Title: Bella and the Beast
Series: Cinderella Sisterhood #4
Author: Olivia Drake
Genre: Regency Romance, Historical Romance
Published: November 3, 2015
Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperback
My Rating: 3 stars
Source: NetGalley
Cover Description:
OF ALL THE FABLED TREASURES
Bella Jones feels like a fish out of water in civilized England. Raised abroad by her explorer father, she’s amused by the very proper manners of the nobility. Nevertheless, to save her younger siblings from ruin, she must infiltrate a ducal household in order to find the map to an ancient treasure trove. Alas, the haughty, handsome duke stands in her way…unless she can tame his beastly temper, that is.
THE MOST PRECIOUS ONE IS LOVE
Miles Grayson, the Duke of Aylwin, prefers antiquities to, well, everything else. Especially prying females with their irksome questions. But Bella’s blue eyes and beguiling smile are improbably charming, and the temptation of her kiss is impossible to resist. As the pair is swept into a mystery that reaches back to their childhoods, Miles realizes that Bella has made the rarest discovery of all-the key to his heart…
Read on for my thoughts on Bella and the Beast. No true spoilers, promise.
It’s amazing what kind of adventures a pair of magic slippers can get you into. Bella has raised her twin siblings practically from birth. With her father’s recent death come a lot of additional responsibilities and challenges. Most importantly how to keep them out of the poor house. Her love of history is a marketable ability, so with a little help she makes her way to a job that fits perfectly with the plan to find hidden treasure. Treasure that is partially her’s. Only trouble is, she has to find it before she can lay claim to it.
Bella and the Beast is an enjoyable romance that is slightly an adventure story and slightly a retelling of the beauty and the beast legend. I enjoyed the story but I also had some major issues with the hero. I simply could not like this arrogant, insufferable piece of the nobility. Did he soften a bit from when I first met him? Yes, in many ways he did. Yet… for me I could not like him and that colored the entire story. When I cannot relate to the characters it changes my reaction to the story they are telling me.
If you enjoy a whirlwind adventure mystery story set in an Historical Romance timeframe then Bella and the Beast is a story that you will want to pick up.
I received an e-ARC of Bella and the Beast from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. That does not change what I think of this novel.*
Available in paperback and for the Kindle
