WOW!!!! Booktok is going to looooove this one! I couldn’t stop listening. I was hooked from the first minute! The narration was wonderful. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this audiobook.

I love listening to a good dark romance, but this one wasn’t for me. I liked the idea of a modern dark romance Beauty and the Breast retelling. Unfortunately, the connection between the characters wasn’t there. I also like both of the narrators separately (other than the male narrator trying to do a female voice), but I didn’t feel a synergy in their narration. The writing seemed really choppy and didn’t keep me engaged. It pains me to give such a low rating, but I want to stay true to myself and my rating scale. Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for giving me the opportunity to listen to this audiobook by providing me with an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I’m so sorry I couldn’t get on with this.
The main characters didn’t flow right there wasn’t much chemistry.

The narrations from the MMC was quite bad I think he would have come across so much better with a different narrator maybe.

I do think for a dark romance the story is definitely there and could be there possibly another round of edits and consideration of a different male narrator and this could be so much better.

I’m so sorry

Thank you Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review

Beauty and the Beast meets dark romance—all bark with extra smut and sass!

Captured Beauty has all the classic elements of my favorite fairy tale princess story: prisoner trapped in a lavish castle (lavish house.) Roses galore, a "beastly" captor, and a prisoner's-to-lovers vibe that makes your Kindle and/or Cheeks blush. The only downside? No talking teapots or sassy candelabras to lighten the mood. The dishes in this castle are strictly decorative, and they’re not helping anyone clean up. (No, it didn't affect my rating; it's only my humor showing. Lol)

Meet Kairus, our beast—growly, broody, territorial type, and the kind of man who, if you dared to hug him, would feel like embracing the thorniest rose in the garden. Definitely not the guy you’d want to owe money to.

Then we have Azeira, our prisoner, thanks to dear old dad, who couldn't repay his debts. She got the one-way ticket to Kairus massive estate, where the sexual tension builds enough to snap a chandelier chain. C'est magnifique!

Azeira isn't one to take her imprisonment lying down (unless Kairus has anything to say about it, wink). She struts around his castle, chatting with the staff while driving Kairus up the stone walls. He’s not used to anyone poking at his grumpy exterior, and the more she does, the more “beastly” he becomes. He's territorial with a "don't touch what's mine."

Captured Beauty is perfect for dipping your toes into dark romance. It’s not too heavy on the darkness—think more along the lines of shadows—but it’s brimming with the alpha we all secretly love.

My only qualm? While the sexual tension and smut are c'est magnifique, there’s a bit of a missing link I would have loved. Kairus and Azeira stay true to their characters, which is great, but I wanted more of that deep, human connection. There was only a touch of it. One thing also left me scratching my head: where did the money come from? Did Lumière hand him some enchanted stacks? I guess we’ll never know. (IUKUK, once you read Captured Beauty. Lol)

A Disappointing Experience

I was intrigued by the premise of Captured Beauty by Tay Mo’Nae. The Beauty and the Beast – trope can be a fascinating exploration of complex characters and emotional growth, but unfortunately, this audiobook fell short for me in several critical areas.

Captured Beauty ♦ Tay Mo’Nae - A Review

Opinion
First and foremost, the writing style didn’t resonate with me. It was bumpy and stiff, making it hard to get into the story. Sentences often felt disjointed, lacking the fluidity that allows a reader (or listener) to lose themselves in the narrative. Instead of being immersed in the world or the characters’ emotions, I found myself repeatedly pulled out of the story by awkward phrasing or abrupt transitions. This was particularly disappointing because the premise had the potential for a much deeper and more engaging execution.

The characters themselves were another significant weak point. They felt vaguely developed, with little depth or nuance. As a result, I struggled to connect with them or care about their journey. The heroine’s transformation from captive to someone who falls for her captor felt rushed and unconvincing, and the hero’s supposed duality — a beast to others but tender to her — never fully came through in a meaningful way. Without a strong emotional anchor, the story lacked the impact it seemed to aim for.

The dynamic between the two main characters, which should have been the heart of the story, felt forced rather than natural. Their interactions lacked the organic development that makes a romance compelling. Instead of a gradual build-up of tension and affection, their relationship seemed to jump from one stage to another without sufficient groundwork. This left me feeling more frustrated than invested in their love story.

The narrators did their best to bring the story to life, and I could tell they put effort into their performances. However, even a talented narrator can only do so much when the writing lacks some polish and flow. Despite their efforts, the stiff writing style made it hard for them to elevate the material.

Conclusion
Overall, Captured Beauty had potential, but the execution left a lot to be desired. A more polished writing style, deeper character development, and a more natural relationship dynamic could have turned this into a gripping and emotional tale. Instead, it fell flat, leaving me disappointed and unengaged. I gave it two stars because the narrators tried their best and the premise was intriguing, but this wasn’t the experience I was hoping for.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I really liked this.

I am not surprised that I liked it, but I don't always fully enjoy dark romance, but this one worked for me.

Azeria and Kairus were such a great time. It was definitely dark and I appreciated how their relationship developed. The Beauty and the Beast retelling was excellent and I am so happy that there is more dark romance in the Black romance sphere.

The narratores Tamika Antoinette and Myles Washington did an amazing job, and I really enjoyed them brining these characters to life.

Thank you to Netgalley and RB Media for an audio copy.

Captured Beauty is a dark and twisted retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Azeriah is supposed to be a placeholder until her father can repay his debts. Everyone else sees Kairus as a ruined man who will go to any extreme to get back what is owed to him. While being held captive Azeriah learns of all the torture Kairus was forced to endure as a child. She grows to understand his ways and cannot stop falling for him.

Both narrators did a phenomenal job portraying the characters.

3 ⭐️ Super dark and toxic beauty and the beast retelling in modern day. Beast is a moneylender and Beauty’s dad owes him money. So much money that Beast kidnaps his daughter as collateral. Quickly he develops an obsession for her.

I wasn’t really feeling the odd connection they had for the first half. The second half I was slightly more convinced but their relationship was still lacking. I did like all the callbacks to the original story such as the use of the names (Beauty and Beast), the library, the rose, the chipped tea cup, and the yellow dress and blue suit.

The FMC audio was great but the narrator who voiced the MMC wasn’t my favorite. I would’ve liked it better if they used the female narrator for Azeira’s lines during the Beasts chapters. He did not make a convincing female voice. He also made her sound really whiny but during her chapters she wasn’t whiny at all.

Captured Beauty was everything I didn’t know I needed in a dark romance retelling. As a fan of
Beauty and the Beast, this version went far beyond the typical tale, diving into shadows and twisted desires that kept me hooked. Tay Mo’Nae didn’t just rewrite a fairytale, she reinvented it with raw intensity and depth.

Kairus Navarro, better known as Beast, is exactly what his name implies: dangerous, possessive, and deeply damaged. His upbringing left scars that shaped him into the enigmatic antihero we can’t help but feel for. On the other hand, Azeira Marks, the quiet girl with an undeniable inner light, is the perfect foil for Beast’s darkness. When her father’s debt brings her into Beast’s world, their connection ignites, and what unfolds is a captivating push and oull of control, vulnerability, and raw emotion.

What I loved most about this story was the way Azeira and Beast transformed each other. Azeira’s journey from the girl who always faded into the background to someone who fully owned her desires was incredibly satisfying. Beast, for all his cryptic and unhinged behavior, found a kind of redemption through her, though not in the traditional sense. Their love wasn’t soft or simple, but it was real and deeply consuming.

This isn’t just a retelling, it’s an experience. And the audiobook takes it to an entirely new level. If you love morally grey characters, tension that keeps you on edge, and a romance that’s as dark as it is addictive, it's a must read/listen. I’ll be thinking about Azeira and Beast for a long time, and hoping for more.

Thank you to dreamscape media and netgalley for a AlC in exchange for a honest review.

This one was Ok. The writing style was very different than what I am used to. The plot was kind of basic. It didn't really wow me. But I didn't hate it. It just felt like I had read it before, not memorable.

As for the audio, I loved the female narrator, she did an excellent job of portraying the emotions and attitude of the fmc. As for the male narrator he was Ok, I didn't really love his voice, I had to put it at 2.5 speed because of him but it wasn't horrible.

Captured Beauty by Tay Mo'Nae is an incredibly dark retelling of Beauty and The Beast.

The main characters, Kairus and Azeria, had a very uncomfortable dynamic. Honestly, I got 70% of the way through listening to the audiobook and couldn't bring myself to finish it. It just seemed too unrealistic to me and couldn't imagine how Kairus could change to truly love Azeria which left me feeling finishing the book was pointless. This story was so dark and cringey at times and left me feeling icky and tense after listening to it. I didn't hate this book though. I'm sure there are readers out there who would love this but I don't know anyone I would personally recommend this book to. Overall, just wasn't my jam and couldn't really get into it.

The narrators weren't bad, except when the male narrator tried to do Azeria's voice, it was awkward.

