Lady Beast’s Bridegroom is a lovely retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Arial was scarred terribly in a fire when she was younger. Her appearance is ghastly, but her spirit, heart, and personality are beautiful. Peter, Lord Ransome, a former soldier, has inherited an estate in need of attention and money. In order to escape the machinations of greedy relatives, Peter and Arial marry. Will this really be enough to put a stop to the evil cousin and stepmother? More than anything this is a story of acceptance and definition. The villains define beastly. The main characters and their household make a beautiful example of a loving family. I love the way the girls see Arial’s true self from the start. Their insistence of remaking her masks to match her gowns is adorable. Not everything falls into place right away. There are still villains to take care of, but things have a way of working out as they should. An old story, with a twist, beautifully presented. I look forward to the rest of the series.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily reviewing it.

With a twist on the fairy tale version of Beauty and the Beast, Knight creates a tale of a woman scarred from a tragic fire needing the protection of a marriage of convenience to shield her from a dastardly cousin.

I was excited to read a version of this tale where a heroine is the one shunned from society and finds love and acceptance in the hero. I found the actual construction of the plot and characters to be partially successful in achieving the angst and loveliness of this tale.

Arial was a wonderful heroine in that she is smart and practical about the ways of the world. She knows what she needs and goes after her goals methodically. Our hero, Peter, on the other hand, fell flat as a character. He seemed more like a thin foil by which we can better relate to Arial and hope that she gets the happy ending she deserves.

The villains were absolutely diabolical and over-the-top. I thought they brought wonderful tension, and a frantic pace, to the plot.

What I would have liked to see balance the dark elements of the villains, was more of Arial and Peter together and forming a loving bond. Unfortunately, I felt like I was watching a play in which half of the character development was left behind the curtain and I was being told the information second hand, rather than shown. Due to this type of storytelling, I cannot completely invest in the characters because I do not really know them.

I would recommend this story to readers who love villains that carry the plot and create a cat and mouse pacing to the story as they pursue the protagonist.

I read and reviewed an advanced copy of this eARC thanks to Dragonblade Publishing via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I just loved the main characters in this story! Lady Ariel had such strength of character, she had suffered both physical and mental pain, but she didn’t give up. Peter, Lord Ransome, is such a kind and caring man, particularly where his younger sisters are concerned. I enjoyed the way that Ariel and Peter were together. There are a number of villains in this story and I’m always pleased when they get their comeuppance. This was a very engaging read that I had difficulty in putting down. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own. However, I did preorder my own copy.

A lovely story of a marriage based on mutual need, admiration, kindness, bravery, generosity that turns into love. A story beauty and the beast retold with the best being the lady and the groom the beauty of physical beauty vs inner beauty. The characters are very likeable and have to deal with lots and lots of selfish and greedy villains. An excellent mix of romance and action that provides a most excellent read. I received an early review copy and leaving my review voluntarily.

Wow, what a story!! Any book dealing with a beast and beauty is for me. I have loved Disney movies since they came out. Unfortunately, this story doesn’t have a fairy godmother to solve all of our couple’s problems.

Ariel has had a lot of pain in her life. She was horribly scared by a fire as a young girl. After she healed, they went to live in the country so she would not have to deal with the ugliness of the ton. Everything changed when her father dies and leaves her all his money, but the title goes to her cousin, Josiah. Josiah and his wife want the money and will do anything to get it. He is trying to get her sent to an Asylum. The only way to stop him is for her to marry but who will marry a beastly woman? She uses her money to find a man to help, the last person she thought she would see is a childhood friend. Peter is the son of her father's best friend. They have history, as the fire also killed his mother and sister.

As Peter and Ariel set out to save each other but they will have to deal with not only the cousin, but Peters wicked stepmother and her daughters. Peter is beyond handsome and has been nicknamed Beau!! Peter knows Ariel has been scared more than on the outside but also on the inside by the world they live in. People of the ton think only of how pretty one is on the outside, most being very nasty and ugly on the inside. Ariel scars are only skin deep, but her soul is that of a wonderful, loving and caring person for all. They will have a lot to deal with and overcome to reach a happy ending. This is a story full of love, understanding, passion but also evil, mean, wicked people. Once you start reading you can’t put it down. Be sure and get a copy, you don’t want to miss this one.

I received an ARC from the author and wish to thank her. This is my honest opinion and am freely giving it.

