Thank you to Netgalley and BookBaby for the Arc. This Dark re-telling of Beauty and the beast was well done. I enjoyed the Mafia romance more than I thought I would. The characters were written well and the spice was just right. Looking forward to more books by L.C. Moon.

Inspired by the fairy tale of Beauty and the Beast, "A Bedtime Story" involves Laura, captured by the Russian mafia and held captive by Kayne, a high-ranking member. The synopsis promises to take the reader on an exploration of trauma, identity, and cycles of abuse.

I did not get that out of this book. To be honest, I did not finish this book. I appreciated the idea the author had, but the writing was lacking. The characters didn't seem to have solid personalities, but rather fluctuated depending on what the scene needed. Different characters had the same way of speaking; I couldn't determine distinct voices that distinguished them from other speaking characters. The dialogue felt clunky and oddly formal at times.

I do enjoy a dark captured romance, but this book didn't hold my attention. I would not recommend it.

The story reads in a morally ambiguous world, where red flags are overlooked. The story, a blend of mafia romance and Beauty and the Beast, follows a woman unknowingly becoming a pawn in a dangerous game. Despite initial concerns about the balance between plot and intimacy, the book ends up being a page turner. The Fmc, Laura, undergoes profound growth amidst heartbreak and trauma. The dynamic between her innocence and the ominous allure of her captor, Kayne, adds depth. The tale is dark, gritty, and captivating, leaving readers emotionally entangled. The book concludes with a cliffhanger.
Thanks LC Moon and NetGalley for letting me read this book.

Although I'm not typically a fan of mafia romances, I read this all the way through, just to know what happened next. This book is for fans of a morally gray love interest, with content warning for overdose, suicide, and cheating spouse. Only two real spice scenes, and it certainly ended on a cliffhanger - and a bit unsatisfying, since our two characters never fully reconciled or had a happy ending.

Oh, I love fairytale retelling. every retelling has its own vibe and I love that every time I read them it transports me into a new world. But this world is dark and twisted.
This book was good and amazing in terms of writing and storytelling..
I loved the story parts in the books.

A Bedtime Story (Beauty Meets the Beast) (Fairy Tales From the Underworld, Part I)
L.C. Moon
This tale just didn’t grab me. I could not get into it. I felt no connection to the main characters.

An intense dark romance which builds from a soft introduction to the story. I really enjoyed it though did skip the more intense parts but it was good.

The story I loved as a kid the x rated naughtiness that’s I need as an adult. And I loved every minute of it.

This premise is exactly up my alley and no matter how far I got into the book, all I could think about is how this was such a messed up dynamic, that it isn't the kind of safe story that represents the community and that even in Disney's version of the story, she always had a choice. Right off the bat we have our main character desperate for the touch of the person who is trying to kill her brother and keeping her hostage.

I enjoyed the majority of this book it was the very end that got me scratching my head. It was a page turner book for me, however, I found the suspension of disbelief really hard at the end of the novel. It really took a dive and left not so much on a cliffhanger but not a satisfying ending. It's book is just ok for that reason. The journey to the end was good, but the ending really docked points for me.

Beauty and the Beast? Yes.
Dark? Yes
Mafia? Omg Yes
Traumatised MC? Yes

So yeah it ticked all of the stuff I like BUT it didn't do it for me. If you are looking for something new that will knock your socks off this not it. It is still good if you fancy another dark mafia romance but don't set your expectations high if you are looking for something unique.

Writing is good though I can't blame that. It was an easy read, writing wise.

This is a very intense book. It is a dark romance. Please pay attention to TW and CW. The characters are rich and multifaceted. The world is so intricately designed. The plot takes you on a very fast rollercoaster with a whole lot of curves. Prepare your hearts, they will be wrenched. Don’t go into this with any expectations cause wow. I honestly want to know what is going to happen next.

Well. This is sure to be a memorable read. I super appreciate Net Galley and the author for the ARC copy.
This is a darker take on Beauty and the Beast. I’m not a huge fan of re-telling of tales as old as time, but I decided to give this a whirl. Even after the trigger warnings I did have a few moments where I considered strongly just putting this down. The writing is good and the story moves along at an excellent pace. It treads very deeply into multiple underbellies of the world, and the author does it with skill. Can’t say I’d recommend as a cozy retelling, but if you want a twisted up reimagination of Beauty and the Beast that goes all the way off the rails… this, this will be the book for you.

Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice 🌶️🌶️.5/5

What to expect
🦋 Dark Mafia Romance meets Beauty and the Beast retelling
🦋 Forced Proximity
🦋 BDSM Kink
🦋 Possessive, morally grey MMC
🦋 Touch Her And ☠️
🦋 "I'd burn the world for you"
🦋 Third person POV
🦋 Cat and Mouse
🦋 Spice

“He was a monster indeed, the truest kind of monster. He would not be satisfied with only making her cower in fear; he would also make her crave his comfort and render her desperate for his touch.”

My Thoughts
When I say I want morally grey, this is it! Call me delusional and colorblind all you want because the red flags were nonexistent 🥵 This is not the type of book I would normally gravitate towards, but OMG I was hooked after the first chapter. The writing was beautiful, almost poetic at times (please note that the character POV does randomly change throughout some of the chapters, which may be confusing but overall, I think LC did a good job at helping you understand which perspective you were reading through). Some of the character’s inner thoughts seemed to be over explained but I ate it up regardless. If they hurt, I hurt. They cried, I cried. If they felt giddy and joyful, I wiped my eyes and felt it too.

Think: Mafia romance meets Beauty and the Beast. This is not a romance nor is it really a love story – this is dark, depraved, gritty, and dare I say… sexy(?). She was his mark, a job, that’s it but to her, he was a tall, dark, and handsome stranger at a bar. After being ditched by her coworker and losing her wallet, she accepted his offer of a ride. She has information he wants, and she becomes his prisoner until he can get what he needs.

"No, he hadn’t saved her out of mercy. He’d saved her so he could be the one to make her beg and cry. So he could be the one to break her and savor her broken parts in all the unholy ways he craved."

I worried that the book would be more sex than plot, but I was wrong. The story that LC created is incredible. The character arc Laura had might be one of my favorites I have ever read. She endured heartbreak, trauma, and pain no one should know at her age but through it all, her growth was incredible to see unfold. Kanye could do unspeakable things to me, and I would never see the red flags he waves. Laura is an innocent dove and Kayne is a devious monster in a handsome body.

“I may be a monster. But I’d fight for you. I’d kill for you. Go to war for you. If you only knew… what your Monster would do for you.”

If you want a happy ending, you will not find it here. The book cracked open my chest, wove a carefully intricated web around my heart, like a cushion, while slowly crushing it and ripping it to pieces like a meat grinder. It ends on a cliffhanger and in my mind, the events that led up to the conclusion were a nightmare that we will wake up and find were never real… This book will haunt my dreams (but in the best possible way).

Dinner is at 7, don’t be late… 🫦
“Don’t play with fire, little girl,”

🥀If you enjoyed Haunting Adeline and/or Hunting Adeline, I would add this to your TBR.

Playlist
🥀The Death of Peace of Mind – Bad Omens
🥀Martyr – KiNG MALA
🥀No Mercy – Austin Giorgio
🥀You Put a Spell On Me – Austin Giorgio
🥀 Dangerous Hands.- Austin Giorgio

Thank you to NetGalley, and L.C. Moon for allowing me to review this eARC of A Bedtime Story (Beauty Meets the Beast).

This was such a strong start to the Fairy Tale from the Underworld series, it uses it to the books advantage. I enjoyed the concept overall and thought the characters worked well overall in this universe. L.C. Moon does a great way of connecting the dark elements to the fairy tale elements. This is not a book for young adults and thought it worked overall.

This book caught my attention at the very first sentence on the page titled “day one”, I love the way the author used decried the scene while the girl was being watched. I enjoyed that it was word vomit of lengthy descriptions. It was the perfect amount! And Kayne! I fell in love with his mysterious and bad news demeanor from the very beginning.. he made me want more, Just like Lauren well until he betrayed her! Overrall, I love this book. I can definitely see this as a beauty and the beast retelling in some ways.

My impression was that this was very dark and spicy and came with lot of trigger warnings. The story and sexual themes were not that dark or unusual. The trigger warnings could be used in any typical "thriller" novel. Overall, not exciting, not original, not great storytelling. I didn't hate it completely but I don't recommend.

PLEASE ADHERE TO THE TRIGGER WARRNINGS!!

This book was my introduction to smut, bondage, etc. and it blew my mind. Simply because of the graphic nature of the book a few parts were hard for me to get through however, once I grabbed my glass of wine and made sure I was in a safe space I was ready to go lol. This story was full of twists and turns, it kept me wondering what would happen next. I found it interesting how Kayne wanted to be loved but was too afraid to allow it of himself and how innocent and pure Laura was, but her circumstances and forced proximity to the darker side of life changed who she was. It is the perfect example of how your experiences color who you are or who you will become. The author did an amazing job building this world and telling the individual stories. L.C was so descriptive that I felt I was watching a movie and not reading a book. I am usually a Romantasy girlie but I will read more books from this author. Edge of your seat spice and action, I loved this !!

I was very excited to read this book because the cover and description pulled me in. I loved this book. I thought it was very well written and a very enjoyable read. It pulled me in throughout the whole book. Read your trigger warnings, because they are important.

This book was interesting. It isn't something I could read at once I could put it down and start it again. But it was good book.