-winded, and BORING!
March 27, 2017
I got this book from Netgalley and I was intrigued, as it had a lot of potential to be a great book. A classical fairy tale retold as an erotica kinky romance was just the kind of thing to spice up my weekend.
However it fell short. The story is too slow paced and at the end it felt like nothing really happened throughout the whole book and I was somewhat disappointed.
As it is meant to be the first of many, maybe the next ones can pick up some rhythm.
However it fell short. The story is too slow paced and at the end it felt like nothing really happened throughout the whole book and I was somewhat disappointed.
As it is meant to be the first of many, maybe the next ones can pick up some rhythm.
March 18, 2017
'A Beast's Belle' by J. Gambardella
I wasn't able to fall in love with this story as I had hoped. I did find it somewhat hard to follow and then it just ended. So I am assuming the next book with continue the building story. That is my take away from this book is that it was building up to the next installment. It did seem like you turned the pages more than just being hooked into the story line.
Also sometimes when you try to recreate a story such as Beauty and the Beast its hard for the reader to get over the original story.
"My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read."
I wasn't able to fall in love with this story as I had hoped. I did find it somewhat hard to follow and then it just ended. So I am assuming the next book with continue the building story. That is my take away from this book is that it was building up to the next installment. It did seem like you turned the pages more than just being hooked into the story line.
Also sometimes when you try to recreate a story such as Beauty and the Beast its hard for the reader to get over the original story.
"My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read."
April 6, 2017
Well that ended abruptly.. I was finally getting in to the story! I found I was skimming often, but overall a okay read and I'm Hoping the second book redeems the first.
August 10, 2017
- 2.5/5 Stars
I'm not going to lie, when I started this blog, I never thought I'd review an erotica book. I have nothing against the genre; it's just not usually something I usually find myself wanting to read. Although, coming back from vacation made me want to read something completely mindless. After reading some threads and watching BookTube recs, I decided a bubble bath and a smutty read was the order of the day. This book is marketed as a BDSM, erotic retelling of Beauty and the Beast. There are several parallels to the classic story, but not many; this is definitely its own thing.
*Trigger Warning for rape.*
The story was surprisingly slow and devoid of sex. Most of the erotic scenes were masturbation or spanking, reserving the only true sex scene for the rape scene. I saw that this book was the first of many and later books may "rectify" this, but it was something that I wanted to address.
I did like the fact that Isabel helped her father create the designs and help build the inventions in the shop, in addition to her being quite sexual. It was refreshing not to read about a main character that was innocent to the world and discovered this lavish lifestyle. While it was unclear if Isabel was a virgin, she clearly had fantasies about tying people up and seemed fairly fluid in her sexuality.
The other characters in the book were interesting as well. The Gaston character was as much of a prick as the man he was based on. The changes that they made to the character were fitting for the story. I also like the nod they made to Lumière by introducing a "human candlestick" aroused by fire play. The beast got very little back story (was he cursed? was he born a monster?) and played a surprisingly small role in the story. Kat was a fun new character though. She was an older maid that showed Isabella around the castle and taught her what was expected of her as a maid. It will be interesting to see what role she plays in later novels.
As I said above, the story was surprisingly slow. Getting Isabella to the castle and learning what her duties entailed was fine, but when in the castle, I was expecting more. Honestly, nothing really happened after she got there (with the exception of a couple of sexy scenes, again not trying to get into spoilers, but this is where the TW occurs).
Final Thoughts
As smutty reads go, this one was enjoyable enough but was surprisingly lack luster. I was expecting more with a Beauty and the Beast erotic retelling. The fantasies Isabelle described were erotic and the descriptions of the scenes were well done. That being said, little sex was actually in this story and it definitely read as though it was setting up for something more. Here's to hoping that the subsequent books expand this idea more.
