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Bellamy and the Brute #1
Bellamy and The Brute
When Bellamy McGuire is offered a summer job babysitting for the wealthy Baldwin family, she's reluctant to accept. After all, everyone in town knows about the mysterious happenings at the mansion on the hill including the sudden disappearance of the Baldwin's eldest son, Tate. The former football star and golden boy of Wellhollow Springs became a hermit at the age of sixteen, and no one has seen or heard from him since. Rumors abound as to why, with whisperings about a strange illness one that causes deformity and turned him into a real-life monster. Bellamy wants to dismiss these rumors as gossip, but when she's told that if she takes the job, she must promise to never, ever visit the third floor of the mansion, she begins to wonder if there really is some dark truth hidden there.
Tate's condition may not be the only secret being kept at Baldwin House. There are gaps in the family's financial history that don't add up, and surprising connections with unscrupulous characters. At night there are strange noises, unexplained cold drafts, and the electricity cuts out. And then there are the rose petals on the staircase. The rose petals that no one but Bellamy seems to be able to see. The rose petals that form a trail leading right up to the 3 rd floor, past the portrait of a handsome young man, and down a dark hallway where she promised she would never, ever go.
As Bellamy works to unravel the mysteries of Baldwin House and uncover the truth about Tate, she realizes that she is in way over her head in more ways than one. Can her bravery and determination help to right the wrongs of the past and free the young man whose story has captured her heart?
Tate's condition may not be the only secret being kept at Baldwin House. There are gaps in the family's financial history that don't add up, and surprising connections with unscrupulous characters. At night there are strange noises, unexplained cold drafts, and the electricity cuts out. And then there are the rose petals on the staircase. The rose petals that no one but Bellamy seems to be able to see. The rose petals that form a trail leading right up to the 3 rd floor, past the portrait of a handsome young man, and down a dark hallway where she promised she would never, ever go.
As Bellamy works to unravel the mysteries of Baldwin House and uncover the truth about Tate, she realizes that she is in way over her head in more ways than one. Can her bravery and determination help to right the wrongs of the past and free the young man whose story has captured her heart?
344 pages, Paperback
First published March 13, 2017
1039 people are currently reading
6235 people want to read
About the author
Alicia Michaels
34 books497 followersMother of 3 and Army wife. Lover of coffee, chocolate and good books. Writer of YA Fantasy that stretches the imagination. When not writing, I can usually be found reading.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 537 reviews
January 30, 2018
Well, it was free.🤷🏻♀️
January 24, 2018
Edit: 01/15/18 : You can get the Ebook free on Kindle today! I don't know for how long!
Post-Read
Five Stars!!
What I Expected: A BATB retelling with a Southern Gothic Flare. Maybe on the lines of The Artisans and The Curse Girl which are also BABT retellings with a Southern Gothic flare.
What I got: A BATB retelling with a Southern Gothic Flare mixed with a a pair of Ghosts hunting a family,a murder mystery,money extortion,under the table deals,a crooked sheriff and a corrupted politician trying to hide all his secrets all the while two teens learning to see beauty of the other within.......
Yeah Much more than a Beauty and Beast retelling.
This is probably one of the best BATB retellings I've read! ( Yes Better than ACOTAR and that's saying something lol)
So I highly recommend this one!
Pre-read Review
So a Beauty and the Beast retelling set in Georgia with our Beauty being a Black teenager and the possibility of a interracial realtionship.
YES!
YES!
THANK YOU!!
It sounds almost like the Artisans mixed in with the Curse Girl.
Post-Read
Five Stars!!
What I Expected: A BATB retelling with a Southern Gothic Flare. Maybe on the lines of The Artisans and The Curse Girl which are also BABT retellings with a Southern Gothic flare.
What I got: A BATB retelling with a Southern Gothic Flare mixed with a a pair of Ghosts hunting a family,a murder mystery,money extortion,under the table deals,a crooked sheriff and a corrupted politician trying to hide all his secrets all the while two teens learning to see beauty of the other within.......
Yeah Much more than a Beauty and Beast retelling.
This is probably one of the best BATB retellings I've read! ( Yes Better than ACOTAR and that's saying something lol)
So I highly recommend this one!
Pre-read Review
So a Beauty and the Beast retelling set in Georgia with our Beauty being a Black teenager and the possibility of a interracial realtionship.
YES!
YES!
THANK YOU!!
It sounds almost like the Artisans mixed in with the Curse Girl.
October 7, 2017
4 stars!!!!
This book was really awesome!!!!
I liked this modern beauty and the beast retelling. Its amazing how the author managed to portray the original characters personality and adding something new to them.
The story is same old beautiful girl who is inlove with books. Her dad is considered as the town lunatic because of a particular reason. She was hired as a baby sitter by a rich family. It was interesting and refreshing.
I liked how the author blended the original and her own story into one. Its like Bellamy and Tate were detectives in here!!
I also liked the development of the relationship of Bellamy and Tate. It wasn't instalove. It was sweet, pure and innocent. Lots of make out sessions people! A LOT!!
