The Beast and His Bookish Beauty: Fairytales Retold Volume 2

by A.M. Hogue

Sometimes, even when you’re not looking for it, love finds you anyway.

Isabelle Grantham is tired of her humdrum life and dreams of adventure away from her small village. When the opportunity arises to attend Madame Grizelda’s Finishing School for Finely Bred Ladies, she jumps at the chance. While there, she gains a best friend in her roommate, Princess Ryn, as they navigate the classes which are designed to help them become eligible marriage material. When they take revenge on a classmate for her cruel prank, Isabelle wants to spare Ryn, so she accepts full responsibility. For her punishment, Isabelle is exiled to the off-site library for two months. An entire castle full of books? That won’t be so bad, right?

Prince Adam of Tameron has been stuck on the Isle of Emberin for the past five years, due to his cursed state as a dragon, unable to fulfill his duty as crown prince. He languishes in solitude at the finishing school’s off-site library, growing more hopeless each day that his curse will ever be broken. Midway through the semester, Grizelda drops off an errant student in his lap, forcing him to let her help at the library—or, as Adam prefers to call it, acting as her nursemaid. To his dismay, Isabelle is cheerful, she’s friendly, and worst of all, she’s beautiful. Adam has already been taken in by a pretty face before and is bound and determined to never let it happen again.

While Beast is busy avoiding Isabelle, she’s determined to make the best of her time at the library, reading every book she can get her hands on. After disaster strikes and Isabelle gets injured, Beast comes to her rescue, and she realizes there’s more to the grumpy librarian. And as Adam gets to know Isabelle, he realizes there’s intelligence and charm beneath the surface of her beauty.

What will happen when these two opposites collide? Will Beauty be able to tame the beast?


The Beast and His Bookish Beauty is the second book in A. M. Hogue’s Fairytales Retold Series. Each book is a stand-alone story, but they’re all interconnected retellings featuring a different girl and her journey toward true love and best enjoyed in order.

Kindle Edition

Published February 22, 2025

About the author

A. M. Hogue was raised under the sweltering sun of central Arizona and still can’t wait to get out of the heat. (Forget diamonds: air conditioning is this girl’s best friend.) She loves to read, write, sing and sew, and almost anything to do with chocolate. She married the love of her life after knowing him for only three months and they are currently living out their happily ever after. She is the proud mother of three chocoholics who share their mother’s love for music. Growing up, she always admired her oldest brother’s bookshelves stuffed full of books, and while her physical library has grown, even with the introduction of e-readers, she’s still hopeful for the future.

Reviews

[Luna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lighthearted retold fairytale based off one of my favorite tales, how could I not love it? I was pleasantly surprised by interweaving the story with dragons—that was a new twist. There isn’t a whole bunch of action, but all the dotted lines that sound familiar to anyone who has watched the movie multiple times (raises hand), I giggled whenever I came across them. I’m not sure if this is YA or not, but I would consider it YA.

[R. Moser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!! Highly recommend this book if you are a fan of Beauty and the Beast or princesses in general. This book is such a delight to read! ⚘️🗡🐲🤍