Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “The Beast of Beswick (Everleigh Sisters, #1)” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

The Beast of Beswick

(Everleigh Sisters #1)

Amalie Howard (Goodreads Author)

3.92 · Rating details · 4,419 ratings · 812 reviews

Beauty and the Beast meets Taming of the Shrew in this laugh-out-loud and heartfelt Regency romance.

Lord Nathaniel Harte, the disagreeable Duke of Beswick, spends his days smashing porcelain, antagonizing his servants, and snarling at anyone who gets too close. With a ruined face like his, it's hard to like much about the world. Especially smart-mouthed harpies—with lips b ...more

Get A Copy

Mass Market Paperback, 380 pages

Published November 26th 2019 by Entangled: Amara

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about The Beast of Beswick, please sign up.

Be the first to ask a question about The Beast of Beswick

Lists with This Book

How to Love a Duke in Ten Days by Kerrigan Byrne

Dalliances & Devotion by Felicia Grossman

2019 Historical Romance (July - December)

463 books — 220 voters

When Beauty Tamed the Beast by Eloisa James

Beauty and the Beast

587 books — 1,848 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 3.92 ·

Rating details

· 4,419 ratings · 812 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of The Beast of Beswick (Everleigh Sisters, #1)

Dec 04, 2019 Kat Valentine rated it it was amazing

Outstanding twist on beauty and the beast!!!! I think this is my favorite version thus far!!! Nathaniel is dark anti hero,very complexed and a true beast,but Astrid is strong ,smart and brave with the heart of a lioness and a worthy mate for the bastard of beswick!! The storytelling was fabulous and I loved how both nathaniel and astrid were such memorable characters. The sexual chemistry was off the charts and the intimate moments not only steamy,but at times tender and heartbreaking. Their is ...more

flag 92 likes · Like · see review

Nov 26, 2019 Laura Thalassa rated it it was amazing

UPDATED: Read it. ADORED it. Definitely for fans of beauty and the beast without all the problematic parts of the fairy tale. XD

When all the authors you look up to love up on a book, you know you need to read it! Adding this one to my TBR!!! <3

flag 65 likes · Like · see review

Nov 11, 2019 Carvanz rated it it was amazing

Shelves: abcd, celibate-hero, push-and-pull, some-action, virgin-h, great-banter, growly-hero, socially-awkward-hero, historical, jealous-possessive

Holy heck! Talk about your grumpy, beastly hero. Thane was perfect!!!

’Though this duke was wholly human as far as she could tell…his eyes burned with an unholy amber fire, holding her in a glower that seemed better suited to hell. Astrid couldn’t control the dread running through her body. His nostrils flared as if he could sense her unease, and suddenly, she felt like prey, well and truly snared by something far bigger and far more dangerous than she.

description

When Astrid is forced to take drastic ac ...more

flag 50 likes · Like · see review

Dec 06, 2019 Addie H rated it really liked it

Shelves: 6-kindle, zp-scar-physical, zm-opposites-attract, p-newauthor, h-rom-regency, zq-unstarched, zh-fake-relationship, za-wallflower-spinster, ze-enemies-to-lovers, zl-marriage-of-convenience

On Kindle Sale Saturday 28th Nov 2020, for USD .99

(Tropes: Spinster/Wallflower, Enemies to Lovers, Fake Relationship, Marriage of Convenience, Scarred (hero), Opposites Attract, Unstarched)

description

The hero is DARK, badly scarred with a lot of hang ups and does not go out of his way to fit into society. I can’t blame him, the way society is described to treat him, but at times I found the story a bit overdramatic how everybody talks and react to his scarring.

The great thing about this book, is another ...more

flag 46 likes · Like · see review

Jan 23, 2020 Sophia Triad rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5historical-lovestories-oldtimes

Thane had never begged for a single thing in his life, but he’d drop to his knees for her in a heartbeat.

flag 36 likes · Like · see review

Nov 02, 2019 Lana ❇✾DG Romance❇✾ rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-romance

4 STARS

Thane had never begged for a single thing in his life, but he’d drop to his knees for her in a heartbeat.

