Brendan & the Beast

by Fox Beckman

BookLife's Best Romances of 2024

Brendan just wants to save his sister. Their fool of a father promised her to some "fearsome beast" in a magic castle, but since there's no such thing as magic or talking beasts, Brendan sets off to see this strange man for himself. Surely he'll be reasonable.

Beast has been trapped for so long that he's nearly given up all hope of ever undoing his curse. So when an unwelcome guest turns his life upside down, Beast can't get rid of him soon enough. Too bad the castle has other ideas.

A spellbinding tale of magic, wit, and slow-burn passion, Brendan & the Beast is an M/M fairy tale that celebrates the redeeming power of love—and more importantly, self-acceptance.

Genres: Fantasy, LGBT, Romance, Fairy Tales, M M Romance, Magic, Monster Romance

326 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 24, 2023

About the author

Fox Beckman is an author with a penchant for spicy stories about swords, sorcery, and smooching. Her books feature strong, nuanced characters that interrogate the status quo and subvert expectations. A member of both the Loft Literary Center and the Author’s Guild, Fox lives in the Twin Cities with too many hobbies and a very patient spouse.

Reviews

[The Word Nerd Reviews Blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely retelling of Beauty and the Beast. This is not a modern twist, but embraces the era of the original tale.

Well written, it kept me engaged throughout, with a lovely ending.

A new to me author, but one I'd read again.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Beauty and the Beast retelling is that, but so much more. The writing here is elegant and lyrical which fits beautifully with the story and time period. Brendan and the Beast are deep and fascinated MCs - you root for them, but don't always agree with their decisions. Especially the Beast. What a beautiful soul Brendan is to see past some of the bravado to the fear of rejection beneath the fur and fangs.

I adored the bickering and banter of Brendan and the Beast! They were challenging and humorous and stubborn - and so much fun to read about.

"Stop giving him things!" Beast howled at the empty air. "He is not a guest!"...
"I won't be any trouble."
"You already are trouble!"

They fight each other, yet they fight for each other. It's a true friendship that sparks, one which the Beast has never experienced. He has become so accustomed to the loneliness, that he is afraid to break free from it. Thank goodness Brendan is a stubborn mule and refuses to leave him wallowing in it.

And once the friend blooms into more, the Beast is fragile and naïve, needing Brendan's special form of gentleness to ease him forward into his feelings. This is a sweet and sexy book - it does not skirt around the physical parts of their relationship, but doesn't describe them harshly or hurriedly, but with the beauty and emotion that the moments call for.

This book is gorgeous and glorious - it deserves praise and to be devoured by readers everywhere! This is a 5/5 star read for me. I truly enjoyed it and did not want it to end!

[Terri · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF. Stopping just shy of halfway in, being tired of the slow pace and in no mood to endure what promises to be just as slow a courtship. The prose is good, the worldbuilding is good, but the pace is glacial. If you're in the mood for it, this is your tale!

The problem for me with fairy tale retellings as romance stories is that I know not just how they'll end but how they'll get there (more or less) as well. Not much can be a surprise, which is why I rarely give one a try. The one twist here is it's m/m. It turned out not to be enough, for me.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This retelling of Beauty And the Beast leaves me with all the good feelings the animated disney movie did. I was going through a rough time when I read this and it still made me laugh out loud when I was sure it wasn't possible

Beast grows and changes through the story and it’s great to see Brendon stand up for himself and surprise Beast. I loved the way the magic worked and affected the castle.

I’ve never read anything by the author before and I can’t believe it. I loved this I’m going to have to check out everything else the author has written

[Chené Van der Merwe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went into this book expecting a surface level retelling, however was blown away by the complicated characters, enjoyable plot and mr Beast and his issues.

The writing threw me for a loop at the start as I was expecting a more urban fantasy retelling - however this was written as a historical romance and honestly I'm not complaining. Once I got used to it, I found it easy to follow and a quick read.

The characters were fun, the plot engaging and I loved exploring the world and it's magic system. The tension had me on the edge of my seat and my favourite plot device (the third act breakup) was used to it's fullest extent.

~ A definite recommend ~

[nic✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is what every Beauty and the Beast retelling wants to be.

This is one of the most well done beauty and the beast retellings that I have ever read, and I’ve read a lot of them. Some might say i’m obsessed even.

