Posted on  23/12/2019 15:58:12

My rating: 4 magic stars!

A lovely and refreshing take on the classic Beauty and the Beast fairy tale. This time, set in a magical version of Regency England, where unicorns are ridden by the high society and scandals abound, especially the magical kind.


Rosalie Klampton is the daughter of a naval admiral. Her father has never been right after his head wound during the battle of Trafalgar, and only Rosie’s determination has kept her family together and out of the poor house. Because of her father and some very old and ugly torn curtains he tore down to make her a dress, Rosie finds herself in service to the elusive earl of Warnwick to work off her father's debt and smooth his 'affronted sensibilities'.

The fact that said earl has a maned cat's face and clawed animal limbs doesn't really phase Rosie. After all, for the first time in far too long she is now able to properly provide for her father and sisters with the generous salary she is now given. Taking a position in the manor of the Beast is by far the best thing that has happened to her and she is determined to make the most of it.

No one knows who cast the spell turning Lord Warnwick into a beast and none of the magical scholars in England were able to figured out a way to break it. The scandal caused by his transformation, has ruined the earl's standing and he was forced to retreat out of the public eye. More importantly, forced to relinquish his influence on a very important vote regarding naval funding.

Grateful for her job and true to her upbringing, Rosie sees herself not as a servant, but as the earl's first lieutenant and comes up with a plan.

"I am an admiral's daughter. That is exactly what I'm planning. A war for your image and standing, and like any sea battle, we need to gain the weather gage before we can swoop in for the kill."
"What is that kill?"
"We shoot for the waterline, of course. In other words, where it counts."

What exactly the plan entails and how it all unfolds, you're going to have to read this to find out. But know that it includes fainting beauties and allergic attacks, unicorn rides, a more or less mad scheme and quite a bit of magic.

I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this short novella and highly recommend it to all fairy tale retelling fans out there.

It is refreshingly original, funny, endearing and absolutely charming. So go ahead and give it a try. You have nothing to loose, especially as it's Free for Email Subscribers to Tara Grayce's Newsletter.

Happy reading Bookdragons.

Check out this book and more of Tara Grayce over at taragrayce.com