I love a good Beauty and the Beast retelling. Great writing style and the story got me hooked from start to finish. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read it.

Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite fairytales, so I have high expectations to some extent for any kind of retelling of that story. I went into Spellbound Lies reserved but excited. I love retellings so if this was done well, I knew I would love it. Catherine Downen did not let me down! This book transported me back in to one of my favorite worlds but also put a new lens on it. It almost made me feel like I was getting to experience it all again for the first time. needless to say, I cant wait to see what they come out with next!

This book was not what I was expecting... and I loved it!
A twisty Beauty and the Beast retelling with a little Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde mixed in that definitely caught my attention! A great read, different from other retellings which made it even more enjoyable (I love retellings and appreciate adding a fun little twist).

Thank you to NetGalley, and the author for providing me with an ARC copy.
All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5 rounded to 4

I enjoyed the retelling and story line aspects of this book. I thought that the overall twists in the story entertaining and enough to keep me turning pages. It did drag here and there and i feel like the story could have been condensed smaller than the staggering 650 pages that it is. I liked the characters well and fine but found the writing to be a dad on the juvenile side. This however didn't affect my overall enjoyment of the story itself. i thought that it was odd the back and forth between periodical fashion, and i don't' know why that stuck with me so much. once again it didn't take too much away from the story. Overall this was a lovely retelling and i would recommend it to anyone that enjoys this genre.

I completely devoured this. So much better than I was expecting it to be.

I read a lot of Beauty and the Beast retellings, so it takes a lot for one to impress me, but this one did. It was such a creative twist on the story, and even though it was predictable, I loved reading it so much.

My only complaint is that the ending felt a bit rushed, especially after all the build-up. I wanted a little more of a glimpse at the other side of the curse.

Also, wasn't a huge fan of the anachronistic details like characters wearing jeans. It didn't happen too often, so it didn't bother me too much, but every time it did, I was pulled out of the story and wondered why the characters couldn't wear things other than jeans and tank tops.

3/5

This book has an INCREDIBLE storyline and I believe that it also contains multiple twists, so if that is something that you’re interested in, I know I was, this book is for you. I will say that I found it a bit long winded and the book should’ve revealed certain things at a quicker pace.

I liked the overall book but it didn’t really maintain my interest.

This is a fantasy romance with a jekyll/hide character; a royal who is both a manipulative evil “good guy” and a genuine misunderstood “villian”

Thank you NetGalley!

If you love sci fi ya novels I’m pretty sure you are gonna adore this book. It had a storytelling esque vibe to it as well.

maybe i could start with saying wow ....i fell in love with this book ,Am all in for the romance thank you to Net galley and the author this is a 5 star

Great prose and writing with likable characters. Perfect for fans of Beauty and the Beast. Will be looking forward for the release!

I really liked this creative take on the Beauty and Beast tale, re-imagined with a Jeckyll and Hyde twist.
Jessamyn Elisdream is a baker and helps her mom run the family bakery. She is asked to provide and serve at a royal function for a courting ceremony where the prince, Prince Nikolaus, and eligible ladies attend. Later, Jessamyn sneaks back into the palace to recover a family heirloom she lost during the event. Here, she runs into the "Beast" and is subsequently imprisoned, in order to keep Prince Nikolaus' curse a secret.
I liked the relationship between the Beast and Jessamyn and the growing juxtapose difference between her relationship with the Beast, aka Nik, and Prince Nikolaus.
An extra treat, was the illustrations the author provided throughout the book. It really added to the fairy tale book feeling.
However, one thing that was confusing, was the clothing descriptions. There were great descriptions regarding dresses, men's clothing, carriages, etc. Except when it came to including jeans and more contemporary, modern clothing. It pulled me out of the story and confused me on what exactly this world the characters' lived in insofar as that aspect.
Other than that, this was a really good book and I am glad I discovered this author. Looking forward to reading some of her other works.

Described as Jekyll and Hyde meets Beauty and the Beast I knew I had to read this. While this could have been a little bit shorter, I really enjoyed it. I was team beast from the beginning cause yay villains and I’m glad I picked right. Thank you to NetGalley for this copy.

This was an enjoyable read and I loved the romance and character development. I would defiantly read this authors work again and will recommend this story to others.

I have a few things I want to say right off the bat, first, this shit is way too fucking long. Second, this cover is a travesty compared to the artwork found within. The sketches are absolutely lovely. I can't find any credit give to the artist, but whoever you are, you done good.

I would have rated this book higher if not for a few issues:

It's way too long for the amount of story we get. We don't learn much of anything at all about the witches, the royal family, the town, or even the main characters really.

There are too many convenient plot points, and there were times when the characters behaved in a manner that wasn't congruent to their personas simply to move the plot forward.

There were a few times when, in retrospect, the author was trying to foreshadow, but at the time it just seemed like bad writing to me, like the story didn't really add up. With the word count, foreshadowing should have been easily achievable, but I don't feel that it was pulled off very well.

Though the time period was never explicitly stated, there was some anachronistic language with the MC wearing jeans, tank tops, and ballet flats etc. which just didn't jive with the horse-drawn carriage vibe.

The whole situation is highly unbelievable to start with. An entire castle, the whole garrison, all the royals, servants, etc, everyone is gone but 2 teenage boys, and somehow they are able to keep this a secret for 2 years. No. The amount of foot traffic, movement of money and goods, etc. that would normally transpire makes this completely unfeasible.

Still, the writing wasn't unpleasant to read. I definitely found myself enjoying parts of it despite the many flaws.

Phew this was a long winded book!
Took some break along the way since it was not a gripping tale but a sweet steady pace fairytale.

This is the story of Jessamyn, a baker, who is given the opportunity to cater the prince’s ball in finding the one. She doesn’t dream to be a princess just success in her business to support her family.

When she loses her heirloom rose ring, she hastens back to the castle at night unaware that there’s a silence not present earlier. Entering the ballroom she finds the Prince, however, there is something amiss. He is acting strange and rude. When Finn, the captain guard, sees this interaction she is detained. Come to find out Finn and Prince Nicholas are the only ones in the castle. The Prince has been cursed for two years by a witch to turn into the “Beast” at night.

With determination Jessamyn is determine to help break the curse to get her ring back.

But all is not what it seems… as she interacts more with Nik, the Beast, she finds that he is the kindest amongst them.

Is he truly the beast? Can she succeed in break in the Curse?

A good story!
Definitely rates PG
Believing in yourself and following your heart is the main theme.

This story ends happy for now. Jessamyn accomplishes her goals but there is a bigger issue to solve in the next book!

I throughly enjoyed this novel. In fact, it’s one of the few lately that has held my attention throughout the entire story. While I could see a few things coming, I never felt like rushing though it. I would definitely recommend it to friends.

A great YA fantasy book!

When Jessamyn loses an important family heirloom in the palace, she decides to sneak back at night to find it. Only, she is found by the Prince, or rather a version of him that no one knows about. He is cursed, turning into a dark and twisted and dangerous version of himself at night. Now that she knows the secret, Jessamyn is locked in the castle until the curse can be broken. Who is good and who is bad? Jessamyn will have to fight her instincts and everyone to uncover the truth about the Prince.

This book was full of surprises. I was expecting a Beauty and the Beast retelling, but it turned out to be way more than that. The story was compelling from the beginning, the author pushing us to look further, deeper, to uncover the truth about the curse and all it entails. I really enjoyed the touch of magic and how it was exploited by the author. It was quite unique and very interesting to discover. I liked Jessamyn from the beginning. She was determined, devoted and very smart. Her relationship with the prince was perfectly paced and everything unraveled logically. But it was a real roller-coaster that I did not expect. I LOVED the twists and turns that I did not see coming and how everything started making sense the more I read. It was fascinating and written with elegance that made it addictive and very true. Some scenes and sentences were simply beautiful and made me smile while reading. I even shed a few tears at the end, not gonna lie. All in all, it was a very good book that really transported me into another world.

I highly recommend if you like stories that will surprise you with romance in them!

"You have been the only light I've seen in the last two years."

TW: death, violence, fire, blood, kidnapping, assault, abuse

I am going to keep this review short, only because I am still trying to figure out how I feel about this book. I like that this is a take on Beauty and the Beast. However, the characters are a bit to immature for my tastes. There is a lot to follow in this book, but not in a messy way, so I guess that is a plus. Overall, I would say give it a chance.


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

This unique retelling of Beauty and the Beast had me enchanted from the very first page. I fell as much in love with Nik as Jess did, but never once thought the the plot would develop like it did. Such a thrilling and romantic adventure - highly recommend!

🥀Spellbound Lies🥀

Rating: 4/5⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and Catherine Downen for proving me with an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the idea of this book. We get a mix between Beauty and the Beast with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I love that it’s a mix between the two and I think Catherine really pulls this story off! There were also little drawings throughout the book which I just loved. They were really cute and added so much to the book.

There were some things throughout the book that did bother me. I felt like Jessamyn warmed up to her captors alarmingly fast. I also thought the first 30% of the book was rather slow. There were just some things throughout the book that I felt did drag on.

Besides those things I thought this book was really good! I loved the adventure we see Jessamyn and Nikolaus go on to break the curse. I loved Finns character and thought he was a great side character. The twist and turns at the end of the book were amazing and it really sets up the second book. Which I can’t wait to read!

This had a great story behind it, but I feel the writing and the characters were a bit to young for my taste, even for a YA. There was a lot of detail into smaller things (im going to the castle, going on a carriage ride etc) that really distracted me from the story overall.

Like I said, there is a great story behind it, but I would go into knowing the writing is younger.
2.75/5