3.5⭐️

I received an ARC copy of a bedtime story for an honest review of the book.

This is a dark retelling of beauty meets the beast, it’s a twisted love story more than a romance.
This book is full of plot twists, some of which I hope are redeemed in the next two books!
This book is written in 3rd person, which isn’t normally my favourite style, however, it was an enjoyable read.

Looking forward to the next two books in the series!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me an advance reader copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

This one was just about what I expected. Will recommend to my readers who may be looking for something a little different than a more straightforward title in this genre.

Description
This is not a romance, but it is a love story.

In A Bedtime Story, L.C. Moon invites readers into a somber fairy tale, where the beasts and monsters inhabit its protagonists, whispering over their shoulders. This is not a romance, but a raw and psychologically driven erotic tale, exploring themes of trauma and identity through the twisted love story of two profoundly broken souls.

Laura Spencer was a child of the moon, resilient yet delicate, using fantasies to escape her harsh reality. Kayne Malkin was a child of the underworld, molded into becoming a formidable predator and ruthless member of the Russian Mafia. Their paths, never meant to cross, fatefully intersect in a dangerous dance seeped in underworld intrigue.

In this unrelenting tale delving into the ugly and untamed sides of love and humanity, Beauty meets the Beast, forever changing the course of their lives.

Part of the "Fairy Tales From the Underworld" series, this first installment serves as a lyrical introspection on the cycle of abuse and how monsters are created through the lens of dark erotica, prompting readers to confront their own darkness.

I don't think this genre is my cup of tea.
I appreciate the chance to read and review.
I feel as if the storyline was superficial and did not deliver as much as I was hoping.

I couldn't stop reading this fairy tale from the underworld. It was spicy and dark. My favorite quote is " I may be a monster, but I'd fight for you and kill for you. ...If you only knew what your monster would do for YOU. I loved that I didn't know what was going to come next.

📢 𝑪𝑨𝑼𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵𝑨𝑹𝒀 𝑪𝑨𝑳𝑳-𝑶𝑼𝑻: 📢

As the author says this is definitely not a romance but sort of a love story.
Emotionally dark as it fcks with your head and the hero is not a gray but straight off in the black zone. Totally unredeemable hero except for his feelings for the heroine. So dive in accordingly.

𝑴𝒀 𝑹𝑬𝑽𝑰𝑬𝑾: 📝

I suppose this one was quite a surprise as it was a tad bit different to what I usually read, although the tropes in this one would say otherwise.

This one, I felt was dark in the emotional sense as the various facets are explored and the many character graphs we come across.

All Laura wanted was a little attention from the hottie at the bar, especially after her so-called friend/ coworker ditches her and leaves her for a d0uche.

Little did Laura know that her entire life was about to be thrown upside down and would be messed up such that there would be no coming back from it.

We see Laura go straight into captivity, taken away by the mysterious looking handsome stranger, Kayne Malkin.
He's been given a job to fulfill and all he had to do was deliver her but now he seems to have grown an unknown need to keep her safe and he shall do anything to ensure the innocent girl is left unharmed.

I was so lost and nervous for Laura as I didn't know what Kayne would do next. He's intimidating and dangerous but it's clear that he's enticed by Laura.

This one really tested me as the hero has no redeemable qualities and moral boundaries like seriously please don't expect Kayne to be anything but a man with straight off shades of black.

Laura was a character that equally shocked me because of how her character was shaped and even though she was innocent when it all started, her choices have me feeling neutral towards her.

The highlight has to be Peter, Laura's brother and her bond. Their bond and connection had me in tears and seriously even though it all happens because of her brother, yet I'm in complete support of him and was very emotional for the beautiful relationship they have.

Then there's that ending... I'm shocked but also have no idea what to actually feel and whose side I'm really on.

That cliffy sure sets the stage for a big storm that's coming and I hope it is steered in a way that makes up for an adventure. As to how Laura is shown as a Queen, it still remains to be seen if she'll deliver on that or not.
4 ⭐ for the promising storyline ahead.

Warning - Make sure to read the book description before reading this book. I agree this book could be very triggering for some. However, if you disturbed like me (haha) and love extremely dark erotic books, then this is the book for you! This book feels like Hunting Adeline met with the Never After series and had a baby.
I finished this book in 2 days, and already have book 2 and 3 in my TBR list. I don't know how I will be able to wait until next year for book 2.

I liked it but something kept me from loving it and I can’t quite put my finger on it. I love a retelling so that definitely had me hooked. Forced proximity, because he literally takes her, mafia romance, all things I love. If you can hold out for part two in 2025 it’s worth the read! Again I liked it a lot!

So...this was an interesting read.

It is supposed to be a mafia retelling of Beauty and the Beast, but apart from the Stockholm syndrome, there isn't much resemblance.

The romance is weird and the only purpose of the MMC is to fill his huge ego with a twist of "I must protect her because she's mine". It's a bit icky, with no respect for the FMC.

I like how she transforms during this whole ordeal, and I think that's refreshing compared to other books.