This was so good a dark beauty and the beast retelling this was dark violent and steamy this author is new to me this is the second book i have read by her and she's brilliant

I really had high hopes for this book. I love anything beauty and the beast and adding a dark romance element just sounded divine. The end result fell flat though. An attempt was made at a morally black beast. I’m not sure how to describe Belle in this instance. The plot was very choppy like reading Swiss cheese. Many of the scenes felt incomplete, the character would be doing one thing and next sentence something completely different and unrelated and it was confusing. The spicy scenes didn’t work out very well either. I feel if a lot of these holes were better fleshed out and more detail and character building was added it would be a much better book. Now onto the narrators. The female narrator was ok, the male narrator just sounded rushed like he was trying to read through it as fast as possible. I had to slow it down to .75 to even understand what he was saying, not much in the way of voice acting either. I really tried to like this book and I gave it 3 stars because a valiant effort was made, but it wasn’t for me.

The story flowed well and the characters were well developed. I recommend this book and look forward to more from this author.


****Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review****

Excellent narration!

I think I am officially a super fan of tay monae. Captured beauty has such a talent for storybuilding. She uses such relatable themes and weaves in the magic of romance book right in there as well.
The steamy scenes in this book were so dang good as well. I love a MMc that knows how to treat a woman in and out of the bedroom!

Captured Beauty is my first book from this author and even though I listened to the audiobook I enjoyed this retelling story of Beauty and the Beast with a dark twist a lot. I don't want to give anything away, but I will say that this story kept me captivated from start to finish. It was interesting with the dark twist to it, and I thought it was a very well-written story with the narrators doing a fantastic job with the characters that you will both love and dislike. Kairus possessiveness was what Azeira desired and loved when it came to her and if it worked for her character in this story, I was here for it and their ending left me satisfied. This story definitely left me looking forward to more books from this author.

Thank you to Tay Mo'Nae, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for an advanced listener copy of Captured Beauty in exchange for an honest review!

I usually LOVE dark romance, but this book was not for me.

A few things I struggled with:

There was very little build up of attraction between the MMC being a violent jerk the MMC and FMC falling for each other. There didn't seem to be a lot of s*xual tension or actions which would instigate one person falling for the other. Instead, the FMC and MMC just each thought the other was hot and decided to ignore all the sick twisted sh*t the MMC did.

I usually expect the writing for dark romance to be.... not great. It is incredibly hard to write quality dark romance that doesn't cross the line into too cheesy, twisted, or unbelievable. I found a lot of the word usage was repetitive. (i.e. The author used the word orbs in place of eyes a solid 10 times). The story was also hard to believe because the MMC did basically nothing to win the FMC's affection other than being good looking. He treated her poorly the entire time they were together.

Normally I love Myles Washington as a narrator, but in this book he didn't really do it for me. I think part of it was the writing. Tamika Antoinette did a wonderful job.

This was is a 1.5/5 for me - rounded up.

This was an take on beauty and the beast. It was a dark retelling with a lot of spice. I didn't feel an insane amount of chemistry between the characters, and the plot felt quite slow. But it was a good read overall And the general story keeps you hooked enough throughout. If I could give a half rating, I had to give a 3.5 stars If I could give a half rating, I had to give a 3.5 stars

The 2 stars are for the narrators.

I didn't feel any chemistry between the characters. I enjoyed dark romance and morally gray/black characters, but I feel as if the MMC wasn't redeemable in this story. When he literally left her chained so long to the bed she peed herself.

This is a dark romance Beauty and the Beast retelling. I liked the twist on Beauty and the Beast and how Azeira and Karius ended up in that dynamic. I also enjoyed the pacing of the story and the spicy scenes were intense.

As a dark romance this was good, however I don't think it was really for me. The characters have good sexual chemistry but there was little to no romance. I'm also not a big fan of knife play or blood play which are in this book a lot. I didn't like how violently possessive Karius was even after his and Azeira's relationship progressed, but I suppose that fits his character. ALSO he never said i love you back to Azeira????? How rude

At the end of the book it almost seemed that Azeira was suffering from major Stockholm syndrome but I can't fault her for that too much since that is the nature of their relationship, captor and captive.

The narrators were good and I liked that this was dual pov. I enjoyed the narration for Azeira more than Karius, but both narrators expressed the personalities of their characters well.

Overall, I appreciate that the book is strictly dark romance. It wasn't really for me but I would still read other books from this author since I liked the writing!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this audiobook in exchange for my honest review!