Beauty and the Beast meets Taming of the Shrew in this laugh-out-loud and heartfelt Regency romance.
I couldn't put this one down. I have read this author's work before but as a writing duo.
This wonderfully written take on Beauty and the Beast was masterfully told with a bit of humor thrown in.for good measure. I was totally engrossed in this book. The characters are excellent and the plot never boggs down.
I gave this book 4.75 of 5.0 stars only because there was not enough mystery about what would happen. It was just too predictable.
I received a complimentary digital ARC of this book to read.
This in no way affected my opinion of this title which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

I loved this sweet and hot historical romance. It is well written and both main characters are amazing.

Lady Astrid Everleigh has no other option but to seek help from Lord Nathaniel Harte. Normally, she wouldn't imagine herself asking something like this from a man who is practically a stranger but she must save her sister. So, she asks him to marry her but his reaction wasn't what she hoped for. Will she be able to change his mind or should she plan something else?

Thane can't believe it when Lady Astrid strode into his house and demands that he speaks to her. He hates meeting new people because he hates the stares and the whispers. But Astrid is unlike anyone he has ever met and for a moment he is tempted to consider her offer. Then he realizes how absurd that is. After all, marriage and happiness aren't in the cards for the Beast of Beswick. or is he wrong about that?

I recommend this book to anyone who is looking to read a pageturner historical fiction with a strong heroine and brooding/moody hero.

I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review

Really wanted to like this one because it was so different, but I could have used a little more old fashioned romance

A fiery and tempestuous story. Brilliantly written with great characters. Beauty tames the beast as Astrid marches in and takes over Thane’s home. Astrid was desperate to save her younger sister from a horrible suitor. Thane wanted to be left alone with his wounds. From the moment they set eyes on each other sparks fly. I loved the fierce arguments they had that was always subtly coached in their need for each other. They are both compassionate characters hiding away from being hurt. As the push and pull continues they must fight and make themselves vulnerable to accept love. A sure fire page turner that will keep you engrossed.

Do you want to hear a funny story about how I came to read The Beast of Beswick by Amalie Howard? Grab a cup of hot cocoa and I’ll share. Be sure to stay and find out why I fell in love with this Beauty and the Beast retelling.

I was thinking I was in the mood for a good historical romance despite all the review books and purchased books surrounding me. 👀Oh come now, you have all felt the calling or niggle for something new, not yet obtained; have you not?

As I sat there pondering an email arrived from NetGalley with a recommendation from Sarah Maclean. In fact the subject read, NYT bestseller Sarah MacLean says “I loved every word!” I adore MacLean’s books so it piqued my interest.

When I opened the email there before me in red was the gorgeous cover of The Beast of Beswick by Amalie Howard. A historical romance and a Beauty and the Beast retelling to boot. Be still my heart! 💕

So naturally I dropped everything and devoured it. Sarah was right. I can call her Sarah now, right? I feel like we are besties now that she has recommended this book to me. 😍🤣

Enough stories. 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 will need Lord Nathaniel Harte, the disagreeable Duke of Beswick! Intrigued?

From Thane (The Beast) and Astrid’s first encounter I was all in. I loved the sizzling chemistry, the slow-build but most of all the sharp barbs, quick wit and snarky banter. These two were a joy to read about and they simple came to life on the page.

Thane was badly wounded in battle and carries scars the mar his face, back, and legs. He suffers both physically and mentally from the wounds. Howard did a splendid job of explaining what has led him to become basically a recluse and allowed the reader to understand his gruff and explosive personality. I wanted to hug him and throttle him on more than one occasion.

Astrid is headstrong, independent and outspoken. I imagine she would have had a difficult time even if her first season wasn’t ruined. I adored her but also appreciated the growth we witnessed.

Secondary characters from Astrid’s sister to Thane’s servants added humor, interest and suspense. I adored Thane’s Aunt and would like to take tea with her. I imagine she has some stories to tell.

If you are looking for a Beauty and the Beast retelling filled with strong, loveable, snarky characters wrapped in heat and swaddled in a regency romance, I cannot help but recommend The Beast of Beswick. I, for one, loved every word.

The Beast of Beswick was such a delight to read. I love historical romance and I love retellings of a sort, and this book absolutely lived up to my expectations.

Astrid was intelligent and sharp-witted, but also not overwhelmingly feminist, which I appreciated. Thane was reclusive and growly, scarred inside and out.

Together they were phenomenal. Their banter, back-and-forth and cutting remarks were engaging and entertaining. Their chemistry and sexy times were sizzling hot.

Both characters needed to work through their own issues, past and present, and while there was quite a bit of push and pull, especially on Thane's part, it wasn't overdone, and it worked well with the storyline.

***I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley.***

Beauty & the Beast meets Taming of the Shrew
Maybe a little bit of both stories, but Astrid is definitely not a shrew and the hero (Thane, short for Nathaniel) is not in the least a Petruchio; definitely more the Beast. The only simile is that A is rather sharp (direct rather than sharp) in her manner.
In her 1st season, Astrid is courted and is engaged to the seemingly charming Earl of Beaumont but as the more she is in his company, she realizes that his ‘affections’ for want of a better word, turns her off & the last straw is when he tries to coerce her to having sex. When she decides to break off their engagement, he retaliates by announcing publicly that he was the 1 who broke off the engagement because he found her to be unchaste which totally ruins her reputation. When A & her much younger sister Isobel are orphaned a year later, they go to live with their uncle and his wife whose don’t care for either girls other than what they can get out of them financially.
When Beaumont turns his attention to Isobel, A is horrified that her uncle encourages him. In desperation she approaches the one man she figures has both the power to protect her & Isobel as well be amenable to (her proposal) of marriage.
Thane is horribly scarred both inside and outside from the war, when he faced down half a dozen enemies with bayonets to save his men from an ambush. Even though a powerful duke, society can’t seem to look beyond his scarred visage so much so that being out in public is abhorrent and unpleasant.
I loved the story and the characters of A & T. A self-proclaimed scholar (not bluestocking mind!) while shocked the 1st time, A sees beyond T's scars to the man beneath. T is horribly bitter and thinks himself unlovable so much so that he keeps expecting A to turn away from him sooner or later & instead pushes her away 1st. Cute side characters; his valet, the butler & his rather risque widowed aunt round out a wonderful story.

Highly recommended.

The Beauty, Astrid, meet the Beast, Thane. She is sassy, outspoken, headstrong and will anything to protect her sister. He is broody, disfigured, has a lot of scars and he doesn't want to be trapped in a marriage. This book has drama, suspens, a couple of sex scenes. Unfortunately I need a lot more in my books.
The opinions here are all mine. This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley.

Loved this story of Thane and Astrid! Thane is horribly scarred from the war and is a recluse. Astrid seeks him out and proposes marriage to help save her sister from wedding a terrible man. At first he refuses, but Astrid and her sister then run away and seek refuge with him.

This is a fabulous naughty version of Beauty and the Beast. Thane’s struggle to allow good and love in his life is poignant to read and I love Astrid and her patience with him. Aunt Mabel is a great character and adds great comedy to the story.

I will be checking out more books by this author. Thanks to the publisher for a review copy via NetGalley.

All the stars go to Thane and Astrid!!

"Give me a dark abbey and a grumpy beast any day."

Oh my goodness, what a book! So much snarky dialogue, so many smoldering, steam-filled looks, so many twist and turns, and so much heartwarming love in this delicious story!

Astrid needs to rescue her sister from a fate worse than death, but the only legal means she has is to transfer guardianship of herself and her sister to a husband. Thane, the reclusive, growly, volatile Beast of Beswick is the only man she knows who could possibly stand up to her grasping uncle and his mercenary plans. But Thane has sworn off women, society, marriage, and even basic civility in his efforts to block out the emotional and physical trauma of living with his war-ravaged, painfully-scarred body. These two have a complicated path to the altar first, then an even more complicated path to their HEA.

I absolutely loved the rollicking fun of this book. Of course there's no end of folks acting in a manner inconsistent with the Regency time period, but that's the fun part of fiction. Wishful thinking gets to play a part in character development. Only the most die-hard historical purists will be distracted by that issue; the rest of us can enjoy this couple's delicious tension, intelligent banter, crushing verbal blows, and triumphantly scathing victories over the worst of the villains.

The secondary characters are just divine, including Thane's audacious aunt, his long-suffering yet outspoken servants, Astrid's brave and maturing sister, and even the delightful modiste. Every layer of this book is insightful, intriguing, and impossible to resist. I highly recommend this wonderful romance. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

Fun and entertaining Beauty and the Beast adaptation, regency romance style! It got a little corny at the end, but it was nicely done and a refreshing change from the usual tale.

The Beast of Beswick

5 stars

I don’t know where to start or what I loved more. The lovable and snarky main characters? The endearing and eccentric side characters? The author’s clever and captivating writing? The brilliance and incredibleness that is the plot of this novel? Or maybe the heartwarming and steamy scenes that I am obsessively going to reread numerous times for the next couple weeks? 🥰🥰🥰🥰

I’ll admit, as soon as I started reading TBOB I immediately groaned and was hesitant to continue. Mainly because I just read (and loved) The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare and could very clearly spot the similarities. And while I adored The Duchess Deal, I really didn’t want to spend the entirely of my reading experience comparing the two.

BUT The Beast of Beswick completely took me by surprise and is in a league of its own. The similarities ended as soon as they began and I was completely mesmerized by TBOB and couldn’t stop reading! I instantly fell in love with both Astrid and Thane and couldn’t get enough of their bewitchingly sarcastic personalities.

Being able to experience the character’s turmoils and struggles through dual POVs added so many layers to the characters and their development and I loved every minute of it!

I feel like this specific retelling very accurately depicts the original tale of Beauty and the Beast while also being unique to itself and for that it has become one of my favorites and I can’t recommend it enough!

Charming chemistry, snarky banter, a compelling plot and enthralling characters will have you hesitant to set it down! I’m so excited to see more of Amalie Howard’s books!

Astrid will do anything to save her sister from being sold into a marriage to a man she was to marry years before. With her reputation ruined by her former conference has no prospects and to keep her sister and their inheritance safe from their Uncle and Aunt she must marry even if he is the Beast of Beswick.

Thane is shunned by the ton and his own father and brother when he returns from war. Than is wounded so badly inside and out that he keeps everyone at a distance. That is until a beautiful Astrid barges into his private domain and ask him to marry her. But he refuses and she refuses to take no for an answer.

Both have to over come deep hurts and learn to trust again in order to learn to love and be loved.

This was a wonderful read. I received this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

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 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.

Lady Astrid Everleigh will not let her sister be forced into marriage with the Duke of Beaumont. The man is the worst option for someone as innocent as her sister. Not to mention, he's the very man who ruined her reputation.
Astrid must marry, and she has just the man in mind, Lord Nathaniel Harte, or the Beast of Beswick, as he's known amongst society.

Lord Nathaniel "Thane" Harte, has a reputation for being disagreeable. It's only gotten worse since his return from the war has left him broken and hideously scarred. When Astrid shows up with her marriage proposition, Thane is unbelievably tempted. But what could Astrid possibly see in a man like him. Best to turn her out, right?

With the blurb like "Beauty and the Beast meets Taming of the Shrew", how could I resist THE BEAST OF BESWICK. Author Amalie Howard brings out all the big guns in this enticing read. Great plot, check; complex, but relatable characters, check, romance and passion, check. Astrid and Thane's story had me thumbing page after page. I give THE BEAST OF BESWICK 4.5 stars.

The best part of The Beast of Beswick are the fun characters. This timeless classic romance provides a steamy sizzle and adventurous plot twists and kept me up so late at night until I could finish reading! Based on the beloved Beauty and The Beast story line, The Beast of Beswick introduces us to a modern woman who is desperate to save her sister from a horrible man. Lady Astrid Everleigh introduces herself to Thane, the "beast" who is actually Lord Nathaniel Harte who is badly scarred from brutal war injuries. Lady Astrid propositions Thane so that she can safely secure her sister's future and protect them both from their uncle's greed.

I really like Astrid and her sister too, and of course there is much to adore about Thane. I like the way it takes him time to open and trust Astrid...just as in the real world sometimes it takes awhile to break down walls. Now the show stealer as far as characters go, is Thane's Aunt Mabel... Wow she is spectacular, wish she was my aunt that is for sure. I won't provide any spoilers other than to say, probably best not to eat while you're reading as you'll wind up spitting out whatever is in your mouth because you're laughing your head off!

Thank you to NetGalley, Author Amalie Howard, and Entangled Publishing LLC for an advanced digital reader copy for me to read and enjoy. As always, my opinions are my own!

I adored the characters of Astrid and Thane, and that's why I gave the book four stars. If you are looking for a true Regency, this is not it. There are sooo many things in this book that go against the rules of Regency, so just know that going in and the reason I wouldn't give a higher than four stars. There is a great deal of back and forth, building angst but it went a bit too far for my liking.

This was an entertaining story and I liked the premise and the basic plot. The characters were also fun (loved Aunt Mabel!). The Beauty and the Beast trope has been used often in romances but I still like reading them. Towards the beginning, this one did feel a little too similar to another book I had read recently but it did feel more unique as the story went on. My biggest issues with this book were that after about halfway through, I felt like the story kept repeating itself: Astrid and the Beast connect emotionally and physically, Astrid and the beast have distance between, repeat. It happened several times and for similar reasons. My other issue was that story was a little too feminist, and Astrid was a little too perfect. She could ride, she could shoot, she knew about valuable art, she could do pretty much everything. I did like the moment when she realized she was wrong about something and accepted she was wrong. I really liked Thane. I loved his possessive jealousy and I really don't think he was over-reacting about his lot in life. His injuries, however, were kind of vague. Yes he was scarred but the story about how he became that way was not very specific and I felt myself wondering how it exactly happened. The love scenes were well written and not over the top or unbelievable. You could actually feel Astrid and Thane bonding through them. I loved the side characters (especially Mabel and the valet) but some of them just kind of disappeared and you never hear what actually happened to them (i.e. the Scottish groomsman). I loved how Astrid stood up to the villain at the end of the story in front of everyone, but I also wish he got more of a comeuppance, along with the uncle and aunt.

To recap, I really did like this story but there were a few issues that kept the rating down a bit for me. But if you like beauty and the beast types of books then you should enjoy this one.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for providing me an advanced copy.

It is a cute take on Beauty and the beast and the heroine is clearly a bluestocking lady with some spunk. It has the right amount of romance to keep the reader interested. Though it clearly follows the predictable track, it oozes cuteness. Though the hero is a brooding, scarred duke, he clearly is easy to fall in love with. The witty banter between the lead characters throughout was really good.

I really enjoyed The Beast of Beswick and am going to be looking for more by the author!

Loved, loved, loved!
Lady Astrid Everleigh has to find a way to keep her younger sister out of the hands of the man who ruined her prospects of a good marriage over ten years ago. She only sees one way to prevent this from happening. For her to marry the Duke of Beswick also known as the Beast of Beswick. He's terribly scarred, angry, grumpy and a recluse. But can she get him to agree?

Thane and Astrid share fun banter that I loved. They try to protect themselves from falling in love with the other. He's certain that she'll leave because everyone does. She doesn't want to be fooled again like she was in the past. I loved Thane. I loved Astrid.

This is one to add to your collection.

ARC provided by the Entangled Publishing
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