I'm not going to lie, when I started this blog, I never thought I'd review an erotica book. I have nothing against the genre; it's just not usually something I usually find myself wanting to read. Although, coming back from vacation made me want to read something completely mindless. After reading some threads and watching BookTube recs, I decided a bubble bath and a smutty read was the order of the day. This book is marketed as a BDSM, erotic retelling of Beauty and the Beast. There are several parallels to the classic story, but not many; this is definitely its own thing.
*Trigger Warning for rape.*
The story was surprisingly slow and devoid of sex. Most of the erotic scenes were masturbation or spanking, reserving the only true sex scene for the rape scene. I saw that this book was the first of many and later books may "rectify" this, but it was something that I wanted to address.
I did like the fact that Isabel helped her father create the designs and help build the inventions in the shop, in addition to her being quite sexual. It was refreshing not to read about a main character that was innocent to the world and discovered this lavish lifestyle. While it was unclear if Isabel was a virgin, she clearly had fantasies about tying people up and seemed fairly fluid in her sexuality.
The other characters in the book were interesting as well. The Gaston character was as much of a prick as the man he was based on. The changes that they made to the character were fitting for the story. I also like the nod they made to Lumière by introducing a "human candlestick" aroused by fire play. The beast got very little back story (was he cursed? was he born a monster?) and played a surprisingly small role in the story. Kat was a fun new character though. She was an older maid that showed Isabella around the castle and taught her what was expected of her as a maid. It will be interesting to see what role she plays in later novels.
As I said above, the story was surprisingly slow. Getting Isabella to the castle and learning what her duties entailed was fine, but when in the castle, I was expecting more. Honestly, nothing really happened after she got there (with the exception of a couple of sexy scenes, again not trying to get into spoilers, but this is where the TW occurs).
Final Thoughts
As smutty reads go, this one was enjoyable enough but was surprisingly lack luster. I was expecting more with a Beauty and the Beast erotic retelling. The fantasies Isabelle described were erotic and the descriptions of the scenes were well done. That being said, little sex was actually in this story and it definitely read as though it was setting up for something more. Here's to hoping that the subsequent books expand this idea more.
September 23, 2020
Disclaimer: I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review, but it doesn’t influence my opinion of the book nor the contents of this review in any way.
Found this on my Netgalley shelf, which I'm trying to clean out!
I went into this one expecting a somewhat sexy read (despite the gross cover - why are his eyes gray???), and I did get a book about sex! I read the first page, and thought "wow... you'd think this was written by a man!" And lo and behold - it was!! He didn't literally say "she breasted boobily" down the stairs, but I'm pretty sure her boobs did greet the sunlight and she arched awake in the morning - or something like that.
There was a lot of ... thinking in this book. Everything had to be explained in a practical or awe-struck way, and everything the heroine saw had to be rationalized. It was exhausting. And repetitive. And ultimately, most of the book wasn't even relevant to the story. I found myself skipping sentences... then paragraphs... then whole pages.
It was just Isabel and her unexplored lusty thoughts, although I'm not sure I believe the sell on her naiivety. She does read pirate erotica in her spare time from helping her father build sex toys/bondage furniture. (Literally had to read that part a few times before my brain comprehended).
I'm also a *bit* confused on how this was sold as a Beauty and Beast retelling. There was a grotesque man, there was a female with an inventor-ish father, and she did go to the castle. But there was no relationship between the Master of the house. Was there a plot to this book? I'm honestly not sure. And was there BDSM? In some respects, but it was mostly just a book of corporal punishment of the naked kind - and most of it did not include the main character. Or lead to sex. Soo.
Thank you to Netgalley for the review!
May 7, 2017
Review also on my blog: https://nextbookaroundthecorner.wordp...
The last few weeks I'm into the fairy tales. Especially the ones with a twist. So when I saw A Beast's Belle on Netgalley, I really had to request it. And yes, it is Beauty and the Beast alright. But Isabelle is not an ordinairy girl: she likes to help her father invent objects for the binding and spanking of people. And she is rather good at that. So good, she gets a special order from a curious, hooded man to produce some objects.
And she gets offered a job in his manor. But the disciplining in his manor is kind of exhibitionist, and even a bit sadist.
Although I'm not a big fan of BDSM, the story had some nice twists and turns and will give you some hot shivers. Also, the Master is an intriguing person and he kind of grows on you. Since this is only part 1, I hope that in further parts the relationship between the Beast and Isabel is further explored. Because the book ended, just as their relationship seemed to be evolving.
The whipping and drawing blood by torturing the household staff was a bit too much for me. I couldn't quite understand the reason for this part of the story. The feasts however and the naked scenes where definitely interesting. So, now we wait for the next part. Three out of five stars from me.
The last few weeks I'm into the fairy tales. Especially the ones with a twist. So when I saw A Beast's Belle on Netgalley, I really had to request it. And yes, it is Beauty and the Beast alright. But Isabelle is not an ordinairy girl: she likes to help her father invent objects for the binding and spanking of people. And she is rather good at that. So good, she gets a special order from a curious, hooded man to produce some objects.
And she gets offered a job in his manor. But the disciplining in his manor is kind of exhibitionist, and even a bit sadist.
Although I'm not a big fan of BDSM, the story had some nice twists and turns and will give you some hot shivers. Also, the Master is an intriguing person and he kind of grows on you. Since this is only part 1, I hope that in further parts the relationship between the Beast and Isabel is further explored. Because the book ended, just as their relationship seemed to be evolving.
The whipping and drawing blood by torturing the household staff was a bit too much for me. I couldn't quite understand the reason for this part of the story. The feasts however and the naked scenes where definitely interesting. So, now we wait for the next part. Three out of five stars from me.
May 10, 2017
A Beauty & The Beast retelling with some BDSM kink thrown in? Normally I'd be ready to sign right up- but this read more like the inexperienced misunderstanding of E.L. James than it did Anne Rice's (Rampling) Beauty trilogy.
It started off rough for me but I figured I was being too judgemental and not giving it enough of a shot, so I read on. The writing and character building were so lackluster the author seems to have intentionally repeated themselves, which is even more annoying than it is confusing. I reached a point where I just started skimming, reading ahead and jumping over stereotypical BDSM love scenes ala 50 Shades. The real character building and unfolding didn't happen until we reached the end and I had already stopped caring.
I made myself finish this one, I wanted to find something redeeming to offer more than 1 star but I'm sorry, it just wasn't there.
I was provided a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The opinions expressed are 100% my own.
It started off rough for me but I figured I was being too judgemental and not giving it enough of a shot, so I read on. The writing and character building were so lackluster the author seems to have intentionally repeated themselves, which is even more annoying than it is confusing. I reached a point where I just started skimming, reading ahead and jumping over stereotypical BDSM love scenes ala 50 Shades. The real character building and unfolding didn't happen until we reached the end and I had already stopped caring.
I made myself finish this one, I wanted to find something redeeming to offer more than 1 star but I'm sorry, it just wasn't there.
I was provided a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The opinions expressed are 100% my own.
October 16, 2017
Not your typical beauty and beast story! This version takes on the more erotic version, which was great! Belle also known as Isabele in this book worked in her fathers shop, they made various contraptions for many different patrons and for many different reasons. When beast came to the shop for a very particular piece, belle couldn't help herself but wonder what he will be using it for, and began imagining all the different ways to enjoy it. When beast made an offer to her father about belle coming to his mansion to live and work, she made the decision herself, and found it to be her perfect place to fit in. I enjoyed the whole story and the different view on this classic fairy tale. While the ending i was a little disappointed with, i was expecting to read more into Beast and Belle's erotica romance that was just about to begin when the book sadly finished. I do hope another one comes out, and will be buying it, should a second book come out! If you are one who enjoys erotica romance, and a new twist on a classic fairy tale then this is the book for you to read!
May 30, 2017
Definitely not your everyday fairy tale, and I cannot see Emma Watson playing Isabel, but kudos for the unconventional look into what could be in an erotic version of Beauty & the Beast. Gambardella's writing is intelligent, provocative and full of detail with both the elaborate plot and its characters. The regular cast of characters is present, and even the most basic personality traits are seen underneath their creative, new and spicy personas. The candelabra was ingenious! This is a dark twist to the original story, with plenty of discipline to go around. Well done.
*I received an arc from NetGalley for an honest review
*I received an arc from NetGalley for an honest review
May 22, 2017
As the first book in the series it hold promise for the book(s) to follow. Gambardella set the scenes well. I was disappointed with how far this book got into the retelling. BUT in that time it showed Gaston's true colors and how much Belle is comfortable with "Beast" in his home. Overall it was a good read and I look forward to the next installment.
*ARC provided via Netgalley in exchange if an honest review*
*ARC provided via Netgalley in exchange if an honest review*
June 2, 2017
Written for the intellectual, lusty adult. It did not insult, instead delivering a plausible BDSM twist to the Beast & Beauty tale, in Anne Rice style.. Flowed and self-illustrated very well. I am left wanting to know "the rest of the story".
August 31, 2017
Free ARC for Honest Review from Netgalley
Thank you Publisher and Author
I give this book 2 stars
For Me, I didn't quite enjoy this book, it was rather slow in some areas and not enough detail in others and the sex scenes were a tad bit boring.
Thank you Publisher and Author
I give this book 2 stars
For Me, I didn't quite enjoy this book, it was rather slow in some areas and not enough detail in others and the sex scenes were a tad bit boring.
April 5, 2017
Prepare yourself for a rant.
I want to start with a quote. This quote was part of the (probably) automatically sent email I received after my request to receive this arc on NG was fulfilled.
"If after reading all or part of the book you find the material was very different than you what expected or the genre was not to your liking, the Author would appreciate you not review the book as opposed to posting a review that would not be fair to the Author."
Like… YOU DO NOT ASK A REVIEWER TO NOT PUBLISH THEIR REVIEW IF IT’S GOING TO BE A "BAD" REVIEWS. Never ever. Nope.
And the wording… like… I expected this ARC to be good, otherwise I would not have requested it. Surprisingly I do not request arcs I hope will be not enjoyable to me. Strange concept, I know. Very strange. But that’s how I roll.
Anyway. Let’s get to the book itself. You may have guessed that I did not like it - dnfing a book is a great indicator for this kind of thing.
First I didn’t enjoy the language. Too many adjectives (I like adjectives, just not… fucking everywhere). And then… the wording. There are some scenes where the mc does something to herself (you know what kind of things I’m talking about) and instead of using ‚her‘ the word ‚the‘ is used. Like she touched the clit and not her clit (not a direct quote, but near enough).
But I could have struggled on if at least the characters were likeable, mainly the MC. Which… she is not.
There is one special scene where I was like „fuck this“. Belle is in the woods, where she often is when she wants to masturbate. She does this a lot - that is not my problem, although those scenes weren’t interesting in the least - which is my problem. That’s not what I’m talking about, though.
As I was saying, she is masturbating. In the woods. The very public and not private property woods. And guess what? She is seen. Oh no. How could he have done that? Way to ignore someones private… wait. She is nowhere private.
To be fair, there is the possibility that he followed her to the public woods (he harasses her at some point and does probably again. Although I wouldn’t know because I didn’t read any further).
But my point remains.
She tries to have her alone time at a public place and some guy who sees her is the villain. That’s not how you can see things like that.
Summing it up... there wasn't anything that was enjoyable for me and with the e-mail thing... not a happy experience.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review (not too sure in this case if they really wanted an honest review to be honest). Thank you (?) .
I want to start with a quote. This quote was part of the (probably) automatically sent email I received after my request to receive this arc on NG was fulfilled.
"If after reading all or part of the book you find the material was very different than you what expected or the genre was not to your liking, the Author would appreciate you not review the book as opposed to posting a review that would not be fair to the Author."