All in all, it's not my cup of tea, but I'm sure there are people out there that would love this kind of dark romance

A Bedtime Story by L.C. Moon was a different take on Beauty and the Beast. I enjoyed it very much. I found I like mafia-ish tropes... who knew.

Thank you netgalley for this ACR.

So, what the eff did I just read? This was the weirdest, worst rendition of beauty and the beast? I guess? Because she’s his captor and he’s supposed to be this beast of a man because of what he does for a living. But, really it’s because he slaps her, and sleeps with other women while she’s “getting over things”. And the stories within the story? I get it’s supposed to be like symbolic, but it was just bad. And not well written? Like the email of this idea you have for a book that you send to an editor but didn’t even finish the full outline or first draft? It’s just. Really odd and bad?

A Bedtime Story (Beauty Meets the Beast) offers a unique twist on the classic tale, presenting a sad yet fitting ending for its imperfect protagonists. Departing from the traditional narrative, it emphasizes the transformative impact of the Beast on Beauty, rather than the other way around. Despite being the author's debut novel, the story captivates with its unnerving and raw portrayal, leaving a lasting impression without relying on clichéd cliffhangers. However, I found myself disconnected, as the lack of emotional depth and familiarity of mafia tropes dulls the narrative. Yet, for those seeking a poignant exploration of resilience amidst tragedy, this novel is a compelling and thought-provoking read.

I mostly enjoyed the story, overall. I was surprised that it kept my attention the entire time as the beginning was a bit off to me for some reason. Then we get to the ending, which in my opinion - was super rushed.

Knowing where it was going from a mile off, I was not surprised with the outcome, the ending was anti-climactic because this was written with a Part II in mind.

The point of view changes made me remove a star as it was inconsistent, and I really don't think they were necessary.

Will I read Part II - nope, the character build didn't pull me in that much - so I won't lose any sleep not knowing what is going to happen next (that and I feel I already know....)

Wanting a interesting twist on beauty and the beast, this is the book for you. While I don’t normally go for mafia romances this was good!

I love fairytale retellings, especially spicy ones, and this does not disappoint! This pushes the boundaries and is a lot of fun.
Thank you to netgalley for this eARC!

This is one hell of a beauty and the beast retelling... Far from your Disney princess fairytale, definitely check the trigger warnings on this one. Think Beauty with loads of childhood trauma and Beast as a Russian mob boss who is really into kink... I read it in a day but I'm still not sure how I feel about it. Definitely not a HEA for this story and a lot of will they won't they for the majority of the book, it was somehow both a lot and still kinda felt like not much happened?

I’m not sure how to rate this book, to be honest. There were parts that I liked but overall I didn’t really care too much for the main characters. Especially not Laura. Her character personality didn’t seem consistent through the story.

I found the first few chapters to capture my attention but eventually had to really force myself to push through which may just be a *me* problem.

I do see where people come from when they say it’s not a retelling because this is definitely not a retelling. There are some elements pulled from the fairytale (mainly the Stockholm syndrome I guess?) but this is much darker.

Why is it sorrowful but promising a good sequel ahead?!

This book is about Laura Spencer who entered the underworld against her will because of her brother and then ended up being her capturer's lover. I love how we can see Laura grew as a person who can better adapt to her new environment I can't bear the plot twist to be honest with you, I skimmed through the chapter that hurts the most🤣 and I hate that we need to wait for New Year 2025 to get our (deserved) sequel *if I'm not mistaken. Despite that, I think we get the promise of a good story after this book. I hope Laura can successfully carry out her plan (if you know you know) and I heartily hope a certain someone will surprise us well (if you know you know).

Additionally, I felt a bit bummed about the third person POV because we already know everything and for me this book added too much information about additional characters, but the author managed to shocked me enough through the plot twist so I don't really mind.
Initially, I felt stressed because why added more trouble when we are nearing the end of the book?! But then I remembered that this is not a standalone and the author provided information about this book ending in a cliffhanger.
Also this book is very fast paced, the plot, character growth, and everything.
The male lead also gave hot and cold treatments towards our female lead, I noticed throughout the years of reading this kind of trope that if it doesn't execute precisely it could end up badly, but the author successfully executed the hot and cold trope, lifting us high📈 and then bring us down HARD📉 without leaving us annoyed and bothered at the end.

Let's pray that we won't get any cliffhanger on the second book (but I teeny tiny doubt that because we have the third book and long interval between the second and third book release date so we have to prepare ourselves but we can hope right?!😋)

P.S. if you want to view the spoiler bits from this review, head out to my goodreads review page here https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6388281688

Not only does this offer the romance aspect, it also offers the exploration of two broken souls and how their interactions forever alters their fate. I couldn't stop thinking about the characters after I had finished. This is the first book in an installment and I can't wait for the next one to come out.

4/5 stars

This was an interesting twist on beauty and the beast. While I don’t normally go for mafia romances this was good!

A Bedtime Story
October 31, 2023
4/5 Stars

I devoured this book! It was a nice take on the mafia/organized crime romance trope - which I’m usually not a fan of, but I really enjoyed getting to know these characters. I think in the sequel, we will get a look at Laura’s dark side and that’s exciting!

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!