I usually hate when a blurb makes a comparison to another book that I adored. Because more often than not, it sets an entirely unrealistic expectation for the book that it never lives up for. But when it says that this is The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare meets Taming of the Shrew, it's right on point. It's like a historical Beauty And The Beast meets Duchess Deal if I were to describe it.

Now look, if you're a die hard historical romance fan, I'll warn you that this isn't quite accurate as a true regency. It's more of a modern spin on it, if I'm being honest. I didn't mind this in the least, because the story had me so enraptured, I couldn't be bothered to care. I will also say that if you're a contemporary fan that wants to dip their toe in the historical romance pool, I can't think of a more perfect book to start with.

Lady Astrid Everleigh is desperate to get out from her greedy uncle and aunt's thumbs when she learns that they have agreed to a marriage of her younger sister to a man that was responsible for her public ruin. She'll do anything to save her sister from the fate of being married to man with no scruples, even if it means that she'll promise herself to a man far more fearsome. Lord Nathaniel Harte is the answer to all her troubles, if only he'd be more agreeable.

Thane isn't known as the Beast of Beswick for no reason. He returns from the war horribly scarred, and with the disposition to match. He's angry, grumpy, and a complete recluse. He just can't fathom how a beauty like Astrid could truly want someone like him. There's something about her that stokes his temper and fires his blood. She's infuriating and beautiful, and it doesn't take long for him to agree to a marriage in order to help. But the passion between them is no fake thing...

I don't know who I loved more in this story, Thane or Astrid. Both of these characters were so perfect in their own way. Astrid with her sharp wit and even sharper tongue. Thane with his grumpy demeanor and underlying layer of vulnerability. Then you add in the electric secondary characters, and I was absolutely hooked. This was such a fun and sexy read that hit the spot for me just right. I'm a new fan of Amalie Howard, and will happily read any of her future books.

ARC courtesy of publisher in exchange for an honest review

Find me on:

...more

flag 36 likes · Like · see review

Aug 13, 2020 Jessica rated it liked it

Shelves: audiobook, scarred-hero, historical-romance, marriage-of-convenience

I wish that I liked this book more than I did. The beginning was so fun with how they met and how Astrid wanted marriage to save her sister from an unfavorable marriage. After that, though, I found it hard to stay super interested in the story and not as much happened as I would have liked. If you like a scarred hero story, though, you'd probably really enjoy this one. ...more

flag 40 likes · Like · see review

Nov 02, 2019 Barbara Rogers rated it liked it

Shelves: xx-2019-read, edelweiss, iblog

Series: Standalone
Publication Date: 11/26/19
Number of Pages: 384

Well, I’m not sure how to write this review. I liked the basic story and the writing was good, but it just was not a Regency story. Nothing in it was period correct – and I think I really do mean nothing – not even the basic stuff. All of it was anachronistic. It is also a very, very modern tale with modern language, modern ideas, modern – well everything. I’m not sure I understand why an author would choose to write a period story Series: Standalone
Publication Date: 11/26/19
Number of Pages: 384

Well, I’m not sure how to write this review. I liked the basic story and the writing was good, but it just was not a Regency story. Nothing in it was period correct – and I think I really do mean nothing – not even the basic stuff. All of it was anachronistic. It is also a very, very modern tale with modern language, modern ideas, modern – well everything. I’m not sure I understand why an author would choose to write a period story and then ignore the research to get it right. So, I guess my bottom line is – the basic story is nice and if you don’t mind all of the inaccuracies, then you will enjoy the read.

I also think that the author went way over-the-top with making the heroine a strong, intelligent woman. She was actually a superwoman. She had every skill known to man (or woman). I assume that is why she was always arguing with the hero – in order to showcase all of her skills and talents. She is an expert on the exact type of porcelain the hero needs to have cataloged, she is an expert horse trainer, she swims like a fish, she isn’t fond of ‘feminine’ things like embroidery, she (and everybody else) cusses like a sailor, she can write, etc. She has absolutely every talent/skill/attribute that we, in today’s world, would consider being a strong independent woman. I think it would have been better to pick one or two attributes and focus on those instead of using the shotgun effect. It would have been really easy to dislike her – and, in the real world, I probably would have disliked her.

