His Beauty by Sofia Tate

An amazing read – this book twists the traditional tail of Beauty and the Beast into a modern story. I fell in love with the characters, finding familiarity in their feelings and circumstance. Completely believable and thoroughly compelling I found myself entranced with the way the story came alive.

This is not a typical romance where you know what will happen as the story progresses. There is no guessing, rather a tug of emotion as things unravel.

I thought this was a beautiful story – will definitely look for Ms Tate’s works in the future.

This re-telling of Beauty and the Beast was really cute. Lily and Grayson were interesting characters. I really liked the focus on art. I didn't expect there to be the danger element in the ex-boyfriend but I thought it added a little more spice to the book and gave Grayson some impetus to grow.

The story was a bit slow to get going. There was some romance, but not until the last third of the book. It is written in the present tense which I found a bit off putting. It is the classic Beauty and the Beast story updated for today and a gallant attempt is made, but could have packed more of a punch. It was feasible and believable, but didn't leave me feeling that I had read a great story, just a good one. Everything could have been a bit more. More intense, more romance and definitely more heat!

his beauty is another beauty and the beast retelling, which i've gone on the record as not being my favorite fairy tale, and well, this isn't the retelling that's going to change my mind. in some ways i feel like this version hews too closely to the disney movie in terms of the major characters, that it's even less nuanced than other retellings that stick to the darker beaumont narrative.

anyway, if you know the plot of beauty and the beast, you know the plot here. it's the characters that should make you want to stay. lily and grayson are perfectly fine, but i didn't really feel their connection, and i guess this is the heart of my struggle with this story.

**his beauty will publish on may 8, 2018. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/grand central publishing (forever) in exchange for my honest review.

I really liked this book. The 2 main characters were really likable. Plus, it is a retelling of one of my favorite fairy tales. My only issue was how rushed it felt. It is hard to believe Lily would move on so fast.

A great version of Beauty and the Beast. I enjoyed this, short and had some nice twists. The nasty ex boy friend thrown in for a touch of exercising the famous face palm move. While I liked both MC's I really liked Emilia and her caring for both of them. The plot had another added piece that was well done and for many I'm sure hits close to home.
Nicely done Sofia!

**arc from NetGalley and publisher for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

His Beauty is a Beauty and the Beast retelling with Grayson's scars and psychological trauma and Lily's kindness and compassion as they overcome obstacles, get to know each other and find love.
As much as I enjoyed this story, I think it's quite different from what I'm used to from Ms Tate. It doesn't have quite the emotional punch of her Davison and Allegra series but is unique in its own way. The story starts off at a rather sedate pace but heats up quickly once the path is cleared for Lily and Grayson's relationship to develop.
This is not your conventional romance as Lily spends the better half of the book being engaged to another man. Her ex, Reed, is the Gaston of the story. Handsome, successful, privileged, but with a rotten core. His treatment of Lily is reprehensible and I truly wondered why she stayed with him for as long as she did, constantly making excuses for him to her loved ones. As such, the relationship between Lily and Grayson take a while to develop as they circle around each other warily while a simmering attraction builds. Once Lily is rid of Reed though, their relationship escalates quickly.
In this tale, Grayson is the beast. He's been scarred terribly as a child and is locked away in his own home creating his beautiful art, never setting foot outside. He can't with it crippling him. At the start, Grayson is bothered by Lily's interruption and her fearlessness. She doesn't shy away from him or seem bothered by his scars. And she fascinates him. Before long, he starts to yearn for her presence and her company. He wants to be a better, braver man for her. When danger strikes, it takes everything for him to step up to be the man Lily needs him to be and Grayson handles himself admirably even as he struggles with his fears and handicaps. I admire Grayson for stepping out of his shell, his comfort zone to experience the world again for Lily's sake. That took a tremendous amount of courage and will power.
I liked Lily. She is kind, compassionate, considerate, and way too forgiving, if her treatment of Reed for the first half of the book is any indication. She's also the soul of patience because Reed did not deserve it or her kindness. I'm glad she finally saw what he was truly like and put him in his place. It's too bad he lost the plot and went kind of bonkers towards the end, but he served his purpose. I loved how Lily was with Grayson. Unafraid, open, with an inherent kindness and compassion that reached into his tortured heart. Lily was like a breath of fresh air for Grayson. With her, he could hope, dream, and want things he'd never considered for himself before. I loved seeing Grayson come to life with Lily.
This is the first book by Ms Tate in a few years and it's been a long time coming. I'm glad to see Ms Tate publishing again after such a long hiatus. I hope there will be more books to come in the future.

his is a twist of the fairytale, Beauty and the Beast, only here the one who's secluded, has scars and is very grouch is a famous sculptor called Grayson. He meets Lily, an ESL teacher who has just lost her job due to funding, and she signs up to be a cleaner at his mansion. As time goes by and he gets to see more of her, Grayson finds himself yearning to be more human just to put a smile on Lily's face and it's an interesting if not predictable transformation given the plot.

A sweet and spicy contemporary retelling of Beauty and the Beast. A little too trope-ish for my taste.

Grayson’s issues go beyond his physical scars. I loved how he felt for the heroine, the way he became so smitten with her, his protective Alpha streak and his confidence in her talent.
I felt that the plot line about Reed was stretched a bit. Instead, I wish there had been more about the “sexy beast”.
Predictable but enjoyable, and the compassion shown by main and side characters held my interest and made it worth reading.

This is a contemporary take on the Beauty and the Beast trope with lovely main characters that treat each other with kindness and respect.
The book’s opening chapter is strong and pulls the reader into the story presenting the heroine, Lily, and her quests. Lily's dedication to her students is admirable.
Grayson’s issues go beyond his physical scars. I loved how he felt for the heroine, the way he became so smitten with her, his protective Alpha streak and his confidence in her talent.
I felt that the plot line about Reed was stretched a bit. Instead, I wish there had been more about the “sexy beast”.
Predictable but enjoyable, and the compassion shown by main and side characters held my interest and made it worth reading.

This is a twist of the fairytale, Beauty and the Beast, only here the one who's secluded, has scars and is very grouch is a famous sculptor called Grayson. He meets Lily, an ESL teacher who has just lost her job due to funding, and she signs up to be a cleaner at his mansion. As time goes by and he gets to see more of her, Grayson finds himself yearning to be more human just to put a smile on Lily's face and it's an interesting if not predictable transformation given the plot.
Thank you NetGalley for the eARC. Lovers of romance would enjoy this short sweet read.

Sucker for fairytale retellings that I am (I can’t ever get enough), I dove into ‘His Beauty’ for what’s probably my favourite tale of all time.

What I’ve always enjoyed isn’t just the meeting of the beauty and the beast, but also the differing contexts and backgrounds (be it a contemporary or a historical spin on the fairytale) in which they meet. ‘His Beauty’ starts out slow, detailing the circumstances under which Lily finds herself at Grayson’s door, painting a picture of the life she leads—a life that’s about to drastically change when she takes on a cleaning job at a recluse’s mansion.

If Disney’s version revolves around books and reading, Sofia Tate’s subject matter here is art. Her characters, which are more mellowed versions of a beauty and beast who don’t go through the same jagged highs and lows that seem par for the course. Instead, ‘His Beauty’ is more slow-going, with a burn that starts from friendship as Lily spends half the story with a fiancé, and while getting a little too…sensitive and emotional when it comes to Grayson (read: fretting and weepy).

I didn’t quite get the angst, or the sharp yearning from both sides that I normally associate with this fairytale; instead, I got increasingly frustrated when Lily kept resolutely wanting to continue with her jerk of her boyfriend to others, thus putting the relationship-development with Grayson on hold.

Consequently, as their attraction comes to a boil only much later in the book, it didn’t feel as though there was a sufficient build-up of the both of them, and I was actually thrown off when the more explicit scenes (and the vocabulary associated with them) came in from almost nowhere after Lily’s fiancé was finally out of the way.

As far as retellings go, if you prefer a slower-paced, less angsty version (with a teeny, teeny bit of suspense), ‘His Beauty’ is one to shelve. There’s an almost-disney-certified HEA, where all’s right with the world, but it’s not quite a ‘yay’ from me, sadly.

I really enjoyed this book! I'm not sure I can describe too much without giving the plot away. But the two main characters are Grayson and Lily, both seeking something in their lives. There is great chemistry between the two and the love scenes are hot! There is a dramatic part towards the end, the cliffhanger, that almost wraps up faster than the event itself. But overall this was a great book!