I was also amazed by the rare disease used in this story. Tate's condition here was realistic.
I really liked this book, the only problem is I was kind of confused at the sequence of the story because there were no indications that the scenes were already changing (one moment Bellamy was at her bedroom then the next paragraph she's already at the Baldwin's mansion).
This book will teach you about making judgements, redemption, change and unconditional love...
This book was really awesome!!!!
I liked this modern beauty and the beast retelling. Its amazing how the author managed to portray the original characters personality and adding something new to them.
The story is same old beautiful girl who is inlove with books. Her dad is considered as the town lunatic because of a particular reason. She was hired as a baby sitter by a rich family. It was interesting and refreshing.
I liked how the author blended the original and her own story into one. Its like Bellamy and Tate were detectives in here!!
I also liked the development of the relationship of Bellamy and Tate. It wasn't instalove. It was sweet, pure and innocent. Lots of make out sessions people! A LOT!!
I was also amazed by the rare disease used in this story. Tate's condition here was realistic.
I really liked this book, the only problem is I was kind of confused at the sequence of the story because there were no indications that the scenes were already changing (one moment Bellamy was at her bedroom then the next paragraph she's already at the Baldwin's mansion).
This book will teach you about making judgements, redemption, change and unconditional love...
May 5, 2018
It did take me a while to finish reading this one, but not because it was bad, just life got in the way and I kind of forgot about it XD
I was browsing through the kindle store one day, looking for new freebies to read and sure enough, Bellamy and the Brute popped up onto my screen. Once I saw it was a YA novel inspired by Beauty and the Beast, I was like gimme the book pronto! The main character Bellamy lives home alone with her Dad after the mysterious passing of her Mom. Looking for a summer job, one comes up at the mansion of the Baldwin family that holds mysterious secrets, most of them surrounding the eldest son of the family called Theo. He used to be active in the local area but all of a sudden, he went missing and no-one knows what happens. Bellamy takes on the job which throws up a new adventure in her life. There's something about Theo that she discovers but none of her fellow classmates know. Evil spirits start to lurk around, rose petals leave their mark across the mansion. Nothing is quite what it seems, all because one action Bellamy ends up taking in the heat of the moment.
First of all, this is definitely one of my favourite Beauty and the Beast inspired stories. You have the thriller element surrounding murders that have been left unsolved for years, the paranormal element involving ghosts and then, the contemporary element that looks into the relationship between Bellamy and her Dad, then with Theo. It was creepy, thrilling and really pulled me in as a reader. The only thing that I didn't like was the pacing, events for 75% of the novel dragged on which slowed the plotline down. This was a great freebie to purchase and I will be continuing on with the series! Someone buy me some roses since they are my favourite flower :P
I own a digital copy of this book!
I was browsing through the kindle store one day, looking for new freebies to read and sure enough, Bellamy and the Brute popped up onto my screen. Once I saw it was a YA novel inspired by Beauty and the Beast, I was like gimme the book pronto! The main character Bellamy lives home alone with her Dad after the mysterious passing of her Mom. Looking for a summer job, one comes up at the mansion of the Baldwin family that holds mysterious secrets, most of them surrounding the eldest son of the family called Theo. He used to be active in the local area but all of a sudden, he went missing and no-one knows what happens. Bellamy takes on the job which throws up a new adventure in her life. There's something about Theo that she discovers but none of her fellow classmates know. Evil spirits start to lurk around, rose petals leave their mark across the mansion. Nothing is quite what it seems, all because one action Bellamy ends up taking in the heat of the moment.
First of all, this is definitely one of my favourite Beauty and the Beast inspired stories. You have the thriller element surrounding murders that have been left unsolved for years, the paranormal element involving ghosts and then, the contemporary element that looks into the relationship between Bellamy and her Dad, then with Theo. It was creepy, thrilling and really pulled me in as a reader. The only thing that I didn't like was the pacing, events for 75% of the novel dragged on which slowed the plotline down. This was a great freebie to purchase and I will be continuing on with the series! Someone buy me some roses since they are my favourite flower :P
I own a digital copy of this book!
June 8, 2017
The storyline was good and I liked the plot and how everything came together, but Bellamy was like a robot. She was too bloody nice and it made her boring. I hate it when authors write perfect characters that every boy wants and every girl hates because she's so perfect and blah blah blah. That aspect actually gave the whole book a really young YA feel for me. With all the tummy flutters, giggling (I FUCKING HATE GIGGLING) and sparkling touches. Poop a scoop that shit. Flawed and quirky characters are far more interesting and relatable for me.
May 6, 2018
3.75*
Oh, man, I just finished a book. I'm so happy! I hope that means my effin reading slump is finally gone.
I really enjoyed this Beauty and the Beast re-telling. It was very different. The Beauty was a 17-year old black girl and she didn't take shit from no one! She was a great protagonist. Smart, kind, brave and honest. The Beast was a boy who was "cursed" with a disease that made one side of his face sunken in, no fat tissue, etc. He was also a great character, a rich brute who changed into a better person. Fiercely protective of the h, an arrogant dick, but with a good heart. Just the way I like them. No love triangle which made me happy as a clam. I don't know how I felt about their romance, but their bantering and caring for one another was enjoyable to read. Sweet and cute.
What was the most interesting about this book was solving a murder of the two female ghosts. It made the book a little suspenseful and mysterious.
Honestly, I'm just glad a book kept me interesting enough to read it from start to finish and overall I enjoyed reading it.
Oh, man, I just finished a book. I'm so happy! I hope that means my effin reading slump is finally gone.
I really enjoyed this Beauty and the Beast re-telling. It was very different. The Beauty was a 17-year old black girl and she didn't take shit from no one! She was a great protagonist. Smart, kind, brave and honest. The Beast was a boy who was "cursed" with a disease that made one side of his face sunken in, no fat tissue, etc. He was also a great character, a rich brute who changed into a better person. Fiercely protective of the h, an arrogant dick, but with a good heart. Just the way I like them. No love triangle which made me happy as a clam. I don't know how I felt about their romance, but their bantering and caring for one another was enjoyable to read. Sweet and cute.
What was the most interesting about this book was solving a murder of the two female ghosts. It made the book a little suspenseful and mysterious.
Honestly, I'm just glad a book kept me interesting enough to read it from start to finish and overall I enjoyed reading it.
August 29, 2022
Read more bookish goodness on my book blog: Cal's Constant Raving Reviews
MY EXPERIENCE WITH THE BOOK:
The beginning of this book was about a 4/5 stars, until the murder mystery aspect came into play. I read this over my trip to America, and I absolutely loved the roots and similarities to Beauty and the Beast. However, once the mediocre/cliche murder mystery took focus; I found myself forcing to finish this book. At first, I couldn't understand how this was free on Kindle. But later I soon realised that this was written... more for Middle Grade (despite mature themes). Read my quotes below if you don't believe me.
CHARACTERS/DYNAMICS:
Bell(amy) was interesting to start off with, however she has 0 qualities once she had a love interest.
This book fails this test, by the way. I wouldn't usually care but this was pretty damn bad.
Tate (the Beast) was as tropey as love-interests get in contemporary romances. I'm sure he'd be an instant hit to mothers who enjoy their bad-boy stereotypes. I would have enjoyed to see more of high-school Tate, before "the curse". His backstory is equally as tropey, but it's at least a bit more layered than his two-dimensional present story. Ugh.
He's this type of dude, and I'll fight you on this.
PLOT:
Retellings: some love 'em, some hate 'em. I, for one, can't get enough retellings. Especially of Beauty and the Beast. I don't understand why, nor will I try to understand.
I would have enjoyed this a lot more if it focused more on the romance or Tate's regret and remorse for being a 'beast'. Instead, the story copied the most basic murder mystery out of any book. I couldn't tell there was a romance at all at some points, and I could barely tell there was some paranormal mystery taking place. The whole 'mystery' aspect needed a much more fleshed-out storyline, as it came off weak in this book.
Even Cluedo has a better mystery plot-line than this story.
THEMES:
(watch me list some bullsh*t themes)
- identity (this one is stolen straight from schmoop.com)
- magic
- romance
- murder; prostitution; bribery
- right v wrong
- ghosts
totally unrelated How cute is this?
QUOTES:
She just recommended Brave New World to a child. Oh my freaking god, no. Also, can you sound more pretentious???
This has to be one of the most horrifyingly cringe-worthy things(and yes I know using the term 'cringe' is a 'cringe' itself) I've ever read.
Wow, what a special snowflake!!!
C R I N G E.
This is a published novel.
THE ENDING:
It ended on a bloody cliffhanger and I won't be reading it. There's apparently more ghosts to help and hear the horrors of, and their romance is pretty much at a stalemate aka Happily Ever After.
MY EXPERIENCE WITH THE BOOK:
The beginning of this book was about a 4/5 stars, until the murder mystery aspect came into play. I read this over my trip to America, and I absolutely loved the roots and similarities to Beauty and the Beast. However, once the mediocre/cliche murder mystery took focus; I found myself forcing to finish this book. At first, I couldn't understand how this was free on Kindle. But later I soon realised that this was written... more for Middle Grade (despite mature themes). Read my quotes below if you don't believe me.
CHARACTERS/DYNAMICS:
Bell(amy) was interesting to start off with, however she has 0 qualities once she had a love interest.
This book fails this test, by the way. I wouldn't usually care but this was pretty damn bad.
Tate (the Beast) was as tropey as love-interests get in contemporary romances. I'm sure he'd be an instant hit to mothers who enjoy their bad-boy stereotypes. I would have enjoyed to see more of high-school Tate, before "the curse". His backstory is equally as tropey, but it's at least a bit more layered than his two-dimensional present story. Ugh.
He's this type of dude, and I'll fight you on this.
PLOT:
Retellings: some love 'em, some hate 'em. I, for one, can't get enough retellings. Especially of Beauty and the Beast. I don't understand why, nor will I try to understand.
I would have enjoyed this a lot more if it focused more on the romance or Tate's regret and remorse for being a 'beast'. Instead, the story copied the most basic murder mystery out of any book. I couldn't tell there was a romance at all at some points, and I could barely tell there was some paranormal mystery taking place. The whole 'mystery' aspect needed a much more fleshed-out storyline, as it came off weak in this book.
Even Cluedo has a better mystery plot-line than this story.
THEMES:
(watch me list some bullsh*t themes)
- identity (this one is stolen straight from schmoop.com)
- magic
- romance
- murder; prostitution; bribery
- right v wrong
- ghosts
QUOTES:
"“A Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.” He nodded. “One of my all-time favorites. I know The Hunger Games and Divergent are the standard of dystopia these days, but that’s a classic. It’ll probably be required reading for you next year if you’re in AP English,"
She just recommended Brave New World to a child. Oh my freaking god, no. Also, can you sound more pretentious???
"“Don’t,” I snapped. “Don’t touch me, and stop saying my name. You don’t get to say my name… my name is too awesome for you! And you know what? I’m awesome, too."
This has to be one of the most horrifyingly cringe-worthy things
"Being the kind of girl who prefers Converse over heels and books over boys, I didn’t typically attract the high school male species."
Wow, what a special snowflake!!!
"“You… threatened… Bell,” he replied between labored breaths. “Damn right… I will… end you!”"
C R I N G E.
This is a published novel.
THE ENDING:
It ended on a bloody cliffhanger and I won't be reading it. There's apparently more ghosts to help and hear the horrors of, and their romance is pretty much at a stalemate aka Happily Ever After.
July 14, 2017
My general thoughts:
◇It was interesting in the beginning and middle, but dragged towards the end.
◇The writing was also a problem for me, the dialogue and some sentences were really cheesy.
◇Characters were bland and very flat. Not much development in secondary characters either.
◇It was interesting in the beginning and middle, but dragged towards the end.
◇The writing was also a problem for me, the dialogue and some sentences were really cheesy.
◇Characters were bland and very flat. Not much development in secondary characters either.
February 4, 2018
3.5 ⭐️STARS...
I thought that this was an interesting retelling of Beauty and the Beast. We get Bellamy (Bell) and Tate (the Beast aka the Brute). I enjoyed how the author put in a paranormal twist into the story and also a murder mystery plot. I think they added a lot to the story and it made it more fun to read.
I thought that this was an interesting retelling of Beauty and the Beast. We get Bellamy (Bell) and Tate (the Beast aka the Brute). I enjoyed how the author put in a paranormal twist into the story and also a murder mystery plot. I think they added a lot to the story and it made it more fun to read.
January 3, 2018
This was a great retelling of beauty and the beast!
Want to read
January 14, 2018💝 FREE on Amazon today (1/14/2018)! 💝
January 30, 2018
I'm struggling with the rating of this one a little bit.
I loved loved loved this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. I was not expecting the paranormal aspect to it and it kind of (well, completely) scared the shit out of me. I don't do ghost stories and this authors descriptions were enough to actually give me nightmares.
This is like a mixture of Ghost Whisperer and Beauty and the Beast. And honestly, I don't know how those two could come together, but Micheals rocked it. My nose was almost stuck to my Kindle from the second the plot started to unfold until the very last page.
I love how 'the Beast' came to be. It didn't stray very far from the original Beauty and the Beast and I think that made it all the better. I hate when somethings dubbed a fairtytale retelling and all it has is an asshole business man playing the beast. No, this was much much better.
Even though I did love this book, I did find the ending wrapped up a little too easily for my tastes. I did think that there could of been a little more too it, but still, it didn't take away from the story itself.
I loved Bellamy and her father. Emma and Max were amazing and I honestly love them to death. Tate was the perfect beast and I'm still absolutely fascinated with his whole story. Even the side characters (from the good to the bad) were still oh so good.
I'm going to mark this as a 5, but it's definitely more of a 4.5 just for that part.
I always prefer to round up my ratings, if I round it down, it doesn't give the book what it deserves. I definitely recommend picking this one up if you're looking for a story that gives justice to an amazing fairy tale.
I loved loved loved this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. I was not expecting the paranormal aspect to it and it kind of (well, completely) scared the shit out of me. I don't do ghost stories and this authors descriptions were enough to actually give me nightmares.
This is like a mixture of Ghost Whisperer and Beauty and the Beast. And honestly, I don't know how those two could come together, but Micheals rocked it. My nose was almost stuck to my Kindle from the second the plot started to unfold until the very last page.
I love how 'the Beast' came to be. It didn't stray very far from the original Beauty and the Beast and I think that made it all the better. I hate when somethings dubbed a fairtytale retelling and all it has is an asshole business man playing the beast. No, this was much much better.
Even though I did love this book, I did find the ending wrapped up a little too easily for my tastes. I did think that there could of been a little more too it, but still, it didn't take away from the story itself.
I loved Bellamy and her father. Emma and Max were amazing and I honestly love them to death. Tate was the perfect beast and I'm still absolutely fascinated with his whole story. Even the side characters (from the good to the bad) were still oh so good.
I'm going to mark this as a 5, but it's definitely more of a 4.5 just for that part.
I always prefer to round up my ratings, if I round it down, it doesn't give the book what it deserves. I definitely recommend picking this one up if you're looking for a story that gives justice to an amazing fairy tale.
September 26, 2019
Yes, yes, yeees! Well deserved 5 stars! I loved this book and read it in one sitting. I just couldn't stop, I had to know the end.
I loved how it ended and I already put their novella on my wishlist.
This is a story based on the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast but it has so much more than the classic romance. It's filled with suspense and danger. It kept me on the edge of my seat. It was incredible! Every scene had some excitement, either a happy or a dangerous one.
I was looking for something out of the erotica vibe and I found this perfect book. It's a fantasy that will hook the reader until the end. I loved it!
I loved how it ended and I already put their novella on my wishlist.
This is a story based on the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast but it has so much more than the classic romance. It's filled with suspense and danger. It kept me on the edge of my seat. It was incredible! Every scene had some excitement, either a happy or a dangerous one.
I was looking for something out of the erotica vibe and I found this perfect book. It's a fantasy that will hook the reader until the end. I loved it!
July 12, 2017
Wow so this was a bit of an oops on my part. I finished this book months ago and totally thought I had a review written up, but when I went to go look for it and transfer it to Goodreads, I discovered I hadn’t actually written one yet. Anyway, I originally rated this book three stars, but upon further reflection, I find myself truly disappointed with it, and so it has been demoted to two stars.
(There also are just zero quotable aspects of this book, so sorry for the all text review :/)
This is a retelling of the classic story Beauty and the Beast (bet you couldn’t tell by the title… he even calls Bellamy Bell as a nickname). Honestly, this alone set such high hopes for me, because I am a true Disney girl at heart. If you are going to attempt to retell those, you better do it right. Bellamy is the daughter of the “crazy man” in town, because her father sees ghosts. Because they are of modest means, she gets a job for the summer, which is babysitting the Baldwin’s two youngest children. The only problem is that the Baldwin house is supposedly “cursed”, because the oldest son disappeared a couple of years ago, and hasn’t been seen since. Anyway, minor spoiler, the Brute is Tate Baldwin, the disappeared son, so obviously he hasn’t really disappeared. Then Bellamy and Tate go on some paranormal mystery journey to get rid of Tate’s curse, but it turns dangerous. Like, really dangerous. Oh, and Tate and Bellamy fall in love, because, Beauty and the Beast.
First off, Bellamy. She is a really awful babysitter! That was what I was thinking for the majority of the story. In the beginning she is fine, but once she discovers Tate’s problem. everyday she is over at the Baldwin’s house working, she is really trying to “fix” Tate, and is so unfocused on the children and even leaves them alone! Like one, you are their babysitter. You were hired to watch these kids, not hang out with their older brother. And two, if you think the house is cursed, why would you leave two young little kids alone?!?! Besides that, she was incredibly naive. She knows there is somehow death involved in Tate’s curse, yet she still decides to investigate. And when she does almost die, she doesn’t even tell Tate about it! But what really annoyed me about her was how she was such a special snowflake. Bellamy gets the protection of everyone that knows her, she is so perfect, oh we need to protect Bellamy, she can do no wrong. Like dear god.
And then Tate. He had two moods. There’s the “I’m angry because my life sucks. I’m going to roar at everyone and yell and smash things” mood and there’s the “Bellamy you are precious I love you I won’t let anyone hurt you” mood. And he really had no depth besides his curse and deformity. That was the only characterization he had. Also, he was just so violent. Like anytime anyone said anything offensive, he resorted to punching them in the face.
The romance also felt pretty rushed. Like a couple of nights together in a spooky house, where Tate offended Bellamy half the time, and they are suddenly in love. And there was one really, er, awkward sex scene that was just so ill placed and felt very unnecessary. And Bellamy’s inner dialogue about that and Tate was just so cringy because it felt so cliche, and maybe because I also just wasn’t really rooting for them to be together.
And a note about the plot. Maybe I didn’t read the summary close enough, but I honestly was not expecting the paranormal mystery I got. I thought I’d get a love story with some cute kids and Southern flair, and some sort of small mystery. No. These characters were like Ghostbusters. They were talking with ghosts, having life or death scenarios, and unraveling a serial murder case basically. Like, it was so much more paranormal and dark than I wanted and was expected. And even though the book was only around 300 pages, it felt so much longer because of the pacing.
My last note was about the grammar. If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I’m pretty picky about the grammar in my books, and bad grammar really hurts the book’s rating. Well, this book had so many typos, and was severely in need of page breaks. The transitions were so abrupt and not clear at all that it was a new scene. Like, Bellamy would be cooking breakfast, and all of sudden she’s at the Baldwin’s house talking to Tate.
Overall, I was just disappointed with the book. I’m sure it is partially because of my expectations, but I also don’t think the book fit together well and had some actual issues with it.
(There also are just zero quotable aspects of this book, so sorry for the all text review :/)
This is a retelling of the classic story Beauty and the Beast (bet you couldn’t tell by the title… he even calls Bellamy Bell as a nickname). Honestly, this alone set such high hopes for me, because I am a true Disney girl at heart. If you are going to attempt to retell those, you better do it right. Bellamy is the daughter of the “crazy man” in town, because her father sees ghosts. Because they are of modest means, she gets a job for the summer, which is babysitting the Baldwin’s two youngest children. The only problem is that the Baldwin house is supposedly “cursed”, because the oldest son disappeared a couple of years ago, and hasn’t been seen since. Anyway, minor spoiler, the Brute is Tate Baldwin, the disappeared son, so obviously he hasn’t really disappeared. Then Bellamy and Tate go on some paranormal mystery journey to get rid of Tate’s curse, but it turns dangerous. Like, really dangerous. Oh, and Tate and Bellamy fall in love, because, Beauty and the Beast.
First off, Bellamy. She is a really awful babysitter! That was what I was thinking for the majority of the story. In the beginning she is fine, but once she discovers Tate’s problem. everyday she is over at the Baldwin’s house working, she is really trying to “fix” Tate, and is so unfocused on the children and even leaves them alone! Like one, you are their babysitter. You were hired to watch these kids, not hang out with their older brother. And two, if you think the house is cursed, why would you leave two young little kids alone?!?! Besides that, she was incredibly naive. She knows there is somehow death involved in Tate’s curse, yet she still decides to investigate. And when she does almost die, she doesn’t even tell Tate about it! But what really annoyed me about her was how she was such a special snowflake. Bellamy gets the protection of everyone that knows her, she is so perfect, oh we need to protect Bellamy, she can do no wrong. Like dear god.
And then Tate. He had two moods. There’s the “I’m angry because my life sucks. I’m going to roar at everyone and yell and smash things” mood and there’s the “Bellamy you are precious I love you I won’t let anyone hurt you” mood. And he really had no depth besides his curse and deformity. That was the only characterization he had. Also, he was just so violent. Like anytime anyone said anything offensive, he resorted to punching them in the face.
The romance also felt pretty rushed. Like a couple of nights together in a spooky house, where Tate offended Bellamy half the time, and they are suddenly in love. And there was one really, er, awkward sex scene that was just so ill placed and felt very unnecessary. And Bellamy’s inner dialogue about that and Tate was just so cringy because it felt so cliche, and maybe because I also just wasn’t really rooting for them to be together.
And a note about the plot. Maybe I didn’t read the summary close enough, but I honestly was not expecting the paranormal mystery I got. I thought I’d get a love story with some cute kids and Southern flair, and some sort of small mystery. No. These characters were like Ghostbusters. They were talking with ghosts, having life or death scenarios, and unraveling a serial murder case basically. Like, it was so much more paranormal and dark than I wanted and was expected. And even though the book was only around 300 pages, it felt so much longer because of the pacing.
My last note was about the grammar. If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I’m pretty picky about the grammar in my books, and bad grammar really hurts the book’s rating. Well, this book had so many typos, and was severely in need of page breaks. The transitions were so abrupt and not clear at all that it was a new scene. Like, Bellamy would be cooking breakfast, and all of sudden she’s at the Baldwin’s house talking to Tate.
Overall, I was just disappointed with the book. I’m sure it is partially because of my expectations, but I also don’t think the book fit together well and had some actual issues with it.
April 7, 2017
Loved loved loved this beautiful story. It's a must read for everyone.
April 18, 2017
I'm not sure how to feel about this. I love retellings of Beauty and the Beast but Bellamy and The Brute fell short of my expectations. The story felt discombobulated and felt rushed in certain parts. There were some parts that were boring or overly-cliche that I skimmed through, but I felt like I skipped around a lot and it didn't really matter what I missed because the story just trudged ahead. Plus sometimes the characters were annoying or acted way out of character for teenagers.
The idea behind the plot was interesting but I feel like it could have been fine without adding the very small parts of Beauty and The Beast, it just felt awkward and weird when they practically already loved each other and the curse/Beast was still a Beast. Either way, good concept but it could have been executed better.
The idea behind the plot was interesting but I feel like it could have been fine without adding the very small parts of Beauty and The Beast, it just felt awkward and weird when they practically already loved each other and the curse/Beast was still a Beast. Either way, good concept but it could have been executed better.
April 17, 2018
For the first half of this book or so, I was fully prepared to give it four stars. But then the murder mystery hinted at in the prologue rears its ugly head and the story kinda derails from there. I had been leery of this one for the single reason that it's listed to be published by Clean Teen Publishing and I'm sorry, "cleaning" up books for young adult consumption doesn't sit well with me. But honestly, I don't know what's so clean about this book: there's cussing, there's sex, there's all manner of adults behaving badly. But then I read on the publisher's website that they believe in "knowledge not censorship" and okay, I'm on board with that. And it makes a lot more sense considering my experience with this book. That being said, I liked the story when it was focused more on Bellamy and Tate and was more BatB retelling than murder-mystery solving. And not because it's not romance-centric but because it's just so...implausible. I kept expecting some old guy to yell, "And I would've gotten away with it, too, if it hadn't been for those meddling kids!" 😂
January 12, 2018
Probably the most interesting take on Beauty and the Beast I've ever read. It's like Ghostbusters meets Veronica Mars meets beauty and the beast. Bellamy was a intelligent, snarky, wonderful girl. Her relationship with her father was one I hadn't read about in while. They were both dealing with the death of her mother in interesting ways. Tate was definitely not what I expected. He grew as a person inside and out.
If you like murder mysteries, little romance and ghost stories. You will enjoy this book!
If you like murder mysteries, little romance and ghost stories. You will enjoy this book!
July 25, 2019
This is NOT a young adult book
I stopped reading halfway through this book when the main characters, two teenagers, went to a motel and had sex. The biggest reason I enjoy young adult novels is for the story, without all the bad words and sex scenes. Apparently I should have read the individual reviews and not just looked at how many stars; it seems I'm not the only who was disappointed.
I stopped reading halfway through this book when the main characters, two teenagers, went to a motel and had sex. The biggest reason I enjoy young adult novels is for the story, without all the bad words and sex scenes. Apparently I should have read the individual reviews and not just looked at how many stars; it seems I'm not the only who was disappointed.
September 13, 2020
It started off really nice, all the beauty and the beast vibes + some ghost intrigue. Interesting and then not so much. I did not feel the chemistry tbh. Both MC were more or less nice😐
March 4, 2020
I was in a bit of a reading slump, still reading books but not really enjoying the stories.
This book was recommended to me and it was a free e-book so I decided to give it a go.
I was so pleasantly surprised by this book. But a BATB retelling can almost do no wrong with me.
When I started reading the prologue I was a bit confused, it made it easier for the reader to make the connection to the ghosts but in my opinion wasn't necessary for the story.
I liked that the writer gave the story a paranormal touch. The investigation part of the story went on for a bit too long but I still enjoyed it.
This book was recommended to me and it was a free e-book so I decided to give it a go.
I was so pleasantly surprised by this book. But a BATB retelling can almost do no wrong with me.
When I started reading the prologue I was a bit confused, it made it easier for the reader to make the connection to the ghosts but in my opinion wasn't necessary for the story.
I liked that the writer gave the story a paranormal touch. The investigation part of the story went on for a bit too long but I still enjoyed it.
February 23, 2018
3.5 stars!
Anyone who knows me knows that I love fairytale retellings! And I really love Beauty and the Beast retellings!! This story was such a unique take on the classic fairytale, definitely unlike any other one I've read.
The first 70% percent of the book I was super into it. I loved the plot and the characters.
Bellamy was smart, fun, and book lover, so what's not to love? Tate was such a cutie and even during his bursts of anger, I felt for him. Bellamy's dad was sweet and Max and Emma were just too damn cute! Honestly I wish we saw more of them. The ghosts were also really awesome! The perfect amount of creepiness.
The plot was also insanely interesting! Being visited by ghosts that only they can see and trying to solve crimes? SIGN ME UP!
But the last 5 or 6 chapters just felt a bit rushed to me. I feel like once the mystery was revealed everything just resolved itself so quickly. I just wish we got to see more thought put into that instead of, oh time has passed and everything is good la la la la la.
Also the last two(?) chapters, not including the epilogue, were so unnecessary. I really don't understand why so much drama was thrown in at the end when it literally had no baring to the rest of the story and added nothing at all to the plot.
I did like the epilogue though and how it left it open for more awesome crime solving!
After the last line the ghost buster's theme song totally played in my head.
Anyone who knows me knows that I love fairytale retellings! And I really love Beauty and the Beast retellings!! This story was such a unique take on the classic fairytale, definitely unlike any other one I've read.
The first 70% percent of the book I was super into it. I loved the plot and the characters.
Bellamy was smart, fun, and book lover, so what's not to love? Tate was such a cutie and even during his bursts of anger, I felt for him. Bellamy's dad was sweet and Max and Emma were just too damn cute! Honestly I wish we saw more of them. The ghosts were also really awesome! The perfect amount of creepiness.
The plot was also insanely interesting! Being visited by ghosts that only they can see and trying to solve crimes? SIGN ME UP!
But the last 5 or 6 chapters just felt a bit rushed to me. I feel like once the mystery was revealed everything just resolved itself so quickly. I just wish we got to see more thought put into that instead of, oh time has passed and everything is good la la la la la.
Also the last two(?) chapters, not including the epilogue, were so unnecessary. I really don't understand why so much drama was thrown in at the end when it literally had no baring to the rest of the story and added nothing at all to the plot.
I did like the epilogue though and how it left it open for more awesome crime solving!
After the last line the ghost buster's theme song totally played in my head.
August 20, 2020
Rating: 4.0 stars
I really enjoyed this! Excited to read the next book!
I really enjoyed this! Excited to read the next book!
January 20, 2022
This book was perfectly imperfect. (If you read it, you'll know what I mean) I couldn't put it down at all. I even tried and it still was on my mind. Bellamy and Tate will always have a special place in my heart. It's not often the world gets a love story like theirs. I'm hoping there's a second book because I can't get enough of those two.
January 20, 2018
I think this is one of the most unique adaptations of Beauty and the Beast. That being said, there were some issues with the way this book was written. I thought it was way longer than it had to be. Towards the end of the book, the author put a lot of unnecessary scenes in. Yes, they were interesting to read, but at that point the story was pretty much done, so it was really hard to keep me engaged. The whole book revolves around a mystery and crime, but it really annoyed me that we basically knew who the person "who did it" was way too quickly. It would have been better if there was a red herring or some kind of twist. The twists that were included I either could see coming or were not that shocking. One of them even felt like an attempt to add one in to pull the reader back into the story, but it kind of fell flat. The ending of the book kind of annoyed me and I wish it had been written a bit differently. Also, I feel like there were some questions left unanswered. Why did Nate (Mr. McQuire) see the ghosts for all this time? Why choose him? Why choose Bellamy? The Gaston character was annoying (as he should be) but I wish he was incorporated into the big plot more. It felt like there were 2 different stories going on because of that. Lastly, the author had a habit of switching to entirely different scenes in the middle of the chapter with no page break or indication that that was happening. It made it confusing to read at times because one moment you're at the house and the next you're at the bookstore.
As for positives of the book, I really liked the Beast aspect of it. It was a take that kind of reminded me of Beastly, but with a new element to it. I loved Emma, Max, and Ezra. Though those three were supporting characters, I really liked how they were written and added more interest to the story. Like I said before, this book is a really good take of Beauty and the Beast, but there are definitely flaws to it.
As for positives of the book, I really liked the Beast aspect of it. It was a take that kind of reminded me of Beastly, but with a new element to it. I loved Emma, Max, and Ezra. Though those three were supporting characters, I really liked how they were written and added more interest to the story. Like I said before, this book is a really good take of Beauty and the Beast, but there are definitely flaws to it.
January 24, 2018
I honestly didn't expect much from this book. I got it for free on my Amazon Kindle App and I decided to read it because I was in the mood for a retelling and I didn't know anything else about it.
Well, sometimes it's really good going into a book without knowing and expecting anything, because I really enjoyed this book a lot!
I liked the paranormal aspect and that Tate's curse wasn't something completely unexplainable, but was instead considered a (rare) disease.
I liked the character of Bellamy, because she was such a nice girl and very polite and grown up for her age. She has to take a lot of responsibility and cares for her father since her mother had passed away. However, she does it without complaining and even wants to do more to help. It makes her really likable in my opinion.
The development between her and Tate was well paced and she stands her ground when she doesn't like something (e.g. Tate's behaviour at some point). The kids also were fantastic and I loved seeing how she slowly got through to Max and brought the siblings back together.
The mystery about the ghosts and the person responsible for their dad was also really interesting and it was a nice twist on the traditional story of Beauty and the Beast! It was nice to see everything unfold.
All in all a great retelling!!
Well, sometimes it's really good going into a book without knowing and expecting anything, because I really enjoyed this book a lot!
I liked the paranormal aspect and that Tate's curse wasn't something completely unexplainable, but was instead considered a (rare) disease.
I liked the character of Bellamy, because she was such a nice girl and very polite and grown up for her age. She has to take a lot of responsibility and cares for her father since her mother had passed away. However, she does it without complaining and even wants to do more to help. It makes her really likable in my opinion.
The development between her and Tate was well paced and she stands her ground when she doesn't like something (e.g. Tate's behaviour at some point). The kids also were fantastic and I loved seeing how she slowly got through to Max and brought the siblings back together.
The mystery about the ghosts and the person responsible for their dad was also really interesting and it was a nice twist on the traditional story of Beauty and the Beast! It was nice to see everything unfold.
All in all a great retelling!!
March 18, 2017
Liked it but the typos got really annoying.
April 18, 2017
A nice spin on the classic fairytale Beauty and the Beast.Did really enjoy it!
4/5 stars
4/5 stars
May 25, 2017
Total waste of my life
March 18, 2018
Uhm, yeah. I don't really know where to start with this. I think firstly, it's worth pointing out that the Beauty and the Beast vibe is very much limited to Bellamy's name and poorer circumstances and Tate condition and rather wealthy family, that's about it. I knew this was a YA book, but compared to others I've read, it felt on the young side. I don't know whether this is because Bellamy was too nice (seriously you give a guy one second chance to not be a d*ck, not several!) or because they were both just so damn naive. Of course digging in to small town histories is going to be a bad idea however noble your intentions, did you learn nothing from the various crime series that you reference during your discussions! All that aside, this was an easy and relatively enjoyable read and was on route to a good 3 star rating, then that ending happened. I get the ghost bit and have no problem with that but that Lincoln thing was not necessary and somewhat overdone (don't get me wrong, part of me did cheer but still), not to mention the complete turnaround in various characters and attitudes. It was all a bit to nice and contrived for my liking, this could have done with a few not so happy endings mixed in with it to avoid the Disney factor.
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