This book is a fresh spin on the classic fairy tales we all know and love, but with twists that will keep you hooked. Miranda Honfleur has a way with words that turns familiar stories into something new and exciting. "Of Beasts and Beauties" is like a walk through a well-known forest, where every turn reveals a surprise. The book compiles several retellings, each one unique and compelling in its own right.

Let's talk about the world-building. Honfleur doesn’t just recreate the settings of these tales; she reinvents them. Each story is set in a world so vivid and detailed, that you can practically smell the enchanted roses and feel the chill of the cursed snow. The atmospheres she creates are a perfect blend of magic and realism, making the stories feel both dreamy and grounded.

The characters are where this collection really shines. Honfleur has this talent for making you see the old characters in a new light. They're complex, they're flawed, and they're relatable. Whether it's a reimagined beast or a bolder beauty, each character steps out of their traditional roles and takes on a life of their own.

Plot-wise, Honfleur keeps things tight and engaging. Each story in the collection has its own arc, filled with twists that are both surprising and satisfying. The tales weave together themes of love, courage, and redemption in ways that feel fresh and relevant. And the best part? Each story stands on its own, but together, they create a tapestry of enchanting narratives.

The writing style is warm and inviting. It's like sitting down with a good friend who's telling you their favorite tales by the fireside. Honfleur's prose is elegant yet accessible, making "Of Beasts and Beauties" a comfortable and enjoyable read.

In short, "Of Beasts and Beauties" is a must-read for anyone who loves fairy tales with a twist. Miranda Honfleur takes the stories we thought we knew and turns them into something entirely her own. It's a collection that's both nostalgic and innovative, perfect for a cozy night in. So grab your favorite blanket, a hot drink, and prepare to be swept away into a world where every tale is a new adventure.

Re-tellings of fairytales are usually a hit or a miss for me. The fact that it took me well over a year to complete the total arc is a telltale sign that it wasn't a big hit for me. But to be honest: there is a big difference in all five of the stories, so some where more my cup of tea than others:
No Man Can Tame – Miranda Honfleur: an interesting story about a princess who is forced to marry the kingdom's greatest enemy to ensure peace. An intriguing story, but I didn't hold my attention for very long.
In The Garden of Gold and Stone – Ryan Muree: this story has a more alien twist to it: a man is captured by a reptilian species. His brother trades his place as a prisoner and falls in love with one of the reptilian woman. This one was one of the better stories, I think.
Eye of the Beholder – Emily Allen West: this story is resembling the Beauty and the Beast story the most I think. It has a fierce woman (Rose) who tries to get the heavily traumatized (and scarred) Burke out of his isolation. With a nice twist in the story about the secret organization Burke is running. The best story of this arc I believe.
Excalibur – Emerald Dodge: this story has only a very loose connection: there are gangs called The Beasts and The Beauties and they are living in a kind of Urban Fantasy world. It was very hard for me to get into the story and even harder to relate to the main characters. So, more of a miss for me.
The Blooming – Katherine Bennet: actually, this story has more of a Mulan theme than a Beauty and the Beast setup. A nice story in all, but it also didn't knock me off my socks.
For the total arc: three out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

oluntarily reviewed an Reader Copy of this book which I received through
Netgalley. 

These story's are very good, but I liked the first one the best

There are five novels in this book based on the Beauty and the Beast scenario.
1) No Man Can Tame - Aless wasn’t pleased to be home, she wouldn't be until her father heard ehr out about building Mamma’s public library. Books were always a sore spot with Aless’s father -the king and Mama since her death an even sorer one with her father. Aless was a costume party and two men had been watching Aless - the Belmonte Brothers- Luciano and Tarquin her sister and best friend Bianca told her. Bianca wanted Luciano and thought she was in love with him. Aless wanted to teach any and all who wanted to learn just like her mother had. Then the king called both her daughters to him and told them Aless was to marry Luciano who her sister wanted to be with and Bianca Prince Veron- a dark elf. Aless said she would marry prince Veron in Bianca’s place and Bianca could marry Luciana.
In The Garden Of Gold And Stone:
Rowec's brother was stealing some fruit from a garden and he got caught and Rowec takes his brother’s place. Rowec must deal with a society with women that have scales and features of reptiles. Neda needs a man hatch her sisters. Nada wants to find a way to save Rowec.
3) Eye Of The Beholder:
Burke had been in the marines for twelve years and got caught through a botched rescue mission. Burke is scarred and has severe PTSD and wants to live as a hermit on his island sanctuary. But his friends won’t let him live all alone and they even hire as a maid named Rose to clean the main house. Rose is confident and spunky and won’t put up with Burke’s BS . But Rose has secrets of erh own and Burke has to fight to keep them safe.
4) Excalibur :
Heather is a superhero who goes by the name Excalibur. Heather wanted to live a normal life and have normal experiences. But to do so would defy the Elders of the cult Heather had grown up un. Heather and her superhero friends make an agreement with some local guys who are in a street gang to protect them as Heather and her friends had been blamed for a crime they hadn’t done. If The gang does this Heather and her friends can live a normal life.
5) The Blooming:
Sophia is determined to save her father when he is assigned to a dangerous Black OPS unit so Sophia volunteers to take her father’s place and is accepted. She is soon in a very dangerous situation - Neiko is Sophia's commander and her to quit but she is determined to prove Neiko wrong. Sophia does become valuable to the team but it does seem like their supervisor gave Sophia the position as he wanted her for his own.
I did enjoy this different stories some more than others which is normal. I did like the plots were based loosely around Beauty And The Beast as I loved that story. I liked that it wasn’t always the male that was the beast persay. I liked the characters a lot and and the ins and outs of this book and I recommend.

Due to either a download or file error, I was only able to read the first story in this anthology - No Man Can Tame by Miranda Honfleur, but I can only say if the other stories in this anthology are even half as good, it will be money well spent!

No Man Can Tame was my first book by Miranda Honfleur, but it won't be my last. It was a fantastic story that was part Beauty and the Beast, and part Taming of the Shrew. It was absolutely addictive, and I couldn't put it down until the end. The writing flowed smoothly, and was so descriptive that it was easy to visualise the world that the author was building. The characters were amazing, it was so easy to like the two main leads and cheer them on. The secondary characters were well developed according to their roles in the story, and if this ends up being a series, I can't wait to see them develop further.

I absolutely loved this story, and will certainly be reading other titles by this author.

Five great novels in one powerful collection. The collection is varied in content, fantasy, sci-fi and contemporary. The first novel was my favorite. I loved the tension and drama between the characters. I enjoyed the fantasy world the author created. All of these stories were beautifully written! Broody heroes and feisty heroines! Great collection!


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

This box set gives us five retellings of the classic theme Beauty and the Beast, there is no one genre in this box set however fantasy is the main genre. 

In No Man Can Tame the human princess is forced to marry a dark elf by her father to bring peace to the warring country.

In The Garden Of Gold And Stone, Nida a descendant of a reptilian race needs a human male to hatch her new sisters. Rowec, a human is held hostage by the reptilian race. The two factions are raised to hate each other. Can they discover the truth?

Eye of the Beholder is a contemporary romance where two people join together to fight their enemies risking the bond they have forged in the process.

Excalliber is a superhero romance. A dangerous gang helps a team of superheroes to escape punishment for a crime they did not commit. Heather (excalliber) finds herself drawn to the mysterious gang leader and is reluctant to leave when the time comes.

The Blooming is a sci-fi story about a special forces team specifically two individuals who battled each other but now have to work together

Like all boxsets featuring different authors some stories are better than others. Each one does offer a different take on the theme of beauty and the beast.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. For more reviews please visit my blog:

http://www.wonderfullyweird88.com/

I give this a 4.5 out of 5 stars. I actually really enjoyed all 5 of these short stories in this book. They each had their own personal touch and spin on the classic story of Beauty and the Beast. Some I enjoyed more than others, but this review is rounded up to 4 stars since the average is closer to that. I'm personally a major fan of Beauty and the Beast, so I was looking forward to being able to read this, even knowing that I would possibly be very nitpicky on the stories. They were all really good retellingings, with characters I grew to love, with immersive worlds, and an overall great flow of story. I didn't find myself saying "no i don't like this". I also didn't find myself skipping pages. I read every page of this book and I really enjoyed it. I say that if you love Beauty and the Beast, and you love books where the authors put their own spin on classic stories, then this is perfect. You get 5 great retellings of a classic fariy tale, some more dark or lighthearted than others. Overall, great compilation. I would definitely buy this for myself.

I received this ARC for free from NetGalley in exchange for my completely honest review.

With so many retellingings of beauty and the beast (I have read 4 novels tackl8ng it this year alone) it's hard to see what more there is to say. Happily this collection of short stories does the fairy tale proud. Thouroughly enjoyable with fresh perspectives and some surprising twists.

I really, really liked this compilation. All were sort of retellings of Beauty and the Beast but not really. They were more sci-fi, super hero, or romance suspense.