I really liked Thane. He was horribly, horribly injured in the Napoleonic wars and came home a very angry, very reclusive man. The description of his injuries and what caused them drew me out of the story. I just can’t picture it. I picture this man in the center of a large circle of men with bayonets and they are all poking him with the bayonets. Had they been sword slashes or something I could picture it – but not bayonets. Anyway – I digress. Thane is horribly disfigured and even before that he had an unhappy life – his father was cold and disapproving and, evidently, his older brother was as well. By the time Astrid appeared on his door, he had managed to drive most of his friends away and most of his servants as well. So, he was lonely and angry.

I loved his Aunt Mable – she was priceless. Totally anachronistic, but priceless. She was bright and funny – and very risqué. She, along with the valet and butler, add a bit of lightheartedness to the story.

There were some plot points that just didn’t make sense to me – for instance – he just, out of the blue, decides to give Astrid some land and buildings to open a school. Why? She’d never mentioned any desire to open a school – and that is the only mention of it. It was just left hanging.

Even given the above, I did enjoy the actual story itself. I liked Thane and enjoyed seeing him learn that he could have love and a family in his life. I even liked Astrid because, even though she was annoying, she was still vulnerable, and that humanized her a bit.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
...more

flag 25 likes · Like · see review

Jan 03, 2020 Lover of Romance rated it really liked it

Shelves: page-number-300-399, genre-historical-romance, pub-2019, theme-laughs-and-giggles, time-england-regency-1811-1820, trope-fake-engagement, cover-color-red, trope-fairy-tale-retelling, trope-enemies-to-lovers, writing-style-1st-in-a-series

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance

The Beast of Beswick was such a fantastic book here and boy I was hooked on this story. This is the first book in her Everleigh Sisters Series. I just love a great Beauty and Beast retelling and this one takes the CAKE. Its always refreshing to find a new author to love and I really had such a blast with this one. She is one of those that really pulls you into a story and honestly it was the heart of the characters that really tugged at my ...more

flag 28 likes · Like · see review

Jan 12, 2020 ~**Anna**~ A Romance Reader rated it it was amazing

4.5 stars

My first book by Amalie Howard, but it sure won’t be my last. I love a good re-telling of The Beauty and the Beast and this one was amazing!! Highly recommend it

flag 21 likes · Like · see review

Nov 19, 2019 Niki (mustreadalltheromance) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, steamy, hero-is-titled, frustrating-heroine, tortured-hero, soldiers, damaged-hero, great-covers

When the man who ruined Astrid Everleigh's reputation ten years ago after she refused his suit sets his sights on her younger sister, Isobel, Astrid is determined to keep her safe from him. She may be a spinster, but she's not willing to let that stop her. She just needs a forbidding husband to stand up to the despicable earl and who better than the infamous Beast of Beswick.

It just so happens that Lord Nathaniel Harte, the Duke of Beswick, is in need of a wife, or so his servants believe. But t When the man who ruined Astrid Everleigh's reputation ten years ago after she refused his suit sets his sights on her younger sister, Isobel, Astrid is determined to keep her safe from him. She may be a spinster, but she's not willing to let that stop her. She just needs a forbidding husband to stand up to the despicable earl and who better than the infamous Beast of Beswick.

It just so happens that Lord Nathaniel Harte, the Duke of Beswick, is in need of a wife, or so his servants believe. But the war scarred duke isn't exactly fit company; he's more well known for wreaking havoc on his father's prized porcelain collection and snapping at anyone who tries to get too close. Thane had planned for a solitary existence after the war and instead found his older brother dead and himself a duke, saddled with responsibility. Now the last thing he needs is a caustic young woman underfoot cataloging his father's porcelain. She further shocks him by offering herself into the bargain. He has no need of a wife but soon finds him sucked into a marriage of convenience nonetheless and both Thane and Astrid rapidly realize they're in way over their heads.

I have some very mixed feelings here. I was so looking forward to this book as I'm a sucker for beauty and the beast stories, and while I did enjoy the story itself for the most part, it just didn't live up to my expectations or quite fulfill its whole potential. I really enjoyed the last 25%, but the rest was rather a struggle. I really liked that Thane and Astrid both wound up fighting for and standing up for each other in the end, but it was a long time in coming and many of their issues stemmed from or were drawn out by, Astrid's behavior. Thane was by no means perfect, but his behavior made a great deal of sense given while I felt that Astrid's was disproportionate to her past experiences and her character just didn't jive for me.