From the very beginning I was instantly hooked and could not put this book down. The magnitude of emotions I felt while reading this should be legal. There is absolutely no reason why I should be giggling one second and clutching my heart the next, but for some reason, with this book, I only wanted more.

It was absolute perfection. The push and pull, the tension, the ANGST, I could not stop devouring this masterpiece. Whenever I think of how I want a B&TB retelling to go, this is probably the best i’ve ever seen done.

This is going on my best of 2023 and favorites shelf. Absolutely 10/10 stars if there was a way.

I am absolutely honored to be able to have read an ARC of this book courtesy of gay romance reviews and this is
my honest opinion.

[Joyfully Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Joyfully Jay review.

4.5 stars

Brendan and the Beast is a retelling of the classic fairytale Beauty and the Beast. Author Fox Beckman retains so many of the hallmarks of the tale—a cursed prince, a stolen rose, an unwilling captive, enemies-to-lovers, and true love. Beckman places a delightful focus on the relationship between Beast and Brendan; I ravenously read page after page, eager to see how these two would slip from captive and captor to lovers. This medium works so well for showcasing how the dynamic between the two shifts. There is the eerie mystery of Brendan discovering magic is real and very much at work in Beast’s castle. There is Beast slowly rediscovering what it means to feel anything that isn’t simple animal instinct. And eventually, there is a delicious slow burn romance. I devoured the little tells of romantic attraction and the slow, gentle physical tokens of affections. And perhaps the most intimate scenes are rather flowery in their description, the language of discovering passion hiding as much as it reveals. But for me, this was a rare treat where I truly preferred this more subtle approach to two characters exploring their physical connection.

Read Camille’s review in its entirety here.

[Saskia Veldhuis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like fairytale retellings and this one is exceptionally good. Brendan is a beautifully written character, full of depth. Beast really had a hard struggle which wasn't just solved. I loved the twists around sister Beauty and the sorcery. The historical setting was fascinating. It is also most definitely an adult version, with a bi-awakening included.
I received a complimentary copy of this book and am happy to leave a voluntary review.

[DJO · Rating 3 out of 5]

Been a minute since I finished this and things are foggy. Started strong, petered out. Pacing was off, dragged a lot at times. Was disappointed that the story didn't follow the usual formula of the fairy tale and Beast remained unchanged at story's end. Great writing, liked the characters, although don't know that I bought their chemistry.

[DLB2572 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting spin on the classic Beauty and the Beast. I really enjoyed the story. I even appreciated the twist with the end of Beast's curse.

I received an ARC and this is my unbiased opinion

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

His father has foolish promised his sister to the beast in the castle but he does not believe the beast is real so he goes to see them. He is shocked to find not only the beast is real but so is magic. Now he is trapped by the castle. This is a twist on beauty and the beasts. Brilliantly done

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another one has broken containment. And by another one I mean a story that began life on AO3.
The first few chapters, basically before Brendan’s POV is most prominent, is a slog and I don’t remember if it was originally because I…did not reread that part much.
As the old saying goes, I didn’t say it was good, I just said it delights me. I think I stand by that.

[Dumbledore11214 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reposted from DA
rendan just wants to save his sister.

Their fool of a father promised her to some "fearsome beast" in a magic castle, but since there's no such thing as magic or talking beasts, Brendan sets off to see this strange man for himself. Surely he'll be reasonable.

Beast has been trapped for so long that he's nearly given up all hope of ever undoing his curse. So when an unwelcome guest turns his life upside down, Beast can't get rid of him soon enough. Too bad the castle has other ideas.

A spellbinding tale of magic, wit, and slow-burn passion, Brendan & the Beast is an M/M fairy tale that celebrates the redeeming power of love—and more importantly, self-acceptance.

Review:

Dear Fox Beckman,

I love "Beauty and the Beast". I think it is my favorite fairy tale ever and I have read many retellings of it - both of m/m and not m/m variety. I think I first learned the story from the retelling by Russian writer Sergey Aksakov ( at the time I have read it I thought that was actually an original tale, but I eventually learned otherwise) and eventually I got acquainted with what I thought was an actual story and with the Disney movie and with the Broadway show. I can go on and on about how much I love this story and when a book buddy recommended this one and stressed that it was also very well written, of course I bought it right away.

Unfortunately I got distracted by something else and only read it now, but better late than never. I agree with my book buddy, I also think that the story was very well written.  I said it previously that every time when I get to see the story in front of my eyes, my appreciation for the writing grows even more, because I am not a very visual reader usually.

