Lord Beast

by Ashlyn Montgomery

Rhys Ashcroft unwillingly accepted the title his father left him at his demise and was forced to resume his duties in England. Devilishly handsome, Rhys was in high demand by the women of the ton and his cruel perceptions of external beauty left many broken-hearted and bitter. After a near-fatal accident disfigures his face, he isolates himself in Falmouth castle and many presume him dead.

Danielle Carmichael held no expectations to make a suitable match and happily accepted her fate as a spinster. She resides in the country with her aging relatives with the spires of Falmouth Castle piquing her curiosity. Despite her better judgment, she explores the castle one evening and meets the hostile stranger who therein resides, becoming drawn to his cloaked features and icy rebuttals. Determined to befriend the dark and mysterious stranger, she returns day after day only to be met by his callous disregard.

Can her determination to befriend him eventually thaw the coldness of his heart?

Set in Regency England, this is a heart-warming story of one girl's perseverance and one man's acceptance of change and fate.

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Beauty and The Beast, Regency, Historical Fiction, Fairy Tales

223 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 12, 2012

About the author

Ashlyn Montgomery resides in Johannesburg, South Africa. She completed her Bachelor of Arts at Rhodes University, majoring in English Lit and International Relations, with a few years of journalism here and there. Currently she teaches English and History to learners in a small private Catholic school.

She adores the outdoors and embarks on hikes as often as she can. Miss Montgomery harbours a love for her continent, Africa, and its many eccentricities, its weather and its people. When she is not exploring her beautiful country or educating unruly children, she is daydreaming, indulging her love of a good wine, or annoying her family and friends. Of course, she adores reading and (obviously) writing.

Her heroes are dreamy and her heroines hopelessly swept away by the men in their lives. Inspired by romance and (mostly) the decadence of Regency England, Miss Montgomery loves to lose herself in scandalous liaisons and smouldering biceps, manipulating the time with humorous twists of her own.

Reviews

[Preeti ♥︎ Her Bookshelves · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author has a very engaging, endearing style and her h is absolutely adorable with her fierce and fearless sweetness. But the book hits several bumps that pull it down to mediocrity.
The villain is too cartoonish - in every which way. Cannot believe this non-entity had the power to ruin the H's life twice over.
The h is so relatable. Unlike those who have devoured everything from Plato to Chaucer to Austen. ““Have you read all of these?”
She glanced around. “Some. But not all. Most of the time I’ll pick one up, read a few chapters, and then lose interest so I move on to something else.”

There are silly mistakes like - Miss Pennyworth becomes Lady Pennyworth after marriage?
Sad but the author has only 2 books published. Think she's come via Wattpad. I feel she would have done much better had she persisted.
Giving an extra star for the (lost) potential.

[Tanya Kaley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this novella and the writer has a very engaging style. The setting seemed real with authentic clues such as costume and attitudes and the conflict was there from the start. I can only say a longer story would have been even better, after all who wants to put a good story down? This is a book I came back to download after having a look inside.

[Gilgamesha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ohhhh I want to weep for this book. It could've been the most endearing love story ever written. I wish the author hadn't succumb to mediocre plot devices that are generally employed by 'other' HR writers. 80% of the book had me grinning and at times laughing out loud at Dani's behavior and the dialogue between the main pair. Then the stupid and unnecessary misunderstanding happens and Rhys starts acting like a complete imbecile and then he out of no where realizes he was wrong but continues his idiotic behavior because he is scared he will further hurt Dani. I wish the author had spent a couple of more months with this book and had written a better ending. For the author this book is a lost opportunity to have written something great. I still gave it 3 stars because I am absolutely in love with Dani's character. Even Rhys was endearing until he wasn't. :(

[Juanita, a bookish vegan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I liked Danielle and Rhys but overall the book had too many problems and was a one star read. First this is a historical romance and people above the station of servants did not use nicknames in public or address servants by their nick names. I could ignore that but mental health issues were briefly mentioned and again the context and language was too modern.

