Beauty of a Monster: Seduction by Eleanor Lloyd-Jones & Katie Fox
Publication date: May 2nd 2017
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Book Trailer
Synopsis:
A house filled with well-kept secrets.
A delicate balance of order and control.
A story of a life ripped apart by grief and blame...
... and the whirlwind of color and optimism who turns his existence upside down...
... with the strength of her love.
(I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.)
With her father’s health getting worse and their financial trouble rising, Josephine Bell’s only remaining choice is to take over her father’s position at Wildridge Manor. With her new job, the one thing she was told from the get-go was to stay out of Mr. Marshall-Croft’s way. Sounds easy, right? Not as easy as she had hoped it would be. How can she keep her job if she constantly runs into him? There’s no question. She needs this job. She’ll just have to do better. But why does she feel so drawn to him?
This retelling of Beauty and the Beast has exceeded my already high expectations! I loved the modern twist and the gradual romance was perfectly done. They would slowly realize their attraction towards one another and once they were finally together, I loved who they were as a couple. They seem to be exactly who the other one needs, though one of them might not realize it right away. There are moments throughout that just break your heart and make you wonder what must have happened to have pained the character so much. These are the kind of scenes that keep you reading and wanting more, no matter how heart breaking they might be. You root for these characters and you only hope that William can one day find the good that Joey’s trying to share with him and that it’s enough for him to let go of the many demons that plague him.
This is such a wonderful book and to make the experience that much better, the authors have even included song titles at the beginning of every chapter. If you want the full experience, I highly suggest listening to the songs that are listed because they really set the mood of the story.
I recommend Beauty of a Monster wholeheartedly to anyone who loves a good Beauty and the Beast retelling and who loves a good romance. Believe me when I say that after this cliffhanger, you will be pre-ordering the next installment in a heart beat the moment it's announced!
I give this beautiful book a 5 out of 5 feathers!
EXCERPT:
Beauty of A Monster: Seduction (Beauty of A Monster Duet, #1)
Text Copyright © 2017 Eleanor Lloyd-Jones & Katie Fox
All Rights Reserved
Will’s words flew through the air as fast as the snowball had soared, and the second Joey recognized the serious tone that accompanied them, she froze, panic in her eyes as she realized Will was between her and the safety of the house. Her only other option was to run off into the darkness of the grounds, and there was no chance of that happening. A split second decision had her hauling arse towards the corner of the building, hoping to God she could get past him fast enough.
The moment she set off running, Will stepped to the side and reached out his arm in an attempt to grab her, but she was too fast. Her nimble frame dodged and twisted to the side leaving his fingers grasping at nothing but thin air. Annoyance had him turning around, his arms lifting into the air and his hands clasping on top of his head, his eyes closing.
Only a moment slipped by, though, before his stubbornness took a hold of him and he in turn set off running, watching as her tiny body disappeared around the corner, an extreme feeling of Deja vu filling his mind.
Why was he always chasing her?
A strange rush of adrenaline surged through him as his wide strides found him at the door only a second or two behind her, and the jingle of female laughter, laced with playful fear, wafted through the gap and into the winter air sending a tingle of undefined lust down his spine.
Goddamn her.
Eleanor Lloyd-Jones
Raised in a little village in North Wales, a fierce love of books and reading was instilled in me by my parents from a very early age, and I have vivid memories of reading secretly under the blankets with a torch for hours after lights out, often getting caught! I was blown away by the Borribles Trilogy - Michael De Larrabeiti at nine years old, and it was then that I fell head over heels with the idea of imaginary worlds.
A persistent and professional daydreamer, something I still pride myself on being, I spent most of my early childhood inside my own head making up stories or scenarios, climbing trees, building dens or doing anything 'arts and crafts'.
Music also played a huge part of my young life. Growing up on The Beatles, U2 and Status Quo, my obsession with Top of the Pops and vinyl twelve inches grew into a love affair with music that has only expanded over time: there is rarely a moment where music is not playing in my life, and in turn, rarely a time when I am not singing, even if it is only in my head!
I had always thought I would write a book some day—it has been an ambition for as long as I can remember—and I have always been told that I 'have a way with words'. Over the years, I've dabbled in the odd piece of prose, helped friends to write letters and résumés and I pride myself on her hilarious lyrical genius when composing poems for friends' birthdays! ;)
Life, however, got in the way and my dream was stored on the back burner as I put myself through university and started a family. It was only when I was nearing the ‘forty’ milestone that I decided it was time I got some of the ramblings and chatterings in my head down on paper.
A creative mum of one boisterous boy, I class myself as a Yorkshire gal now after moving to Leeds when I was eleven. I work full time as a teacher, but I grab every spare minute I can to write, be it on the train to work or by foregoing sleep for an extra hour or two in the evenings.
My hope for the future is for people to fall in love with my characters as much as I do. Not a big ask really!
Katie Fox
Katie Fox was born in Florida and raised in Pennsylvania, where she still resides with her gamer husband and four-year-old son. An avid reader and hopeless romantic, she is a sucker for a good love story. When not found with her nose buried in a book, she's usually spending time with her family or in her writing cave, giving life to the voices in her head.
Since a very young age, writing has been her passion.
Author Links:
EleanorKatie