My favorite of the 5 stories was "Eye of the Beholder" by Emily Allen West. While all were well written and I found myself drawn into each world, the reason this one was my favorite was because I could see the Beauty and the Beast parallel better. Plus, romance suspense is one of my favorite genres.

I plan to look up as read books by all of the authors in this compilation.

A book full of Beauty and the Beast retellings?? Don’t mind if I do! This is my all-time favorite trope and one that is so much fun to read over and over again. I enjoyed each and every one of the stories in this bundle, so I’ll take the time to go through each one below and let you know what I thought.

No Man Can Tame – Miranda Honfleur

Princess Alessandra is the unwanted princess, known for desiring an occupation beyond the mother of future royalty. Eager to get her off their hands, her parents give her hand to their kingdom’s fiercest enemy, in order to broker peace. Although Prince Veron stirs fear is Aless’ heart, she soon learns that he was forced into this marriage too. Bound by their circumstances, they must try to create their own future, and within it, find love and happiness. This story was my favorite of the group, because it reminded me so much of another book I love, Radiance by Grace Draven. If you love her work, you’ll love Miranda Honfleur. She created a wondrous world full of intrigue and politics, and it drew me in. Very engaging read!

In The Garden of Gold and Stone – Ryan Muree

Two human species live side by side and don’t even know it. That is, until one foolish young man steals fruit from a garden surrounded by high walls, and once caught, his brother takes his place as prisoner. Now the human Rowec must face a bizarre new society, full of women with scales and reptilian features. They require a man to continue their species, and it looks like Rowec is going to be that person. Unless Nida, a woman who looks more human than the rest, can find a way to save him. I was a bit apprehensive of this story at first – what could possibly be romantic about a reptilian heroine? I draw the line at reptiles. However, the author did a great job of showing the two species’ similarities, and Nida soon became just another human to me. I really enjoyed her bravery and her interactions with Rowec. It was a great story full of qualities sure to delight strong women of today!

Eye of the Beholder – Allen West

After serving twelve years in the Marines and surviving a botched rescue mission, Burke Masters is scarred, crippled by PTSD, and determined to live out his life alone on his island sanctuary. If only his friends would let him. Seeking to help him in his recovery, they hire a new maid, Rose Benoit, to clean in the main house. Confident and spunky, she soon gives Burke a reason to live again. But danger has never left his life, and when her secrets find their way onto the island, Burke must work to save not just their newfound love but also their lives. I’m a sucker for military romance, and when you give me one set in a Beauty and the Beast trope…*swoon*. I love it! This definitely was at the top of my list for this bundle. Thrilling, action-packed, and romantic, it tugged at my heartstrings!

Excalibur – Emerald Dodge

Set in an age where superheroes are out in the world fighting the bad guys, this book is only loosely based in a Beauty and the Beast trope. It follows Heather Harris, a superhero who goes by the name Excalibur, who just wants to live a normal life and experience things that civilians take for granted. Unable to do so without defying the elders of the cult where she grew up, she is forced to take drastic measures. She and her superhero friends make a pact with a local group of boys who need street cred to protect themselves. If they pretend they have slayed the “Beasts” as the superheroes are known, then Heather and her friends can go live in peace with new identities. But Heather never counted on falling for her rescuer, and now it may be too late to take it back. Again, this book was really straining to meet that trope the bundle was based on. I liked the book and how it was written, but it didn’t feel like it fit with the others. It had a big YA feel to it, which is okay but not my usual read. Definitely would recommend this to YA or New Adult readers! Characters were engaging and unique, and the worldbuilding was top notch.

The Blooming – Katherine Bennet

Sophia Anuva is determined to save her father, after he is assigned to a dangerous Black Ops unit within their military. She volunteers to serve in his place, under the guise that it’s a position she’s always wanted, and soon she is thrown into very dangerous situations. Her commander, Niko Kalos, sees her as a burden and tries his best to get her to quit, but her stubborn spirit drives her to prove him wrong. Soon he realizes that she has something to offer to the team, even if it does seem like she was only given this assignment to appease his superior, who wants her for his own. I liked this story, even though I felt the worldbuilding could have been more solid. I was confused by what was going on in this world – who were the enemy and why, what war was going on, and why were they so technologically advanced? All these questions felt unanswered. I enjoyed the characters, and there was a lot of laughter for me as a reader. It’s a good addition to the bundle!

I am a huge fan of anything Beauty and the Beast related, and I absolutely loved these stories and the take on the classic tale. A few of them had the feel of Eros and Psyche also (the original Beauty and the Beast) and I adored them all, I did however binge read this and I am all storied out!