I couldn't finish this book, it was way too heavy on the speculative dialogue of what was happening in the other person's head.

A Beast's Belle, a fairytale retold. In the beginning it was a little bit hard to see the fairytale part, but is was a nice story. I really enjoyed the read and I can't wait for the second part.

Great twist on the original story! Loved what the author did with the character of the Beast.

Well, well. That was a bit of a surprise. Most reviews for A Beast's Belle are negative, so I was sure it had to be bad. Just that it wasn't. I kind of liked it. And I wouldn't compare it to Anne Rice's The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty because I hated that one. I would rather compare it to Pauline Réage's Story of O. But Gambardella is milder even than Réage. And I like that because too much BDSM is too much.

Trigger warning for rape.

A classic and iconic fairytale turned in to something erotic. A rather interesting read with a twist. Well written book and I don't think it has insulted, much rather pleased many readers who find a liking to erotica.

It was an interesting take on the Beauty and the Beast story. The book ended rather abruptly though and I hope that there is a follow up that will finish out the story. I would have liked to see more interaction between the beast and his Belle. I will reserve my full opinion until the story is finished in total. Thanks for the book

I don't know if it is the fact one of my favorite Disney movies is Beauty and the Beast or just the strange premise behind this retelling of the story, but I could not get into this book. I tried multiple times to read it and just could not continue. What I read is well written but it just wasn't for me.

I had high expectations for this book and the story line that went with it. However it wasn't until the last three chapters that I feel you finally get to see John and Isabella for who they truly are. The author goes about the telling of this story in a very clinical way. He doesn't engage the reader or make them feel as if they are in the story but rather looking and reading from the outside. As stated before it's not till the last few chapters that you actually find yourself engaged in the story instead of being on the outside looking in.

This book we so terrible. It is nothing like Beauty and the Beast retelling. And this is not BDSM. This is straight abuse and humiliation. I wouldn't recommend this book at all.

Definitely not your everyday fairy tale, and I cannot see Emma Watson playing Isabel, but kudos for the unconventional look into what could be in an erotic version of Beauty & the Beast. Gambardella's writing is intelligent, provocative and full of detail with both the elaborate plot and its characters. The regular cast of characters is present, and even the most basic personality traits are seen underneath their creative, new and spicy personas. The candelabra was ingenious! This is a dark twist to the original story, with plenty of discipline to go around. Well done.

It's a romance novel with some erotica thrown in. Story is okay, but how can you go wrong with
Beauty and the Beast.

I try reading it many times but I just couldn't be inspired to continue reading it which is sad since I hoped this one was a book for me :/

My thanks to NetGalley and Riverdale Avenue Books for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

I am the manager at an independent book store, where erotica sells rather well. I am not really into that genre, my boss and I call them the "naughty" books, but to be aware of what is popular so I can help my customers and not sound ignorant when they ask about that particular genre, I decided to try this book. I do like the story of Beauty and the Beast, so though that might help with my lack of familiarity with this genre.

Alas, the tying into the story of BATB didn't work for this story, as there wasn't really much of any sort of relationship between the Belle and the Beast. She and her father were inventors and the Beast was a wealthy man who wanted them to make furniture that was clearly for punishment/torture purposes. Belle and her father were intrigued and she was turned on by imagining what she could do to someone on said furniture. And she discussed the constructing of said furniture with her father. Squicky.

Belle then signs a contract with the Beast that she will be his servant and that physical punishment for disobedience, doing a chore wrong, basically whatever those above said, could occur. She signs the contract. What ISN'T in the contract, that she DOESN'T bat an eye to later, is that when the Beast entertains guests, ALL of his servants and the guests servants, do so NAKED. Which leads to the following.

Gaston was really horrendous, but in a "I'm not taking no physically" way.

TRIGGER warning, there was an attempted/possibly completed rape, it wasn't really explained very well, so I'm not sure if it was a completed act or not. Of course, since Belle is naked, the attempted rape is SO much more able to happen. How convenient. Then after the rape attempted is ended, she sleeps off some of her shock, then goes downstairs, watches a master/mistress sexual act mesmerized, then goes back to bed and freaks out that evening and the next morning about her ordeal. Yet witnessing the sex act didn't affect her at all? Not sure how realistic that is. It just stuck me as weird, since she had shown mental trauma immediately after the event, so it didn't come across as a delayed reaction.

Ok, I don't know a THING about the BDSM world, so maybe the portrayal of the whippings, with welts being raised and blood being drawn from it is a usual thing, but I somehow don't think so. When Belle is whipped for doing something poorly, it's described as painful and not pleasurable at all. Same with other described punishments. So I'm not seeing the smexy times in all of that. It wasn't described as such. It was really not pleasant to read, but like I said, I'm not the exact target audience for this.

Also, that cover has almost NOTHING to do with the book. Belle is a servant. She's either in her uniform or naked while at the Beast's home. There is no blue ball dress. Also, sorry to sound like a snob, but that hair style is just not attractive.

All in all, I didn't really enjoy this book. I am willing to try other books from the "naughty" section, but would rather read something that is maybe better written? I am open to suggestions, as this is not a book I would recommend to my customers.

Two stars, giving it the benefit of the doubt since I know nothing about the BDSM life-style and maybe my lack of knowledge is hurting my enjoyment of the book. I didn't enjoy it, others very well may.

This was one of the strangest erotic romance books I have read by Mr. J. Gambardella. How can I say that when I read so many books from all genres imaginable; to me this book just stuck out because it didn’t really feel erotic to me. There was some eroticism because the female protagonist played with herself and a lot of it was more mental so there was that emotional connection. Sure the story intrigued me because it had the beauty and beast story so the fairy tale was pretty prominent throughout the book and I really do like this fairy tale so will read anything with this as its premise. Plus I wanted to read what Mr. Gambardella would do to make the story fresh and exciting especially coming from a male author and a new one for me. Unfortunately the story did drag in places and the ending felt a little anti-climatic that it just ended prematurely that I wanted more. Mr. Gambardella writes with a complexity and realism that I could see the village pretty crystal clear in my mind. Of course I never did figure out what time period I was in either. The whole of the story and what really did it for me was the female protagonist who also portrays a very deeply involved three dimensional girl that seemed a little too real for me at times.
Isabel spends her time working in her father’s shop when she can escape her work she reads in the woods. Isabel is a highly imaginative introverted girl in reading everything it comes alive and she can’t help her emotions to the stories that she reads. Day after day Isabel helps her father until her father tells her that she can choose her destiny to stay in a beautiful manor held by a mysterious strange master. Isabel decides to go and learns to be a servant in a vast household finding her place in the house. As days pass Isabel comes to know the master of the house who is a beast outwardly in appearance but also has a humanity about him and most of a heart.
As I stated Isabel was written wonderfully and quite realistically I could literally see her in my mind. I liked her deep introspective caring ways. She loved her father and learned to develop friendships in the manor caring deeply for them especially Kat. Even though she was such an introvert I felt we would have gotten along because of her creativity and her imagination. She struck me as being highly intelligent despite her mind wandering a lot. The master or beast I really couldn’t see he was so elusive flitting in the story and then back out. Of course I did see periods of anger but wanted more about him. I couldn’t connect with him and didn’t understand how Isabel could develop feelings for him. I was glad to see him show his caring side but it was 85% in the story when he helps Isabel but I still didn’t trust him. He just seemed like he was thrown in as an afterthought. I felt really kind of bad when I was connecting more to Gaston the villain of the piece and feeling that maybe if someone would of shown him some regard maybe he would have had a much better outcome and found a happily ever after. Hopefully Mr. Gambardella will finish the story and write the master/beast’s perspective why he is the way he is and even give Kat a story. For people that want true hardcore erotica I can’t recommend it to them but I can recommend it for the people that want more into Belle’s/Beauty’s story.

As the first book in the series it hold promise for the book(s) to follow. Gambardella set the scenes well. I was disappointed with how far this book got into the retelling. BUT in that time it showed Gaston's true colors and how much Belle is comfortable with "Beast" in his home. Overall it was a good read and I look forward to the next installment.

*ARC provided via Netgalley in exchange if an honest review*

I decided to step outside of my comfort zone for this book, and I was intrigued by Isabella as the protagonist. Understandable, as she is a spin-off character of the fairy tale, that she is an independent female character who is an inventor with her father and is self-assured in sex (I think). The relationships she develops in the book are something different as well.

I was intrigued with the idea of a fairy tale rewrite; which several authors are doing, however this one was a disappointment. It started out adequately, but become boring and was very difficult to finish.

A Beauty & The Beast retelling with some BDSM kink thrown in? Normally I'd be ready to sign right up- but this read more like the inexperienced misunderstanding of E.L. James than it did Anne Rice's (Rampling) Beauty trilogy.

It started off rough for me but I figured I was being too judgemental and not giving it enough of a shot, so I read on. The writing and character building were so lackluster the author seems to have intentionally repeated themselves, which is even more annoying than it is confusing. I reached a point where I just started skimming, reading ahead and jumping over stereotypical BDSM love scenes ala 50 Shades. The real character building and unfolding didn't happen until we reached the end and I had already stopped caring.

I made myself finish this one, I wanted to find something redeeming to offer more than 1 star but I'm sorry, it just wasn't there.

This seems to be the world-building entry to a series that links fairy tales to BDSM. The premise sounds interesting but was not carried off in a way that appealed to me and the ending was disappointing. I may reread it someday and see if my opinion changes. Recommended for those who like a new look at familiar characters and a plot that isn't always a clear road.

The last few weeks I'm into the fairy tales. Especially the ones with a twist. So when I saw A Beast's Belle on Netgalley, I really had to request it. And yes, it is Beauty and the Beast alright. But Isabelle is not an ordinairy girl: she likes to help her father invent objects for the binding and spanking of people. And she is rather good at that. So good, she gets a special order from a curious, hooded man to produce some objects.

And she gets offered a job in his manor. But the disciplining in his manor is kind of exhibitionist, and even a bit sadist.

Although I'm not a big fan of BDSM, the story had some nice twists and turns and will give you some hot shivers. Also, the Master is an intriguing person and he kind of grows on you. Since this is only part 1, I hope that in further parts the relationship between the Beast and Isabel is further explored. Because the book ended, just as their relationship seemed to be evolving.

The whipping and drawing blood by torturing the household staff was a bit too much for me. I couldn't quite understand the reason for this part of the story. The feasts however and the naked scenes where definitely interesting. So, now we wait for the next part. Three out of five stars from me.