And here I saw the castle so well and the two main characters and two very annoying fishes ( yes, there is a talking fish, don't ask, just read !). I just wanted to stop and taste some sentences on my tongue, doesn't happen too often to me, really.  Also as usual, I am very hesitant to oversell the writing, because I start to panic that native English speakers will point to me that I missed this mistake and another mistake, but I really did quite enjoyed the language in this story.

M/m twist notwithstanding ( and I thought the writer made the change from Beauty to Brendan in a believable enough way), the story sticks quite close to the original one, and in places where the narrative changes a little bit, we see some clever call backs to what I think the original story was.  However, and I think this is also a testament to this author's talent, I think she went much deeper into the Beast and Brendan's personalities than original tale ever did. I think she made them more real and less fairy tale archetypes, if that makes sense. It makes sense in my head at least.

You ask, why the grade is almost perfect instead of perfect one?  I am going to put it in the spoiler since it is about the ending and there was something there I did not enjoy that caused me to drop half a point from my grade.

See, in this story while Brendan and Beast reunite at a critical point in the story and proclaim their love, Beast does not change back into handsome young fellow ( or whatever fellow he originally was many years ago) and I completely understand the theme of self acceptance author was drawing upon.

Indeed that young fellow does not exist anymore and for two hundred years at least Beast was in this body and at the end I guess he is accepting himself for who he is now and understands that Brendan accepts him for who he is.  I get it, really I do. At the same time though, the author chose to stick quite close to the original story and for that reason this reader will remember the original story while reading and would want same complete satisfaction at the end which I have had while reading original tale.  

In other words, I cannot forget that at the core this is still a fairy tale and I wanted a completely happy ending for it. Of course true love wins is a happy ending and I would not care if the Beast remained in that body or not as long as he was happy, except during the story the author mentioned at least  once for example that Beast in this body was uncomfortable sitting on the chair because of his misshapen legs OR that he was uncomfortable doing something with his hands because of his claws.  I don't want him in pain or uncomfortable basically and it felt as if author kind of left him in this situation.

Otherwise it was great.

Grade: B+

[Katriana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not your average retelling of beauty and the beast, and not just because it's mm. While there are components of the classic fairytale featured in this story, and done extraordinarily mind you, there are also things that are completely unique to this story.

Like talking Koi fish who are not coy, one tells truth and the other lies, but which on is which? That's the mystery that both of our MC's ponder. Among other things about the magical castle that seems to have a life of its own.

And the servants who can't be seen nor heard, but can do nothing but serve the living. Those are just of the things that make this story completely unique and doesn't compare to anything!

Brendan has three sisters, two of which are twins who only care about the finer things, then there is his younger sister Beauty, who is his favorite. She is his best friend, she would do anything for her, including going to see a beast he isn't sure actually exists. Or if it was just yet another lie that his father told him and his siblings.

Beast has been alone in his castle for over 200 years, the only thing to keep him company are his servants, cheeky fish, and his cast library. Until a stubborn, talented, smart, and outspoken man arrived at his castle, and found a place in his heart. Despite Beast trying to keep him out.

I... Am so sad that it's over! I was totally enraptured by this magical storytelling, the first chapter really grabbed hold of me and did not let go. I just had to keep reading!! And I did, and now it's over! This is the best book I've read so far this year, and I'm definitely going to be rereading it soon.

The slow burn was soo good, the tentative tender moments, the rage filled outbursts, the chittering Koi fish, the servants who made sure both Beast and Brendan had whatever they requested, the library full of vast books, the garden, and the music room, was done exquisitely well!! Along with the exceptional detail of the food! The storyline just flowed so effortlessly, it was like I was in a movie, witnessing all of what was written on the pages.

Beast and Brendan didn't get together right away, they had to work up to it, get to know each other better, their quirks, their darkest secrets, their greatest desires.. only then did they admit how they felt about each other.

I do wonder what happened to the fish, and the mystery was never solved, I feel unfulfilled! Haha.

I will not forget this story anytime soon, I highly recommend you to get this enchanting story yourself!

"And you... What? Twist people's lives into stories?" "I weave them" the sorceress corrected. Location 4360

*I received an early copy of this book and this is my honest review.*

[ancientreader · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's easy to forget that in Beauty and the Beast, the Beast is cursed to look like a monster because he is monstrous -- selfish, vain, and cruel. Remember that whole turning-the-poor-old-beggar-lady-away thing? Anyway, a pleasing aspect of Fox Beckman's take (besides the substitution of Brendan for his sister Beauty, who is originally slated by their father to become the Beast's captive) is that the Beast is, in fact, pretty unpleasant at the outset. So Brendan learns for himself on arrival at the enchanted castle.

Without spoiling any important revelations, I can also say that I liked the enchantress's meta-narrative and the way Fox Beckman treats the Beast's transformation after he's redeemed. There are also a number of lovely details -- Brendan bringing Beauty candles from the shop he works at, so that she can read at night; Brendan "over-thinking an issue for so long the offending problem had long gotten bored and wandered off of its own volition."

But, like so many independently published books, Brendan and the Beast suffers from a lack of copyediting: "meted punishments upon the wicked" instead of "meted out punishments to the wicked"; a horse is "heedless to" the branches he brushes past, when he should be heedless of them; a "vice-like grip" -- not to say vice can't take a grip on a person, but "vise" is wanted here; "the bite of late autumn chased the buds of herbs back into their shoots" (what??); and of course occasional continuity errors that a copy editor would have caught. (Beast orders that Brendan's horse be taken care of, but a few minutes later Brendan exits the castle to find the horse still standing in the rain. For that matter, the poor horse seems to spend an awful lot of time cooped up in his stall. Granted the snow is deep, but surely he could have the liberty of the otherwise empty stables? I kept worrying about this.) I'm not altogether sure that the Beast's timeline remains consistent throughout, nor am I 100% confident of the historical details. But this last is owing mainly to the usage and continuity errors, and I could be completely off base.

Look, this is a sweet story, and if you have a significant tolerance for errors of the kind I've described, you'll probably enjoy reading it.

Thanks to GRR for the ARC.

[Emily Hernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a thoughtfully re-imagined fairytale, and while this version of Beauty and the Beast stuck to the more traditional storyline, its characters were refreshingly revitalized. Instead of a bookish, beautiful girl trapped in the castle, her stubborn, curious brother went instead, and the Beast he met was just as fearsome as I expected him to be. Brendan's curiosity knew no bounds, and that more than anything was what drew Beast out of his shell. From music to gardens and stunning libraries, Beast's castle was full of marvels for Brendan to enjoy, and it was exciting to experience it all through his eyes and ears. With each passing day, Beast's stoic mask fell more and more, and over time I saw a warm companionship develop between the two of them. The fact that this retelling was set in the original time period of the fairytale made it much easier to believe how scandalous and forbidden the concept of two men together would be to Beast, and as a result their attraction was a simmering slow burn. I felt like I was waiting with bated breath for their steamy kisses to turn into something more, and the payoff was definitely worth the wait. By the time Brendan and Beast took their physical connection to the next level, I had already fallen head over heels for their emotional bond, and it made my whole heart ache to think that their love may not be enough to break the curse. I knew the two of them would be tested, but it still hurt to see their bond stretched to its limit and believe, for however brief, that love wouldn't be enough to save them. Thankfully this fairytale ended on a happy note, with Brendan and Beast free of their confinement, deeply in love, and exploring the world together.

**I voluntarily read an ARC of this book. This review expresses my honest thoughts and opinions.

[Brandyn {Nyn} · Rating 4 out of 5]

ᑭOՏᎥTᎥᐯᗴᒪY ... ᗴᑎᑕᕼᗩᑎTᎥᑎᘜ

"And you... What? Twist people's lives into stories?" "I weave them" the sorceress corrected.
{chpt 23}

This Beauty and the Beast retelling is that, and more; so much more than any other I’ve read!! The writing is elegant and lyrical which fits beautifully with this particular story and setting. Brendan and Beast are both deeply fascinating characters; you will cheer for them, while also not completely approving of their actions … especially the Beast. In the beginning, I was concerned that I wouldn’t like him at all. Brendan is a rare and yet believable character to have the audacity and tenacity to see through Beast’s shields and walls.

Og, the banter and bickering; one of my absolute number one favorite characteristics of any story. Brendan and Beast were challenging and humorous and stubborn; so very entertaining to read!!

"Stop giving him things!" Beast howled at the empty air. "He is not a guest!"

"… I won't be any trouble."

"You already are trouble!"

[borrowed from another reviewer who perfectly summarized my thoughts] 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒇𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓, 𝒚𝒆𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒇𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝑭𝑶𝑹 𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓. 𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒂 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒔, 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒅.

It is a slow burn relationship from enemies to friends to lovers to 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚. The moment that Beast acknowledges their friendship is the very moment that Brendan realizes he has truly fallen in love for the first time.

An absolutely beautiful story to be savored.

[Linda Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantasy retelling of Beauty & the Beast with a gay-for-him trope
I can never pass up a Beauty and the Beast plot. Never. It amazes me how authors can take the same story and put such new and unique spins on a time-honored tale. This book was like taking a tube ride along a meandering lazy river, slow but fun in a watchful way. It gains speed as it goes. Interesting ending. Different.
Brendan D’Aumale has been called home from university. His merchant father lost their wealth in a gamble. Their move to the country from their manor house was difficult for the older twin daughters, but not so for Beauty, the youngest. It looks like things will be changing for the family, but certainly not as expected. When Beauty decides to remedy the situation, Brendan steps in to keep her safe. When Brendan meets the fanciful “Beast” of their father’s description, things begin to change.
Like I said, this put a much different spin on the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale while at the same time almost matching the movie of a few years ago except for its ending. I enjoyed this book, but it seemed overly long. It was well-written, whimsical, and romantic. I volunteered to review an ARC of this book through Gay Romance Reviews.

[Siobhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Beauty and the Beast retellings – of all the retellings, they’re easily my favourite – yet I find them to be hit or miss. Some I adore and cannot put down. Others are so awkward that I find myself forcing my hands to turn the pages. Fortunately, Brendan & the Beast fell into the former category.

From the first page, Brendan & the Beast sucked me in. I was instantly curious about the story, eager to see the spin that would be put on the tale, and could not put it down. There was so much packed into the story, ensuring I remained curious about each detail, guaranteeing I continued to turn the pages at a rapid pace. I will be completely honest and say that I did feel like things moved a little slowly in the middle, but I was invested enough that I did not mind. I loved the characters and was hooked on the way things developed between them, unable to get enough of the unique twists on the classic tale.

Without a doubt, this is well worth the read if you’re a fan of Beauty and the Beast retellings. It’s a story with plenty to keep you hooked, and I’m certainly curious about what else the author offers.

[Bretton Coppedge · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to echo what a lot of over reviewers have said, this is pretty much a perfect mm retelling of Beauty and the Beast. It has what needed to be inverted and as well as many homages to the classic version that we know and love.

Brendan has all the parts of Belle that you love, his backbone, his love of books and family. He gives Beast a piece of his mind and eventually all the pieces of his heart. You'll want him to grasp onto whatever happiness that he's able to wrest for himself because he's willing to fight for want he wants.

Beast is perfectly beastly but also very tragic. He'll probably break your heart because he really isn't the prince anymore, he is the Beast and he has to come to terms with accepting that just as much as the readers.

I would highly recommend this book. I felt like a got to go on an adventure for a day. The writing style was perfect to convey a fairytale setting and I loved the inference of the narrator to tell us just how much the story was going awry.

[Janice Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! This was a retelling of the Beauty and the Beast fairytale, but with several differences. This book was very well-written and the characters were well-developed, complex, and genuine. Brendan was such a spit-fire, confident, and stubborn. Beast was grumpy and alone, but underneath, he was a beautiful, tender, lovely soul and so worthy of love. The connection and attraction was strong and obvious from the very beginning and as the story developed, their connection and chemistry grew stronger and more tender. It was a very slow burn romance and not many steamy scenes, but the ones that were included were well-written and hot. The story was very intriguing, kept my attention, and I could not put it down. I loved the epilogue, but it was surprising what happened after the curse was broken. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves to watch two men fall in love in a magical setting.

I received an ARC of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Nina Diab · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! I've always loved fairytales and Beauty and the Beast was one of my favorites. I've read other retellings that are very different from the original, but have parallels- which was enjoyable. But this story almost felt like hearing the same story but in an alternate universe where this would have been the true tale. It had a level of mystery to it with invisible, silent servants, and the castle, castle grounds, or surrounding forest having some kind of power/sentience in keeping Brendan there. I loved Brendan and the Beast. Their personalities were very well developed. Even the supporting characters like Brendan's father and sisters had strong personalities. I was completely hooked to this story from the start- eager to see where it would go and what changes- and parallels- it would have to the original tale. A fantastic read! This was the first book I've read by this author and I will definitely be reading more! 5 stars.

[Debby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brendan and the Beast was a beautifully done retelling of Beauty and the Beast with notable variations. Brendan has three sisters, one of whom is called Beauty. It is beauty that is wagered to the Beast by their father but Brendan goes instead, hoping the Beast will see reason. Beast wanted Beauty to come to him and want to get rid of Brendan but much to his dismay, he cannot seem to get rid of Brendan, mainly due to mysterious weather emergencies. The magical castle wants to keep Brendan where he is. And as time passes, the two find themselves spending time together.

This was very cleverly done. Being familiar with the original story, you can see the similarities and the differences. It made for pleasurable reading. The ending is perfect for these two. If you enjoy fairy tale retellings, then Brendan and the Beast will delight and enthrall.

[Juniper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lyrically written, creatively re-imagined version of Beauty & The Beast, one that leans way, way, into a slow burn, friends-first relationship trajectory that ultimately, I think, lets readers see the best in both characters. Brendan and the Beast are both strong personalities with deep feelings and it’s easy to care about *them,* if not to like all of their choices. The banter (ok, often arguing, but even that is banter adjacent) is electric, there’s care as well as chemistry between the characters, and whether you’re a fan of the fairytale or not, chances are you’ll find something to like about the way it’s woven into narrative here. 4.5 stars.

*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

[Sea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brendan and the Beast is a wonderful MM retelling of the fable we all know. I love how formidable Brendan's character is. The way he stays true to what he believes in. It's refreshing to see a character who takes a stand for himself. I love the fact the fact that the story is weaved literally against all odds. The character of beauty, the character of witch all are presented in a fascinating new light. It's not how it is crafted to be, but it does because there is no power greater than love. I absolutely love this notion. The writing is exceptionally beautiful and poetic throughout the book. However, it's the ending and it's surprising revelation that really add the cherry to the top. A must read for all fantasy lovers.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I don’t normally read fairytale retellings but I had to see what Beauty and the Beast as mm would be like. It was surprisingly good- it didn’t follow the story exactly there was actually a Beauty involved but supporting character only and there was kind of a twisty thumb your nose at conventional fairytale storylines that was a great. As for Brendan and his Beast the romance was a slow burn but their friendship growing into more seemed much more believable and there bond genuine. I enjoyed the epilogue as well and the glimpse of yet another untraditional ending for our fairytale characters. Overall well written and a fun read.

[Frances · Rating 5 out of 5]

YES!!!! One of my fav stories M/M style. I absolutely love this take on a classic where you get a more indepth look of the character. Sort of the like the backstory (especially for Brenden's father... they lying sob). I loved how the Beast was portrayed in this version, as we are able to see just how many layers he has and why he is the way that he is. The fish are such a good secondary character as they help along and provide some comedic relief. The best part about this story is the ending. Not the fact that it ended, but how it did with Beast fully embracing and being able to love himself as he truly is and how Brenden was able to show him.

I'm so glad that I picked this up!!

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mostly liked this retelling of the tale but a few things prevented me from giving it more stars. I liked the dialogue and the chemistry between Brendan and the beast. I liked that it was a slow burn - allowing us to get to know each other.

I noticed some odd things that didn't make sense such as the timeline. It wasn't really clear how much time has passed, or none at all. And some phrases were odd, as if the author was trying too hard to be historical.

I thought the ending was too abrupt. And the epilogue wasn't necessary. I've never liked time jumps and it doesn't add to the story here.

I would probably read this again and just ignore the inconsistencies.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the absolute pleasure of purchasing this book from the author herself at the MN Renaissance Festival. A fantastic choice as this tale as old as time has always been of interest to me, and this retelling captivated my every waking hour until the beautiful conclusion. The characterization of both Brendan and the Beast was impeccably written, along with the other cast of characters (including those unseen). The alterations of the original story blended seamlessly with the references to the animated version and married themselves beautifully with the additions to the story - truly nothing felt out of place. I certainly look forward to reading more from Fox Beckman.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up at a renaissance festival on a total whim, knowing nothing but it was a m/m beauty and the beast retelling, and was so pleasantly delighted by it! I loved the tie ins to the Disney and original story, and adored that instead of just replacing Brenden as the Beauty character, the author still has Beauty as her own character and Brenden as his own fleshed out character. Honestly sad we didn’t get more of the fish since they were such a fun foil.

Absolutely planning to read more from the author and definitely recommend this for anyone looking for a beauty and the beast retelling