Review: A Twist on Beauty and the Beast
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 06 12, 2013
Lord Draven Winthrop is cursed and each full moon he changes to a werewolf. His wife, Isabella is also cursed but she is the recipient of an Egyptian curse. Together this ill-fated pair must try to forge ahead with their marriage.Beauty and the Wolf is a fairy tale in the gothic style. It's set in the spooky Thorncliff Towers and contains an assortment of characters to compliment the setting. There's the evil mother, the faithful valet and the memory challenged father plus the visiting gypsies who all play a part in the developing plot.Draven and Isabella blow hot and cold. One minute they're billing and cooing and the next minute Isabella is threatening to run off to London or actually haring off to London. I found her a bit wishy-washy. She desperately wanted a child yet she ran from her husband at every opportunity. I understand that she was scared but it didn't quite work for me. On the other hand, I did like Draven who has lived most of his life feeling unwanted and full of remorse. He desperately wants the curse to end with him, yet he wants Isabella happy too.The plot is full of the usual gothic tropes - a poisoning, a missing necklace, sightings of the wolf and secret passages plus the two curses. I enjoyed the way the author tied up the plot strands at the end.This is a nice tale and a good way to while away time - preferably during a stormy night to make the most of the gothic setting in Beauty and the Wolf.Three starsThis book was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.