I enjoyed Elizabeth and Garrett's romance. I thought the author delivered a clever take on The Beauty and The Beast fairytale, which is a personal favorite of mine. While skillfully leaving the bare bones of the original intact, many tweaks, twists and additions have been made to create a fresh story that still manages to feel like an old friend. Elizabeth and Garrett were easily likable and their chemistry quite evident. Offering up a easy to read blend of drama, emotion, cuteness, sweetness, heat and heart, this book captured my attention and stole my heart. I'm very excited to read more of this series.

When her father allowed his grief to bring him to neglect the bookshop that had been in their family for 200 years, Elizabeth Sharpe took over. She loves books and the shop and runs it quite well. When Mr. Sharpe failed to deliver his weekly order of books, Garrett Maximillian, gruff, blunt and reclusive Duke of Montrose, came to the shop to set things straight. Elizabeth takes over the deliveries, and even discusses and recommends books to the stuffy duke. There is definitely an attraction between the two. Can their mutual love for books be enough to build a love and future on? This is a cute story where two very different people with one common love find love. Garrett and Elizabeth are from different stations in society, but fit together perfectly. She is intelligent and brings him peace. They both love books and champion the less fortunate. This is a bit different than most romances and has a bit of Beauty and the Beast in it. The story is interesting, the characters engaging, and the ending happy.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

The Beast and The Bookseller by Eva Devon was absolutely wonderful! This book brought so many qualities of Beauty and the Beast meets Pride and Prejudice. I was immersed in this story and the setting! I loved the characters, Garrett and Elizabeth. It truly was a perfect story and I want to reread it again and experience all the fantasy this story brought. LOVED IT AND HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!

Wow! What a wonderful story! The Duke of Montrose was a broken , bitter man, who truly behaved beastly until one day a scholarly, brave little bookseller, delivering his book order from her father’s shop, engaged him in conversation. She challenged him, and an unusual friendship was born. She got him to read “Pride and Prejudice “ with her, finding that he was her Mr. Darcy and she his Elizabeth. Their growing relationship was sweet and endearing, but there was no easy road to their HEA, and he needed to learn to open his heart. Beautiful story!

This is a fast paced historical romance. It is about Elizabeth and Garrett (The Duke of Montrose). Her father isn’t keeping his promise and she has to do it or loss the favor of the Duke. They end of getting to know each other and he is forced to marry he due to their actions. This boook reminded me of Beauty and the Beast and Pride and Prejudice. They do talk about that book in in this book and compare themselves to Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy.

She ends up getting it know that he loves books as much as she does and really fall in love with each other. She is meant to be a Duchess after all.

This was a very sweet book.
Not too slow not too fast just right in pace.
Elizabeth is the daughter of a bookseller, who has taken over due to her father falling into a drunken stupor.
One day their patron Duke comes demanding to see her father because he was failing in his duties.
Elizabeth volunteers in his place to bring his books and so beginnings their story.
I suspected a Beauty in the Beast retelling but that were any inkling of comparison ends.

The mirth of their interaction is so precious. Garett agreeing to read with Elizabeth and acting out the stories was cute quite sweet. The scene were he showed her the country was also a glimpse of kindness on his part. In a way a metaphor that he would show her things she only imagined and dreamed.

I love that miscommunication was not the main conflict of the story. They were both level-headed and did not follow the common historical romance mold in issues. And the conclusion of the conflict was very low stakes. It was forgiven with a small grand gesture and promise to help each other accomplish hopes.

Also the fact that Garrett got Elizabeth a SIGNED copy was HILARIOUS and such a booklover's dream.

Overall I recommend this story!
Thank you to Entangled Romance for this early copy for an honest review

Thanks to Engtangled Publishing and to NetGalley for the digital ARC of this romantic novel.

Enemies to lovers trope. The Duke of Montrose is the "beast" and Miss Elizabeth Sharpe, a bookseller, is the "beauty".

Elizabeth was supposed to be a boy and the son to inherit the bookshop from her father. Her Mother died giving birth and there was No son. Unfortunately, her father could not cope after the love of his life died, though it looked like he mourned the loss of the hoped for son than the loss of his wife.

The bookshop has been under the patronage of the Duke of Montrose's family for 200 years! When the Duke shows up at the bookshop because Elizabeth's father never responded to the letters, it was the first time the Duke visited the bookshop. The Duke confronts Miss Sharpe. After that encounter, Miss Sharpe starts delivering the books to the residence of the Duke. Unfortunately Elizabeth's father ceased to deliver the books. The Duke is dealing with the traumatic loss of his mother. There are several villains. One villain is reformed because he succumbed to the drink until the Duke confronted him. Another villain is truly evil and is punished.

As the story proceeds, Miss Sharpe and the Duke become friends then they fall in love. Meanwhile, Mr. Sharpe has a sinister plan that may destroy the chances for Miss Sharpe and the Duke. The ending is a happy ending, which is why I say this is a fairytale. I found the last few chapters problematic. Perhaps there was a reason for that. The ending worked out, despite the last few chapters.

Well written characters. Very romantic.

Content Warning: Alcoholism, Misogyny, Mistreatment of Mentally Ill, Trauma

This was a very cute twist on a "Beauty and the Beast" style fairytale. I really enjoyed the characters and the tie-in to Mr. Darcy was adorable; I think any fans of regency will enjoy this.

The way Eva Devon writes characters and romance just works for me, and The Beast and the Bookseller is no exception. This is a sweet novella retelling/remix of 'Beauty and the Beast' and 'Pride and Prejudice'. We get a lot of Beauty and the Beast in the beginning of the story with a "beastly" gruff Duke who hides away in his house but has weekly deliveries from a bookstore his family has been patronizing for centuries. But when deliveries start being late and the owner misses meetings, the Duke rushes the store and meets the bookseller's daughter, Elizabeth. Making a deal to trade her father's visits for her completing the deliveries, Elizabeth finds herself less afraid of the Duke and more intrigued by his peculiarities. The Duke, Garrett, doesn't like people, but is an advocate for worker's rights. I loved the way that these two characters connected through their love of books, but especially Elizabeth's passion for a wide range of reading. Seeing Garrett begin to open up and trust while they have their book club of two and read aloud to one another was wonderful. Of course, they read Pride and Prejudice and some aspects become intertwined in their story. I loved this little mix of these two stories! Garrett is such a sweetheart underneath the gruff. But what I love about his character is that he isn't a mean person. True, he doesn't really like people, but he doesn't treat them like garbage. I just loved the way that he grows as a person and lets himself live. Elizabeth is also great. She's a bit spunky, but shy at times. I liked her drive and passion for her work and business. However, she also tries her best to live her life to the fullest in her own way. I loved her friend, Lily, and I hope maybe she will get a book in the future? Same with Garrett's friend, Essex (I don't remember his first name). Maybe even a story of them together? Lily kind of gave me Sleeping Beauty vibes as she is a dressmaker who often pricks her fingers, and Essex is a former soldier who was injured in the war with Napoleon. I'd like to see it.
If you're looking for a sweet, quick romance with really nice character development, I highly recommend The Beast and the Bookseller!

A regency romance with shades of Beauty and the Beast and Pride and Prejudice.
The grumpy, reclusive duke meets a sunny Elizabeth at the bookshop she runs with her father. They bond over their love of books which was charmingly done with their reading of Pride and Prejudice.
The duke did not have a happy upbringing and his father was to blame for much of the suffering he endured growing up. I would have liked to see more of his work in bringing the doctor of the asylum to justice as it was an interesting subplot. The duke's friend, Essex, was a good-humoured and entertaining side character and one I'd like to see more of as the series progresses.

Eva Devon has done it again. Another solid, historical romance and fairytale retelling-this time its Beauty and the Beast. Elizabeth Sharpe's family owns a century old bookshop, and only with the patronage of the Duke of Montrose, can they survive. Garrett Maximilian is a hermit that everyone in London believes is an angry and ugly old man. Elizabeth is confident, speaks her mind, and is not afraid of him. The duke finds this attractive, and wants to keep her, but her father has other plans. This author is now an auto-buy for me. I'd also recommend The Duke's Secret Cinderella from her Never a Wallflower series.

**Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own. **

“Oh, my dear friend. I feel like you are playing with fire, and yet I confess I wish to shove you in.”
_
The Duke who rarely leaves his house and the bookshop that supplies him his books so he doesn't have to think. Or at least gets a break from the endless need of the world and pressure of his position.
Love that Elizabeth who has taken over her fathers duty of supplying the books has found a kindred spirit with their love of books. And though it appears they might be doing more its just an innocent book club. Until her father decides to be all gross and patriarchal making callous decisions about her life like all men thought they had the right to do.
Garrett the Duke was not impressed but didn’t want to lose his book buddy that he found he had become quite fond of. She is not from his class so that's an obstacle but he's also a reclusive hermit so how often would they go out? Also, that was maybe the best grand gesture after the wedding that I have read and warmed my booksta heart. It gave me chills being able to make sweeping changes for all! Loved it! He knew her love language! It is ours as well, Books and sharing books!

Thank you entangledpub

I'm also a fan of a good fairy tale inspired story. The connection here to Beauty and the Beast is subtle which makes it so much more believable. I think what I loved most about this story was getting to see how Elizabeth and Garrett's relationship went from a true friendship to a romantic one. You really get the sense that they were exactly what the other needed. Which of course made Garrett's coldness towards her after they married such a disappointment (in him, not the story). And although I hated what Elizabeth's father did I'm not sure without his terrible parenting at that point that Garrett would have ever taken a chance on his feelings for Elizabeth and propose. I thought the father's redemption came maybe a little too easily (his marriage scheme for her was pretty much one of the worst things a father could do to his daughter) but it was good to know there was a little good in him. I also did love when Elizabeth basically pointed out to Garrett that he wasn't really treating her any differently than her father had been doing for years. It was so great to see her stand up for herself and do what was best for her rather than the men in her life. On a completely separate note I didn't know (and if I did I forgot) that writers such as Jane Austen weren't allowed to use characters that had titles - it was an interesting thought that Darcy was probably meant to be a duke (and let's be honest, if he had been created by a contemporary author in this genre he would have been). So not only was I thoroughly entertained by this book, I learned something new as well!

Rating: 4.5/5
I received an eARC for my honest opinion.

I thought this book was so cute, it was a mix of Beauty and the Beast with Pride and Prejudice. I have been reading more and more historical romances and I have found that I really enjoy them with the right author writing them and Devon does an amazing job. I loved the plot of the book, I thought it was well developed, well-paced, great attention to details, and you can truly feel the love for books that both the characters have. However, I have to say my favorite part of the books was getting to know the characters.

I loved getting to know Elizabeth and Garrett more and more throughout the book. I really enjoyed getting to know Elizabeth, she is a strong female character who is living in the times where women did not have that many rights or even their voice was not important. I loved that she didn’t get scared or back down to the duke at all. Even when he is in a horrible mood, she finds a way to try to make him smile or brighten up his mood. Garrett, I enjoyed getting to know him better and getting to see a different side to him when he was with Elizabeth. You get to see his character growth throughout the book, and you will see his “oh, no” moment and he doesn’t just sit there forever waiting to fix it. I love that you get to see their love for books, but you see how Elizabeth gets Garrett to read Pride and Prejudice and you see how he starts to love it and understand why she loves the book.

I loved that those two connected through their rough childhood and how they both wanted to change the world for the better. I loved how Garrett listens to Elizabeth and sees her value of wanting to add to the city and how Garrett did an amazing thing for her and the community at the end of the book. I loved that in this book you see the author writes about topics that most forget about or are not talked about much anymore.

I could go on and on about this book, but I won’t, because I really want you to pick up the book and give it a read. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves historical romances, romances, happily ever after, and retelling.

I want to thank Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for the opportunity to review this book.

The Beast and The Bookseller was short and sweet and exactly what I love in historical romances. How could you not love the ever-confident bookseller, Elizabeth, who starts to warm the grumpy cold Duke of Montrose. The love of books and reading was central to this plot, it brought me so much joy. I absolutely loved how quick of a read this was, it was a perfect book to get me in a great mood. Sometimes with shorter books you feel like you are missing something, but I never felt that way with this! I would definitely recommend it!

The Beast and the Bookseller by Eva Devon, is an enjoyable, emotional, and wonderful combination of Beauty and the Beast and Pride and Prejudice; an enchanting historical romance about a reclusive duke and a strong-willed woman who runs her family’s bookstore.
Garrett Maximilian, the Duke of Montrose, a recluse who is the main patron of the bookstore, charges into Elizabeth’s bookstore as her intoxicated father is not meeting the Duke’s expectations. Elizabeth agrees to take over her father’s duties and promises to deliver the Duke his books. This begins a friendship between Garrett and Elizabeth as they bond over their love of literature.

Elizabeth and Garrett are well-developed characters with compelling stories that highlight many of the problems that occurred during that time period. Gender inequities, the mistreatment of women, abuse, the horrific treatment of patients in mental institutions, alcoholism, and the lack of control women had over their own lives are all shown through Elizabeth and Garrett’s situations and struggles.

Elizabeth and Garrett connect over their love of books, using it to battle their worries and grow closer. Garrett has such terrible memories of his childhood, and it has scarred him tremendously, even though he does everything he can to right the wrongs he witnessed. With an alcoholic and verbally abusive father, Elizabeth has experienced her fair share of turmoil; which is why their book talks become so important to both characters. Garrett has his own issues with his crusade against treacherous mental asylums and he has been somewhat of a cold recluse. With Elizabeth’s visits, they grow closer and he wants very much to care for her.

