When Beauty Tamed the Beast (Fairy Tales, #2)

by Eloisa James

'Nothing gets me to a bookstore faster than Eloisa James' - Julia Quinn

Miss Linnet Berry Thrynne is a Beauty . . . Naturally, she's betrothed to a Beast.

If only her gown hadn't been so fully cut, or she hadn't been caught kissing that prince . . . But now the ton believes Linnet to be with royal child - and therefore unmarriageable - so she might as well make her desperate father happy by consenting to wed a beast.

A brilliant surgeon with a reputation for losing his temper - and a wound believed to have left him . . . incapable - Piers, Earl of Montague, should welcome a bride-to-be carrying a ready-made, blue-blooded heir. But Piers isn't fooled by the lady's subterfuge, and though Linnet's devilishly smart and charming with a loveliness that outshines the sun, there will be no wedding of beauty to beast.

Still, Linnet finds the gorgeous brute intriguing, with a spark of gentility behind his growl that's worth fanning. And it's obvious to the naked eye that 'incapable' does not mean 'uninterested'...

'Eloisa James is extraordinary' - Lisa Kleypas

'Romance writing does not get much better than this' - People

• ISBN10: 1410438449
• ISBN13: 9781410438447
• Publish Date: 1 July 2011 (first published 25 January 2011)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 2 August 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Thorndike Press
• Edition: Large type / large print edition
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 493
• Language: English

Reviews

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

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

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

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

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

[lizarodz]

4.5 Stars. Review Soon

[nitzan_schwarz]

2015 tbr challenge

4.5 stars
I really really loved this! The characters and story were great, and it was just so damned cute!

[Amanda]

3.5

[wyvernfriend]

Miss Linnet Berry Thrynne had been caught kissing a prince, and now her reputation is in tatters, she is thought to be with child from the prince and now she is unmarriageable. Her father finds her an out, believing her to be pregnant, a match with a man reputed to be a bit of a brute and believed to be incapable of bearing children.

And she meets him, he has a limp, a bad temper and a hospital in his house but she finds him interesting and he finds that he can't around her or make her go away as easily as he can most people.

The two of them spark well off each other and when she gets ill he really shines and comes to realise what she means to him. I also did get the House references fairly early on, to which James admits in the afterword and it did make me smile. I enjoyed the read.

[Stephanie]

What I Loved: It’s a Beauty and the Beast retelling, do I need to say more? I went into this James novel knowing it wasn’t a historical romance and enjoyed the story immensely. Piers and Linette are so much fun together. Granted at first all they did was argue (although they did so wittily and I didn’t mind).

Piers is a brilliant doctor with and arrogant temperament. He also has some daddy issues. Linette brings balance to his life and while he is happy to send her away on his terms when those terms are changed he realizes what he had. It was such a tender part of the book. It’s worth the read for that plot point alone.

What I Could Have Lived Without: To be honest, I have no major complaints about When Beauty Tamed the Beast. It was a great retelling of a story I already love.

Recommended For: Readers who are looking for an escape from reality to a historical time with a pinch of humor.

Avoid If: Fairy tale retellings and historicals set your nerves on edge.