Beauty and the Beast (Timeless Fairy Tales)

I am a huge fan of K.M. Shea (or Kitty as some of her fans call her) and I particularly enjoy her character building. One of my biggest pet peeves are weak characters, and I have never come across one that falls into that category in Ms. Shea's stories. Beauty and the Beast is the first in Kitty's Timeless Fairy Tales series, featuring Elle and Severin as heroine and hero respectively.Ms. Shea masterfully recreates the beloved fairy tale with three dimensional characters and a fresh take on the original story. While the basic premise remains the same, Elle is given a brilliant personality (beyond bookworm) and holds her secrets close, like what she was doing on the roof before she fell and broke her leg. Severin, much like the Beast in the original story, is depressed. But in this retelling, we understand how he has tried and failed to break his curse, but only succeeding in breaking his own heart. He locks himself away in his country home as a result, avoiding human interaction except his brother and eventually Elle. Their friendship is very slow to start, especially with Elle restricted by her leg, but it is rewarded in the end.Even the characters who can't speak have their own minor parts with major presence. We meet Severin's servants, who conspire to get Elle to break the curse and free them all. We also meet Angelique, briefly, whom the reader will recognize in later books should they choose to continue the series.Ms. Shea's world building is unparalleled, but her true strength is in her characters. Strong females are a particular favoitevof mine, and I have devoured Kitty's books as an attempt to share what excellent characters can look like. I would highly recommend this to any reader, as there are elements that can appeal to anyone, such as magic, adventure, sweet romance, espionage, and meddling servants all wrapped up in a fresh new take on an old story. .

Beauty and the Beast is a classic tale that has been re-written with enchantment and elegance. Kitty has done a fabulous job with keeping the faerie tale feel in her retelling, along with adding her own entertaining twists. Her take on this classic tale is rich and satisfying!I loved the slower pace of this one. It allowed the story, and the love connection, to really flourish and grow, along with the whimsical characters. It wasn’t just “Belle and the Beast” that were developed here. I fell in love with Emele, Bernadine, Duval and Oliver. Each character had a part to play, and each character just fit with their own quirky personalities.The story twists were enjoyable and had a bit of unpredictability to them. Severin’s character had quite a different background than we are used to with the tale. Elle was not your average “damsel in distress,” “book-nerd.” There was no Mrs. Potts, Lumiere, or Gaston. But there was an evil witch, and an enchantress. I loved how the story somewhat followed what is known from the tale, but also had whimsical changes that fit quite nicely. The story had humor, friendship, danger, intrigue, and a satisfyingly happy ending!Kitty has an exceptional way of writing with beauty and poise. She also finds elegant ways to incorporate touching morals in to her stories. This one shimmered with hope and the importance of inner beauty. It was magical and beautiful. It spoke of friendship and true love.4-4.5 Stars

It’s not just a remake of beauty and the beast, it’s a completely new story and one that I loved!

I love a well-told story as much as the next reader: this exceeded my expectations, sucked me in, and made me laugh and then feel embarrassed when I realized there were other people around. It's a retelling of Beauty and the Beast (as per the title) with its own twist. The characters are well-spoken, witty, and are people I would wish to meet. I also love that this is a clean book, and am proud to recommend it to friends and family.I've read many beauty and the beast stories, but I will gladly treasure this among my favorites.A crown prince turned into a beast? No. Severin, half-brother to the prince and head of the nation's army, is cursed. An enchantress cannot break the curse, but modifies it so that it can be broken by true love.He is horrified.Enter Elle, a peasant injured when she falls through a skylight. Disgusted by "the Intruder," he orders that she be cared for so she can go back where she came from. Except that he starts noticing she isn't what he thinks, and she knows she has to hide what she truly is or there's no telling how a cursed prince may react...Love it. Read it. Love it more.

Sweet retelling of B&B with a twist… not the most exiting one while the basis is quiet intiguing it feels beside food and drink and dresses and gardens nothing really happens. While its not exactly boring its nothing to be exited much. At the end there is some tension and I waited for some more as its well described it rather ends with a quick HEA.So its a soft easy read making you relax.I luved Heloise and the Papillion!!!Extra points that its standalone and have a closure.However as I imagined the gal in the book its not really as per the cover as I find (where are the jgged bangs and wide lips?!) and wd be nice to see the cat prince ;)Anyways I found it a relaxing read. May check out b2

Why isn't Quinn here with Angelique in this tale? Quinn swore to accompany her in her search for her Master.It isn't really explained.The story is really good as a stand alone novel, but doesn't make as much sense in the context of the entire series.

I am 12 and my mom bought me the first 4 books in this series as a gift. I am currently on the 2nd one, which is AMAZING, but the first is just as good. From the clever misdirection Elle uses, to the unexpected ending, it is a hard book to beat. I have read a LOT of fairy tales, but so far this series takes the cake. DEFINITELY a MUST read.

I love fairy tale rewrites and I love K M Shea's writing. Her characters are always likeable, sometimes a bit snarky which adds a unique and extraordinary flavour to her books.The fact that all her fairy tale rewrites are connected to form a greater story makes her writing even better.All 11 of the books of this series are standalone and can be read on their own - though the last four or so are slowly helping to see the larger picture. So, if you are reading the whole series, I would advise you to read the later books in order.

I saw this advertised on Facebook, and as I have kindle unlimited, thought I would give it a go,( as I go through novels like a combine harvester through wheat, being bedbound through illness) but didn't really expect much of it. A few pages in, and I was as surprised as the heroine of the story, to find that I actually cared about the characters, had sympathy for the leads, and I that I wanted them to fall in love and was eager for the heroine to accept that. I couldn't put it down, and was annoyed when I had to charge my phone and wait to discover more. I am genuinely surprised that I enjoyed it so much, as I usually read dystopian, crime mystery or science fiction stories and avoid romantic elements in the books that I choose, so this was a bit of a departure for me and one that I thoroughly enjoyed. I shall be reading the entire series, and recommending them to the friends that like an intelligent, witty and exciting read on a rainy afternoon, which this series is perfect for. Congratulations on writing a glorious retelling of the popular fairy tale and for creating such strong and stunningly intelligent female characters, and for treating the Beast with such dignity. I have a condition that makes me feel like a monster, so I felt what you wrote on his deepest fears and I even cried in places. This novel totally took me by surprise and on a journey with the characters whose feelings I knew firsthand, and I couldn't get enough of it. Can't wait for the next adventure.. I think I will give Snow White a visit..

E' la storia della bella e la bestia rivisitata in modo originale e, a mio avviso, molto piacevole. Mi sono sentita vicina alla protagonista femminile, forse perche' anche io quando l'ho letto avevo una gamba rotta!

cute story