Like… YOU DO NOT ASK A REVIEWER TO NOT PUBLISH THEIR REVIEW IF IT’S GOING TO BE A "BAD" REVIEWS. Never ever. Nope.
And the wording… like… I expected this ARC to be good, otherwise I would not have requested it. Surprisingly I do not request arcs I hope will be not enjoyable to me. Strange concept, I know. Very strange. But that’s how I roll.
Anyway. Let’s get to the book itself. You may have guessed that I did not like it - dnfing a book is a great indicator for this kind of thing.
First I didn’t enjoy the language. Too many adjectives (I like adjectives, just not… fucking everywhere). And then… the wording. There are some scenes where the mc does something to herself (you know what kind of things I’m talking about) and instead of using ‚her‘ the word ‚the‘ is used. Like she touched the clit and not her clit (not a direct quote, but near enough).
But I could have struggled on if at least the characters were likeable, mainly the MC. Which… she is not.
There is one special scene where I was like „fuck this“. Belle is in the woods, where she often is when she wants to masturbate. She does this a lot - that is not my problem, although those scenes weren’t interesting in the least - which is my problem. That’s not what I’m talking about, though.
As I was saying, she is masturbating. In the woods. The very public and not private property woods. And guess what? She is seen. Oh no. How could he have done that? Way to ignore someones private… wait. She is nowhere private.
To be fair, there is the possibility that he followed her to the public woods (he harasses her at some point and does probably again. Although I wouldn’t know because I didn’t read any further).
But my point remains.
She tries to have her alone time at a public place and some guy who sees her is the villain. That’s not how you can see things like that.
Summing it up... there wasn't anything that was enjoyable for me and with the e-mail thing... not a happy experience.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review (not too sure in this case if they really wanted an honest review to be honest). Thank you (?) .
March 19, 2017
This book was incredibly slow paced and somewhat boring. I read it pretty quickly and kept waiting for something exciting to happen, but it never did. If this is the first book in the series, then there wasn't anything in this one that left me wanting more, unfortunately. I rarely write negative book reviews, but this one just fell way short. It has nothing to do with the subject matter, that didn't bother me, and everything to do with the lack of a plot that keeps you engaged.
If you've read Anne Rice's Sleeping Beauty series, then this is like a watered down PG-13'ish version of those books. So if you are expecting the same with this book, then you'll be disappointed.
This book is familiar to us in that Isabella works with her father at his shop. Just like the cartoon, he tinkers and makes things that involve a lot of creativity and mechanisms and Isabella is just as creative. The only twist is that they are also creating these torture/BDSM type devices for one of their wealthy patrons, so not exactly innocent like the classic animation version of the story. Isabella is young, but she has a filthy mind and imagines herself both using and being tormented by those devices. Unfortunately, that's about as much as you ever get with this book - just her imagination. There are a couple spanking/caning/whipping scenes later on but they're brief and unoriginal.
The Beast was kind of a softie, I didn't see that coming. Giving the synopsis of the book and the title, I figured they'd have a lot more interactions and they'd be erotic and torturous. But nope, none of that in this book. There isn't even any sex, which is a first for an erotica book.
I really wanted to like this book, but as others have said, you may find yourself skimming when the poetic writing style and descriptions given by Isabella in this book becomes too mundane.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
If you've read Anne Rice's Sleeping Beauty series, then this is like a watered down PG-13'ish version of those books. So if you are expecting the same with this book, then you'll be disappointed.
This book is familiar to us in that Isabella works with her father at his shop. Just like the cartoon, he tinkers and makes things that involve a lot of creativity and mechanisms and Isabella is just as creative. The only twist is that they are also creating these torture/BDSM type devices for one of their wealthy patrons, so not exactly innocent like the classic animation version of the story. Isabella is young, but she has a filthy mind and imagines herself both using and being tormented by those devices. Unfortunately, that's about as much as you ever get with this book - just her imagination. There are a couple spanking/caning/whipping scenes later on but they're brief and unoriginal.
The Beast was kind of a softie, I didn't see that coming. Giving the synopsis of the book and the title, I figured they'd have a lot more interactions and they'd be erotic and torturous. But nope, none of that in this book. There isn't even any sex, which is a first for an erotica book.
I really wanted to like this book, but as others have said, you may find yourself skimming when the poetic writing style and descriptions given by Isabella in this book becomes too mundane.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
March 20, 2017
I received this book through NetGalley. I requested it because its blurb sounded super interesting. I was very much looking forward to it.
Sadly, the book was very disappointing. I haven’t read something that boring in a very long time. I skipped and/or fast read a lot of it after I realized how pathetic the book was. I seriously only finished so I could give NetGalley a review. I don’t like not leaving reviews for things I get for free. So here we are… writing a review on the single most boring erotic read (if you can call it that) I have ever read.
And it sounded so promising… the blurb sounded amazing! I re-read it just now and got it all excited about it again… just to get disappointed all over again.
So, here is the thing that annoyed me the most: you cannot call a book an erotic novel just because the main character gets a little excited on pain and thoughts of restraining others. It was distasteful. None of it was exciting or pleasing to read. It had a sadist tone to it with no background story and no character development whatsoever.
It was hard to follow as the story was not well built and just when you thought maybe the beast character would get a little interesting the book ended. I felt like I read a two page story rather than a short book. The ending was rushed and poorly done.
And lastly… you can call a book a re-telling of the beauty and the beast when there is no relationship between the two. Pathetic!
Sadly, the book was very disappointing. I haven’t read something that boring in a very long time. I skipped and/or fast read a lot of it after I realized how pathetic the book was. I seriously only finished so I could give NetGalley a review. I don’t like not leaving reviews for things I get for free. So here we are… writing a review on the single most boring erotic read (if you can call it that) I have ever read.
And it sounded so promising… the blurb sounded amazing! I re-read it just now and got it all excited about it again… just to get disappointed all over again.
So, here is the thing that annoyed me the most: you cannot call a book an erotic novel just because the main character gets a little excited on pain and thoughts of restraining others. It was distasteful. None of it was exciting or pleasing to read. It had a sadist tone to it with no background story and no character development whatsoever.
It was hard to follow as the story was not well built and just when you thought maybe the beast character would get a little interesting the book ended. I felt like I read a two page story rather than a short book. The ending was rushed and poorly done.
And lastly… you can call a book a re-telling of the beauty and the beast when there is no relationship between the two. Pathetic!
March 27, 2017
I received this book through Netgalley.
Triggers: spanking and attempted rape.
I was intrigued by the blurb, as I like to read varying degrees of romance / erotica. I hope that it is just the first book written to set up a series, because this one is mostly a setup for future books. You have Isabel who is a very precocious young lady with wild fantasies that cause her to spend a lot of time "alone". One day a deformed beast of a patron comes to purchase one of her father's weird contraptions (which makes her think about bdsm fetish fantasy she has obtained from her reading). He asks if she's ready to fulfill some contract that her family has had with his for years. She agrees and that begins her servitude to the "Master's" manor. And that's about as far as the story goes. It has no love scenes to speak of, so in terms of romance it falls a little flat. So again, I'm hoping this story will be much better developed in the possible novels to come, as I can see the possibilities of what could happen.
Triggers: spanking and attempted rape.
I was intrigued by the blurb, as I like to read varying degrees of romance / erotica. I hope that it is just the first book written to set up a series, because this one is mostly a setup for future books. You have Isabel who is a very precocious young lady with wild fantasies that cause her to spend a lot of time "alone". One day a deformed beast of a patron comes to purchase one of her father's weird contraptions (which makes her think about bdsm fetish fantasy she has obtained from her reading). He asks if she's ready to fulfill some contract that her family has had with his for years. She agrees and that begins her servitude to the "Master's" manor. And that's about as far as the story goes. It has no love scenes to speak of, so in terms of romance it falls a little flat. So again, I'm hoping this story will be much better developed in the possible novels to come, as I can see the possibilities of what could happen.
April 16, 2017
This is a re-imagining of Beauty and the Beast, and I was intrigued by the description. However although there are some good ideas and some well written passages, it is very slow and not much happens. The Erotic elements are not erotic enough and the rest is very wordy without saying much. Parts were reasonably good, but parts were really disappointing.
It feels like it is trying to be Anne Rice's Beauty trilogy but it doesn't grip and enthrall in the same way, and doesn't have the courage of its convictions.
Isabel is a strange woman, worldly but innocent and The Beast is bland: his physical presence stated over and over but not much else.
Gaston is perhaps the worst drawn character and so under-developed that his actions in the latter part of the book seem almost unconnected to character at all.
There is a lot of scene setting in this story and that is about all really. 2.5/5 starts.
Thanks to NetGalley for an review copy of this book. I write the review honestly without pressure or prejudice.
It feels like it is trying to be Anne Rice's Beauty trilogy but it doesn't grip and enthrall in the same way, and doesn't have the courage of its convictions.
Isabel is a strange woman, worldly but innocent and The Beast is bland: his physical presence stated over and over but not much else.
Gaston is perhaps the worst drawn character and so under-developed that his actions in the latter part of the book seem almost unconnected to character at all.
There is a lot of scene setting in this story and that is about all really. 2.5/5 starts.
Thanks to NetGalley for an review copy of this book. I write the review honestly without pressure or prejudice.
April 17, 2017
I was given a copy of this book via Netgallery to review.
This was not a book I enjoyed. The way this book was written was very very loosely based on the story of Beauty and the Beast. The idea of a girl who lost her mother, raised by a father who she helped to look after, and a suitor she had no interest (trigger warning attempted rape by him) in was about all the two stories had in common. I found this book difficult to follow and the storyline at times moved very slow. It really wasn't a book I had difficulty putting down and doing something else. It did very little to inspire me to keep reading. This book also did not really explore any relationship between Isobel and the beast. It was just some ideas of different sexual fantasies. The book all in all really never got into a story. Nothing happened.
This was not a book I enjoyed. The way this book was written was very very loosely based on the story of Beauty and the Beast. The idea of a girl who lost her mother, raised by a father who she helped to look after, and a suitor she had no interest (trigger warning attempted rape by him) in was about all the two stories had in common. I found this book difficult to follow and the storyline at times moved very slow. It really wasn't a book I had difficulty putting down and doing something else. It did very little to inspire me to keep reading. This book also did not really explore any relationship between Isobel and the beast. It was just some ideas of different sexual fantasies. The book all in all really never got into a story. Nothing happened.
March 19, 2017
An erotic retelling of Beauty and the Beast? This should be interesting, right??? Err, no, it wasn't.
This book was the height of boring. In fact, I was so bored that I skimmed through a lot of the story because it just didn't capture my interest or my imagination. I've read a ton of erotic tales over the years and this fell horribly flat.
So Belle is turned on by watching others being flogged? Big deal. This does not equate eroticism.
I kept waiting for something significant to happen. And before I knew it the book was over. I don't know what the author was trying to do. But this book is neither erotic, or the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale retold. It's just a poorly conceived story with couple of unimaginative kinks.
I received this book from NetGalley.
This book was the height of boring. In fact, I was so bored that I skimmed through a lot of the story because it just didn't capture my interest or my imagination. I've read a ton of erotic tales over the years and this fell horribly flat.
So Belle is turned on by watching others being flogged? Big deal. This does not equate eroticism.
I kept waiting for something significant to happen. And before I knew it the book was over. I don't know what the author was trying to do. But this book is neither erotic, or the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale retold. It's just a poorly conceived story with couple of unimaginative kinks.
I received this book from NetGalley.
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