But the main problem centered around the premise of the story. Rhys' disfigurement and isolation from the Ton and society in general. If Rhys spent the last five years hiding to the point people thought he was dead because he was so hideous. First he showed his face then...nothing. She of course was already in love with him but what about the reactions of everyone who wasn't in love with him. When people finally saw him there wasn't one word mentioned about his appearance! This was sloppy lazy writing by the author. He showed his face to Danielle and nothing else was mentioned. All of the nosy people of the Ton were sniffing around like starving rats and no one commented on his appearance? It suddenly became a non issue? He hide so well that people thought he was dead! Plus you have someone briefly mentioned in the first three or four pages in the book with a sinister innuendos and then she pops back up towards the end of the story and Rhys doesn't even remember her! So what was the point?

I'm glad it was only $.99 on my Kindle.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful "Beauty and the Beast "read. Rhys is strikingly handsome and has all the women at his feet. Then an accident mars his beauty and he hides himself in a castle. Enter spinster Danielle Carmichael who lives in sight of the Castle. One night she decided to sneak in and explore the place. What happens makes for as romantic and enjoyable book. I was sorry to see this was her only book. I hope she writes more.

[ᑭᑌᑎƳᗩ [Punya Reviews...] · Rating 3 out of 5]

My review contains spoilers and they're mostly my thoughts as I went with the book... for more, visit Punya Reviews...

Hmmm...... Ashlyn Montgomery’s debut (and only) historical romance, Lord Beast, quite baffled me. I had enjoyed quite a bit of it, while wanted to stomp my feet in frustration in some other. There were plot holes, dialogues that sounded too modern to be called Regency and unbelievable situations that should’ve irritated me. However, it didn’t. One thing I’d give that even after everything, this had some hilarious moments and dialogues, specifically between the H, Rhys and the h, Danielle.

Lord Beast isn’t your typical take into the beauty and the beast theme. Danielle is not a classical beauty. In fact, she has never been considered a beauty, which is why at the age of 23 she’s still a spinster after 6 seasons, never having even one proposal of marriage. Danielle, or Dani as her closest people call her, is short, rather plump and all in all plain to look at. She’s also one of those people who have accepted how she is and doesn’t make a lot of fuss about it. Dani’s childhood hadn’t been nice and cozy either. Her father died early and then her mother had bouts of depression. Dani, being the only child, was left to take care of her mother who was never much of a mother to begin with. If that wasn’t enough, some years ago, she took a fall from a horse which almost took her life. Even though she survived but barely as her back was injured. She isn’t bedridden but is plagued with bouts of bad pain from time and again… it seemed if she was active during the day, it was a struggle for her to get some sleep at night, which happened quite frequently. After reading all these I could only wonder at how she herself didn’t become depressed herself! But it seems Dani is made of sterner stuff and (a wee bit) on the fluffy side, so it seems nothing ever weighs her down. At least not that much.

Dani has been living her quite elderly, distant relatives ever since her mother committed suicide. She’s not even out of mourning yet. Life has no prospect apart living with the Smiths as long as she can... expect for occasional letters from her best buddy Victoria who married a dashing duke of her own some months ago. It was one of those nights when she was having trouble falling asleep that Dani saw light on a faraway castle called Falmouth. Dani’s aunt’s cottage is on top of a small hill so she could see the Falmouth castle from her window. They say it’s abandoned as the heir died in an accident some years back. No one has since laid claim on it. However, when she notices the light, instantly Dani decides she needs to investigate the matter. I mean seriously girl?! You have this excruciating back pain that won’t let you sleep and you decide to go out, ALONE, in the middle of the night, hike MILES to an abandoned castle to see if anyone is trespassing? It’s not even your business! :-s I have to say that wasn’t one of Dani’s brightest moments, which she acknowledges later on and because this is a novel, she was safe until she reached there. This is what I mentioned about being unbelievable... and a wee bit TSTL. However, the following scenes were quite funny so I instantly forgot about it. :p

It seems the castle is, indeed, occupied... by none other than the heir who is rumored to have died! *gasp* Who is also now the current Earl. *double gasp* And he wears a........ cloak on his face. Always. (eh, what? :-s) I couldn’t even imagine how the man looked and how could he manage to wear a cloak all day long! It was an image that I couldn’t envision well enough. When Dani asks to see his face but he won’t let her. He’s rude, a complete a$$ to her and wants to throw her out (which would be totally alright seeing she was the one trespassing). But Dani’s guileless words, honesty and unconcerned innocence caught him completely by off-guard. She’d match him word for word in her own way and he’d go “adorbs!!!!” inside his head. It was like a small puppy trying to nip at a big dog. :p

Now Rhys Ashcroft is no stranger to women. At least he wasn’t 5 yrs. ago before the accident had scarred his face. He was once gorgeous and women fell at his feet. He was a bastard (er, literally) and came into his title quite unexpectedly. That made him titled and rich too. The perfect combination for both hot widows and actresses and the mamas with marriageable daughters to hound him wherever he went. But Rhys was also a BIG JERK to everyone, especially to people who didn’t meet his so-called aesthetic standards. Women he’d crush with his words just because someone was too pale or had freckles. All in all, to anyone who had the bad luck of possessing things he didn’t like. He chose extremely beautiful women as his mistresses, and no less. With his good-looks it wasn’t a big deal for him either. He was arrogant, vain and one thing about him was always true; Rhys didn’t mince words as you’ll find out in the beginning. It was his big mouth that got him into trouble with an unfortunate debutante possessing an overweight body and vindictive nature. Who knew what happened to the curricle he was driving but it still went down the day after the ‘scene’ he made with that girl, leaving him scarred, scurrying away rapidly to hide from the pity and judgment of the society.

Oh how the mighty had fallen! Rhys is still bitter about it but 5 yrs have mellowed his temper. At least regarding that incident. He has deliberately let the gossip loose on his fictional demise. He wanted to just fade away so that no one from his previous circle could find him, only a few trustworthy people knowing the truth. It’s how Rhys has been conducting all his businesses from Falmouth, the castle that his a$$hole of a father didn’t want. Simply because of that he was now living in it. He despised that piece of junk who ruined his mother, never married her and left them in utter poverty. He hated that outwardly he resembled the man to a fault and maybe even inherited a certain amount of his vile temperament. Needless to say, Rhys didn’t miss his demise but still he hated to be known as that man’s son. As he doesn’t have the opportunity to be with women that he previously preferred anymore, Rhys is forced to go out occasionally to find a whore here and there to meet his urges. But he’s been largely cooped up in his castle all these years; big change from the man about town, jaded wild rake he once used to be.

Now what is this little trouble doing at his doorstep in the middle of the night? Danielle is nothing at all like the women he was used to but her honesty and innocence caught him so completely that Rhys had no idea what to do about it. And it’s not like anyone can offend the little miss (she’s quite short and he, very tall) into not returning to his castle ever again. Nah-uh! Even though he’d been an utter a$$ and continued to be one when Dani returns the next day wanting to ‘make friends’ with the wounded beast (or so I felt her reasoning was) with offerings of food, she doesn’t go away. It was downright funny to watch those two biker and nip at each-other. One total a$$, another fluffy and guileless. I was quite entertained. :D

The story begins building up as Dani keeps visiting Rhys, who gradually begins softening up to her. After so many years alone, she made him feel things that he hasn’t felt in a long while... maybe even in his entire life. He’s still sometimes an a$$, but Dani seems to see through his grumpy growls. On their second day of meeting, when Dani took food with her, her injured back took another thump as Rhys tried to push her away. He was being his grumpy self, but the whole thing was completely unintentional. He didn’t even know Dani had any problem of any sort. But when it kept her abed the next day and night, hence her absence, he begins to grow impatient and concerned. And OMG, he was maybe missing her too! His ever-sarcastic, bolder-than-he-should-be butler certainly found it entertaining. :p And that night Rhys makes a sweet gesture inspite of himself and Dani becomes confirmed in her conviction that he’s not as bad as he seems. If only he’d take off that blasted cloak and let her see his face! Nevertheless, she’s now dedicated to become Rhys’ friend no matter what he does and how grumpy he becomes in the process. LOL

Dani’s ‘dedication’ (or so to speak) begins paying off when Rhys softens up even more. Then there were those looks (well she felt those since she couldn’t see his face), touch and kisses that told her Rhys didn’t find her as unappealing as she thought of herself over the years. Oh how wonderful! Rhys on the other hand was trying to justify his yearning for Dani with loneliness, forced celibacy etc. etc. etc. But he knew deep inside that this was more than that. He actually REALLY liked Dani and craved her companionship. But he was also pretty convinced that this won’t end well; that their relationship can’t go anywhere. They’re both attracted to each-other despite him wearing a cloak always in human company (which, again, I found a bit unbelievable, especially the couple of times he climbed Dani’s window, in the middle of the night, to show his ‘gesture’!). Making platonic friendship was the last thing on Rhys’ mind where Dani was concerned. And because he was so convinced, he was also pushing Dani away a lot, hurting her in the process.

The first part of the story was quite fun but the second part had those feet stomping moments. Then Dani’s friend Victoria comes for a visit with an invitation to a masked ball. I was looking for a story between her and her now-husband Gabriel but there was none. Could’ve been interesting from the little snippets of their backstory that was told here. Victoria could be annoying at times but largely tolerable. Gabriel was more interesting and completely besotted with his wife. Dani is a bit hurt because very recently, again, Rhys has kissed her like a madman, then became rude, cold and distant… again. Victoria had no idea that the Earl of Falmouth was even alive, though it seemed Gabriel knew as he was Rhys’ closest friend when they used to move together in social gatherings. After hearing Dani’s heartaches and ‘whines’ (women in this story seem to *whine* a lot :-s) Victoria is determined to help her friend get her man of dreams.

After a few of incidents, a kiss in the picture gallery of Falmouth, somehow Dani and Rhys find themselves engaged to be married. Even though Rhys thought it was a bad idea, he had then had the time to mull things over. He wanted her with himself always so marriage could be the only solution to this dilemma. Dani would’ve never said ‘no’ to him as she’d already made her attraction in him clear in her own innocent ways. When it seemed things were looking up for them, the vindictive debutante, whom Rhys cut all those years ago, returns to make trouble. I was surprised to find that he’d believe in any of her drivel and hurt Dani again before their wedding. It was such a downer for the otherwise fun, even-if-a-bit-unbelievable-at-times story. I was already a bit frustrated of how Rhys was always blowing so hot and cold despite Dani’s devoted efforts to gain his trust, and if possible, love. Then this happens! *tsk tsk tsk*

He hears something when Victoria and Dani were talking together and immediately interprets that Dani had mastermind a plot to ‘snare him’ into matrimony. *big f*cking eyeroll* After all the months she’s been with him, barely able to contain her yearning, which if I might mention Rhys had always noticed.......? How could he trust that woman I have NO idea! The rest of the story was rather ruined for me because of it. He was cold, cutting and a veritable jacka$$ for weeks into their marriage. It took an accident for our numbnuts to come to his senses. Gee. I was this close to kicking his own nuts! *sigh*

But, the epilogue was adorable. Loved it! However, as I finished, I couldn’t help thinking that if that last bit of dumb “misunderstanding” didn’t happen, it could’ve been a really good book overall. Also a bit of editing; not to weed out typos (I can’t recall anything drastic) but just to tighten up the writing, to make it more Regency-like in dialogue and diction and this could’ve easily been a 4.5 stars read. I saw potentials in the author in her Julia Quinn-esque (fun and fluffy) style. Not sure why there hasn’t been any more from her in the past 3+ yrs. I hope she’d be back and write some more stories for us. 3.5 stars.

[Rea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok so I got this because Beauty and the Beast retelling and I never say no to BatB.

The writing was fairly sloppy: wrong words used in the context (he had taken up "vacancy" in his castle, the "dark" was barking); apostrophes were used incorrectly rather frequently - in some cases in order to make a plural! Pet peeve of mine; adverbs were occasionally in the wrong place in the sentence, giving it another meaning that didn't make any sense in the context. All in all I had to rebuild sentences quite frequently.

What's more, the time period was not very well researched (potentially) or at the very least applied to the story: the characters kept doing and saying things that would not have been acceptable back in that day and age.

The characters were ok but so melodramatic a lot of the time. Every little thing was completely blown out of proportion, which is of course what led to the "big misunderstanding", which put the spanner in the works of the happiness they could find together.

The sloppiness comes back in how certain plot points were treated. The hero is disfigured in an accident. He is so convinced that his scars will not be accepted by the ton that he hides away from society (letting them believe he is dead) and wears a cloak in front of others. Eventually, of course he takes the cloak off but nothing is made of this. No mention of any gossip at all from the ton, whereas a big deal was made of people coming to call on him now that he has "returned from the dead". Beyond this, there's a vindictive character introduced in the first chapter, it is implied that she is behind the accident that left him scarred. She reappears again a bit later on but there is no real closure regarding her role in everything.

All in all, ok but not a very fulfilling read.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book! I love to see authors start out small and continue to grow, and this book Is just one example of that. The fact that the story didn't directly relate to beauty and the beast was a relief. In fact when I first started reading it, i didn't even know that that was what it was based on. The story of beauty and the beast was simply used as inspiration, as it rightfully should have been.
**SPOILERS are about to occur**
Two things stuck out to me from the story in a some what iffy way. 1) I felt as though the reader spent the entire book waiting for the incident between Rys and lady Pennyword (Pennyhood?) what ever her name is, to come to the light but instead there is only a brief mention at the end about some resolution taking place. One that in my opinion was not even deserving for all the trouble that stupid woman caused.
2) Although I was finally happy when Rys came to his senses and stopped acting like a dick it was almost.. weird. I mean he went from rage and disbelief at her to .. guilt? The explanation sufficed but I almost wish that there was something more there. Like there would have been some fighting between them or something else to resolve there fight.
Alas though , I am quite content with the way this book turned out. Would recommend for a quite evening , sitting near a fire sipping tea.

[Tami Sawyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was crazy good. I normally like my books with a little more - scratch that - a lot more heaving and thrusting...but this book managed to keep my interest with very little of that. Obviously it's a take off on the classic tale, but that's where it ends. The book is a story unto itself. Rhys and Dani are a couple made in romantic literature heaven.

My only complaint? I can't find anything written by this author!

[Nickie Kuhn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good story and I enjoyed it, but I was often distracted by spelling and grammar errors. Also, the author used the word "cuckold" inappropriately, which could have made the story very confusing. "Cuckold" has a very specific definition and is not meant to be interchangeable with "deceived". Overall, though, a good book.

[Quinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Felt and read distinctly modern, especially in the dialogue. Dani's actions are incredibly unrealistically bold for a woman of her time. That was a turn off. The one and only sex scene was okay, but a second scene later on would've been great.

I enjoyed the story, but it was a good bit of amateur romance rather than a book written by a seasoned, professional historical romance writer.

[Barbara Xedos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lord Beast

This is the first book I have read by Ashlyn Montgomery. I have really enjoyed reading this book. The story is about a gentleman way of looking at the ladies to decide if they are perfect by his standards and how circumstances changes that impression. The heroine has a lot to do with his change. I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I did.

[Sogio · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was nice. I read it because I found the excerpt on wattpad. I would recommend it to hopeless romantics. Rhys and Danielle were just so cute. Danielle acted very inappropriately throughout but it was great. I did feel somethings were left up in the air. Like did Miss Pennyworth really do it. Things like that really bother me.

[Lourdes · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was a sweet story, much better than I expected and, though I felt some things could have been explored further, I don't regret having read it. I do think the author went around the same things too many times and missed on the opportunity of developing other aspects of the story.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

charming story of Beauty and the Beast, but these character s were not of the regency or any historical period. very contemporary in thought and actions....but still a nice story

[Evelyn Rivera · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the story very much, the heroine was great but the hero was okay. Ii would of like more action and passion between them.The ending was kind of rush but over all it was a nice story.

[Maddux · Rating 3 out of 5]

This hero was completely irrational. And a twisted plot crotch-grab took this story down to 3 stars for me.

[Edia E Bedell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

I liked the story and the characters. The writer has a unique way of developing the characters. I would recommend this book.

[Denesa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I thought the book was a good read.

[PointyEars42 · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 3%. Are. You. Serious? The pain from her damaged back keeps her awake so she just happens to see a light in the window of the distant, abandoned castle - a castle that's a 30-60 minutes away - and decides to walk there, alone, in the middle of the night, to turf out the vagrant she assumes is trying to take up residence. In any era, that's just plain stupidity. Not plucky, not adventurous, not daring... stupid. I don't even need to get to the end of the first chapter to know I don't want to spend another second with this twit.

[T. Vang · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ugh. Was good until it wasnt

Seriously it was good and cute..until it wasnt. I hated the self denial...the self pity ..the self this..self this. It was like a vicious cycle over and over with the two of them...where they kept on questioning things...each other and themselves. The author basically repeating things over again except in different ways. It was not entertaining but annoying.

[Věra Škodová · Rating 2 out of 5]

Uspěchané a reakce postav dost wtf, ale za tu větu "you are adorablesh" dávám 2 hvězdičky. :D

[Nonice]

Stala na 2/3 🤷

[C.K.]

I'd like to read this book. I clicked the Amazon link and it said it's not available anymore on Amazon. I've been reading Regency books lately so I wanted to read this.

[Evii. · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 and half star

[pollymuz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wattpad. Ebook. Read a couple of times over the years.

[Kelly-Louise McGrellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars.

I enjoyed the book, but I feel like it could have done with some more development. It seemed to move at a very fast pace, and I felt as though, at times it was slightly unrealistic. I understand that it is fiction, and it is also Historical Fiction, and how things were done then differ from now, but even still - the feelings that developed between the characters seemed to appear far too fast and a little too out of character.

Dani was my favourite part of this novel. The protagonist is spirited, kind and rather witty at times. The fact she has a disability was also a nice twist that I wasn't expecting from this play on Beauty and the Beast. The only let down was how suddenly she fell for our Beast, and rather randomly with no one moment truly explaining her feelings.

Overall, however, the writing was good and it was an enjoyable read. Finished in a few hours.

[Brian Sirith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad, it gets a 4 star cause compared to what Ive been reading of late... it was heaven.

Modern language and a lot of inaccuracies but I didn't mind those :)

I did mind the stupid misunderstanding that went on too long and the fact that the villain didn't get punished enough for me. If the villain actually done it. The author for some reason didnt think it important to mention that.

Overall a very pleasant read.

[RaiRaiKen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was reluctant to stop reading Lord Beast (I reached 26% of it), but I couldn't find myself enjoying the fast-paced friendship/romance developing between the two MCs. Maybe it's because I find slow but sure strong friendship turning into romance more appealing. So I believe it's not the book's fault; it's me!

[Jo Notary]

427kb, Regency, he was disfigured by an accident, and stayed in hiding. Most thought he was dead. She believed she would never marry. Despite her better judgment, she explores the castle one evening and meets the hostile stranger who therein resides, becoming drawn to his cloaked features and icy rebuttals. She comes day after day. Can she melt his icy heart?