Ms. Devon wrote an entertaining and enjoyable story that is not to be missed. She tackled some heavier subjects and included some very touching moments. You can’t go wrong with a Darcy-like hero, a bookworm heroine, and a swoon-worthy romance in my book; I highly recommend The Beast and the Bookseller to other readers.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

Garrett and Elizabeth share a love of books, seeing them as almost sentient beings that deserve ‘good homes’. As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that both have difficult childhoods and their need to escape into books is a reflection of this. The book touches on a range of societal issues, from class, to the treatment of women. At its heart though, is an uplifting central message - that we can choose to be happy, despite our circumstances and that, whilst we can’t always tackle the biggest problems alone, sometimes it’s enough to do small things that bring joy to others. This is certainly a book whose message will resonate long after the last page is turned.

Pride and Prejudice meets Beauty and the Beast in THE BEAST AND THE BOOKSELLER. Elizabeth Sharpe runs her father’s bookshop since her father no longer can, thanks to his alcoholism. Garrett Maximilian, The Duke of Montrose, is a very important patron of Sharpe and Sons, using it as his sole means to acquire books which he does rather frequently. Elizabeth and the Duke are brought together as she’s now tasked with bringing the Duke his weekly reading material, and in these visits they find something most unexpected: a mutual love for books, particularly those written by A Lady. With their friendship deepening, romance slowly blossoms, though things get rather complicated as both realize that their worlds really are quite different. ⁣

This was a fun and emotion-filled read, as both characters are dealing with the pain and the sadness of never being quite enough. Elizabeth’s father wanted a son, and it’s something she’s reminded of frequently. Garrett is dealing with the heartbreak of being “too much like his mother”, and his dead father’s words haunt him on an almost daily basis. Both Elizabeth and Garrett recognize that shared pain in the other, and both make silent promises to help the other realize that they are more than enough as they are. ⁣
⁣
Eva Devon has quickly grown to be one of my favorite historical romance authors. I adore her characters, their flaws and their progressiveness being my favorite qualities, and Garrett and Elizabeth rank among my favorites. They connect instantly over Pride and Prejudice, with Garrett initially being very unwilling to read what he considers “ladies fiction”, though he soon realizes the error of his ways. The Duke is very much like Mr. Darcy, and he remarks several times how very similar Elizabeth is to Miss Bennett. Their relationship even follows the same course as Darcy and Elizabeth’s, which I really liked. ⁣

All told, another winner from Eva Devon. Definitely pick this one up if you’re a fan of historical romance with plenty of humor and heart. Many thanks to @entangled_publishing for the digital arc!

Elizabeth a bookseller and Garrett a grumpy Duke meet when Elizabeth's father is not fulfilling his duty to the Duke.

Garrett as I said a Grumpy Duke, but not a beast in my mind, he is taken back by Elizabeth being a strong minded woman and not afraid to speak her mind.

They develop a friendship around books and I loved seeing Garrett come alive.

This is an easy to read historical romance loosely based around Beauty and the Beast. I enjoyed getting lost in this story.

THE BEAST AND THE BOOKSELLER (ONCE UPON A WALLFLOWER BOOK ONE)

Release Date: 06/05/23
Kindle Unlimited: [ ]YES [X]NO
Stand-alone: [X]YES [ ]NO
Author: Eva Devon
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5
Spiciness rating: 🌶🌶️/5
POV: Dual, third person
Main Characters: Elizabeth & Garret
Genre: Historical romance
Tropes: Beauty and the Beast retelling; opposites attract; brooding tortured hero; tragic past; both MCs are bibliophiles

Review:

Elizabeth is doing everything possible to save the book shop that has been in their family for years and now is not going so well because her father, stricken by grief, has let things go. One of these things is to bring the Duke of Montrose the books he requires weekly. When the Duke goes to the shop to threaten to retrieve his patronage, Elizabeth sees herself interested in the man who is known to have a temper and is feared in the ton.

The love for books bring these two together and they start getting closer and forming a friendship that will develop into something more. However, how can a daughter of a bookseller be something to the Duke? In spite of the circumstances, they both find comfort and peace in each other.

I really loved both characters, and although Garret could be hard headed, he was a good man. I also like the fact that Eva brought to the book an overview on the politics of the time. How the life was unfair and difficult for those who had no money, it was different from the other historical romances I’ve read and I think it added to the story.

*** I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ***