I love fairytale retellings. Earlier this year, I read (and really enjoyed) At the Stroke of Midnight, the first book in Tara Sivec's Naughty Princess Club series. While that book was a retelling of Cinderella, In Bed with the Beast is (clearly) a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Of the three Naughty Princesses (the third being Ariel), I relate most to Belle and I could not wait to read her story. Thank you so much to St. Martin's for the advance copy!

The retellings in this series are so well done! The foundation of the fairytale is still there, but enough is changed that the stories feel new and exciting. This book, in particular, was cute and sweet, laugh out loud funny, and also really steamy! There's a whole heck of a lot of sexual tension between Belle and Vincent and just enough conflict to keep things interesting. Belle and Vincent were legitimately good for each other and their relationship felt so natural and healthy. I didn't see the plot twist coming and, as before, I'm so intrigued by Ariel's story. I can't wait for the absolute explosion of enemies-to-lovers passion that's sure to come in Kiss the Girl. 

Final rating: ★★★★☆

I received a free advance copy of In Bed With the Beast from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. In Bed With the Beast releases on June 5, 2018.

I love fairy tales. And one where a lady can turn a beast into a lover is perfect. Vincent also changed Belle, so even better.

RATING 4.5 STARS

In Bed with the Beast is book two in the Naughty Princess Club series by Tara Sivec. Each one of these adorable, sexy, sweet tales is based loosely on a fairy tale, the first being Cinderella, and this one if you haven’t guessed it is Beauty and the Beast.

Belle is twenty five years old and still lives with her very over protective father. It’s always just been she and her Dad. They share an extreme love of books and she loved cooking dinner for him and talking about their days and about the books they so adored. But Belle wants to spread her wings, she wants to experience new things. Her two new best friends and she have started a stripper business. Even though only Cindy has been brave enough to actually do the dancing at private parties while she and Ariel do the administrative work, she wants to be brave enough to dance. But Ariel and Cindy say she needs some experience with men in order to be a good stripper.

Belle’s true love is books. She has worked at the town library for nine years. But the library is struggling. The board is threatening to close it down if she can’t find a way to bring in some revenue. That makes her stripping business all the more important. She needs to start dancing so she can use her earnings to help fund the library.

Her father most definitely does not approve of her two new friends or her interest in stripping. He kicks her out of the house. With no where else to go, Beast, the bouncer at Charmings, the strip club where she plans to make her dancing debut, offers her his spare room until she can figure out something else. Beast has always been a mystery to Belle. He is gruff, rarely speaks, and scares everyone to death, except Belle. She feels oddly safe with him. He lays down the house rules, the most important one being to never try to go into the locked room down the hall. What could he be hiding in there?

There has always been something there between Belle and Beast. But now that they are living under the same roof, it gets stronger. Is it something that could develop into more? Could Beast give her the experiences she needs in order to be a better stripper? Belle is determined to find out.

Okay, this book was adorable. Beast was so not a beast on the inside. I love the inner softy that Belle brought out of him. And Belle, meek little Belle, found her inner strength and learned how to stand up for herself. These two were perfect for each other. But there are definitely secrets, things Beast is keeping from Belle, that could ruin everything. I loved this book. I can’t wait for the next one, Kiss the Girl, which will be Ariel’s story. She’s got some secrets as well, and I can’t wait to figure out what they are.

I LOVED this book. It's laugh out loud HILARIOUS, fun, and romantic. Tara Sivec always manages to make me smile and giggle which is why I always read her books without question. This book does EXACTLY that and more. If you are not familiar with the series, you should know that each book CAN standalone, even though they are interconnected. Characters from the previous novel and the one coming after this one are a part of the story, but the main characters have their own romances. So, while I would recommend reading them in order because you would get a better feel for the concept of the series and the characters, you don't have to. Although if you want to know how the Naughty Princess Club started, then you would need to read the At the Stroke of Midnight first. Anyway, In Bed with the Beast is the epitome of the romantic comedy genre. I can't tell you how many times I laughed out loud because it was basically non stop. These characters, the things they say, the way they handle themselves, and the hijinks they get into are PRICELESS . You honestly need to read it. It's so damn good!

Tara Sivec has outdone herself!

What a clever, witty, sexy spin on this classic fairy tale.
It was laugh-out-loud funny.Loved this story!