From this point on you enter rant territory and chance spoilers; feel free to skip it, I just have to get it out. Firstly, this whole book felt very modern and not like a regency at all. It was full of modern dialogues (such as "said no woman with half a spine ever") and lots of very heavy handed feminism. I am all for equality, but this was just like beating a dead horse and became ridiculously repetitive, almost laughable, and detracted greatly from the romance, which I found rather lacking. I very much understand chafing at the position of women at this time, but Astrid's behavior was very unrealistic. I had several issues with Astrid in general, the first of which being my pet peeve, forms of address. As the daughter of a viscount, Astrid would be an Honorable Miss, not a Lady with a courtesy title. More importantly, Astrid barges into this poor man's home, insinuates herself into his household, lies to him, insults him, and then wonders why he's not nice to her and uses this as another example of why men suck, without taking any time to examine how he might feel. She is unbelievably good at all male pursuits and is very arrogant, even trying to equate her adolescent heartbreak to the pain and PTSD Thane is obviously suffering. Most annoying to me was how hypocritical Astrid turned out to be. Her intention was to coerce the duke into marrying her and then when they're caught in a compromising position, she immediately blames him, saying he betrayed her. Her bluster and 'independence' make her sound like a petulant child always finding something to complain about even when she was getting her way. One minute Astrid is an unapologetic hoyden with the mouth of a sailor, the next she's complaining about some lapse in propriety and attempting to be stiff and proper, chastising Thane's language and claiming to be a lady. It just comes off as fake to me. Thane's injuries, while no doubt horrific, were difficult for me to picture. He is stabbed repeatedly by six French soldiers with bayonets and his description of taking on six bayonets "face first" has an almost comical feel to it that to me belittles his injuries and suffering. Thane was without a doubt very difficult to deal with in any capacity, but Astrid's constant baiting of him didn't help things and her honesty and maturity came a bit late for me.

This was yet another case of what I call "strong heroine syndrome" in which independence and confidence in a woman are presented as shrewish and hateful and I'm just not here for it. It killed what could've been a very poignant and emotional story about accepting love and feeling worthy, but it just missed the mark here. The steamy scenes were extremely well done here and I could feel the hero and heroine connecting in those moments, but those were almost the only times I could feel that connection and I would've liked more of that outside the bedroom, though I felt we only had one real scene where this occurred. I also would've liked to see the despicable earl and Astrid's aunt and uncle get their just desserts rather than have their plot line just fizzle out.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ...more

flag 18 likes · Like · see review

Nov 25, 2019 Carole (Carole's Random Life in Books) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: reviewed, romance, 2019, bookish-first

This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.

This was such a delightful romance! I had read a couple of favorable reviews for this book so I knew that I wanted to read it and was thrilled to get the chance. I don't read a ton of historical romance but I do tend to enjoy them every once in a while so I was ready to give this Beauty and the Beast story a try. I was swept away by Thane and Astrid's story and didn't want to put the book down for any reason.

Astrid is considered a s This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.

This was such a delightful romance! I had read a couple of favorable reviews for this book so I knew that I wanted to read it and was thrilled to get the chance. I don't read a ton of historical romance but I do tend to enjoy them every once in a while so I was ready to give this Beauty and the Beast story a try. I was swept away by Thane and Astrid's story and didn't want to put the book down for any reason.

Astrid is considered a spinster at twenty-five after a scandal during her first season. Her entire focus on her sister's happiness and wants to make sure that she is able to make a good match. Imagine her surprise when her uncle makes plans for Astrid's sister to marry the man that caused her scandal. The only way that she can have any influence is to find a husband so that he can take over as Isobel's guardian. Astrid knows the right man for the job.

Thane fought in the war and came back scarred. So many scars that people call him a beast, stare, and don't want to be around him. The scars on the outside are only the beginning. His personality is a little rough and he can be rather short with his staff and those around him. When Astrid shows up with her plan, he is less than impressed.

