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The Ravenswood Chronicles #1
Beloved Monster
What makes a man? The wild and dissolute Viscount Ravenswood lives only for his own pleasure, caring not one wit for the broken hearts left trampled in his wake. But his decadent lifestyle finally catches up to him in a fatal carriage race. It’s an infamous and spectacular end to a brief, immoral life—or is it? And who is the woman who loves him? When Glenna Parker stumbles upon her cousin Reed Parker’s cluttered laboratory, she could never have imagined the mad experiment he is about to embark upon—to bring a man back from the dead. Not just any man, but Ravenswood, who once shattered her heart. With no memory of his former life, Glenna calls him Luke, and finds herself enchanted by his compassion—and passion. Protecting the scarred Luke has become Glenna’s sole mission, but can she protect her heart from her beloved monster?
180 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 13, 2016
6 people are currently reading
417 people want to read
About the author
Karyn Gerrard
51 books597 followersI no longer come to Goodreads, so there will be no updates by me on this profile.
For further information on my books, check out my site here: http://karyngerrard.com/
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
February 21, 2017
A little bit FRANKENSTEIN, a little bit BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, with a dash of paranormal and erotica. But a whole lot weird.
I really liked the premise of BELOVED MONSTER but it was just.. well, strange. It didn't live up to the potential for me and again with the strange and weird. Couldn't quite suspend my disbelief enough for this one. I do like the concept for the sequel though so I'll be giving it a go.
I really liked the premise of BELOVED MONSTER but it was just.. well, strange. It didn't live up to the potential for me and again with the strange and weird. Couldn't quite suspend my disbelief enough for this one. I do like the concept for the sequel though so I'll be giving it a go.
August 29, 2016
The handsome and smooth talking, Viscount Ravenswood is a rake. There is hardly a woman he hasn't seduced and very few people who like him. He's done nothing in his life but leave a trail of broken hearts and illegitimate children. So, when it came to his untimely death in a carriage accident hardly anyone seemed to care.
Glenna Parker was one of a string of unlucky women to fall under Ravenwood's spell. Luckily for her, she managed to come to her senses before she sleeps with him. As angry as she was that he had only been using her, she still harbors feelings towards the handsome viscount.
Shortly after Ravenswood is buried, Glenna stumbles upon her scientist cousin hiding some science experiment in the basement, the last thing she expected to find was Ravenswood's cold corpse on the table. But there it was. And here was Glenna's cousin stating he can reanimate the dead.
Sure enough, Ravenswood comes back from the dead. Only, this time he's very, very different. He's kind, caring and has no memory of his past life. He only has Glenna and her cousin to help him understand who he is. Of course, He's not exactly as handsome as he had been prior to the accident, but as far as Glenna is concerned, he's perfect. Ravenswood--now, Luke--also falls just as fast and hard for Glenna. But soon enough the past comes back to haunt them and truths are revealed.
I honestly don't know how to feel about this book. I understood exactly where the author was trying to go with it. I also liked the characters, but there was just something about the story that kept me from falling in love with it. It seems to be set up for another book. I am interested in reading the next book in the series to see where the author goes with it.
Glenna Parker was one of a string of unlucky women to fall under Ravenwood's spell. Luckily for her, she managed to come to her senses before she sleeps with him. As angry as she was that he had only been using her, she still harbors feelings towards the handsome viscount.
Shortly after Ravenswood is buried, Glenna stumbles upon her scientist cousin hiding some science experiment in the basement, the last thing she expected to find was Ravenswood's cold corpse on the table. But there it was. And here was Glenna's cousin stating he can reanimate the dead.
Sure enough, Ravenswood comes back from the dead. Only, this time he's very, very different. He's kind, caring and has no memory of his past life. He only has Glenna and her cousin to help him understand who he is. Of course, He's not exactly as handsome as he had been prior to the accident, but as far as Glenna is concerned, he's perfect. Ravenswood--now, Luke--also falls just as fast and hard for Glenna. But soon enough the past comes back to haunt them and truths are revealed.
I honestly don't know how to feel about this book. I understood exactly where the author was trying to go with it. I also liked the characters, but there was just something about the story that kept me from falling in love with it. It seems to be set up for another book. I am interested in reading the next book in the series to see where the author goes with it.
February 21, 2019
While this wasn't as tight as Gerrard's 'Men of Wollstonecraft Hall' series, it was still an enjoyable read. The H/h were likeable and I loved the H's transformation, but the characters could have been developed more. The Picture of Dorian Gray/Frankensteinian twist was pretty cool. A weak 4 stars.
January 20, 2021
DNF at 30% in, I can't take this anymore. Fun, well-worn concept with embarrassing, hot garbage execution.
Word to the wise, when you're doing a Frankenstein-inspired piece, either don't address the source material or DO address it and give it the credence it deserves. DON'T do this weird thing this book does where it's like "Frankenstein??? Lmaoooooooo--"
I've seen this trope a few times where a promiscuous guy gets memory loss and then ends up in a monogamous relationship and frankly it feels... not great. Rather than accepting that sometimes hot people can and will have a lot of sex and it may or may not be with you there's this fantasy of destroying the person's personality and isolating them so that they won't be as sexually indiscriminate. Like hey, that's kind of messed up, don't you think? From what was established in this story, minus a false rape accusation, which is its own level of messed up, the dude had consenting partners and, when rejected, left. He's not doing anything wrong by playing fast and loose, yo. The female lead got heartbroken by him and I just... that's your problem, sis!! You knew he's slutty but you thought you could """"fix"""" him!
The romance, what little of it I could stand between the female lead and the amnesiac reanimated corpse, is... awkward. No steady build to anything, just dropping weird, cumbersome affection into the reader's lap along with way too much emphasis on ~ masculinity ~ and ~ femininity ~
Final note: there were so many exposition dumps. People would rattle off entire backstories with little prompting to contextualize behavior. Absolute amateur hour.
I don't know, maybe I'll come back and read the rest of this at some point, but OHHH my god I'm so frustrated with it, it had so much potential but the way it's carried out is so bad...
Word to the wise, when you're doing a Frankenstein-inspired piece, either don't address the source material or DO address it and give it the credence it deserves. DON'T do this weird thing this book does where it's like "Frankenstein??? Lmaoooooooo--"
I've seen this trope a few times where a promiscuous guy gets memory loss and then ends up in a monogamous relationship and frankly it feels... not great. Rather than accepting that sometimes hot people can and will have a lot of sex and it may or may not be with you there's this fantasy of destroying the person's personality and isolating them so that they won't be as sexually indiscriminate. Like hey, that's kind of messed up, don't you think? From what was established in this story, minus a false rape accusation, which is its own level of messed up, the dude had consenting partners and, when rejected, left. He's not doing anything wrong by playing fast and loose, yo. The female lead got heartbroken by him and I just... that's your problem, sis!! You knew he's slutty but you thought you could """"fix"""" him!
The romance, what little of it I could stand between the female lead and the amnesiac reanimated corpse, is... awkward. No steady build to anything, just dropping weird, cumbersome affection into the reader's lap along with way too much emphasis on ~ masculinity ~ and ~ femininity ~
Final note: there were so many exposition dumps. People would rattle off entire backstories with little prompting to contextualize behavior. Absolute amateur hour.
I don't know, maybe I'll come back and read the rest of this at some point, but OHHH my god I'm so frustrated with it, it had so much potential but the way it's carried out is so bad...
September 11, 2016
*This is a 3.5 stars review round up to 4 stars
Beloved Monster is definitely a creative story. When I asked to review this book I was a little worried that it would be a copycat of Frankenstein, but I was really impressed with Karyn Gerrard work. I really loved the underlying ethical dilemma that was present in this story. A man is brought back from the dead, what should be done with him? As long as there is a heartbeat, it is considered a human being. While doing its experiment, Professor Reed never thought that someone would be living again.
The Viscount Ravenswood is hated by a lot of people. All he thought about was to have its way with women. Pleasure is his ultimate goal. There are a whole lot of rumors and stories about him. When he died, there were not a lot of people that were shedding tears for him. Professor Reed stole Viscount Ravenswood body from its casket and decided to do an experiment on him. His cousin Glenna showed up in his laboratory and decided to help him. They never thought that Viscount Ravenswood would come from the dead.
Let me get something out of the way right now: I am not a fan of a virgin main character. In fact, I am usually running away as fast as I can from those stories. There is no need to say that after having read a couple of pages and realized that Glenna was a virgin, I thought I would be in for a painful time. I have to admit that Karyn Gerrard did a really good job with Glenna character. Glenna was romantic and a little naive, but she got a wilder side too. From time to time she was a little annoying, but for the most part, I liked her. I especially liked the bond that she had with Luke (previously known as Viscount Ravenswood).
Luke came back to life with no memories of who he was before. He has scars and his skin is gray. He is not the handsome man that he used to be. He also has a completely different personality. Little by little he is learning again to talk, to walk and so on. Reed and Glenna kept him hidden in their basement. As soon as he saw Glenna he fell for her, but he looks like a monster he can’t believe that Glenna could feel the same way. As time goes by, Glenna fell in love with Luke, but her cousin Reed is not happy about that at all.
It is a truly entertaining story and it was a pleasure to read it. The pace of the book is perfect and its character development is great. Overall, it is a great story. From time to time I was getting irritated with Glenna character but other than that I love this book. I’m curious to see what direction the author will take in the second book of the series.
*I was gifted this book by Jeep Diva in exchange for an honest review.
Beloved Monster is definitely a creative story. When I asked to review this book I was a little worried that it would be a copycat of Frankenstein, but I was really impressed with Karyn Gerrard work. I really loved the underlying ethical dilemma that was present in this story. A man is brought back from the dead, what should be done with him? As long as there is a heartbeat, it is considered a human being. While doing its experiment, Professor Reed never thought that someone would be living again.
The Viscount Ravenswood is hated by a lot of people. All he thought about was to have its way with women. Pleasure is his ultimate goal. There are a whole lot of rumors and stories about him. When he died, there were not a lot of people that were shedding tears for him. Professor Reed stole Viscount Ravenswood body from its casket and decided to do an experiment on him. His cousin Glenna showed up in his laboratory and decided to help him. They never thought that Viscount Ravenswood would come from the dead.
Let me get something out of the way right now: I am not a fan of a virgin main character. In fact, I am usually running away as fast as I can from those stories. There is no need to say that after having read a couple of pages and realized that Glenna was a virgin, I thought I would be in for a painful time. I have to admit that Karyn Gerrard did a really good job with Glenna character. Glenna was romantic and a little naive, but she got a wilder side too. From time to time she was a little annoying, but for the most part, I liked her. I especially liked the bond that she had with Luke (previously known as Viscount Ravenswood).
Luke came back to life with no memories of who he was before. He has scars and his skin is gray. He is not the handsome man that he used to be. He also has a completely different personality. Little by little he is learning again to talk, to walk and so on. Reed and Glenna kept him hidden in their basement. As soon as he saw Glenna he fell for her, but he looks like a monster he can’t believe that Glenna could feel the same way. As time goes by, Glenna fell in love with Luke, but her cousin Reed is not happy about that at all.
It is a truly entertaining story and it was a pleasure to read it. The pace of the book is perfect and its character development is great. Overall, it is a great story. From time to time I was getting irritated with Glenna character but other than that I love this book. I’m curious to see what direction the author will take in the second book of the series.
*I was gifted this book by Jeep Diva in exchange for an honest review.
January 24, 2017
Beloved Monster ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
(The Ravenswood Chronicles #1) by Karyn Gerard
It was an untimely accident that killed the Viscount Ravenswood. A carriage race gone awry but his death brought no grief by all that he touched. Ravenswood was a heartless womanizer. Fathering several children and never shouldering any responsibility for his actions.
Glenna Parker would have been marked as one of his debauched victims but she knew better and walked away before he could have her. Her resentment for him was steadfast she spit on his grave with hatred.
When Glenna return home and sees her scientist cousin has the dead body of Ravenswood in his lab and is preparing to reanimate him to life she is appalled. The cousin assures her Ravenswood would one be revived for a short time. The experiment is much more successful than predicted. Ravenswood is alive but with no past memories. Glenna names him Luke but both she and her cousin will not reveal his true identity to him.
As Luke gains his strength it is quite apparent he is another persona.
This is an unusual book but the author is so gifted she applies layers upon layers to give you a tale of love and forgiveness. I would highly recommend this story and I cannot wait for this series to continue.
(The Ravenswood Chronicles #1) by Karyn Gerard
It was an untimely accident that killed the Viscount Ravenswood. A carriage race gone awry but his death brought no grief by all that he touched. Ravenswood was a heartless womanizer. Fathering several children and never shouldering any responsibility for his actions.
Glenna Parker would have been marked as one of his debauched victims but she knew better and walked away before he could have her. Her resentment for him was steadfast she spit on his grave with hatred.
When Glenna return home and sees her scientist cousin has the dead body of Ravenswood in his lab and is preparing to reanimate him to life she is appalled. The cousin assures her Ravenswood would one be revived for a short time. The experiment is much more successful than predicted. Ravenswood is alive but with no past memories. Glenna names him Luke but both she and her cousin will not reveal his true identity to him.
As Luke gains his strength it is quite apparent he is another persona.
This is an unusual book but the author is so gifted she applies layers upon layers to give you a tale of love and forgiveness. I would highly recommend this story and I cannot wait for this series to continue.
December 15, 2017
"Beloved Monster" ended up being a rather strange book, and I can't quite decide how I felt about it (which is why I'm giving the 2 star, it's ok, rating). Think of a romance novel featuring Frankenstein, and you have this book. Ravenswood was a playboy who seduced most of the women in town. He dies during a carriage race and then Glenna's cousin brings him back, Frankenstein style. Although he had broken her heart while alive, as a dead man, he's different and Glenna finds herself in quite the predicament. I had a hard time getting into the story, and it may have just been me. I was intrigued by the plot, but it didn't end up appealing to me as written. Another thing that got under my skin was the early claim that a woman was falsely claiming she had been raped (statistically this is extraordinarily rare and I would have rather it was left out). Please note that I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway. All opinions are my own.
August 9, 2021
More of Frankenstein kind.didnt like it much
January 11, 2017
A haunting beautiful romance, which deals with the hero's redemption.
February 14, 2017
It kills me to say this but I just never warmed up to Beloved Monster. I had such high expectations going into it since a friend had suggested it to me. Reading the blurb, the story had a lot going for it. Wicked Viscount pays the ultimate price for his wicked ways. A science experiment gone wrong. Or right, depending on your point of view. Beautiful woman falls in love with hideous monster. Redemption, love, HEA. It has it all and yet...
What got me wanting to read the book was the Frankenstein feel to it. That's a book I've always wanted to read but I like my stories to have romance in them. I want that HEA, to love the characters and what gets them to that happy place. Now separately, I like them. The waking of the monster, becoming Luke, how he evolves. Glenna, meh. Oh, I like her in the beginning, and her actions separate from Luke. She was sweet with this spunky side. But together I just never warmed up to them as a couple. As for Reed, in the beginning, I detested him. However, despite his flaws, I liked him in the end.
Despite the lack of warming up to the romance, Beloved Monster did have its good points. It certainly was a unique story for me as I have never read a book where a monster is created. I know there's to be at least another book in the series. Even though this book just didn't ring my bell, I'm a sucker for series so I'll probably give it one more shot. Who knows, maybe the next one will win it for me.
I received this book from the JeepDiva for the express purposes of an honest review. The opinions and rating of this review are solely mine.
Stars - 3, Flames - 3
What got me wanting to read the book was the Frankenstein feel to it. That's a book I've always wanted to read but I like my stories to have romance in them. I want that HEA, to love the characters and what gets them to that happy place. Now separately, I like them. The waking of the monster, becoming Luke, how he evolves. Glenna, meh. Oh, I like her in the beginning, and her actions separate from Luke. She was sweet with this spunky side. But together I just never warmed up to them as a couple. As for Reed, in the beginning, I detested him. However, despite his flaws, I liked him in the end.
Despite the lack of warming up to the romance, Beloved Monster did have its good points. It certainly was a unique story for me as I have never read a book where a monster is created. I know there's to be at least another book in the series. Even though this book just didn't ring my bell, I'm a sucker for series so I'll probably give it one more shot. Who knows, maybe the next one will win it for me.
I received this book from the JeepDiva for the express purposes of an honest review. The opinions and rating of this review are solely mine.
Stars - 3, Flames - 3
September 18, 2016
What makes a man?
The wild and dissolute Viscount Ravenswood lives only for his own pleasure, caring not one wit for the broken hearts left trampled in his wake. But his decadent lifestyle finally catches up to him in a fatal carriage race. It’s an infamous and spectacular end to a brief, immoral life—or is it?
And who is the woman who loves him?
When Glenna Parker stumbles upon her cousin Reed Parker’s cluttered laboratory, she could never have imagined the mad experiment he is about to embark upon—to bring a man back from the dead. Not just any man, but Ravenswood, who once shattered her heart. With no memory of his former life, Glenna calls him Luke, and finds herself enchanted by his compassion—and passion. Protecting the scarred Luke has become Glenna’s sole mission, but can she protect her heart from her beloved monster?
Review:
Well that was an interesting start to this new series.
Very unique blend of Frankenstein, Beauty & the Beast, and erotic romance. The skinny is Reed brings known rake and self-absorbed playboy Luke back from the dead, a la Frankenstein. Luke comes back but does not remember his past and with some interesting side effects, including abnormally long life. This is the basis of the series and how it goes on. Glenna who had a deep dislike of Luke before his death but is drawn to this new beast that Reed brought back. Their love grows as they spend more and more time together. Luke's sexual appetite did not decline with his death and resurrection and things heat up the romance does. Without going too much more in the story Glenna and Luke leave to escape the town folk with pitchforks, well not literal pitchforks but they were out to do them harm. The one thing I do have to say that I did not like was the way the story ended for Glenna. It will be interesting to see how this story/series continues.
3.5Stars
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.*
The wild and dissolute Viscount Ravenswood lives only for his own pleasure, caring not one wit for the broken hearts left trampled in his wake. But his decadent lifestyle finally catches up to him in a fatal carriage race. It’s an infamous and spectacular end to a brief, immoral life—or is it?
And who is the woman who loves him?
When Glenna Parker stumbles upon her cousin Reed Parker’s cluttered laboratory, she could never have imagined the mad experiment he is about to embark upon—to bring a man back from the dead. Not just any man, but Ravenswood, who once shattered her heart. With no memory of his former life, Glenna calls him Luke, and finds herself enchanted by his compassion—and passion. Protecting the scarred Luke has become Glenna’s sole mission, but can she protect her heart from her beloved monster?
Review:
Well that was an interesting start to this new series.
Very unique blend of Frankenstein, Beauty & the Beast, and erotic romance. The skinny is Reed brings known rake and self-absorbed playboy Luke back from the dead, a la Frankenstein. Luke comes back but does not remember his past and with some interesting side effects, including abnormally long life. This is the basis of the series and how it goes on. Glenna who had a deep dislike of Luke before his death but is drawn to this new beast that Reed brought back. Their love grows as they spend more and more time together. Luke's sexual appetite did not decline with his death and resurrection and things heat up the romance does. Without going too much more in the story Glenna and Luke leave to escape the town folk with pitchforks, well not literal pitchforks but they were out to do them harm. The one thing I do have to say that I did not like was the way the story ended for Glenna. It will be interesting to see how this story/series continues.
3.5Stars
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.*
September 21, 2016
Beloved Monster book one in Karyn Gerrard's Ravenswood Chronicles introduces complex and compelling characters. This story did a great job of showing the transformative powers of love and seeing beyond the exterior of person. When the physically beautiful Viscount Ravenswood meets an untimely death culminating his life devoted to self destruction and decadence no one mourns. Glenna Parker a discarded victim of Ravenwood's attempts at seduction finds herself caught up in an ethical predicament when she stumbles upon her scientist cousin Reed resurrecting the very man she has come to loath. As the man Glenna despises is given a second chance at life with no memories of his past the love that forms between the two characters was touching. The defining characteristic of Ravenswood as a monster is deftly switched from a man who used to be beautiful on the outside and a monster on the inside becoming a monster on the outside and beautiful on the inside. With a Gothic nuance and richly devised character growth this book was powerful and dramatic. While sharing similarities to a multitude of well known tales Ms. Gerrard has created a story all her own that will appeal to readers.
*I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.*
*I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.*
September 11, 2016
I'm a huge fan of the classics; a huge fan of Gothic literature. So when I came across this book that is a little of Frankenstein, Beauty and the Beast, and The Picture of Dorian Gray, I knew I had to read it.
The hero was, simply put, a man-whore. He was infamous for his deeds, for the wrongs he caused and the hearts he broke. Including the heroine's. But it all ended when he died.
Or so everyone believed. Brought back to life by the heroine's cousin, who's like a Dr. Frankenstein, the hero is given a second chance at life. With no memory of his previous life, he's a totally different person and our heroine falls for him, of course.
But secrets and lies don't last and important decisions have to be made.
I liked it, it kept me curious, which is always good. 3.5 stars.
I want to thank the publisher for the copy given in exchange for my honest review.
The hero was, simply put, a man-whore. He was infamous for his deeds, for the wrongs he caused and the hearts he broke. Including the heroine's. But it all ended when he died.
Or so everyone believed. Brought back to life by the heroine's cousin, who's like a Dr. Frankenstein, the hero is given a second chance at life. With no memory of his previous life, he's a totally different person and our heroine falls for him, of course.
But secrets and lies don't last and important decisions have to be made.
I liked it, it kept me curious, which is always good. 3.5 stars.
I want to thank the publisher for the copy given in exchange for my honest review.
October 18, 2016
Wow - I actually adored this book and the character of Luke. The three epilogue pages at the end were extremely emotional. SIGH... It took me 30 minutes to get over the story and I had to find a rom-com to read to lighten my mood. Therefore this book deserves a 5 from me.
A mix of Beauty & The Beast, Frankenstein and The Portrait of Dorian Gray. Set in 1895. Dark and slightly Gothic in style with great writing. An original story and lots of steamy scenes. Can't wait for the next book in the series (this can be read as a stand-alone)
I love all this author's books !
A mix of Beauty & The Beast, Frankenstein and The Portrait of Dorian Gray. Set in 1895. Dark and slightly Gothic in style with great writing. An original story and lots of steamy scenes. Can't wait for the next book in the series (this can be read as a stand-alone)
I love all this author's books !
September 18, 2016
This is a combination of paranormal romance and fantasy that is somewhat reminiscent of a modern day Frankenstein tale. It is unusual in it's somewhat Victorian romance flavor combined with modern sensibilities about sex and genders. It is a promising start to a new series, and I enjoyed reading it.
October 5, 2016
3.5 stars. I really enjoyed this story, and I look forward to more in the series.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews