Isabelle and the Beast

by Olivia Rian

There are wolves all around, Belle, and they aren’t the only beasts.He says this to her as if he should care. As if she could be his. But Lord Bentley is meant to inherit his estate and grand gardens of roses, and Isabelle is only meant to tend them.As Isabelle contemplates her future, including a proposal from a tenant farmer her father is keen for her to accept, she cannot escape Lord Bentley’s friendly but determined kindness. Surely he must know that someday she will leave, and he will marry to secure his standing in society. Their childhood friendship will be as if it never existed. She will forever only be the girl who tended to the gardens.At every turn, the vile Mr. Godfrey encroaches on Belle and her confused heart, while Lord Bentley’s intentions are directed toward a young woman who should be his wife. Isabelle should accept Mr. Godfrey, but the cruelty of surrendering her heart to secure Lord Bentley’s societal standing eclipses even the ferocity of the beasts which lurk in the forest.Isabelle and the Beast is a standalone Victorian-era romance inspired by the classic tale Beauty and the Beast. It is an enchanting tale of forbidden love and the struggle to find one’s place in the world. If you like historical romance and a captivating story set during the most wonderful time of the year, then you will love this story by Olivia Rian.

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Retellings, Novella, Beauty and The Beast

98 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 20, 2023

About the author

Olivia Rian wrote her first book when she was seven, a comic book called "The Pimple-Faced Dragon" (poor dragon). After surviving a few frosty winters in the Mountain West, she received a degree in English education from Brigham Young University-Idaho and later a master’s degree in writing from Middlesex University. She writes children’s chapter books and clean romances. Olivia enjoys reading, shopping, surfskating, baking dessert, hiking, and making trips to New York City and the beach with her husband and two kids.

Reviews

[Heart&SoulBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun quick beauty and the beast retelling without any curses, set in Victorian times. It was cute and sweet and I love that Chips character was included because he is my favorite.

[Smasher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Content:

Language: None.

Violence: Mild. There are some intense scenes but it's still in the 'PG' area. wolves threaten a character, one character gets bashed in the face with a pan, a near miss with a gun etc.

Sexual: High Mild to low moderate. Mostly due to a scene where a man tries to take advantage of a girl before she physically stops him. It's not clear how far the man intended to take things, but it's in heebie-jeebie territory for me. The actual romance was clean and sweet with chaste kisses and hugs/touches.

TW: There is insinuation of a possible attempted rape. It is stopped before it goes far.



I picked this up in the hopes I'd get a short and sweet warm fuzzy read. This was not that. The drama was rather soap-like. It's a story of old time values where the classes are not meant to mix let alone marry. That's the crux of the story, we have a servant girl and the Lord of the manor. And his mother is a harpy. I greatly wanted her to get some sort of comeuppance.

The story had nods to Beauty and the Beast, with the names mostly, but it wasn't a true retelling. It just borrowed some aspects and was honestly it's own thing that I would've put in a medieval or regency setting in my head. The book says it's set in Victorian times though and talks of London. It was fairly vague on time period aspects.

Style and writing wise it was well executed and well written. I did find a handful of typos that were rather odd. Usually it was the wrong word entirely. I didn't mark any specifically, but it had moments where the word was meant to be 'escaped' and it would instead say 'engaged' or something totally random save for it starting with the same first letter.

I just got tired of the drama in this one, so it really was just all opinion for me on not caring much for it. That and the Gaston-like character being a total ick-tastic wastrel. Did not enjoy that whole aside that made me tense up hoping that I wasn't going to read about a rape. No thank you.

[Ashley Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 Stars

I feel so bad giving this a low rating since this author is small, so I do apologize, but I personally struggled with this a bit.

I think a bit more editing would have been beneficial and more description in the scenes to give it more detail. It felt a little rushed and incomplete due to that.

I will say that this cover is absolutely gorgeous and fits the winter themes well. This would make a great Christmas read.

[Beth Spikin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anyone knows I love a fairytale retelling so coming across one that was 97 pages was exciting!

I liked this book, it’s a Historical Fiction-Romance, Beauty and the Beast retelling with regency vibes and for what it was and how short it was, I found it to be a nice, engaging and quick read! I would’ve liked an epilogue, to show us a bit more into how they navigated through their relationship after they came together at the end, but all in all, it was a good story! 🥀

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️
Not a bad book but just didn’t quite get there for me, but I love Beauty and the Beast so I wanted to give it a read and the book itself wasn’t super long so I enjoyed that.

[Lucy Gould · Rating 5 out of 5]

This retelling slayed. I think it fit really well in a novella and everything was tied up neatly. I think it has potential to be a full length novel but it doesn’t necessarily need to be one for the romance to make sense.

[Lisa Rector · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this cute, quick read. Isabelle’s world is painted with such vivid strokes of winter roses and the sprawling estate, that I immediately got Beauty and the Beast vibes, the beast being the villain Mr. Godfrey, or Lady Bentley, or society. The main hero didn’t have beastly vibes. He was a good guy just trying to figure out what to do to please Lady Bentley since he was to inherit the estate. The dynamics between the main character Isabelle and Lord Bentley were just charming enough to keep me hooked. Isabelle’s dad, with his concern for her future and delicate health tugged at my heartstrings. The dialogue is engaging, and the relationships are well-defined. I love the seasonal setup, the winter weather, the preparations for Christmas. It all makes this the perfect holiday read.

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not like this story in the slightest. It really can't be called a Beauty and the Beast retelling since the classic characters weren't really in the book, there was no magic, and most importantly no Beast. At least Belle was in the book and her father's name was still Maruice.

The writing itself was also terrible. Staccato sentences, no plot, silly, shallow characters, and lots of carrots in the cookie jar (things that don't belong). To be honest it read more like a first attempt at writing. Yet after reading more about the author I discovered that she has two series that she's written, a standalone novel, and an education focused on writing and literature. Most definitely wouldn't recommend.

[Literature and Leaves · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.8 ⭐️ rounded up

I was able to snag this for free during stuff your kindle day!

This was a quick and easy read that pushes its pace and wraps up sweetly. A Beauty and the Beast retelling with twists-set in the regency time period? Its era didn’t feel very clear to me. The nods to the Disney movie made it a little cheesy, and I could have done without them. It has drama and suspense, sweet moments and I had to devour it in one sitting!
I enjoyed this novella!

[Makayla Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet story

I liked this quick read, and the cover is absolutely beautiful.
I knocked off a star because I felt like the story could have had more.. and it was a bit disappointing that there really isn't a "beast" in this similar story to beauty and the beast, " but there are similarities with it. NO spice. So it's safe for a younger audience but still enjoyable for a romance.

[Lisa Swinton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a charming retelling of the Beauty and the Beast fairytale by Ms. Rian.

I liked the timless setting, the change ups on the classic, and the wonderful use of tropes to bring Isabelle and Andre together.

It's well crafted, well told, and with emotional depth packed into its pages.

It's a short and satisfying read, perfect for the holiday season.

[Donna Weaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute retelling of Beauty and the Beast with an interesting twist with the mysterious farmer who wants to marry Belle but has had more than half a dozen previous fiancees who have died under strange conditions. Lord Bently came across at first as a guy under the firm finger of his beastly mother, but he finally comes into his own.

4 1/2 stars

[Eener Somar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is this really Beauty and the Beast?

Besides using character names, there's not much relation to the B&tB that we all love. The wolves are talked about often but have no real relevance to the story and the "Beast" is very meek and a doormat to his mother. If the names and title were changed, it would be just a regular historical short story. Overall, it was alright.

[Erica Callahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Perfect Reimagining of a Classic

Isabelle and the Beast is not a retelling but a reimagining of Beauty and the Beast. While the stories share names and details, much of the story differs from the original. In this tale, the beast is not an animal but something entirely different. This story has been modernized in such a beautiful way.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is a loosely told take off of the book, Beauty and the Beast, as the author also mentions. So you know the basic plot and how she and her childhood friend, Andre, eventually find their hea. A clean and sweet read

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cinderella

This short story reminds me of two of my most favorite fairy tales. Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast. Belle has been a servant in Andre,s home since they were children. The friendship and love between them is unstoppable.
Thank you ❤️

[Elizabeth S · Rating 3 out of 5]

This little novella is fine, as long as it's read as a fairy tale for young teens. Wolves are part of this short read, described as Victorian Era fiction, but there have been no wolves in the UK since the late 1600s. The cover is lovely.

[Jeanie V. · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF’d at 78%. I love a Beauty & the Beast retelling but this one couldn’t hold my interest. The cover is beautiful and I appreciated the story and how it was different but didn’t really like the storytelling (writing).

[Gayle · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Beauty and the Beast retelling with no magic involved.

[Chipmunkers · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Retelling

It was okay, a basic Hallmark movie plot. It was an under 2 hour read, so it lived up to its expectations. The author wrote well. The plot was well thought out.

[Kia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't like audiobook

[Eriiiiiii]

Boring…

[Fae Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short but sweet

A few features to the original Beauty and the Beast characters (Disney original), not of "beast" but there were beastly moments.

[Sarah Nolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This sweet Victorian Era tale with a twist on a beloved fairytale was a treat to read!

Isabelle spends her time helping her father car for the luscious gardens of roses at Lord Bentley’s estate. Even though Lord Bentley has grown up with Isabelle, she knows that she could never be his, and that their stations in life would have them embark on different paths. When a neighboring farmer proposes marriage to Isabelle, which she ultimately refuses, strange things start to happen, and Isabelle senses that her life will be changed forever.

This lovely story is set in a wintry landscape and I found the atmosphere of the story to be exquisitely enthralling. Isabelle and Lord Bentley’s blossoming relationship was so endearing and sweet.

Romantic Content: Closed Door, Sweet

TW: Attempted Assault (Not Descriptive), Stalker Like Tendencies