I loved these two! Astrid was incredibly smart and didn't hesitate to make any sacrifices necessary to ensure the well-being of her sister. She didn't think that she was any less capable than any man and resented the fact that she had no rights. Thane liked to act gruff but he really had a soft heart underneath it all. He pushed people away because he didn't want them to have to deal with the scrutiny of being with the beast. I felt like the personalities just fit together and they had fantastic chemistry.

I would highly recommend this book to fans of historical romances. It was such a joy to watch Thane and Astrid fall for each other. There were more than a few moments that I couldn't seem to stop smiling. I definitely plan to read more from Amalie Howard in the future!

I received a review copy of this book from Entangled: Amara via Bookish First.

Initial Thoughts
What a delight! This was somewhere between 4 and 5 stars for me. I am going with 4 for now but may bump that up once I have more time to think about it. I loved Thane and Astrid! Loved them! They were perfect for each other and had a lot of chemistry. Thane's scars on the inside were worse than those on the outside. And the ones on the outside were bad enough to be called a beast. Astrid has been through a few things herself and is careful as a result. I had a lot of fun with this Beauty and the Beast story! ...more

flag 18 likes · Like · see review

Oct 28, 2019 Jessica Grogan rated it it was ok

The first 30% was brilliant. And then it seemed the main conflict was resolved by the 50% mark. Found myself skipping pages without it affecting the story.

flag 18 likes · Like · see review

Nov 23, 2019 Wendy'sThoughts rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Amalie Howard Fans, Romance

4 Non-Biddable Love Stars
* * * * Spoiler Free
Back in the day of historical times, a highly coveted woman on the marriage market would be highly feminine, well versed in the needlework arts and most importantly, Biddable. Yes, the willingness to be directed by her soon to be husband was the key...no push back, no mind of her own and never to talk back and have her own opinions.

Thank goodness I am of these times!

In The Beast of Beswick, we are given the circumstances where two sisters are at the ...more

flag 17 likes · Like · see review

Oct 11, 2020 Madison Warner Fairbanks rated it really liked it

Shelves: audible, cmcon21-reading-challenge, historical, romance, series, ecopy, kindle-ebook

The Beast of Beswick by Amalie Howard

Historical romance with the premise loosely taken from the fairytale. Everleigh Sisters series book 1.
Astrid goes to the Duke of Beswick with a proposal to save her sister from a scoundrel.
High society drama and manipulation ensue.

Astrid is quite vocal about the rights, or lack thereof, for women in the time period. She is strong and courageous and will do anything for her sister. Astrid is also clever and unlikely to take no for an answer without having a ...more

flag 17 likes · Like · see review

Oct 28, 2019 ☕️Kimberly rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Let me tell you why I love The Beast of Beswick. The story opens in the home of Lady Astrid Everleigh’s Aunt and Uncle. Astrid lives here with her sixteen year sister. Her Uncle and Aunt are their legal guardians until the girls marry or come of age. It seems her Uncle has plans to marry her younger sister off to the man that ruined Astrid. Determined to save her sister and knowing the terms of her parent’s will she sets out to marry and not just anyone. To thwart her Uncle and her enemy, she wi ...more

flag 17 likes · Like · see review

Nov 11, 2019 Kayla Brunson rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, arc, historical, read-in-2019

I thought that this was good, but not good enough to make it a favorite for me. For it to be compared to The Duchess Deal, I was expecting to love this book. However, the execution of it and the way everything played out just really didn’t hold up to my expectations.

I feel like this book could have been shorter and had the same effect, if not better. There was a repetition of the same issues such as him thinking that she’s too good for him and the situation with her sister. It felt as if this ...more

flag 15 likes · Like · see review

Oct 28, 2020 eyes.2c rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: regency-romance

Fun read! Beauty and beast trope with rather wonderful pair leading the charge.

flag 13 likes · Like · see review

Oct 17, 2019 Emilie rated it it was ok

I received an ARC of this book.
I really tried to like this book, but there was just too much going on with it to be a coherent, organic story. The hero, Thane, has been severely injured in the war with Napoleon, and carries both physical and emotional scars that keep him from moving about in society. The heroine decides that to save her and her sister from a nefarious suitor (who happened to ruin her many years ago) she must propose marriage to "The Beast of Beswick." He refuses, so she tells hi I received an ARC of this book.
I really tried to like this book, but there was just too much going on with it to be a coherent, organic story. The hero, Thane, has been severely injured in the war with Napoleon, and carries both physical and emotional scars that keep him from moving about in society. The heroine decides that to save her and her sister from a nefarious suitor (who happened to ruin her many years ago) she must propose marriage to "The Beast of Beswick." He refuses, so she tells him that she is also (very conveniently) an expert on Ming vases and can catalogue his extensive collection. He refuses this as well. Then several days later our heroine, Astrid, decides she and her sister are in grave danger and they flee to "the Beast's" home, where she begins to appraise his vase collection without permission. When her "host" does discover her at his home, he is furious. And while Astrid is dependent on his mercy, she constantly insults her "employer" by picking fights, taking offense at his opinions, and just being disagreeable. I felt very sorry for Thane and was not a fan at all of Astrid.
The author seemed to feel like every single convention of an "independent" female needed to be very evident in Astrid (I assume that's why she was continuously challenging and arguing with Thane), and she rode horses astride in breeches, swam like a fish, trained unmanageable horses, not to mention was an expert on ancient Chinese artifacts, a champion of Wollstonecraft, and even an author. I think the story would have flowed MUCH better if the author had picked one or two of these character traits and focused on them, instead of making her some kind of impossible "Renaissance woman." It was distracting and annoying.
There were also numerous plot points that were inconsistent, impossible, or anachronistic. Due to the fact that I read an ARC I will put all of those down to being an uncorrected proof and hope those things will be fixed in the published copy. As it was, the number of instances when these occurred really pulled me out of the story.
As I said, I wanted to like this book, but several chapters in, too many things just started to bother me. The main idea of the story was great. But it got bogged down with way too many unnecessary details ...more

flag 13 likes · Like · see review

Nov 24, 2019 Sarah rated it liked it

This book was kind of a hot mess. It was like the author tried to shove every trope into this book. It was beauty and the beast but don’t forget the heroine is a blue stocking and horse mad and a ruined spinster and has to save her sister from an evil earl. It was too much. It just didn’t flow together. Also this book contained my biggest pet peeve, incorrect forms of address. Gah! Why are authors not able to do a quick google search? I would be willing to try more from this author because the b ...more

flag 13 likes · Like · see review

May 27, 2020 G. rated it liked it

Anachronistic. Kind of repetitive. Slightly too long.

A bit of a mess, really.

All that... and yet I enjoyed it.

Well. I'm a known indiscriminate consumer of this particular trope after all. That said, despite its flaws, it's not a bad spin on the Beauty and the Beast trope.

Basically, feel free to ignore me. ...more

flag 13 likes · Like · see review

Jul 27, 2020 Elise rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: angst, historical-romance, kindle, reviewed, series, 2020, 3-stars, beautiful-cover, beauty-and-the-beast, brunette-heroine

In 1993 my mom took me to see Beauty and the Beast, and ever since I’ve been obsessed. So no surprise, It is my favorite trope in romance novels and I was excited to read this.

description

Astrid is a 25 year old “spinster” who lives with her Aunt, Uncle and her beloved younger sister. Astrid is beautiful and accomplished, but at the age of 16 the Earl of Beaumont spread lies about her virtue because she rejected him. She is seen as damaged goods by the ton and thus never married. This same Earl is now swooping in on Astrid’s sister and her Uncle is allowing it due to his greed. Astrid devises a plan to propose marriage to Thane, the Beast of Beswick, because her father’s will dictated that her husband would become her sister’s guardian. Thane was badly scarred in the Napoleonic wars and has a reputation for being mean and ugly. She assumes he will agree to marriage out of desperation because of his scarred face and grumpy nature and need for heirs.

This was very similar to the original Disney film, and here is why:
Astrid (beauty) is intellectual and seen as an outcast by others. She was pursued by a stereotypically good looking jerk-face: the Earl of Beaumont (Gaston). She moves into a big house to protect and/or save a family member. Thane (beast) is scary, grumpy and has friendly servants that want to see him happy. His Valet, and his Butler reminded me SO MUCH of Lumiere and Cogsworth; which I loved.

description

I really liked this for the first 60 percent, then it just got too repetitive. The main characters would argue and say rude things to each other- then makeup with hot sex, just to do it all over again. A lot of times. The majority of their conversation involved insulting each other. I really don’t get what the main characters saw in each other, besides wanting to bang. They didn’t have cute moments of building their relationship or connection.