Lady Ariel lives retired in the country after being badly scarred by a fire. She hides her burns from others by donning a mask, only enticing more gossip by Society who has dubbed her “Lady Beast”. But she has a problem, hen her father died he left all of his wealth to her not her second cousin, who inherited her father’s title now this money grabbing cousin wants to have her committed so he can have her fortune. Only finding a husband will prevent the cousin from having his way. Peter, Viscount Ransome, a man so handsome Society has dubbed him “Beau”, inherits not only his father's debts but also his burdens. He must manage and care for a spendthrift stepmother who loathes him, her daughters, and his own two half-sisters. His only recourse is to find a wealthy bride to save his estate and his family. For him, that means marrying Ariel. It’s merely a business transaction, after all or is it?
The first in a new series & an interesting retelling of the fairy tale. I loved both Peter & Ariel, both are strong characters & I adored how their relationship grew & changed. She’s amazingly strong & with the support of some friends faces the ton. Viv & Rose are also a delight. The secondary characters whether you love or hate them were also well portrayed. As well as a delightful romance it also highlighted the plight of people who were different in Regency times. The pace is very good & never lagged & I devoured it in two sittings. The cherry on the cake was Ariel had support from The Duchess of Winshire – well Eleanor would support her! I eagerly await the rest of the series
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

A great story and a great book. Hopefully the beginning of a successful new series by this author from whom I will read absolutely anything because everything she writes is thrilling and a true page-turner.
This time we have a beauty and the beast story but in an entirely different setting. Arial was injured in a fire and her face is badly scarred. She is a recluse but a rich one. Unfortunately, her cousin, that inherited the title but not the money, is desperate to get rid of her so that he can take possession of her fortune.
Peter Ransome is a handsome ex-soldier that inherited the viscountcy from his father but very little money. To topple it all his stepmother and her daughters are decided to spend what he doesn't have.
Arial and Peter strike a bargain and decide to get married to protect her from her plotting cousin and to give Peter the funds to recover his properties and help his sisters.
Fortunately for the readers, this is not as simple as it sounds...

I think this story is one of the author's best.

I do agree with another reviewer that there are many secondary character's and it was hard at times to keep them straight, so pay attention. Characters are written with depth from main to secondary.

So many villains trying to hurt either physically or mentally both the H/h. Story was very suspenseful because so many haters you never knew what would happen next. From kidnapping to attempted murder, this story has that and so much more.

What touched me in this story was the honest dialogue when each confronted by the haters. I'd admired the strength of the h and her kind heart even though you knew the pain she felt. Both could put the haters down. I liked how the H let her handle it her way, but also was in her corner and you felt his pain having to hear the words.

I'm not a fan of retelling of fairy tales because you know where the story is heading. I can honestly say this one surprised me and in a good way. The H is the Beauty and our h the Beast and so much more than in the normal fairytale.

Lovemaking within marriage - heat level 4 out of 5 and filled with passion and love. They both fall in love but don't want to admit it.

They knew each other as children until tragedy strikes both their families and they lose touch until forced to make a change in their lives they end up together.

No cheating, no cliffhanger, HEA, romantic, sad at times, heartwarming at other times, and some steam. I can't improve on the blurb, just giving you some other tidbits to make a decision whether to purchase or not.

I've purchased this story and also received ARC from publisher and Netgalley. All opinions are my own and freely given. (ljb)
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This isn't really a full retelling of Beauty and the Beast, but it does keep the aspects about falling in love with a person for who they are rather than what they look like and with characters wanting to lock up the "beast". Arial is probably the most kindhearted and generous person ever. Despite having been a recluse since the fire that nearly took her life (and did take her mother and brother's) she immediately jumps into action to help protect Peter's sisters and goes after the life she always dreamed of. Peter's immediate acceptance of Arial's burns makes you fall a little in love with him too. Having him be a former soldier made his reaction to seeing her without her mask realistic (he wasn't blind to the burns, but he had seen others with such burns so it wasn't as shocking for him). I did like the part where he thought Arial must be exaggerating about someone wanting to lock her up (before he knew the whole story) - it was humorous without really trying. I really enjoyed getting to follow along as Arial and Peter fell in love. It happens so naturally, helped in large part since they had known one another as children. The villains add just the right amount of drama and intrigue to the story. It was a little coincidental that all the players knew one another, but not enough to make the story too far fetched. I hope that John gets another story later in the series. I felt so bad for him that he had initially chosen such a wretched woman to fall in love with.

This was an okay Regency romance with a pretty cool premise. It reminded me of a beauty and the beast retelling except the women was wearing the mask she was the one that got burned as a child.
It had a really cute childhood-friends-to-lovers trope. Ariel was heart felt while peter was strong willed character. Loved them together. I loved the ending it was so beautiful written. 100% opinions are my own.

This was a really great read. Lady Arial Bledisloe lives a reclusive life away from london at her country house with her governess turned companion and a loyal cadre of servants, badly scarred as a child by a fire which took the lives of her mother and brother and Lady Ransome, she wears a mask and lives a quiet life. She is a wealthy young woman as her father left his entailed estate to his heir, her second cousin Josiah, but left the bulk of his money to her. Josiah and his wife have tried to bully and cajole the money out of Arial, but are now threatening to commit her to an asylum to seize the funds.

Lady Arial decides to marry to protect herself, and knowing that she is too tall and statuesque as well as badly scarred knows she will have to approach men in need of her money to secure a husband. She asks her solicitor to compile a list of suitable candidates, and one of them is Lord Peter Ransome, her childhood friend.

‘Handsome Ransome’ is known, much to his disgust as .Beau’, he is extraordinarily handsome, and also burdened by 4 siblings and a very difficult stepmother, a sadly dilapidated and depleted estate, and no inheritance to solve his problems. His father married a grasping and unpleasant woman, who brought two stepsisters with her, now grown and needing to find husbands. Their dowries have been spent by his father, and a Peter is not sure how he will manage to control his spendthrift stepmama, and provide for his step sisters and the two half sisters, still in the schoolroom. One is the child of his father and his stepmother, and the other is the illegitimate daughter of his father and his mistress..

Peter and Arial make a marriage of convenience and start to build a home for his younger sisters, and to manage his Stepmother and older step sisters into their own establishment. They also start to build a strong bond with each other, and find they are very compatible where it counts. Arial starts to blossom, and find her confidence as both the young sisters and Peter bolster her confidence and she starts to go out in society. However, cruelty from Peter’s best friend betrothed, and her mother plus Josiah’s machinations result in nasty caricatures and articles about Arial and Peter, as well as physical danger to Arial.

Peter becomes very attached to his brave and wonderful wife, as does she to him, but they are both too reticent to be honest with each other, as the danger around Arial and Peter’s young siblings grows, will they be able to get society on their side and admits their feelings for one another.

This was such a satisfying read I loved it.

I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book and all opinions are my own.

A tender tale of love based on mutual admiration, kindness, bravery, generosity. A story of physical beauty vs inner beauty. The characters are admirable, very likeable who have to deal with selfish and greedy villains. Also an insight on how asylums were run and utilized for nefarious purposes. An excellent mix of romance and action that provides a most excellent read.

I received an ARC from Netgalley and leaving my review voluntarily.

A fun & emotionally entangling reimagining of Beauty and the Beast!

I can't resist a reimagining of a well known fairytale, with Beauty and the Beast topping my favourite list, and this was a resoundingly wonderous and satisfyingly good one.
The cover and title, LADY BEAST'S BRIDEGROOM effortlessly pulled me in as much as it intrigued while the fast paced drama that unfolded, the role reversal plot twist and compelling characters had me hooked. Creating a well put together, emotionally entangling, twisted fairytale come childhood friends to lovers meets marriage of convenience mashup romance.

Arial and Peter, instantly sucked me in with their dire situations and struggles as the venomous detestable actions and scheming machinations of the selfserving, ungrateful and superficial escalated the threat that hung over their heads and built a compelling suspense from the get go. One that had me instantly jumping to defend their corner.
The kindness, compassion and fierce protectiveness of Peter, his steadfast support and how quick he, his bestfriend and wee sisters, her friends and loyal servants stood tall to defend her. Combined with the courage, strength and aplomb Arial had to stand up against the scorn and judgemental attitudes of others towards her scars ... though it clearly wounded her... was heartwarming, tear inducing and empowering. While, the smooth friendship, so readily evident between the couple, radiated a hope and promise of so much more flourishing between them through admiration, building awe, attraction before delightfully blossoming into love. Making this a read I found very hard to put down, becoming entangled and invested in their fates and ever hopeful, love would deservedly result as they worked together to outsmart and disenable their tormentors.
In addition, a host of secondary characters, well shaped, with their own crosses to bear, from his little sisters, Viv and Rose, to his bestfriend, John, had this ability too to dig deep and win a piece of your heart as they proceeded to eject a warmth and lightness into the darker danger encroaching moments, embellishing the drama with heart while cleverly not taking away the shine and focus from the leads.
Overall, an absorbingly engaging book for me, one I hope promises more intrigue and emotional entangling drama as the series continues!


[A friendly notice - so hopefully it can be corrected before release: At the end of chapter 27, Peter is referred to as John twice by mistake]

Ariel and Peter
Lady Beast is an intense emotional read which includes both positive and negative emotions – pain, distress, despair, fear, excitement, love, sadness or happiness. They see beyond the her scars and his beauty to see the real person. This one is a keeper. Read this.

I knew I had to read this once I heard it was a gender swapped Regency retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I was not disappointed either.

I really thought Arial and Peter were so cute. I liked that they were both decent people and reunited childhood friends. They both are in dire straits (Arial's brother is threatened to put her in an asylum & Peter needs financial aid for his estate and dependants) and so a marriage of convenience commences. I thought the reasoning for the marriage of convenience was believable and I liked that Arial interviewed suitors rather than just picking anybody. They were both so considerate of each other, it made my heart melt.

There is a lot of drama happening in this book but its solely due to the secondary characters. We have Arial's brother trying to get rid of her for her inheritance, Peter's stepmother and stepsisters nagging him for money, and his father's two daughters he had out of wedlock depending on him to take care of them. There are a few other smarmy people as well. I think the secondary characters added a lot to the book and kept it interesting and fast paced. I just think there were too many.

Overall, if you're looking for a well written Beauty & the Beast retelling, give this a try.

This was an okay Regency romance with a pretty cool premise. I've read many romances with heroes who have scars (occasionally burns) and even a few heroines as well. Usually, especially with heroines, the scarring, mark, or injury is either superficial or not on the face. Here we have a woman who was severely burned as a child; she does not overstate the severity of her injuries at all, and that is a brave and bold choice by this author.

Arial is not pitiable, however. She has grown into a strong woman who has heard it all and is almost inured to the reactions of others. She's earned the respect and love of her servants and companion, and, if she does long for a family of her own, she is pragmatic about the odds. It's only the threats of her second cousin that prompt her to take a more proactive approach to marriage.

Enter Peter, a friend from long ago, a viscount in dire financial straits. He is repelled by the idea of selling himself but is in no way repelled by Arial. He finds her both beautiful and alluring, inside and out. There's very little conflict between them; in fact, they work almost too well together, presenting a very united front almost immediately. Only Peter's discomfort with the money situation causes any awkwardness, but does not particularly have a negative impact on their marriage.

The negativity and dash of suspense instead comes from a myriad of secondary characters. In fact, there are so many, it's easy to get confused. We have Arial's cousin and his bitchy, entitled wife, Peter's stepsisters and his bitchy, entitled stepmother, and Peter's BFF's awful betrothed and her bitchy, entitled mother. We also have a seemingly shifty butler and a seemingly shifty guard and several obviously shifty extras. On the side of the good guys, we have companions and governesses and maids, and even more butlers, but not the shifty kind. I gave up trying to tell some of them apart.

Arial and Peter are cute together, and you will find yourself rooting for them. The overall tone of the novel, however, is a little cold and formal, sexy-part euphemisms notwithstanding. I never really felt like I knew either protagonist well, or maybe it was just like I was watching the story from behind a glass rather than from their eyes. I enjoyed reading it but was not sorry when it was over.

I received an ARC of this book for free from the publisher and Netgalley. I'm writing this review voluntarily, and it reflects my honest opinion. Thanks!

This is the best book I have read in 6 months. And I read everyday, at least 10 hours a day.
This book had everyone of my wish list items. Independent heroine, check. Older heroine, check. Childhood acquaintance, check. Hero slightly older, check. Heroine able to bear up under pressure, check. Hero is nice, check. Hero is not a rake, check. Story makes sense, check. Supporting characters all wrapped up by end of story, check.
It is like this author looked in my brain and said, what does this person like. There were absolutely no negatives about this book at all. I am going to put it on my keeper shelf.
The heroine is 25 and had a childhood accident in a fire that damaged part of her face and shoulder. The burns took part of her face and her left eye. She was her father's heir for his fortune, but not his title. Her second cousin, who received the title, needed the money because he had no sense of business. So he kept trying to put the heroine in an asylum to access her money. She was forced to look for a husband. But since she never went into Society or had a Season due to her disfigurement, she did not really know anyone. So her solicitor was to make her a list of suitable husbands who needed money, but did not have any bad habits. The hero made the short list. He is a childhood friend who actually lost his mother in the same fire that also killed the heroine's mother and brother and hurt her. They have not been in touch since. Partially was becuse the hero's father married a local widow with two daughters who were mean to the heroine before the fire. The heroine did not want to have anything to do with the two girls. And after the hero's mother passed away, his father had a daughter with his mistress and his new wife also became pregnant. So the hero has two half sisters the same age age the heroine and 2 half sisters that were about 8 years old.
When the solicitor, who is also the hero's solicitor, told the hero about the heroine, he was intrigued. He remembered the heroine from family visits and the fire that took place. While he was waiting for his interview, his step mother tried to sell his half sister from the mistress and so the governess brought both younger sisters to him in London. They can't stay at the hotel and the hero had no funds. So he reaches out to the heroine and when she hears of the plight of his sisters, she opens her home to them. She also opens her heart to them. When she sees how the hero treats his sisters, she is sure that he is a good man. And they plan on getting married.
I liked this book so much. I became so immersed in the story, I read it in one sitting. I give this book the highest marks, 5 stars and will keep on my shelf to read again. I definitely recommend reading this book.

I hated this book and I was so disappointed. I was excited to see it was a gender reversal of Beauty and the Beast (my absolute favorite) and this author butchered it.
The characters were superficial and was written as being absolutely perfect. The attempt at making them seem human was laughable.
The MC Ariel was ridiculous. She was being made a laughingstock, being called horrendous things and was like, "it doesn't bother me".
It's one thing to be unflappable in public but to continually be like that is completely unbelievable.
Her husband, who says he wants to protect her comes off as weak.
The one naughty scene I could stand reading seemed like it was written by a juvenile man. I was laughing at her attempt to write a romantic scene.
The plot was laughable and I was so glad for the book to end. I will not recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley for sending me this book. This review is entirely my own.

A reverse fairytale!

A beautiful story with a twist on the Beauty and the Beast fairytale! This time it’s Peter who is the Beauty and Arial the Beast. Arial is scarred from a fire in her youth and wears a mask. I love the way the story is portrayed and that Peter sees the inner Arial in all her beauty and although it pains him to see her scars not because it bothers him but because of the pain she goes through every day with peoples comments.

Peter becomes her saviour and hero while Arial realises that there are people in the ton who don’t care about her appearance but see the true beauty of her personality.

I love the secondary characters of his younger sisters and how what they all as a family have to overcome to get rid of the evil in their lives.

Such a lovely story you won’t be disappointed in reading.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

If you like romance novels, it's a good idea to cultivate an appreciation for the fairy tale retelling. As soon as we saw that Lady Beast's Bridegroom was a gender-swapped Regency romance retelling of Beauty and the Beast, we knew we had to read it. His name is Beau! Lady Beast is wearing a mask on the cover!! There's a marriage of convenience because she's so ugly no one else will have her!!! So, y'know, maybe we had a lot of expectations going into this one...

Is this a fun read with a scarred heroine and a gorgeous hero? Yes! Is it the BatB retelling we were looking for? Not exactly. On the one hand, we do love books where the main characters are decent, nice people. Ariel and Peter (he doesn't actually go by Beau, sadly) end up being childhood friends. Their marriage of convenience is based no only on what benefits they receive, but also mutual, longstanding respect. It's really nice to read a romance with a hero who supports and defends his wife. On the other hand, we were also kind of in the mood for a bit of the darker feel of the original tale. Like why isn't Beau a prisoner in Ariel's castle?!?

That said, this is a well-written, cute little take on Beauty and the Beast, with an emphasis on period details of inheritance and asylums (we're thinking hard about Rochester's wife). All in all, check this one out if you're in the mood for a kind, respectful relationship, a hint of spice, and a pretty thoughtful look at appearance and reputation.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.