Another stellar Naughty Princess Club story! Seriously, I don’t know if I’ve ever enjoyed a princess retelling so much before. The guys in them are not perfect, but man are they swoon-worthy. The ladies have got a lot going on in their life with a lot of mental roadblocks to overcome. Not to mention the hilarity of it all. It’s the perfect recipe for an amazing story that will have you glued to the pages until the very last word. Heck, I was cheesing like a loon at the ending of this book. This story was amazing!

While this is a retelling, it’s not verbatim to the story we all know. And yet, the author adds in so many similarities that are modernized, that it still gives you the feel of the classic Beauty and the Beast story. Obviously, Belle lives at home with her father, loves books, has a wealth of knowledge, looks past the growly Beast to the man inside, and ends up living with the Beast and falls in love with him. She goes on a couple of blind dates with a vain Gus Tone, and Steven Luminous who is looking for another lady in his life.There was even a cute scene where she teaches him to cook because he is absolutely horrible at it. it reminded me in the scene when Beast tries to do mundane things and is just too intense with the task. Well, Vincent (aka Beast) is the same way when trying to cook. Not to mention the the fact that Vincent is horribly protective of Belle and only wanting her to be happy, even at his own expense. Like I said, there were similarities that ran parallel to the story while still making it fresh and new, and giving it a modern twist.

I loved that we also got to see Belle blossom into a confident woman. When we first meet her, she’s this mousy bookworm who lives in her father’s basement. She sneaks in and out through the window so that her father doesn’t know she left the house. However, over the course of the story we watch her grow into this take-charge woman. She’s tired of people telling her that she’s not ready to strip, that she needs more experience around men in order to pull it off. She’s ready to take back her life and save her beloved library. Watching her slow transition into this confident person was probably one of the best parts of the whole story. However, watching her fumble through her transition was pretty hilarious, too. I mean, when someone tells you to dance sexy for them, this girl pulls out the Macarena! You guys, I can’t even. I was right there with Vincent like, “Uh… What are you doing?!”

In Bed with the Beast is an all around amazing story. I honestly can not praise this series enough. Cindy was a bit uptight and took me a while to get behind, but I really loved Belle’s story. Maybe because she had a long way to go to be confident in her own skin. Maybe because everyone around her seemed to underestimate her, and I can’t help but root for the underdog. I honestly don’t know what appealed to me with this story because BatB is not high up there on my favorites list of princess stories. However, I loved this story so much! I can't wait to see what insanity Ariel has in store for us next.

I loved In Bed with the Beast! It was a sweet, yet swoony and humorous read. Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite fairy tales, and I think Sivec did a great job of adapting it for The Naughty Princess Club. I liked this a little more than the first book. Though I felt as if I missed the clues leading up to the climax of the story because when Beast's secret was revealed, it was somewhat surprising, but that didn't impact my overall feeling of the book.

If you want a quick, steamy, laugh-out-loud read, In Bed with the Beast is the book I'd recommend.

In Bed With the Beast by Tara Sivec

In Bed With the Beast is the second standalone in Sivec’s Naughty Princess Club and loosely based on the story of Beauty and the Beast.

Belle is as innocent as her fictional counterpart and lives firmly under her dads roof and thumb. When she strikes up a friendship and subsequently a business with Cin and Ariel, she finds herself kicked out of home with nowhere to go. Nowhere that is, except the library she works at which she’s striving so hard to keep from closing. When The Beast - ok fine, we can call him Vincent! - realizes Belle is essentially homeless, he insists on her moving in to his (beautiful!) home and given that she doesn’t want to inconvenience her new friends, Belle agrees.

I just loved At the Stroke of Midnight and feel that it was a hard book to live up to. While I really enjoyed In Bed With the Beast, for some reason I didn’t find it as laugh out loud funny as AtSoM and that’s something I was really excited about. The storyline and the characters were great but I just wanted more. I really loved that despite her shy nature, Belle still had the guts to stand up Vincent and be strong when it really counted. Vincent truly lived up to his moniker and his secrets surprised me pleasantly!

You can read this as a standalone but I would suggest reading AtSoM first to get the full background on this interesting group! Now I just neeeeeed Ariel’s book!

*arc received from netgalley in exchange for honest review.

**Reviewed by Melinda for Joandisalovebooks Blog.

Tara Sivec will become you new favorite writer after reading this hilarious rom-com series. I laughed and swooned and just loved it. The characters are amazing- and believable and swoon worthy.

I've read a few books by Tara Sivec before, so I know she can write. I forgot just how well. I hadn't read the first book in The Naughty Princess Club, but I will certainly be going back to read it now. I very much enjoyed In Bed with the Beast!

Belle is the youngest of the Naughty Princesses. She is working hard to try to save her library, as well as move out from her father's basement. But when he kicks her out, she doesn't know what she'll do. Vincent "Beast" steps in and offers her a place to stay, but as she doesn't know him that well, she's a little hesitant to do so.

I greatly enjoyed Belle and Beast. They work well complement each other. I also enjoyed the side characters. The plot was well-developed, and the characters were likable. I will most certainly be reading more in this series!

Member of ARC review team

In Bed with the Beast by Tara Sivec is the second book in The Naughty Princess Club series. This could definitely be ready as a standalone, however I highly recommend that you pick up book one, At the Stroke of Midnight. In book one we are introduced to Cindy, Belle, and Ariel and the reasoning behind the Naughty Princess Club.

While we see all of the characters from book one, In Bed with the Beast is the story of Belle and you guessed it, Beast. As someone who just watched Beauty and the Beast for the first time very recently and fell in love with the movie, I also fell in love with this book. Tara did  a great job incorporating little bits and pieces into her retelling. And now I need to find a library with a ladder so I can take a ride while someone gives me a push.

I say it everytime. Tara continues to amaze me with her talent. She has been a "one click" for me from the time I picked up her very first book and laughed my ass of. Years later, she can still make me snort laugh like no other.

The premise behind the story of the "Beauty & The Beast" is and always will be one of my favorites. It has been done a variety of different ways and in different settings but the concept is always the same. I can't get enough of it and Tara just nailed my need for another right here.

"I'm nobody's hero, princess. And this isn't a fairy tale." 

This is such a great spoof on the Disney classics. The first one was Cinderella and now this is Belle's chance to find happiness. The play on stuff from the movie was done just enough to make me chuckle but not over done to where I would roll my eyes at it. This could stand on its own just like the first book and I love that Tara made sure that they could.

"Sweet mother of pearl, he's got the V." 

My only request would have been to get a little more one on one time between Belle and Beast. They had a lot scenes together and everything about those scenes were fantastic, I just wanted them to not be so short. Well sometimes they felt that way and I know he was a man of few words but I would have liked to seen the connection between them more. This doesn't mean I didn't love the book, because I did. I just missed that part and that's my favorite part of reading romance, the fall. Nothing makes me swoon harder than watching a man fall in love. It's book crack I tell ya!

Tara you're amazing at what you do. Keep it up and I can't wait for Ariel's book! She's basically me and I'm ready to fall for Eric. I love me some love-hate angry sex. The harder they fight it the hotter it is. LOL!

A happy, smiling modern day fairytale.

I adore this take on Belle and Beast. I adore the way Tara brought life and modernize ‘A tale as old as time’.

I laughed, I swooned hard and even though I had eleventy billion others things to do I COULD NOT STOP READING! Total addiction and many laughs. I adore these three women.

The internet dating is epic! Tons of belly laughs and oh no! Each of these is a story within itself but everyone need the whole Tara Sivec experience and book one is phenomenal!

I can’t wait to get the inside story on Ariel!

I love, love this book and could really live with these characters always!

AhhhhMAZING. I love Tara's twists on our favorite princesses. All the humor that we have grown to love and so much more. Great read.

Easily as good or better than the previous Naughty Princess book.

In Bed with the Beast is the second book in the 'Naughty Princess Club' series, and as much as I enjoyed the first book, I loved this one even more. This book features Isabelle Reading, and her very own Beast, Vincent.

Belle is the youngest and most innocent of the Naughty Princess Club. She's using the club to save her library and move out of her father's basement. One of those things happens before planned, though. When Belle's dad kicks her out of the house, she doesn't know what she'll do or where she'll go. That is, until the bouncer at Charming's, Vincent "Beast" Adams offers her a place to stay. At first, Belle is hesitant about this arrangement. She doesn't know Beast that well. But her options are slim, so she goes for it.