I wasn’t crazy about the main couple. Thane is rude and grumpy the majority of the book. The book doesn’t give you much to work with where he is concerned. He has so much self hatred for his scars; it makes up his personality. Astrid was perfect bordering on obnoxious. She’s able to categorize ancient Chinese pottery, knows Latin and Greek,studied mathematics, and is the best swimmer. Also, she is the best horse trainer and rider, even with the most difficult wild horses. There was a scene where she hops on a crazy horse because she’s mad at Thane, but gets thrown off; she lands perfectly without injury because “she knows how to land a fall”. (eyeroll)

Astrid is also a feminist; so much so that it seemed out of character for someone who lived in 1819. No doubt women were mad at their lot in life and expressed it to one another, but I have a hard time believing they would talk of “overthrowing the patriarchy”. There was a lot of language and conversation that seemed too modern and pulled me out of the story. I remember the phrase “ I like how your brain works” and it felt out of place.

I feel bad for critiquing this so much because it wasn’t all bad and the writing was good; it just didn’t work for me on some levels and I was left unsatisfied. ...more

flag 13 likes · Like · see review

Oct 18, 2019 Stacy Reid rated it it was amazing

Shelves: lovely-heroine, tortured-heroes, endearing-heroine, regency-romance, witty, wonderful-hero, 2019-reading-challenge, historical-romance, author-to-watch-out-for, scarred-hero

Sooooo good! Review to come!

flag 12 likes · Like · see review

May 25, 2020 Carol rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2020, 2020-four-stars, books-to-re-read, kindle-books-owned, favorites, tortured-hero, witty-banter, marriage-of-convenience, r-historical-romance

4.5 stars. 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Loved this book.......with it's obvious overtones to "The Beauty and the Beast" fable...but this book really had that and so much more going for it!!!!
The writing was stellar and witty....and this entertaining and beyond enjoyable romance has completely charmed it's way.... straight onto my "favorites" and "reread' shelves.

Thanks again to Natasha is a Book Junkie's blog for yet another wonderful book find.....my first one was in fact another "Historical Romance" gem..... called "T ...more

flag 11 likes · Like · see review

Feb 12, 2020 Veronique rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, r2020, romance, stars-4-0

Entertaining historical romance featuring strong characters, mixing comedy with drama. The trope of 'Beauty and the Beast' has been used ad nauseam but Howard succeeds here in creating one of the better ones, combining aspects from ‘The Taming of the Shrew’. It works very well, our main characters verbally sparring to great effect. Fun :O) ...more

flag 10 likes · Like · see review

Nov 07, 2019 Elodie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The Beast of Beswick
Amalie Howard
https://www.facebook.com/AmalieHoward...
Release date 11/26/2019
Publisher Entangled Amara

Blurb :

Beauty and the Beast meets Taming of the Shrew in this laugh-out-loud and heartfelt Regency romance.
Lord Nathaniel Harte, the disagreeable Duke of Beswick, spends his days smashing porcelain, antagonizing his servants, and snarling at anyone who gets too close. With a ruined face like his, it's hard to like much about the world. Especially smart-mouthed harpies—with lip ...more

flag 10 likes · Like · see review

Dec 01, 2019 Nadene (Totally Addicted to Reading) rated it really liked it

It has been awhile since I read a historical romance, but after reading the blurb for The Beast of Beswick, I knew I had to read it, and I am so glad got the opportunity to do so. I enjoyed Astrid and Thane’s story. It had all the feels, and it swept me away and kept me reading through the wee hours.

Astrid and her sister are under the guardianship of their aunt and uncle until they got married. Astrid’s chances of getting married were ruined when the man who had been courting her ruined her repu It has been awhile since I read a historical romance, but after reading the blurb for The Beast of Beswick, I knew I had to read it, and I am so glad got the opportunity to do so. I enjoyed Astrid and Thane’s story. It had all the feels, and it swept me away and kept me reading through the wee hours.

Astrid and her sister are under the guardianship of their aunt and uncle until they got married. Astrid’s chances of getting married were ruined when the man who had been courting her ruined her reputation. Since then, her sole focus was on protecting her sister. She was determined that her sister had the chance to marry well, but their uncle had other plans. He intends to marry Astrid’s sister to the same man who had ruined her reputation. Astrid is no fool, and she devised a strategy, which involves finding a husband to thwart her uncle’s plan. The perfect man for her plan was none other than the Duke of Beswick, Lord Nathaniel Harte.

Thane dubbed the Beast of Beswick because of scars he received while at war. The scars were so severe he rarely appears in public because of the stares, whispering and ridicule he faces. Physical scars was not his only issue. His biggest issue were the scars, which were buried deep in is heart. Scars, which led to him distancing himself from his peers and living in complete isolation. He believes no woman would want to be with him much less to marry him. So imagine his surprise when Astrid approached him with what he considered a ridiculous proposal.

I found their initial meeting fun, which led to me wanting more of these two. Their chemistry was undeniable. There may have been instant, but their love for each grew overtime. Thane fought his feelings, but with a strong, outspoken, independent and determined woman like Astrid, he didn’t stand a chance of winning that battle.

The secondary characters played an important role in driving the story. Thane’s valet, butler and aunt had me laughing throughout most of the story. Thane’s aunt had no shame, and she made no apologies for her actions. His valet and butler proved to more than mere servants. They did not fear speaking their minds especially in the face of Thane’s ire.

The author weaved an emotional and steamy tale and I enjoyed her spin on the classic Beauty and the Beast.

Conclusion/Recommendation
I have no reservations recommending this book to fans of historical romance. I enjoyed Thane and Astrid’s story and I am looking forward to reading more from this author. ...more

flag 11 likes · Like · see review

Nov 25, 2019 Jewlsbookblog rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2019, beauty-and-the-beast, historical-romance, favorites, netgalley, arc

Astrid was a powerhouse of strength, feminism, and holy cow, was she feisty! I loved her wit and mouthiness! She was a also a devoted sibling and would sacrifice whatever necessary to keep her sister safe and her ensuing plan...hair-brained genius.

Thane was a behemoth mass of surliness, mood swings, and temper, temper! However, he had good reason to hide himself and lick his wounds. While his physical scars were out there for the world to see, inside was a broken man who didn’t know how to acce ...more

flag 9 likes · Like · see review

Apr 14, 2020 Topastro rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-romance, 2020-reads, enemies-to-lovers, strong-heroine, marriage-of-convenience

Amalie Howard is a new author for me and I was not disappointed. I Absolutely loved Astrid! Her loyalty to her sister and her saucy retorts were endearing. Thane was a perfect beast with a soft heart. The only reason this was not a 5 star was I felt the ending was anticlimactic and it was a bit underwhelming how everything was resolved. That being said this will not be my last book by Ms. Howard.

flag 10 likes · Like · see review

May 09, 2020 Yesy (The Book Vagrant) rated it liked it

Shelves: 2020-in-books, romance

so unnecessarily repetitive and frustrating but i loved the characters so yeah i'm reading the next one

(view spoiler) ...more

flag 9 likes · Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Bookish First Rea...: The Beast of Beswick by Amalie Howard	4	13	Dec 06, 2019 02:20PM

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Genres

Romance

367 users

Romance > Historical Romance

362 users

Historical

180 users

Historical > Historical Fiction

104 users

Fairy Tales > Beauty and The Beast

49 users

Historical > Regency

48 users

Adult

38 users

Retellings

28 users

Fiction

21 users

Historical Romance > Regency Romance

20 users

See top shelves…

About Amalie Howard

Amalie Howard

1,890 followers

AMALIE HOWARD is a USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestselling author, most notably of The Beast of Beswick, “a smart, sexy, deliciously feminist romance,” and one of O-The Oprah Magazine’s Top 24 Best Historicals to Read. She is the co-author of the #1 bestsellers in regency romance and Scottish historical romance, My Rogue, My Ruin and What A Scot Wants, and has also penned several young adult n ...more