Beauty and the Beast

by Hannah Howell

New York Times best-selling author Hannah Howell enthralls listeners with her unforgettable tales of the love between fierce knights and their passionate women, weaving her storytelling genius to give us one of her best romances yet....

On the eve of her wedding to the heir of Saiturn Manor, the stunningly beautiful Gytha is shocked to learn that her betrothed, a man she barely knew, is dead. Now she must marry the new heir, Thayer Saiturn, a battle-hardened knight known as the Red Devil....

With a face scarred in battle and a heart broken in love, Thayer has no interest in marriage. But not even the Red Devil can break the promise his foster-father made years ago and soon finds himself married to a woman whose exquisite beauty and sweet innocence intrigue him. But can his new bride look beyond his scars to find a hidden passion and undying love locked deep inside him?

Contains mature themes.

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Beauty and The Beast, Medieval, Historical Fiction, Fiction

Audible Audio

Published November 30, 2021

About the author

Hannah Dustin Howell is a best-selling American author of over 40 historical romance novels. Many of her novels are set in medieval Scotland. She also writes under the names Sarah Dustin, Sandra Dustin, and Anna Jennet (see below).

She has also used the following pseudonyms:
Anna Jennet, Sarah Dustin and Sandra Dustin

Reviews

[MAP · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's that time of year again: I'm at my parents', I've run out of books, and I'm going through a relative's attic library.

This book is a fairly typical historical romance novel, complete with BIG MISUNDERSTANDINGs, DEVASTATING TWISTS, and LACK OF COMMUNICATION. The big unique thing in this book is supposed to be that instead of a charming, womanizing rogue, the hero is a somewhat deformed, ugly man with no self-esteem around women. There are two problems with this:
1. This is not terribly unique if you know the stories of the Phantom of the Opera, or, say, I don't know...Beauty and the Beast?
2. The man's terrible, self-esteem ruining deformity is.....he's a ginger. No, I'm not kidding. He's a red head with a broken nose or something.

Overall, this is a completely average and trite romance novel with little to make it stand out amongst other trite and average romance novels. Also, I did notice that the author apparently did little enough research to not know who the King of England was during 1365 so it was always "the king wishes" "the king the king." (It was Edward III, for the record)

Thank god I found some David Niven books.

[Alba Turunen · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 Estrellas, y va que chuta, porque vaya ganas de estropear una historia que tenía buenos ingredientes, buenos personajes y un trasfondo que prometía.

¿Qué ha sido de "La Bella de la Bestia"? La verdad es que sólo el título, porque si la intención es que esta novela se pareciera al mítico cuento la lectora se llevará un chasco de narices.

Como digo, al principio prometía. Un hombre, un guerrero de gran renombre, valor y reputación, que tiene la desgracia de no ser físicamente agradable, si no que se lo definiría como alguien feo; y una mujer muy hermosa, paciente y bondadosa y capaz de ver mucho más allá de lo que el simple físico del hombre aparenta.

Debido a las circunstancias que se mencionan en la sinopsis, Thayer y Gytha están obligados a casarse, él por ser el heredero de la Casa Saitun, y ella como heredera para unir sus casas. Hasta la boda, el libro iba como la seda y hasta me estaba gustando. Después la historia se ha convertido en un rollo sin sentido, incoherente e inverosímil.

El gran problema que le he visto a la novela es ése, inverosímil. Situaciones forzadas, personajes de chiste. Estamos ante un libro en el que los buenos son muy buenos, y los malos muy malos, y encima de ser malos, son estúpidos y absurdos. ¡Tienes a una persona persiguiéndote durante medio libro con la intención de darte muerte y llevarse a tu esposa, y lo sabes y no haces nada! Tienes pruebas de semejante tropelía ¿Y no lo llevas ante el rey? Pues sí, el malo de esta historia es una cosa asquerosa e ilógica que en manos de otra escritora no habría durado ni un capítulo, pero aquí tenemos un resumen de cómo no hacer historias chapuceras, porque este es el resultado.

Por otro lado el romance de los protagonistas, sí, empezó muy bien, pero igualmente su historia se vuelve tan incomprensible que no sabes por donde pillarla. De todas formas, he empatizado mucho más con Gytha a este respecto y lo que siente por Thayer, y hasta he aplaudido más de una de sus decisiones, pero Thayer, que debería haber reblandecido corazones, me ha sabido a poco. Thayer es un personaje al que su físico le ha acomplejado siempre, y sobrevivió a una traición espantosa, amó a una mujer que se aprovechó de él y lo pisoteó. Por ello a Thayer le cuesta mucho confiar en las mujeres, sobre todo en las mujeres nobles y hermosas, y no se lo pondrá nada fácil a Gytha, por mucho que le atraiga su joven esposa. Pronto su romance de ahora te quiero, ahora te odio, estará lleno de vaivenes, confusiones, rencor, y desconfianza, así que el gran problema que aquí se nos presenta es una falta de comunicación abismal.

A pesar de ello, la escritora lo ha intentado arreglar al final, pero para mi gusto ha alargado demasiado la historia, y la idea general de la novela se podía haber resuelto mucho antes. De modo que sólo salvo el inicio del libro (hasta la boda), y las diez últimas páginas, pero aún así es un libro que no recomiendo a menos que tengas muchas ganas de leerlo, y atente a las consecuencias.

No es el primer libro que leo de Hannah Howell, pero este iba a ser definitivo, mucho lo dudo, pero no creo que vuelva a leer más suyo.

[Aly is so frigging bored · Rating 4 out of 5]

Main characters:
Gytha Raouille
Thayer Saiturn, the Red Devil
What I Liked:
-the time period
-the mostly accurate portrayal of the time period
-seeing the life at court
-Gytha’s family
-Thayer’s son, Bek. He and Roger were the smartest men in the book :D
What I didn't like:
-this will sound bi-polar, but the overlay use of “’tis, nay, aye, mayhap, etc” drove me insane! I know I complain a lot when the language is too.. new in one of my historical, but this one had too much. I want balance, not a headache from rolling my eyes
-Thayer’s distrust in his wife, after 60% of the book it became a little tedious
-I absolutely hate the names! I have no idea how to pronounce them and I usually read them wrong
Favorite character: Gytha, her perseverance and wit made me give such a good rating
My least favorite character: Elizabeth(chilly woman)
Favorite scene: I loved when she made him so mad and he shared his emotions and apologized for being an ass.
Favorite quote:
“Have you made Gytha mad again?” Bek asked as his father stepped into his bath.
“Aye, I fear so.”
“But you went to win rewards for her.”
“True, but I neglected to ask if she wanted those rewards. Can you scrub my back, son?”
Moving to do so, Bek frowned in thought “Is a wife not supposed to be pleased at all her husband does?”
It was not easy, but Thayer swallowed his impulse to laugh. “Bek, I will tell you two things about women. Heed me well, now, for you had best remember them. The first is—never do as I do. I fear your poor father knows very little. If I handled a sword as I do women, I should have been killed in my first battle.” He smiled faintly when Bek giggled. “Second—few men are true masters over their women. In truth, I would eye with suspicion any woman who acts as if that is the truth. Either she lies, or she is so dull-witted or weak-spirited that she will make you a tedious wife.”
“So you do not really mind that Gytha is angry with you.”
“I did not say that.” He grimaced. “T’will depend upon how angry she is and if there is any soothing her.”
Would I recommend the book:Yes, it’s well written and fast-paced, has action and a little drama thrown in, strong characters and an interesting setting.
Final rating:3.8*

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gytha is stunningly beautiful and must marry the heir to Saitum Manor, who is Thayer (the Red Devil named for his red hair and fierce tempter- which turned out not so fierce). Thayer is considered “ugly,” this is not a scarred-hero story. Thayer is just ugly and Gytha is immediately smitten with him when she meets him. Thayer is scared of Gytha because he once had his heart broken by a well-bred lady when she cheated on him, so he is scared to trust. He spends the WHOLE book waiting from Gytha to cheat on him. Thayer finally finds her being almost raped and he does NOTHING. Gytha is eventually able to get away, but not before she sees her beloved husband NOT come to her aid. She is mad. She wants an apology. She never gets a formal one and she forgives him!! Ugh!! That was the big “misunderstanding,” which lasted a couple chapters at best. It made me SO angry! And the other “plot” was Thayer’s kin trying to kill him in order to marry Gytha and own her property- which is nice- but never brings in a substantial income. So, I felt that was a very flimsily plot. Gytha is a good character, Thayer just makes me mad. I mean isn’t it bad enough that they get married and consummate their marriage in the first 50 pages of the book? Nope, it just goes down-hill from there.

In my opinion, this book does not deserve the title “Beauty and the Beast” by ANY stretch of the imagination. I am now nervous about reading other books by this author.

[Laurie (barksbooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book features something new (at least to me): a hero who isn't drop dead gorgeous and is insecure because of it.

Thayer thought he was about to attend his cousin William's wedding & soon discovers he is the bridegroom of the beautiful Gytha (ugh, what a name) due to a twist of fate. Thayer is appalled at this news. Years earlier his heart was broken by a beautiful but heartless well-bred woman and he promised himself he would never become that vulnerable again. Gytha slowly breaks through the barriers he's constructed around his heart with her innocence and loving ways. But deep down Thayer still isn't convinced she is as pure as she seems and dreads the day when he will find her in bed with another man. Because of Thayer's mistrust, a greedy uncle and Thayer's ex-love Elizabeth (who decides she wants him back in her bed) he and Gytha have a very rocky road ahead of them.

I really enjoyed this delightful Beauty & The Beast retelling. It was refreshing to read about a heroine who had no care for looks and although she was physically perfect she didn't feel it was an important part of who she was. This book was very funny in part while still being emotionally intense and the chemistry between the h/h was smoldering. This one teared me up & had me smiling at the same time. I hated to see their story come to an end. Definitely one worth pulling out of the tbr pile.

[Bex (Beckie Bookworm) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do love this book it's like a favourite teddy-bear if you know what I mean that well-loved read that you can’t help revisiting over and over again purely because it’s so familiar well this one is it for me. I’ve read it so many times now and it never gets old yes it’s a bit cheesy and it’s far from perfect but I just love the concept that a plain ordinary hero gets the girl It's just so refreshing.

It’s a medieval romance set in 1365 our heroine Gytha has been betrothed since she was small but when her groom unexpectedly dies she instead gets to marry the next heir in line who turns out to be Thayer. So initially Thayer is horrified that his wife is such a beauty he’s got some immense baggage leftover from a prior romance which had also left him slightly prejudiced towards Gytha’s fair face. Judging her intentions and potential character unfairly.

This was a really enjoyable read i love the arranged marriage trope and this one ticks all of my boxes. There are misunderstandings some danger and Intrigue. Thayer needs to realise that he can’t judge his wife by a past experience and that she’s literally paying for the sins of another. Thayer is also not really a silver-tongued lady's man he can be quite obtuse and constantly puts his foot in it when this occurs through Gytha isn’t afraid to stand up for herself and set him right but all without being shrewish.

I Like both Thayer and Gytha and thought they had lots of chemistry and though this isn’t really a complicated or taxing story I liked it for its simplicity and romantic overtone. It’s not a beauty and the beast themed fairy story the title instead is suggestive of how beautiful Gytha is compared to Thayer’s plainness and greatly imparts the message that beauty is only skin deep and how important other characteristics are as well and I do think it manages to deliver this message admirably. This is such a heartwarming romance that I do recommend.



Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com

[Ariannha · Rating 2 out of 5]

La historia comenzó bien, sin embargo fue decayendo conforme avanzaba. Al personaje masculino por momentos me costaba no abofetearlo, después de ser tan guerrero, mostraba inseguridades. El malo, simplemente escueto, las situaciones tan tontas como inverosímiles.
Realmente esperaba un poco más.

[KatieV · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

I hesitated between a 2-3 on this, so 2.5 stars it is. I sorta liked it. Which is between 'it's ok' and 'I liked it', I suppose.

The hero was insecure, but to my surprise we weren't treated to someone who was violent or emotionally abusive as so often happens with this plot line. I get so tired of that. The H largely kept his insecurities to himself and only truly showed his deep-down insecurity driven mistrust of the heroine once. Otherwise, you just kinda wanted to shake him for being such an insecure, blind fool - yet, he inspired no anger in me. He was overall a likeable, fair guy who treated the heroine well. In fact I was bit surprised that he was such a reasonable, fair minded man considering the times. I'm not saying those men didn't exist in the Middle Ages, but found it rather odd that he never really got angry with the h for disobeying him or insisted she submit to his will like a dutiful wife of the times.

I suppose I expect a medieval to be a bit more raw. This would have been more in line with a Regency as far as the lightness of it. Not that terrible things weren't going on during the regency period, but we've been rather conditioned to Regencies being much lighter/fluffier while expecting much more violence and extremely domineering behavior from the males in a medieval. After all, that was a extremely rough time in history. There was violence in this since the H was a warrior, but it was glossed over and I didn't find it immersing at all.

The Beauty and the Beast title was misleading. This was more a case of someone who was plain of face - with the rock hard bod of a warrior and a giant penis, of course - paired with someone who was a celebrated beauty. There was nothing 'beastly' about him at all. He sounded like what I'd describe as a "carrot-top" sort of redhead versus someone with the "more sexy" auburn hair *gasp, the horror*. He also had some battle scars, but nothing disfiguring. There were no blatantly unattractive features. He just wasn't a pretty boy.

For the most part, I felt this lacked tension overall. It's the type of thing I probably won't recall a week from now. However, if you're looking for something lighter/sweeter and not likely to tax your emotions in a negative way - you may love this.

I was pleased with the passing nod to the plague and how it had so changed the feudal structure of England. It's not a romantic subject, but it was one that made huge changes in the economy and social structure of Europe. It's weird that it's rarely mentioned in most medieval romances.

[Mon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Una decepción, empezó bien pero a medida que la historia avanzaba iba empeorando para acabar leyendo en diagonal en algunos momentos . Thayer un obtuso inseguro y Gytha mucho mejor personaje.

[Jena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tried re-reading it in 2023, but couldn’t even finish it. I apparently out grew this authors writing style/books. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Original rating 4, and at the time, I considered this book,one of this authors best books.😑


Safety: (self note never reread this)
-No cheating, but he IS tempted. It felt like he would’ve eventually if it had gone on longer.
- Lots of ow drama, minor om drama.
- No detailed love scenes with OP.
- Old fashion thinking h.
She went home leaving the H with the ow, and she says if he had cheated she wouldve forgiven him, because it’s her fault that she left him alone with her.😂


- H has a bastard son with his first love.
She meant a lot to him, but she was evil. She tried to kill their son, and after degrading and breaking
his heart, she married another man.
And months later H continued to have an affair with her. He was that obsessed. (This happened years before MCs got married.)

—————————
What he says about the OW

“I took Bek(son), aye. But I could not quit Elizabeth, and therein lies my shame. Not long after her marriage to Sevilliers, I became her lover again. God’s tears, but she could play upon the blindness of my heart. I thought myself her only lover. There were whispers of her wanton ways, but I stoutly ignored them.”

“But the whispers were true, were they not?”
       “Aye, very true. I discovered that truth in a garden one night. She was frolicking with some courtier there, much like some hedgerow whore. Do you know, I think I was stupid enough to forgive her even that? It was what was said that finally broke her grip upon me. The man spoke as if he had gained some great victory over me by lying with her, one he could never have gained with a sword. She laughed, saying I was but the longest enduring of all her lovers. She said my besotted state amused her. The man confessed surprise at her bedding of one so large, so red, and so lacking in looks. She agreed that I was an ugly brute, well deserving of all the taunts, but I was handsomely endowed. I have not been near her since that day.”

Hurt settled into a corner of her heart when she realized he had not said he had ceased to love the woman.

———————-

- Around 50%, MCs are at court, and they get into a fight over OW/OM, and h leaves and goes home, leaving the H alone at court for 45 days, and he was a breath away from cheating on the h, but he doesn’t.


“He was eager to get away from her(Ow). She had been tedious at times, yet tempting at others. He was a virile man left too long alone (ONLY 45days!), his body aching for a woman who had put herself out of his reach. Yet, when he had found himself but a breath away from accepting Lady Elizabeth’s(OW) freely offered favors, he had balked, casting aside all semblance of courtesy to send her away. It mattered little to him that, after so many years of savoring the vision, he had fully repaid his youthful humiliation at her hands. What he promised himself he would try to recall was that, in doing so, he had probably made an enemy who would bear watching.”

- the h says even if he had cheated, she would’ve looked the other way.🙄

“I left my man unguarded, within reach of a viper(ow) who made no secret of wanting him. He could easily have slipped beneath her spell again. I think I can forgive that.”


—————————-

- H is also extremely insecure which is off putting.


These things didnt bother me during my first read, but it does now. I wouldn’t have tried rereading it if I had remembered this bit.

[Madhulika Liddle · Rating 1 out of 5]

In 14th century England, the exquisitely beautiful Gytha is getting ready to be married to William, the heir of Saitun. That—the heir of Saitun—is the important part; because, as the result of a long-ago agreement, Gytha is promised to the heir of Saitun, whoever he may be when she comes of age. So, when news comes, just on the eve of the wedding, that William has suddenly died, Gytha is nearly married off to his spineless and weak-willed cousin Robert, before the arrival of Thayer, yet another cousin. Known as the Red Devil, the hirsute, flame-haired Thayer is a formidable warrior and, following William’s death, now the heir to Saitun.

So Gytha is married to Thayer, unaware that this man is scarred by his past experiences with women, especially the selfish beauty Lady Elizabeth, who—despite being the mother of Thayer’s son Bek—has made it amply clear that she has only used Thayer, never loved him. Thayer cannot believe why and how Gytha could possibly treat him and his supposed ugliness with anything but disdain. He is also certain that, sooner or later, he will be cuckolded.

I read this book for two reasons: one, I like the ‘beauty and the beast’ trope; two, I have a particular fondness for the marriage of convenience trope. I ended up very disappointed, because this isn't really the beauty and the beast tale, with its element of true love seeing past the outward ugliness to the inner beauty, and/or helping in a transformation. Secondly, even by itself, the book’s very forgettable. The characters are, mostly, fairly one-dimensional. The story, after its initial plethora of sex scenes (all, in typical ‘bad romance novel style’, very passionate and with much loving care on both sides that neither side recognizes as love), goes the predictable medieval romance novel route. Enemies baying for the hero and heroine’s blood; the ex-mistress turning up again like a bad penny; misunderstandings galore.

And, oh, what a stupid hero. Thayer is probably the most idiotic hero I've ever come across in a romance novel (and I've read more than my fair share of pretty bad ones). He’s got a whopping inferiority complex about his looks (or lack thereof), which is forgivable—but what is hard to swallow is this man’s utter refusal to accept the fact that someone loves him for what he is. Again and again, and again, in the face of irrefutable proof, even.

Avoid. Like the plague.

[H-e-l-e-n-a · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gytha esta prometida en matrimonio desde su nacimiento, para casarse con el heredero de la familia Saitun. El día anterior a la boda, le dicen que su prometido esta muerto. Ahora debe casarse con el familiar que herede el título.

Thayer, al no tener títulos ni propiedades, se ha dedicado a luchar para el rey y así hacerse de dinero. Cuando llega a la casa Saitun para la boda de su primo, se entera que ha muerto, que ahora él es el heredero de todo y debe contraer matrimonio con la prometida de su primo.

Esta historia es claramente una de matrimonio arreglado. Vemos como ambas partes llegan al altar de forma obligada pero se van adaptando día a día hasta profesarse amor eterno.

Thayer es un personaje al que vemos con una larga lista de inseguridades. Tanto físicas como emocionales. No siente que atraiga a mujeres debido a la cantidad de cicatrices que ha ganado como guerrero. No cree que las mujeres sean capaces de sentir lealtad o amor por él, debido a un engaño amoroso previo.
En todo ese mix, se añade un tío ambicioso de poder que intenta separarlos para quedarse con las tierras y el dinero.


_
La batalla me ha calentado la sangre, y tú, dulce y pequeña esposa, la has hecho arder definitivamente.
_
A veces las mujeres son más duras y letales que cualquier patíbulo. Así es la vida, amigo.
_
Creo que estoy perdiendo la inteligencia. Debo de haberme vuelto idiota. No hay otra manera de explicar por qué te amo más que a mi propia vida, cuando eres el hombre más estúpido de toda Inglaterra.
_
La eternidad, corazón, tal vez no sea suficiente tiempo.

[Kathrynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't care for either main character in this one. Thayer was too hung up on a few scars and red hair! Gytha was beautiful and blonde. (my eyes are rolling here). For the majority of the book Thayer expected/suspected Gytha of cheating on him.

Gytha had good morals and loved Thayer, he just could not get his act together...until the end, of course. Even when he found her being assaulted, he thought he was witnessing Gytha with a lover. He.Just.Stood.There.

[Analia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5⭐

Un pendiente eterno cuyo título te invita a leerlo pero, en su interior, no me encontré con lo que yo esperaba. En Goodreads tiene una media de 3.81 pero por estrellas un 32% le han dado 5⭐. Me gustó pero no me encantó.

Ambientado en el siglo XIV, en la época de los señores caballeros y feudales, se lee rápido pero los diálogos son pocos creíbles y los capítulos son largos. Me dejó la sensación de poca credibilidad; Es que ni siquiera él, quien es apodado “El Demonio Rojo” me hizo hervir la sangre. Con él no hubo fangirleo, mucho menos se convirtió en mi crush. Es que sentí poca pasión en los diálogos entre personajes.
La trama es prometedora pero hace aguas. La misma trata de un matrimonio arreglado, de cómo ambas partes llegan al altar de forma obligada pero se van adaptando día a día hasta declararse amor eterno. La ambientación histórica está bien, se hace mención al paso de la peste y el miedo que dejó en muchos luego de cargarse con tantas muertes; nuestros protagonistas tanto principales como secundarios, están rodeados de intrigas y traiciones dentro de la familia, una batalla entre gente unida por lazos de sangre, como así también dentro de la corte del Rey, algo que es cosa de todos los días.
Como dije, estamos en el año 1365, la pequeña y bella Gytha, una adolescente “adelantada” para su época y muy hermosa, tiene cabellera rubia y ojos azules, o sea, supera todos los estándares de belleza (léase esto último con sarcasmo) y apenas nació, su padre decidió acordarla en matrimonio porque la plaga acababa de asolar los campos. Debido a aquellas circunstancias, el acuerdo se hizo de forma un poco extraña. El nombre de Gytha aparece en el contrato, pero no el de William. Su padre quería que su hija se uniera a la casa Saitun. Los integrantes de dicha casa son: William, Robert y Thayer; tres muchachos con posibilidad de crecer, madurar y lograr la mano de Gytha. Los tres estaban bajo la tutela de un tío en el momento en que firman el acuerdo, que establece que Gytha se casaría con el heredero de la Casa Saitun, el que sobreviviera, ya fuera William, Robert o Thayer.
Como cuenta la sinopsis, un par de sucesos harán que nuestra heroína se case con el segundo heredero porque del primero le informaron que estaba muerto. El caso es que, también se da por muerto al segundo heredero, así que, cuando estaba a punto de casarse con el tercero (Robert), Thayer Saitun, conocido como el Demonio Rojo, un caballero curtido por mil batallas, hace acto de presencia.
A Thayer su tío Charles (el malo de la historia) lo quiere muerto para que su sobrino Robert fuera el señor de la Casa Saitun. Thayer es un personaje lleno de inseguridades tanto físicas como emocionales. No siente que atraiga a mujeres debido a la cantidad de cicatrices que ha ganado como guerrero. Pero es fuerte, es un guerrero habilidoso que se ha hecho merecedor de infinidad de elogios. Gytha puede sentirse contenta de que su marido fuera ducho en el arte de la espada, puesto que eso significaba que tanto ella como sus hijos estarían bien protegidos. Pero por otro lado, está el honor, que es una parte importante de la personalidad de su esposo, sin duda un hombre honorable y justo. El dinero nunca fue el único factor que consideró a la hora de prestar sus servicios con la espada a un noble. La causa tenía que ser noble y tenía que ser justa. Así es Thayer. Él no cree que las mujeres sean capaces de sentir lealtad o amor por él, debido a un engaño amoroso previo.
Y en todo este mix, se añade el tío Charles que es un ambicioso de poder que intentará separar a Gytha y Thayer para quedarse con las tierras y el dinero.

Hannah Howell nos describe a Thayer como un gigante hombre, de cabellera rojiza y constitución fuerte; De allí su apodo. Todos le temen, menos el pequeño Beck. Pese a ello es una persona insegura, maltrecho emocionalmente por lo que dice la sociedad de él. Son tantas sus cicatrices que físicamente no es agraciado. Él no se atreve a abrir su corazón a Gytha por las heridas que su antiguo amor, Elizabeth le dejó.
Insisto: Todas las descripciones que la autora nos regala acerca de este hombre, no me voló la cabeza. Sí, he sentido empatía por él, pero no me aceleró el corazón. Es más, sentí curiosidad por Roger -amigo y quien le da consejos a Thayer-.
Y en cuanto a Gytha, para la época es muy inteligente, muy despierta y tiene una manera de reflexionar con su prima bastarda Margaret que, no sé, no parece un lenguaje del siglo XIV, junto con diálogos que tiene con su esposo, que por momentos me parecieron infantiles.
Quizás la autora quiso dejarnos un mensaje referido a ver más allá de lo físico, de cómo las palabras hirientes repercuten en el otro, de no juzgar, y el pequeño Beck cuya historia es para reflexionar. Él es fruto de una relación entre Thayer y la bruja de Elizabeth.
En fin. ¿La novela es larga? Si lo es. ¿La recomiendo? Y no sé, queda a criterio de cada lector. Si les gusta la temática de señores feudales, adelante, léanla.

[Victoria Castillo · Rating 2 out of 5]

So i was thinking of how i would write this and i decided i to go straight to the point. Much easier...less boring.

I didn't like this. The plot dragged throughout half of the book and the main characters exasperated me. I didn't feel any connection to Gytha, the heroine, who is the prototipe of a lady of the 1600's and don't get me wrong, is not like i was especting something different, but she just didn't have any trait i could find interesting. She was just a Meh, plain character.

Thayer i thought i would like more. He started really well, not being the typical "sexy, handsome hero" but a big, redhead, scarred beast instead. And i liked that Gytha never tought of him less for that— in fact, she notices him in a good way inmediatly when they met— but he quickly ended up being sort of an idiot, and not the kind i could enjoy.

I mean yeah, i get it, you had a bad relationship with a woman before, (the high class girl used him for sex and when she got pregnant she rejected him and abandoned her son) and now you want to protect yourself from that. Fine. But then he start measuring every other woman to her (including his wife) and expecting the worst of her at every chance, until there's a point where he doubts from everything she says or does because it just could be "a lie or bait from her part". His constant lack of trust in Gytha just exasperated me, to say the least.

There is a scene half through the book that just show exactly this.(Gytha is about to get raped by some douche, and Thayer just walks in in the middle of this, but his inmediate though is something like "Oh, there she is, cheating on me" and does NOTHING to help her wife!



She saves herself, thank god, but it was just ridiculous to read.) And ever since then, the book went straight to hell for me.

Because ever since that, we are baited in a back and forth when the two characters keep having the same problem. Thayer doesn't trust in Gytha or her feelings. Gytha struggles to find a way to make her dumb ass husband understand that she loves him (because apparently to just tell him is fucking impossible) and then fight, make love, fight, make love, until mark 90% or so, when (the dude who was suposedly dead and who had to marry Gytha in first place is not so dead and he comes back to claim his land and house, and Thayer assumes that Gytha goes with the deal too and OFFERS TO GIVE HER BACK! WHEN SHE'S ALREADY PREGNANT WITH HIS CHILD!)




Me at 90% mark



Until half of the book, i could have rated this a three stars, just because it was kinda fluffy, Thayer is not your typical muffin and the sex scenes were kinda good (although kinda irreal too, i mean she orgasms twice in her wedding night, and doesn't suffer from virginity lost pain, dude...) but then it got boring, and the whole main problem could have been solved if this two just sat down and talked to each other.

Oh there were some bad guys, but so caricatured that i don't even remeber them. And the Secondary Characthers weren't good enough that i could forget the assholness of the two idiots protagonists.

I need some good Historical Romance that isn't writed by Lisa Kleypas. Me urge.

And as usual, sorry for los errores de ortografía, es que me no speak very well el english.

[Monserrat Maxfield Markov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Editando: HorroresOrtográficos
Mi primer libro de Romance Histórico y... ¡¡Me ha encantado!!
Como me encantan las historias de muchos años atrás. ¿Qué fue lo que más me gusto del libro? Debo admitir que adoré a Thayer es un hombre poco agraciado; la verdad para mí está más que perfecto. Me encantan los hombres que a simple vista se ven bien malotes, creo que esos son los que más pasión tienen, te cuidan, te aman, te procuran... En pocas palabras, lo eres todo para ellos.
El problema de Thayer fue su físico, que se sentía poca cosa para Gytha por que ella es muy bella, pero me encanto lo que dijo Gytha: Que ella en el espejo solo veía piel, carne, pelo, que para el ojo de las personas todo eso encajaba y la hacia ver bella, pero la belleza es otra cosa. La belleza se acaba con el tiempo con las enfermedades y lo único que queda es lo que eres por dentro, cuan cierto es eso.

¡Me encanto!

[Vero Rinconin · Rating 3 out of 5]

En realidad un 3'5 la historia entretenida pero mmñe algo pesadina por momentos porque hubo cosas que se repitieron hasta la saciedad (vamos, hasta el final).
►►Mi reseña en Mi Rinconín de Lectura◄◄

[MisskTarsis · Rating 3 out of 5]

No sé porqué tengo la sensación de que ya lo había leído antes, jajaja. Gytha es sorprendida al saber qué su prometido está muerto y en su lugar tomará como esposo al Gran Demonio Rojo, un guerrero temible, primo y sucesor de su ex-prometido. Pero hacerle vera a Thayer que lo ama, es más difícil que caminar sobre fuego, es una bestia que ha sido anteriormente y que con lo que respecta a mujeres camina en hielo quebradizo.

Me gustaron los personajes, incluso el niño Beck, es adorable. Thayer es un poco terco y tonto, pero también hace reír y enternecer. Es una historia sencilla y muy linda.

[Paige · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars.

The hero’s inability to trust the heroine got old fast. I never quite forgave him after he saw her being sexually assaulted, was convinced she was cheating, and didn’t help her PLUS prevented his friend from helping her.

Contains: tall and small, warrior hero, arranged marriage, pregnancy, asshole ex, single dad hero, “ugly” hero (but really he’s just ginger) + beautiful heroine, medieval England (near wales), court politics, insecure hero, trust issues

CW: multiple rape attempts. Kidnapping (by villain). Knife/sword violence, execution, duels, etc.

ETA: this was originally published in 1992 (not 2007 like GR led me to believe), and the gender stuff really feels it

4/5🔥

[Gabba · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bueno... lectura que tendría que haber realizado en el primer semestre, pero quedó en el baúl de los archivos, hasta que el domingo no sabía qué leer (dudaba con otros dos más), y arranqué con esto. ¡Oh, por Dior... tengo que aprender a seguir mi instinto! Si van a leer mi verborragia, advierto que podrían encontrarse con pseudos Spoilers. ¡Por si les interesa, acá, pueden leer la reseña versión blog... mucho más coherente! #Ponele ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Uno ya se puede imaginar más o menos parte de la trama con tan solo leer el título. Todos leímos o vimos La bella y la bestia, o hemos leído otras adaptaciones (Making Faces... ooohh #amorpuro). En este caso en particular, la historia que nos remonta a la época feudal, de los caballeros y demás cháchara de ese momento. Una adolescente (supera los estándares de belleza del 1300), obligada a cumplir un acuerdo contraído cuando apenas tenía horas de nacida; es decir, contraer nupcias con el barón de la casa Saitun. Un par de hechos hará que se casé con el segundo heredero, el cual fue dado por muerto, cuando estaba a punto de casarse con el tercero, ya que el primero había muerto.¡Oh, el quid del eje del mal! Y así arrancamos, barro por doquier... una purreta que siente un algo desde el vamos por ese gigante inseguro, maltrecho en emociones por las habladurías e insensibilidad de la alta sociedad y una mujer en particular, la perra de lady Elizabeth.
Idas, vueltas, enfrentamientos, batallas, y bla, bla bla... que se observa durante el relato. Mucha incertidumbre entre sus penas y pesares, que terminó por AGOTARME. Eterno, así fue como se me hizo. Tranquilamente podríaN haber resuelto el asunto un poco antes, pero la autora optó por agregar un poco más de drama y de dolores... e histeria femenina, cuando estábamos llegando a los albores del verdadero "y comieron perdices".

Sentí empatía Thayer, pero hasta ahí nomás, no me voló la cabeza. Ella, la "pequeña y bella" Gytha, me pareció demasiado despierta/inteligente/ o cómo gusten llamarlo para la época.
Ni hablar el temita de las cabalgatas... DEMASIADO, a la primera montada ya era una experta en el #ArteDeLasCabalgatas... por favor¡! En cualquier oportunidad tenían ganas de seguir ampliando sus conocimientos...

Puntos a favor (?): personajes satélites.
~En particular cómo se fue dando la relación de Roger (la voz de la sabiduría y buen amigo de Thayer) con Margaret (prima bastarda -y casi sirvienta- de Gytha).
~Los miembros de la familia de Gytha. Puro amor. (#Ponele)
~Tal vez, esa segunda oportunidad que tuvieron miembros del eje del mal. Luego de repensar sus acciones y tratar de revertirlas. (Segundo #ponele)
~Y sin lugar a dudas el pequeño Bek, chiquitino...

¿Y, qué te pareció? Mmm, es un libro que no volvería a leer. Dudo mucho que diga: che, no sabes qué leer, pues anímate con este.

Repito, tengo que aprender a seguir mi instinto, por algo lo había dejado olvidado... #QuéSabioSosQueridoInstinto y marche un gran #BesitoEnLaFrente para #LaBellaDeLaBestia

Posdata: Che, ¿por qué tanto #? Ni que estuvieras en Twitter o Facebook¡!

[Nuria · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 stars

It's okay. It has nothing from the other world, it is simply entertained. It is a book that hooks you when you are reading it, as soon as you leave it, at least for me, it was difficult for me to pick it up again but once I started reading it hooked me again.

I liked the story. At first I thought it was a version of beauty and the beast and on the one hand it is when it comes to the subject of inner beauty. The protagonist has a lot of scars and is not very attractive but the protagonist likes him from the beginning and does not care about his physique. As for this, I do see a similarity, but otherwise not. So I say it reminded me a little bit of beauty and the beast.

As for the characters, I liked many of the main ones. Although Thayer gave me a lot of sadness because deep down he has many insecurities. I liked Ghyta very much, she is a woman who does not keep quiet, even who could be considered shameless for her time and I liked that. She is also super good, nice and brave at certain times in the book.

As for secondary characters, I really liked Roger and Margaret, both of them with Thayer and Ghyta always supporting them and being their confidants and advisers.

In conclusion, I liked the book and was surprised because I thought I was not going to like it as much. It has a nice love story with a nice message. I recommend it.


3/5 estrellas

Esta bien. No tiene nada del otro mundo , está entretenido sin más. Es un libro que te engancha cuando lo estás leyendo, en cuanto lo dejas, por lo menos a mí, me costaba volver a cogerlo pero una vez que empezaba a leer me volvía a enganchar.

La historia me gustó. Al principio pensé que era una versión de la bella y la bestia y por una parte si que lo es en lo que se refiere al tema de la belleza interior. El protagonista tiene un montón de cicatrices y no se es muy atractivo pero la protagonista le gusta desde el principio y no le importa el físico de él. En cuanto a esto si que le veo un parecido, pero por lo demás no 😂. Por eso digo que me recordó un poquito a la bella y la bestia.😄

En cuanto a los personajes me gustaron muchos los principales. Aunque en si Thayer me dio mucha pena porque en el fondo tiene muchas inseguridades . Ghyta me gustó mucho es una mujer que no se calla nada incluso que podría considerarse descarada para su época y eso me gustó. Además es súper buena, simpática y valiente en ciertos momentos del libro.

En cuanto a personajes secundarios me gustó mucho Roger y Margaret los dos siempre con Thayer y Ghyta apoyándoles siempre y siendo sus confidentes y consejeros.

En conclusión el libro me gustó y me sorprendió porque pensé que no me iba a gustar tanto. Tiene una bonita historia de amor con un bonito mensaje. Lo recomiendo.

[Rainz ❤️rainnbooks❤️(on a break) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Assuming and expecting the beauty and the beast story set in the historical times was my first mistake and continuing to read even when I realized that it was not the right time for me to read it was the 2nd mistake. Oh well, no issues except that when you force yourself to read something that was not enjoyable then surely the review is gonna reflect that frame of mind and it is not something that I love doing. So there, You have been warned dear friends!

Beauty and the Beast does not have much on beauty and the beast, even the “beast” segment of it is only in the hero’s mind coz he’s red headed, Thayer believes that no woman would be with him willingly and there’s also a past love that has totally destroyed his confidence around well-bred and gentle born ladies. This of course is different to the totally bodice ripper romances where the hero is alpha beta gamma and everything in between but Thayer’s character and his complete misunderstanding of Gytha and her devotion repeatedly was boring after a while. His lack of respect and trust in Gytha even when there’s no reason to even suspect her for such disloyalty was beyond comprehension and one instance when your past may cloud your judgment is understandable but to continuously do so made me want to tear my hair out. In fact, the scene where Thayer goes into shock and fails to save Gytha from a staged rape and Gytha having to take matters into her own hands was brilliantly done but the resolving of that issue should have made some difference to Thayer’s faith in his beautiful wife but sadly not.

I do love historical romances, after mystery thrillers this is one genre that I always read to lift my mood but unfortunately this one was just not enough or maybe it is just me!

[Sunshine · Rating 2 out of 5]

The hero in this book is the most insecure and spineless asshole I've read about in the longest time. He literally watched his wife get almost raped by some guy and he just stood there because he was insecure about her love. This book is too passive with little to no plot and with an unlikable hero. I don't mind insecure heroes, but this one took it to an extreme.

[Netanella · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been digging through some "Beauty & the Beast" themes, and this one was titled as such, so I gave it a go.

This book is unabashedly a historical romance. It had me smiling from the start. Our hero, the Red Devil, is big and red and furry, scarred and battle-marred and befreckled like a red-headed stepchild. Our heroine is golden and pure and sensual, all in one package, and when she sees Big Red for the first time, she wants to take care of him and ease his worries. She gets all squishy inside. Big Red, however, having been burnt in the past before by a beautiful woman, doubts his golden bride's belief in him and their marriage, and therein lies the trouble for most of the book. But for a good conversation, the story could have been shortened by about 10 chapters.

Much of the plot revolves around the misunderstandings of Big Red and the Golden One, again, easily resolved by a "honey, I love you" statement. There's the evil Lady Elizabeth who contrives to get Big Red back in her bed, or do away with the Golden One. There's the evil uncle Someone, who plots to steal Big Red's inheritance from him.

I loved the first half of the book much more than the last half. Unfortunately, by the second half I found myself skimming whole sections to get to the ending. This was a fun and cheesy romance; it fit the Beauty and the Beast theme, and I would recommend it to fans of the genre.

[Lucy Qhuay · Rating 2 out of 5]

An enjoyable enough historical romance, without being particularly original or exciting.

It's plain to see I picked this book up drawn by the promise of some kind of beauty and the beast retelling , but I must say I was disappointed.

I was expecting Thayer, the hero, to be a battle-scarred, cold-hearted, ruthless warrior, but when push came to shove, he really wasn't.

He was surprisingly soft and sweet, albeit in a rough way. Sure, he had trust issues and he was scarred, both in and outside, since he had been betrayed by a woman of his past, but I can't remember a moment when he was purposefully cruel.

Plus, and even though he was supposed to be 'The Red Devil' and the leader of his group of warriors, he wasn't exactly what you call an 'alpha' hero.

I also didn't like that Thayer and Gytha, the heroine, came up as childish as they did. I can understand it somewhat with Gytha, considering she was seventeen, but he was a thirty-year-old man and a seasoned warrior.

All in all, read this book if you please, just don't have high expectations.

[Raizabel Isabel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thayer y Gytha,

Una pareja algo complicada, el muy acomplejado por su aspecto y por un episodio que le rompio el corazon no se la cree cuando tiene que casarse por compromiso con la hermosa Gytha que es para el peligrosamente hermosa, tenia un muy mal concepto de las mujeres hermosas y eso no ayudaba a que confiara que realmente su mujer lo amaba con todo su corazon.

Gytha por su lado era una chica de caracter regio aunque bastante inocente, no vio realmente lo fisico en Thayer si no la sensacion que le dio al conocerlo la cual le decia que era el la persona en que confiar y amar, en fin los dos no querian aceptar el amor que nacio entre ellos casi desde el principio, mucha inseguridad que a veces fastidiaba y pues villanos que estaban alli para alimentar de cierta manera ese miedo y esa inseguridad.

Buen final...no es un libro que me haya apasionado pero si me gusto, me lo lei rapido y no lo deje como a veces me pasa ya ultimamente como algunos.

Ahora a por el proximo que caiga en mi larga lista.....

[GigiReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook-
I chose this book for the narrator. I love Mary Jane wells and if I'd read it with my eyes I would have probably DNF'd at some point. But she elevated this immensely. The MMC takes the place of his thought dead brother and marries the FMC. The book is basically them trying to navigate their marriage while a metric ton of external conflict tries to tear them apart. My main complaint is that this is BatB only in the fact that the hero is unattractive. He's described as red which I understood it was because of his hair but no they keep calling him a red man. Like his skin? I was so confused. But really there's just so much going on that it was slightly exhausting. There's Other Woman drama, illegitimate child drama, murder plots, rape attempts, kidnapping, dead brother drama and whew! It was a wild ride and I'm glad it's over. The romance is sweet and the FMC is sassy and suffers no fools. Overall a little disjointed, with too much plot and not enough BatB elements to be titled like this.

🌟🌟🌟/5
🔥/5

[Maddux · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was an okay read. Found myself skimming through a good bit of it. Likeable heroine, even the hero was all right - but he was no beast. Really don't know why the book was titled so, when it falls so short of living up to its name.

The first half of the book was happy, and then there were weak villains to wreak havoc on all the happy paypul.

Blah, blah, blah ... "I love him but I can't tell him, because I don't know if he reciprocates, and if he doesn't that would just turn my life into a sucky pit of suck."

"Well I can't trust women - because I've been duped by a woman before. And all women - especially beautiful ones - are all going to be unfaithful h00rs to a mildly battered, honorable warrior like me, no matter what lengths she goes to to try and prove that she is worthy of my love."

Weak.

2 stars.

[Monica · Rating 1 out of 5]

I adored the concept of this book and I started to read it with high hopes but I couldn't get into it. I also felt like there was nothing keeping me in the story. Once the wedding happened it just seemed like that was it. This book just didn't work for me. Check out these reviews and form your own opinion:

Once A Chapter
Lost But Not Looking
Love Romance Passion

[Cristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

ME ENCANTO! ❤️
Es un libro que se lee rápido y trata de una historia de amor diferente. El hombre Thayer lo describen robusto pero un hombre no guapo, teniendo otras cualidades a su favor. Nuestra querida protagonista es Gytha, ella es una mujer hermosa, y a pesar de su corta edad te cae bien, porque no es de las típicas mujeres sumisas que obedecen en todo.

Todo sucede tan rápido, Thayer llega a la boda de su primo sin saber que el será el novio gracias a un acuerdo que se tenían en las familias.

Desde su primer momento juntos te quedas enganchado, la forma en que se respeten, se empiezan a conocer, se hablan TODO ME GUSTO !!!