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A Terrible Beauty
A classic fairy tale gets a horrifying, adult twist, in this suspenseful romance by the author of The Night Inside.
Twenty years ago, Simon Donovan, an antiquities scholar, wronged Sidonie Moreau, his former research assistant—and she has not forgotten. Threatening to expose him, she demands he come to her remote mansion in the mountainous north to repay his debt. But she wasn’t expecting his son, Matthew, a struggling painter, to take his place.
Matthew is intrigued by the mysterious Sidonie, but when she reveals what she wants, he is his blood, willingly given. No harm will come to him if he refuses, and his days leave him free to paint as he pleases, but each night she must ask and he must answer. Trapped by the vast wilderness all around them, Matthew has no choice but to submit to her terms.
Although he vows to never surrender to Sidonie, Matthew cannot ignore her smile, her charm, or the sorrow in her eyes. Grappling with secrets within his heart, tempted by desire and despair, he knows one night he just might say yes . . .
Praise for A Terrible Beauty
“A polished and enchanting tale. . . . It is, in a word, breathtaking.” —Ottawa Citizen
“Baker’s prose is lush and sensual . . . she has a real gift for making the fantastic seem plausible and investing the mundane with eerie significance.” —Sunday Sun (Toronto)
“A Terrible Beauty is modern Canadian Gothic. . . . Nancy Baker shows her mastery of the form—the mysterious letter, the journey into the wilderness, the shadows that hide from the flickering firelight—and her real affection for a good ol’ fashioned vampire yarn.” —Telegraph-Journal
“Baker’s narrative is seductive and compelling. Like Rice, she transcends the horror genre.” —The Province
“Don’t hold your breath waiting for Disney to film this very adult and erotic version of Beauty and the Beast.” —Winnipeg Free Press
Twenty years ago, Simon Donovan, an antiquities scholar, wronged Sidonie Moreau, his former research assistant—and she has not forgotten. Threatening to expose him, she demands he come to her remote mansion in the mountainous north to repay his debt. But she wasn’t expecting his son, Matthew, a struggling painter, to take his place.
Matthew is intrigued by the mysterious Sidonie, but when she reveals what she wants, he is his blood, willingly given. No harm will come to him if he refuses, and his days leave him free to paint as he pleases, but each night she must ask and he must answer. Trapped by the vast wilderness all around them, Matthew has no choice but to submit to her terms.
Although he vows to never surrender to Sidonie, Matthew cannot ignore her smile, her charm, or the sorrow in her eyes. Grappling with secrets within his heart, tempted by desire and despair, he knows one night he just might say yes . . .
Praise for A Terrible Beauty
“A polished and enchanting tale. . . . It is, in a word, breathtaking.” —Ottawa Citizen
“Baker’s prose is lush and sensual . . . she has a real gift for making the fantastic seem plausible and investing the mundane with eerie significance.” —Sunday Sun (Toronto)
“A Terrible Beauty is modern Canadian Gothic. . . . Nancy Baker shows her mastery of the form—the mysterious letter, the journey into the wilderness, the shadows that hide from the flickering firelight—and her real affection for a good ol’ fashioned vampire yarn.” —Telegraph-Journal
“Baker’s narrative is seductive and compelling. Like Rice, she transcends the horror genre.” —The Province
“Don’t hold your breath waiting for Disney to film this very adult and erotic version of Beauty and the Beast.” —Winnipeg Free Press
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1996
9 people are currently reading
265 people want to read
About the author
Nancy Baker
12 books69 followersNancy Baker blames her life-long love of horror and fantasy fiction on the first horror story she can remember: The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin by Beatrix Potter. She dabbled in rock and roll (writing lyrics and singing in basement bands during her university years) before switching to writing fiction. She made her first professional sale in 1988, to Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone magazine and has subsequently published 4 novels. She is at work (slowly, very slowly) on her fifth and avoids writing by gardening, making jam, and listening to podcasts on everything from architecture to history to the meaning of Dolly Parton.
She is happily married and has no children or cats.
NOTE: I only write fantasy and horror so any erotica, self-help, or diet books that show up here are not mine.
She is happily married and has no children or cats.
NOTE: I only write fantasy and horror so any erotica, self-help, or diet books that show up here are not mine.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
February 4, 2010
A Terrible Beauty is an interesting and thoughtful revision of the classic Beauty and the Beast tale. It's very well written and has fully developed characters and beautiful imagery. This is the type of writing to which other sci-fi/horror authors should aspire. It is a travesty that Baker's books are no longer in print.
October 11, 2016
I read this, because I was enchanted with Cold Hillside. This here is -without words- .
Another take on the human falls in love with vampire and manages to unvamp vampire in the end trope.
Enough said.
Another take on the human falls in love with vampire and manages to unvamp vampire in the end trope.
Enough said.
May 2, 2013
Loved loved loved this book. I like Ann Rice's Vampire books but Nancy Baker does a better job
June 13, 2017
WHAT.
Full disclosure, I think I tried reading this once before but it moved very slowly at the beginning and didn't get past the first few chapters. This time I did though. WORTH IT.
Full disclosure, I think I tried reading this once before but it moved very slowly at the beginning and didn't get past the first few chapters. This time I did though. WORTH IT.
October 29, 2019
This is a relatively gradual and low-action story. I didn’t have trouble focusing in the beginning, however, because it’s very easy to read between the lines and pick up on the fact, very early on, that Sidonie is not human. It’s clear to the reader, if not to Matthew, that the young woman he meets when he arrives at Sidonie’s house is actually Sidonie, not her daughter. She never eats, he only sees her at night, and the house contains no mirrors. The villagers who live nearby and who do her shopping and bring her supplies call her “the old one”. Matthew spends his days painting and exploring the house, frustrated beyond belief that he has no idea why he’s there, but he’s not allowed to leave. He knows she could kill him any time she wanted–so why doesn’t she?
Tal is the vampire who created Sidonie, and he is a cruel, malicious creature. He and his followers find it fascinating that Sidonie obviously hasn’t fed from Matthew, and there’s some question as to whether or not they’ll abide by the rules that keep them from touching him.
There are some episodes that keep things from being entirely slow. Matthew of course has to try to escape at least once. He visits the nearby village a couple of times, and nearly has a breakdown from taking a drug his friends gave him before he left. He and Sidonie gradually become more aware of each other’s dark places, and it isn’t that hard to figure out where things will go, but it’s the journey that’s so interesting. I love the details of the complex relationship that evolves between the two. They both end up winning my heart even though they’re each somewhat unlikable in their own way at first.
All in all this is a lovely book, and a very good vampire novel.
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2019/10/r...
Tal is the vampire who created Sidonie, and he is a cruel, malicious creature. He and his followers find it fascinating that Sidonie obviously hasn’t fed from Matthew, and there’s some question as to whether or not they’ll abide by the rules that keep them from touching him.
There are some episodes that keep things from being entirely slow. Matthew of course has to try to escape at least once. He visits the nearby village a couple of times, and nearly has a breakdown from taking a drug his friends gave him before he left. He and Sidonie gradually become more aware of each other’s dark places, and it isn’t that hard to figure out where things will go, but it’s the journey that’s so interesting. I love the details of the complex relationship that evolves between the two. They both end up winning my heart even though they’re each somewhat unlikable in their own way at first.
All in all this is a lovely book, and a very good vampire novel.
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2019/10/r...
October 28, 2009
From the Jacket:
“Will you give me your blood to drink, even though you die of it?”
A past betrayal returns to haunt Simon Donovan, a frail and dying scholar of antiquities, when the woman he wronged summons him to come to her secluded northern home. To spare his father, Matthew Donovan, a struggling painter, undertakes the journey, not knowing that it will take him into the remote reaches of the wilderness and the darkest regions of his heart.
In a fantastic mansion, Matthew meets the mysterious Sidonie Moreau, whose secrets run deeper than the ancient mountains that surround them. Simultaneously fascinated and disturbed by her, he tries to discover what she hides ... and what she wants from him.
Then in one night of terrible revelation, he learns the answer -- nothing less than his life’s blood, yielded willingly. She promises that he will not be harmed, that he is free to do as he pleases, but every night she will ask for his blood and he must answer. Trapped by the vast wilderness around them, Matthew has no choice but to submit to her terms. Every day, he struggles to exorcise the nightmares that haunt him, giving them form and colour on his canvas. Every night, he must once again face his immortal captor.
He vows that he will never surrender to her. But as the nights pass, he comes to realise that there are things more dangerous than her inhuman appearance and deadly need. There is the sorrow in her eyes, the strange curve of her smile, and her complex, compelling charm. There are the secrets submerged deep in his own heart. Soon he knows that the unthinkable is possible; that one night, tempted by desire and despair, he might say yes ...
“Will you give me your blood to drink, even though you die of it?”