I loved Belle and Vincent together. Belle may be sweet and a little naive about some things, but she has a lot of growth in this book, and I loved seeing that. I also loved all the information she randomly spouted out all the time. I absolutely adored Vincent. He can be broody, grouchy, and mercurial, but he has his reasons. Underneath it all, he has a big heart. It was great finding out more about his past, and seeing his secrets come to light. Even though Belle and Vincent seemed like they didn't belong together, they were a perfect match!

Tara Sivec has really outdone herself with this series. I haven't had so much fun reading in the longest time. In Bed with the Beast is hilarious, heartwarming, sexy, and entertaining as all get out! I recommend these books to anyone looking for a good time. I can't wait for Ariel's book! She makes me laugh more than anyone in these books!

Of course this book is the bees knees. And if I’ve learned anything, it’s that I need to start stripping. KIDDING! No one wants to see that. Haha

This book is a lot of fun, I’m totally Belle in far too many ways- including my only friends being found in books.

Theres a little more angst in this book, than At The Stroke of Midnight, and In Bed With The Beast is my favorite of the two.

I laughed so hard, more than once! What makes those scenes so funny, is how unexpected they were. I always wonder what goes on in Tara’s head that she’s able to come up with this shit.

I highly recommend these two books, and will be less than patiently waiting for book 3, Kiss the Girl due out later this year.

Belle and Vincent are the latest couple depicted in the latest Naughty Princess Club story. Belle is a librarian (of course) and Vincent is a bouncer at Charm's, which is a strip club. Belle is very sheltered and still lives at home with her dad in his basement, even though she is 25. She sneaks out with the girls every night and is aching to find freedom from her overbearing father. The library that she runs is out of funding and stripping is her solution to their money problems. She and Vincent could not be more different if they tried. Belle is verbose and Vincent barely grunts his responses. Belle lacks self-confidence and Vincent oozes confidence in everything he does. Belle misses obvious clues that Vincent is into her and disregards all attempts to tell her otherwise. When Belle finds herself homeless and about to be out of a job, Vincent steps in to help her.

Their living arrangement was interesting. While Belle is finding out who she truly is, Vincent is trying to protect her even when she insists he doesn't need to. She feels her father was overbearing enough and does not want anyone telling her what to do ever again. I did feel Belle needed to act more grown up and less like a toddler at points (slamming doors and stomping her feet). They do clash quite a bit. It was interesting how many times Belle would quote random facts when she got flustered and Vincent would just roll with it. Although quite introverted, Vincent had a lot of depth to him. His past was not all roses and sunshine and his present demeanor reflected that. His secret was not what I was expecting and that's all I'm going to say about that.

If you enjoyed the first book in this series, this one will be right up your alley. Belle relies upon her friends to help her fulfill her dreams. Their antics were funny, interesting and in true keeping with the first book in this series. I am intrigued to see what happens in the next book.

I was honored to receive an ARC from St. Martin's Press for my honest review.

I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first, but it was still fun, and Beast was yummy. The library things were a bit hard to swallow (letting a non-librarian catalog? Come on!) and took me out of the book a little. I'm looking forward to Ariel's story!

3.5-4.0

If your not familiar with this series, The Naughty Princess Club is based on three women who strongly resemble famous fairy tale princesses. This particular book is based off of Belle from Beauty and the Beast. There are many common themes such as Belle loving to read, wearing a lot of yellow, and falling in love with a beast (of a man). There are lots of nods to the original story that fans of Beauty and the Beast will appreciate. For example, Belle goes on a blind date with gentleman with a similar name as Cogsworth. The author deserves bonus points for creatively interweaving the stories together.

This book is a funny ride. Its more in vein with the Chocolate Lovers series as far as hilariousness and over the top antics. Its a quick and easy read as I read it in less than a day. I liked Belle quite a bit as she wasn't quite as crazy as Cindy and Ariel. And I enjoyed Vincent (the beast) who is strong, silent and somewhat moody. Some of the craziness of the secondary characters distracted slightly from the over all story.

All in all this was a fun and light story that kept me smiling from beginning to end.

***Copy obtained from St. Martin's Press/Swerve via Netgalley***