*Hannah Howell ~ Beauty And The Beast*

Beauty And The Beast

On the eve of her wedding to the heir of Saiturn Manor, the stunningly beautiful Gytha is shocked to learn that her betrothed, a man she barely knew, is dead. Now she must marry the new heir, Thayer Saturn, a battle-hardened knight known as the Red Devil...


With a face scarred in battle and a heart broken in love, Thayer has no interest in marriage. But not even the Red Devil can break the promise his foster-father made years ago and soon finds himself married to a woman whose exquisite beauty and sweet innocence intrigue him. But can his new bride look beyond his scars to find a hidden passion and undying love locked deep inside him?

~Taken from the Beauty And The Beast book cover~

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~*~My Review~*~

This was one of the littler treasures I found in the Friends of the Library bookstore in my hometown before I left for SB...Beauty & The Beast was always my favorite fairytale (lol I loved the prince's flaws and I loved Bell's intelligence and passion for the written word) however even with my love for the disney story, I was worried this would be some cheap, erotic version of the old tale...luckily though that was not it at all!! Howell has taken the true meaning behind the story (that loves comes from the heart, and that only by loving and trusting with our hearts fully, can we ever know true love) and given it a new, and far more believeable, storyline.

The story of Gytha and Thayer is a complicated, intriguing, and thoroughly romantic story of two people who fall in love, and along the way learn to trust not only each other but themselves as well. What I loved most about this story (aside from the wonderful writing, captivating storyline, and realistic-quality of the entire story) was how the love between the two characters (though beautiful and very important to the storyline) was not what our hero/heroin were struggling towards throughout the book...whereas most books have the characters only discovering their love in the very end of the story, both Gytha and Thayer know they are in love very soon on, however it is trust that they must work towards finding. Both characters must struggle to surpass their own pride and fears to face their inner demons together, in order to truly accept their undeniable love.

This is the first novel I have ever had the pleasure of reading by Hannah Howell, however if this book is any indication for wha can be expected of the rest of her works, then I will be sure to keep an eye out for her other pieces. :)

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~*~Excerpts~*~

"Staring up at him, Gytha decided it was an extremely awkward position. With all that whirled in her head, all that demanded saying, she felt she could get a severe crick in her neck before she was done. Glancing around, she espied a low bench. Grabbing his hand, she towed her startled bridegroom over to it. She then stood upon the bench and stared at him.

'Just what is it that you so abhor about our coming wedding?' she demanded.

'Gytha,' Margaret began in a soft protest.

' 'Tis a reasonable question, cousin. Well, sir? Do you perchance prefer darker ladies?'

'Nay.' He could not tell her of his fears, of how he dreaded a future filled with pain and the shame of being cuckolded.

'Then mayhap I am too short for your tastes?'

'Well, 'tis true that if you were much smaller, I might have trouble finding you.'

'Ah, I see. You wish me to be taller?' She frowned when he shoook his head. 'Thinner? Fatter?'

Despite his efforts to resist, his gaze moved over her figure. He could find no fault there. High, full breasts, a tiny waist and gently rounded hips stirred only intense interest. ...

'None of those. Child, I had a shock....'

...As she decided to drop the matter, voices from the other side of the hedge behind her drew all her attention.

'We should not,' gasped a husky female voice. 'My husband-'

'Is soaked senseless with wine.'

'Your wife?'

'Abed. She cares little how I entertain myself...'

Gytha gasped and looked at Margaret, who hastily covered her reddened face with her hands. ...

In the heat of righteous indignation, she decided that such things would not be allowed in her home. After glaring at the amused men, she leapt off the bench and started around the hedge. Hearing her three companions come after her, she hurried to elude them. The sight of the entwined couple on the ground enraged her. Even as the man saw her and hastened to stand up, she gave him a good kick in the backside. She glared at the couple as they scrambled to pull together their tangled clothing. Them she began to lecture them, punctuating certain statements with an occasional swat at one or the other miscreant. ...

'Oh Gytha,' Margaret murmured when the couple was gone, loving amusement in her voice, 'you should have let be.'

'But Margaret, my mother often strolls here with my father.'

Although his sides ached from all the smothered laughter he had already indulged in, Thayer started again. He joined Roger in whooping with unrestrained laughter. Gytha was staring at the ground as if the trysters had left some bold stain, forever tainting the area. She still looked beautifully indignant.

(lol, this is one of my fave scenes but it's so long I couldn't put it all in...lol just trust me, this book is worth buying!!)