A past betrayal returns to haunt Simon Donovan, a frail and dying scholar of antiquities, when the woman he wronged summons him to come to her secluded northern home. To spare his father, Matthew Donovan, a struggling painter, undertakes the journey, not knowing that it will take him into the remote reaches of the wilderness and the darkest regions of his heart.
In a fantastic mansion, Matthew meets the mysterious Sidonie Moreau, whose secrets run deeper than the ancient mountains that surround them. Simultaneously fascinated and disturbed by her, he tries to discover what she hides ... and what she wants from him.
Then in one night of terrible revelation, he learns the answer -- nothing less than his life’s blood, yielded willingly. She promises that he will not be harmed, that he is free to do as he pleases, but every night she will ask for his blood and he must answer. Trapped by the vast wilderness around them, Matthew has no choice but to submit to her terms. Every day, he struggles to exorcise the nightmares that haunt him, giving them form and colour on his canvas. Every night, he must once again face his immortal captor.
He vows that he will never surrender to her. But as the nights pass, he comes to realise that there are things more dangerous than her inhuman appearance and deadly need. There is the sorrow in her eyes, the strange curve of her smile, and her complex, compelling charm. There are the secrets submerged deep in his own heart. Soon he knows that the unthinkable is possible; that one night, tempted by desire and despair, he might say yes ...
April 24, 2023
Intriguing version of "Beauty and the Beast".
In the role of beauty we get Matthew, a gifted painter. The beast is an ancient vampire woman. The story appears to be set in Canada.
The atmosphere of this book is quite haunting and dreamlike, the resolution of the story stays true to the fairy tale. Ultimately, this book is about finding beauty in something alien and utterly scary as well as about redemption.
In the role of beauty we get Matthew, a gifted painter. The beast is an ancient vampire woman. The story appears to be set in Canada.
The atmosphere of this book is quite haunting and dreamlike, the resolution of the story stays true to the fairy tale. Ultimately, this book is about finding beauty in something alien and utterly scary as well as about redemption.
January 11, 2016
A delightful twist on Beauty and the Beast, in which the beast is an ancient vampire named Sidonie and the beauty is a young artist named Matthew. You know how it's going to go if you know the fairy tale, but it's a wonderful and timeless story all the same and I very much enjoyed it. I will be looking up more by Nancy Baker, who is a Canadian author to boot!
January 6, 2020
I got this as part of a Story Bundle and it never really caught my attention until I read Robin McKinley's Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast and surprised myself by liking it. This is, of course, radically different and I honestly didn't expect to enjoy it terribly much but it managed to really grip me. Baker's writing held my attention well and the descriptions were at the same time detailed enough to get a good image of the setting and characters -- something that's actually pretty important to making the story seem realistic enough to suspend my disbelief since it's told mostly through the perspective of a visual artist -- but there was also ample room to let my imagination customize everything from the time to the geography. Unlike McKinley's story, which takes its time even introducing the Beast, it's a single-track from the beginning to the conclusion without much more deviation than is needed for the story to work. I think that what I liked about it wasn't so much the overarching story as the fact that it's almost a long character study of William, the Beauty to Sidonie's Beast. To give his psychological journey life, Baker created a very colorful, though narrow and confining, world for him to live in as he found his way reluctantly from fear to love. I think that a lot of my admiration comes not only from that but from the fact that this was as good as it was while being a vampire romance novel, which is a subgenre that is so easy to dismiss. Perhaps my surprise at its quality enhanced my enjoyment of it to get an extra star or so in my rating, but that doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy it enough to rate it with five stars.
December 2, 2025
‘A Terrible Beauty’ starts off with a dilemma. An elderly and well-respected scholar is being blackmailed. Years ago, he plagiarized the notes of one of his female students, Sidonie Moreau, while deciphering an ancient language. She also became his lover. Now the student is demanding that the scholar come to her house in Northern Canada and stay with her, or she will destroy his reputation. However, he’s in poor health. Unsure of what she really wants, the scholar’s youngest son, Matthew Donovan, decides to go meet her. Little does he know, this woman is a monster.
Having read Nancy Baker’s “The Night Inside” a few years ago, and loving it, I wanted to check out this book. I was not disappointed. Baker writes so well. She introduces these three brothers, and in just a few pages, gives them all distinct personalities. She describes this vivid train ride from the city to the sparsely populated and claustrophobic forestlands of Northern Canada. Sidonie’s house is so well described that you can see it clearly in your mind’s eye, and it has a personality of its own.
The story is a slow burn. The beginning is creepy and melodic, steeped in gothic atmosphere, but not much happens. However, halfway through, the suspense kicks up a notch, and I could not set the book down. The ending is magnificent! I was deeply touched and a little surprised to find this is indeed a dark romance with themes of love, redemption, and the importance of looking beyond appearances.
I will give it 4 and a half stars! I can't give five because the first half is slow.
Having read Nancy Baker’s “The Night Inside” a few years ago, and loving it, I wanted to check out this book. I was not disappointed. Baker writes so well. She introduces these three brothers, and in just a few pages, gives them all distinct personalities. She describes this vivid train ride from the city to the sparsely populated and claustrophobic forestlands of Northern Canada. Sidonie’s house is so well described that you can see it clearly in your mind’s eye, and it has a personality of its own.
The story is a slow burn. The beginning is creepy and melodic, steeped in gothic atmosphere, but not much happens. However, halfway through, the suspense kicks up a notch, and I could not set the book down. The ending is magnificent! I was deeply touched and a little surprised to find this is indeed a dark romance with themes of love, redemption, and the importance of looking beyond appearances.
I will give it 4 and a half stars! I can't give five because the first half is slow.
May 19, 2023
This was a sumptuous slow-burn Gothic fairytale, very different from Nancy Baker's other vampire novels. It's not subtle or embarrassed at all about being a gender-flipped Beauty and the Beast, which is a big reason why I picked it up in the first place.
The setting is ambiguous, mostly taking place in the dead of winter, existing in no specific time period and no specific place, though it is clearly inspired by Baker's native Canada. The city the protagonist hails from is simply called "the city", the land to the north is just "the north", Christianity exists but the world is populated by fictional languages, artists, and strange fantasy drugs. The effect is surreal and dreamlike and helped the whole thing feel timeless.
As in the original folktale, the only real frustration I have with the story is the ending. If the human has come all this way to love the monster despite her flaws, why is their "reward" her turning into something entirely different than what he fell in love with in the first place?
I swear this isn't just the vampire fan in me complaining, honest. The journey was lovely enough that the destination is just a minor demerit from what is otherwise a pretty enjoyable book.
The setting is ambiguous, mostly taking place in the dead of winter, existing in no specific time period and no specific place, though it is clearly inspired by Baker's native Canada. The city the protagonist hails from is simply called "the city", the land to the north is just "the north", Christianity exists but the world is populated by fictional languages, artists, and strange fantasy drugs. The effect is surreal and dreamlike and helped the whole thing feel timeless.
As in the original folktale, the only real frustration I have with the story is the ending. If the human has come all this way to love the monster despite her flaws, why is their "reward" her turning into something entirely different than what he fell in love with in the first place?
I swear this isn't just the vampire fan in me complaining, honest. The journey was lovely enough that the destination is just a minor demerit from what is otherwise a pretty enjoyable book.
June 11, 2021
i have absolutely no idea why this is in my e-book collection. presumably it was part of a bundle i bought at some point, but it's so far from my usual reading fare that it seems unlikely i wouldn't have pared it from the bundle before uploading to my kindle.
but yes, i read a vampire romance novel. and yes, i actually enjoyed it! i get the feeling this one brought nothing particularly new to the genre, but it was a page-turner no matter how you slice it.
my opinion on this probably doesn't hold much weight since i don't usually read these books, but i have no idea why the two protagonists fell in love. they had little-to-no chemistry, and the only device that served to bring them close (besides being physically stuck together on the island) was each of them sharing with the other a story of personal tragedy/loss. maybe that's all that love is in these novels, i dunno... but i always assumed that in a romance novel the couple would feel more "right" for each other, like it was almost inevitable that they end up together. that definitely wasn't the case here.
but yes, i read a vampire romance novel. and yes, i actually enjoyed it! i get the feeling this one brought nothing particularly new to the genre, but it was a page-turner no matter how you slice it.
my opinion on this probably doesn't hold much weight since i don't usually read these books, but i have no idea why the two protagonists fell in love. they had little-to-no chemistry, and the only device that served to bring them close (besides being physically stuck together on the island) was each of them sharing with the other a story of personal tragedy/loss. maybe that's all that love is in these novels, i dunno... but i always assumed that in a romance novel the couple would feel more "right" for each other, like it was almost inevitable that they end up together. that definitely wasn't the case here.
April 10, 2025
This is one of those books that seems well-written on the surface, but just doesn't work when you zoom out beyond the level of individual paragraphs. Nothing in the story or any of the character interactions makes a case for why the male lead should be sufficiently in love with the female lead to give his life for her (he obviously doesn't die, but this is a requirement of the plot contrivance). She has nothing particular to recommend her, shows no character development or tenderness, and to the very end she threatens to kill his family, turn his friends into monsters and "get what she wants anyway", which is literally his death. Once you dispense with the core relationship, nothing about the plot makes sense - there's no point to this particular man being the person she chose, there's no urgency to make the relationship work (she's immortal and has done the same thing with other men many times, and has always killed them or driven them to suicide), and so on and so forth. Ultimately this was an unpleasant read.
March 16, 2025
Beautiful, gothic story.
I loved this book. It was heavy and slow and delicious. Each step was an inevitable progression deeper into this world of darkness. The growing flame of love was always just out of sight until the end.
I loved this book. It was heavy and slow and delicious. Each step was an inevitable progression deeper into this world of darkness. The growing flame of love was always just out of sight until the end.
November 26, 2018
A good old fashion vampire story.
December 21, 2021
This book is what would happen if Dracula and Rebecca made a beauty and the beast baby.
Simon receives a letter from a woman whose research he never credited on his greatest discovery threatening exposure if he doesn't come to her, but Simon is to old and ill to make the journey so his son Matthew goes in his stead.
Even though vampire Sidonie was not expecting Matthew she keeps him in Simon's stead and they wind up living together though she will not drink his blood without his consent, which she asks for every evening and he refuses each time.
He spends months in Sidonie's home, painting by day and denying her at night, with the complications of villagers and other vampire's adding twists to the tale, until a letter arrives for Matthew telling him his father is dying and to come home.
This was a surprisingly good story that I randomly found in a second hand store and I'm super glad I picked it up.
Simon receives a letter from a woman whose research he never credited on his greatest discovery threatening exposure if he doesn't come to her, but Simon is to old and ill to make the journey so his son Matthew goes in his stead.
Even though vampire Sidonie was not expecting Matthew she keeps him in Simon's stead and they wind up living together though she will not drink his blood without his consent, which she asks for every evening and he refuses each time.
He spends months in Sidonie's home, painting by day and denying her at night, with the complications of villagers and other vampire's adding twists to the tale, until a letter arrives for Matthew telling him his father is dying and to come home.
This was a surprisingly good story that I randomly found in a second hand store and I'm super glad I picked it up.
July 17, 2013
3.5 stars
This book is a very slow build, but I didn't mind the pacing and enjoyed reading the lushly written narrative. I wish the characters had been more deeply explored. Despite the richly worded prose, the third person POV felt like it left a gap between the characters and me that I could not fully close. I would have especially liked to know more about Sidonie. This is one of the better vampire novels I have read this summer on my Spree.
Overall, I give Baker mad props for a lovely and original book. This is, sadly, out of print (I bought my copy used; even my library's county-wide system did not have a copy.) It's a real shame you can't buy this book, especially in light of the current popularity of all things vampire. A Terrible Beauty is SO much better than many of the awful, awful vampire books currently glutting the book market.
This book is a very slow build, but I didn't mind the pacing and enjoyed reading the lushly written narrative. I wish the characters had been more deeply explored. Despite the richly worded prose, the third person POV felt like it left a gap between the characters and me that I could not fully close. I would have especially liked to know more about Sidonie. This is one of the better vampire novels I have read this summer on my Spree.
Overall, I give Baker mad props for a lovely and original book. This is, sadly, out of print (I bought my copy used; even my library's county-wide system did not have a copy.) It's a real shame you can't buy this book, especially in light of the current popularity of all things vampire. A Terrible Beauty is SO much better than many of the awful, awful vampire books currently glutting the book market.
December 31, 2012
Once again Nancy Baker has created a wonderful vampire read. Though it was nothing like the first two (The Night Inside and Bloody and Chrysanthemums) but it was a whole story of its own. I really liked the fact that the mortal character was an artist, I am as well, so it really appealed to me. The fact that the mortal was so scared of the vampire but eventually came to understand as the story progressed. This book was well worth my purchase. I'd been waiting a long while to obtain this one and I'm glad that I did get it.
December 22, 2009
I really loved the plot and the concept but feel the book moved along rather slowly.
September 2, 2014
One of my favourites.
December 26, 2021
Unique, original, haunting. Don't worry, there's a HEA.
December 12, 2017
I randomly came across this book at my local public library when I was a teenager. I was struck by the cover, but fell in love with the story and would re-read it regularly. I managed to find a copy on Amazon recently and as an adult, I still find it to be a great read and a lovely twist on the Beauty and the Beast fairytale.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews