The Beast Prince

Fairy Tale #1

by S.E. Smith

Lisa Tootles discovers more than she expects when she steps through an enchanted doorway during a game of Manhunt with her cousins. On the other side is a Prince that has been cursed.

Sharden is running out of time. Cursed before he was even born, he waits by the doorway for the one the witch said could break the spell. What he gets is a curvy human woman who doesn’t have a clue that his world even existed, much less how to break a curse.

Join Lisa and Sharden as they discovered that it doesn’t matter what you look like on the outside; it is who you are on the inside that counts in this delightful fairy tale.

Bonus: Free audiobook available. For more details visit http://sesmithfl.com/books/the-fairy-....

Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Paranormal, Beauty and The Beast, Magic, Paranormal Romance, Shapeshifters

74 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 19, 2016

About the author

S.E. Smith is an internationally acclaimed, New York Times and USA TODAY Bestselling author of science fiction, romance, fantasy, paranormal, and contemporary works for adults, young adults, and children. She enjoys writing a wide variety of genres that pull her readers into worlds that take them away.

Readers can check out her website at https://sesmithfl.com and chat with her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/se.smith.5

Reviews

[Madison Warner Fairbanks · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Beast Prince by S E Smith
1st book in the Fairy Tales (retelling) series. Paranormal romance novella.
A Beauty and the Beast retelling for adults. It’s heartwarming and positive and a feel-good way to spend an hour.

Lisa was taught to always look on the bright side and she keeps that in her heart. I absolutely loved that attitude and this enriching story.

#CMCon22ReadingChallenge #sesmith #romancebooks

[Renegade ♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

The instalove in this one is truly whiplash worthy.



They knew each other, what? Two days total? And they were already declaring their undying, forever love?



I was like, "Whoa. Wait a minute. Did I miss something? Like the development of this relationship?!"

Uh-huh. Definite fairy tale material right here.

Be warned, this novella was a bit cheesy-sweet in places, parts of the story moved much too fast, and it was pretty easy to figure out the twists in the tale.



That being said, some of it made me smile, the writing was decent, and the narration was good.

I think I'd be best to read something longer from this author in future.

[Talltree · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Ally Guay · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was okay for me. As I have said before, I adore classic fairytales that are retold and make me look at it from a new angle. Beauty and the Beast is my favorite story since I was a little girl. I just wish this book was longer. It seemed rushed and as if we only brushed the surface of these characters. I enjoyed the writing style, I just think that I'd it was longer and got more in depth, it could have been a homerun. I do plan on reading more stories by this author though.

[Amber Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Beauty and the Beast retelling with S.E. Smiths unique twists made for a great afternoon read. The instant love elemant was expected with such a short book, but I liked Lisa and Sharden together. Lisa's happy and positive attitude really sold me on the story and made me wish there was more.

[Lucina · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars

This book was SO strange and awkward. And definitely had less than 130 pages. I read it in 30 minutes and guess as a print book this novel had no more than 50 pages. Everything in this book happened over 3 to 4 days: eternal love, sex, curse breaking, adapting to a new world... Yes, Lisa lived in our world and after the stumbled into the "magical forest" has no problem adpating to the new world. THIS was so unbelievable. Everything was unbelievable. The king and queen think nothings strange about the girl their son brings home who wears jeans!? And the end... oh my... the TV series "Once Upon A Time" is realistic compared to this novella. I laughed so much at the end, but not in a good way. The only positive thing I can say is that the wirting was good...

[Sophia Triad · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a desperate need for fairytales lately. This book was perfect to satisfy my need.
What would it be better than my favourite fairytale "Beauty and the beast" seen from a different angle?

Things I learned from this story (not that I did not already know them):

-You can always twist everything into something positive.
-A curse can be that powerful that when it is casted, it does not come without consequences.
-Even beasts can be cute.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just a little too cookie cutter for me.

Though its well written as all S.E. Smith books are, I much prefer her other books which are much less predictable.

The ending was all a bit rushed as well. The plot points were also a bit unbelievable.

[Tanya T. · Rating 1 out of 5]

A mediocre retelling of BATB mix in with instalove.....
Yeah Two days seem like enough time to fall completely in love with each other..

[Mills · Rating 2 out of 5]

Instalove to the nth degree. Painfully awkward writing. Perhaps I'm just too snarky to enjoy a story where the saving grace is an eternal optimist, but I like writing that flows well and I hate it when authors constantly skip forward in time rather than actually bothering to write the whole scene. Take, say, the opening of chapter three, in which the heroine sarcastically refers to the hero by his full name and title, without having been told it. A couple of sentences in which they are introduced to each other would have made this flow much better and saved me from checking to see if I missed a page.

I'm not going to detail all the problems, but I would like to leave you with this direct quote from the heroine: "I once saw this guy at the beach that was covered in hair. I swear he had more on him than Bigfoot, who by the way is absolutely scrumptious if you ask me. The guy could totally call me for a date on Friday night and I’d go."

[Crystal P · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read that was a little twist on the modern beauty and the beast. Lisa enters into Sharden’s world and serves as his last hope to break a curse. Her love for him despite his curse is enough to set him free and right the lives of all affected when the curse was delivered many years ago.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute quick retelling of Beauty and the Beast. It was a fun read and I enjoyed the chemistry between the main characters. The only downside...I wanted more. :-)

[Katrina · Rating 2 out of 5]

2*

A really, really big MEH!
There is a plethora of re-telling of Beauty and the Beast that rate from great to stinkers. This one belongs to a latter category.

[Nickcole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4

I loved the idea for the story, I st wish it had been a little longer. I cannot wait for the next book.

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young woman at a cottage party in York is taken to another world where she meets a prince cursed to become a werewolf. The rest is a straight inversion of the Shrek tale.

Authors, please stop writing characters with one foot on either side of the Atlantic just to try to grab two markets. British readers are happy to read about Americans and Americans are happy to read about Brits. The tale has no requirement for this dual nationality or use from it whatsoever. Saying the girl was half German would have made a lot more sense as the rabies/ werewolf tales came from Middle Europe.

I was cynical that a girl seeing a doorway at night with daylight coming from the other side of the ruin, would just march through it. Not even walk around the ruin first? And on the other side, she adapts to life very quickly - well I suppose she might as she doesn't have to work for a living. The majority of women there certainly would work in dairies or chambers. I'd be interested in doing something to improve their lot but she just accepts that food and hot water and clean clothes appear.

This is an adult romance, which could be seen as an allegory for coping with chronic mental or physical illness. Mature teen readers would be okay with the read. But it's a great deal shorter than described.
I downloaded a free copy. This is an unbiased review.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novella had just about everything I could have asked for. Fairytale retelling. Fish out of water. A fun and fierce heroine. A lovable but hurting hero. Romance and humor. And it was all successfully squeezed into the size of a novella. I will most definitely be checking out more books by S.E. Smith. I feel like this was just dipping my toes into the wonderful world of S.E. Smith's writing.

[Christopher Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Supershort fairytale retelling of Beauty and the Beast, but more high fantasy of a earth girl ending up in a foreign realm. She meets a prince cursed to be a beast. Surprise she’s a monsterfucker and is more than happy to ride that Beast. 😂 yet ironically almost zero on page smut.

[Krys · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful re-imagining of the premise of Beauty and the Beast.

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute retelling of the Beauty and the Beast that I enjoyed. I love strong willed, fiesty women. Lisa did not disappoint. There is of course insta-attraction but not hop into bed, which I appreciated. Sharden is a bit forward but is desperate for the spell to be broken but Lisa calls him on it. The spell has a twist that I suspected. I listened in audio.

[Brandy ONeal · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was just a little to predictable but it was okay.

[Kari · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was ... fine?

It consisted of an instalove story with no real conflicts to speak of.

But I'm a sucker for a B&tB retelling, so I listened to it.

I would be willing to try another story from S.E. Smith, who clearly has writing talent.

The narrator was also decent - I'd listen to more from him.

[Winter Bayne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've enjoyed other stories by SE Smith, but this one didn't do it for me. First it is a shorter story, so it felt a good bit rushed. There aren't any major obstacles for the characters to overcome because the leading lady is so accepting of everything. Smith's normal world building isn't present for me either.

I will happily buy other books from this author, but I think I'll stick with the longer stories. However, if you are looking for a very easy happy read, go for it. Sweet, not steamy, not explicit. Closed door.

[Tamye Whitener · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful story. 🎧

This was fun to listen to. Lisa was so positive and able to see the silver lining in every situation she found herself in. She had a deep belief that things would always work out the way they needed to. Prince Shardon was more hopeful but with less confidence.

I had a smile on my face for most of this enchanting tale. I recommend it to anyone who likes an uplifting fairy tale.

Second Read: I enjoyed reading this story as I did listening to it. It short, light reading, but fun.

[Cait Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh

Started okay but there was no real development of the characters or their relationship; it all felt rather flat. I feel like the lead female went from reluctant and belligerent to hopelessly in love from one page to the next with no real reason. The "big reveal" of her identity was ruined by a little too much foreshadowing. In the end I had to force myself to finish reading it because I don't like leaving things unfinished.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a short story retelling of Beauty and the Beast. If there was a little more time for the main characters to get to know one another, more development of the magical realm and more character development this would have been a good story. It is too bad that the author didn't take the opportunity to make a wonderful story instead of a unrealistic story.

[Brittany · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this because I just love S.E. Smith's work. However, I was just disappointed the story was too cheesy for me. The story was okay but I think it could have used more time to develop.

[Mary Stephens · Rating 2 out of 5]

Over done

I love this author, however, this book was just OK. The storyline is nothing new and very predictable. The Magical world is not defined very well and the things that happen are only vaguely explained. I expect more originality from this author.

[Florencia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as her other stories

It was decent but it felt rushed. I wish she had taken more time with the characters. Too bad. I usually like her books.

[Julie Simmons · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay

I bought this book because SE Smith wrote it. I love her books, this one not so much. I had to push myself to finish it.

[Daiane Eliad · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was so poorly written, it amused me!