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Beautiful Beast
Axis, Lord of Blackcoat Castle, has many secrets. When circumstances compel him to rescue bold, beautiful Layna and take her to his home, those secrets are put at risk of discovery. The greatest danger, however, lies in the powerful attraction growing between them. Giving in could prove deadly.
Despite the dark, sexy appeal of her mysterious rescuer, Layna senses that he’s hiding something. He’s intense and difficult to read, and his desolate castle puts her on edge—not to mention the eerie wood just beyond.
But these mysteries pull at Layna in a way she doesn’t understand, and the erotic draw is too powerful to resist. Even as she begins to suspect that Axis isn’t quite human…
Contains adult content/
Despite the dark, sexy appeal of her mysterious rescuer, Layna senses that he’s hiding something. He’s intense and difficult to read, and his desolate castle puts her on edge—not to mention the eerie wood just beyond.
But these mysteries pull at Layna in a way she doesn’t understand, and the erotic draw is too powerful to resist. Even as she begins to suspect that Axis isn’t quite human…
Contains adult content/
469 pages, ebook
First published September 2, 2020
About the author
Katherine Diane
9 books173 followersKatherine Diane loves intense, complex heroes and fascinating worlds. She likes her romances a little dark, a little raw, and suffused with erotic realism.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
February 20, 2021
all the other reviews for this are accurate - this story is a massive case of insta-love. but then again, what ‘beauty and the beast’ retelling isnt, to some extent?
what i really appreciate is how realistic and brutally honest axis is portrayed as a character. he is a great portrayal of how guilt, grief, and trauma plague the mind. it added some much needed depth to an otherwise shallow story.
but overall, this a entertaining steamy fantasy read and perfect for those who enjoy ‘beauty and the beast’ retellings. im a fan of all the above, so this was super enjoyable for me.
↠ 4 stars
what i really appreciate is how realistic and brutally honest axis is portrayed as a character. he is a great portrayal of how guilt, grief, and trauma plague the mind. it added some much needed depth to an otherwise shallow story.
but overall, this a entertaining steamy fantasy read and perfect for those who enjoy ‘beauty and the beast’ retellings. im a fan of all the above, so this was super enjoyable for me.
↠ 4 stars
February 27, 2021
While scoping out author Emma Hamm's facebook, I saw that she had recommended this debut book by Kyla D. Knight.
Now, I seem to have some subconscious preference towards Beauty and the Beast retellings because somehow I've read a large number of them. I promise that I don't actively hunt them down I just see them, read the blurb, and go "Okay, I'll try it."
What I'll begin with is that this book could have been GREAT. I liked the ideas a lot. In fact, the part about the creatures known as "the Children" and the wood being dangerous distinctly reminded me of Uprooted which is a fantasy novel that I absolutely loved. This could have been a dark re-imagining of a classic romance with an emotional bite to it.
But what really killed this book for me is that the author opted for sex over EVERYTHING else.
This book isn't really about romance or love. It's a lot of lust and a lot of sex and a lot of angst.
It's a good Beauty and the Beast retelling--or at least one that had the potential to be a good retelling--that had basically ALL of its insides (including plot and emotional impact) viciously ripped out so that more copious, unnecessary, and unappealing sex scenes could be stuffed inside it.
Now, I'm not against sex in books. I'm not against expressing one's sexuality. I'm not against erotica.
But what I have never liked is when a good idea is destroyed by an author wanting to write sex scenes more than they want to develop their idea and when they choose to make the sex itself--not the plot or characters or anything like that--the main focus of the book, rather than just using it to enhance the romance or relationship that they're crafting within the story.
That isn't to say you can't have a worthwhile story with bits of erotica, or even a lot of erotica, but there has to be a deftness in their execution and balance to their inclusion.
If you want to frame a lot of erotica in a story, you either can't make the story too long or you can't have a plot/story that's very complex, because if you go too long or too deep, the sex scenes either become repetitive or they overshadow the plot and make for a badly underdeveloped story.
Despite it being the popular belief of many authors, stuffing a book with too many multi-page erotic scenes will not, in fact, save what is an otherwise terrible story.
This book is over 500 pages and is trying to have a degree of complexity in its lore/world/etc. so, it unfortunately was both too long and too deep to be let off as a your basic "100 page kindle erotica"--which are novellas that basically exist just to frame erotica for particular tastes/preferences, not tell a story.
This, however, wanted to be an actual novel with an actual story. It's just that the author got too caught up in how many times she could use the word "cock." I guess she must've thought that more sex instead of a well developed plot, characters, and romance would mean the book would sell more copies and be better liked overall.
At least in my case, this choice of hers--to prioritize sex over story--cost her a reader.
Especially since the sex scenes weren't good. Nothing about them resonated or stood out.
After the first two erotic scenes, I skimmed through the rest. I was really bored and already feeling like I was being hit with repetition that offered me nothing more than another unoriginal scene of flesh slapping against flesh.
I was way more curious about what had caused Axis' wolf form to go mad and about how Layna fit into everything and how the element of curing the beast was going to work. Yet, the author was very unconcerned with this and instead wanting to insert yet another sex scene, as if that's a good enough substitute.
I honestly had zero inclination to keep reading about Layna once again lose her mind because of her need for orgasms.
And speaking of Layna... oh lord, did her character quickly tank for me.
She's yet another heroine who orgasms and then all else is irrelevant for a while--any other goals, desires, traits, etc. all vanish in the heroine's sudden lust-filled pursuit of more and more orgasms. To top it all off, she's also the sort of character who will pout or yell or stubbornly assert how her point of view is the correct one without a single inclination that she might be wrong and it is only after something bad happens, after her childish pouting and stubbornness, that she has a moment of self reflection--which, of course, doesn't last.
Like, she wants to fuck Axis so bad that she's like, "Uhm, it's totally worth me dying, just fuck me. Here, I got restraints, let's just fuck already." and only after they have sex, despite Axis' protests, is she like "Oh, wow, my sex-crazed brain didn't consider talking to him about this or seeing anything from his perspective! I now see that my actions caused him discomfort and were kind of asshole-ish-ly presumptuous!"
I hate all characters who lose their minds and become simpering, self-centered fuckhats because they're horny and there's nothing more important in the world to them than having an orgasm. It's insulting as a woman to keep seeing people think that if you make a woman cum, she loses her mind and abandons everything else in the pursuit of an orgasm.
She even blames Axis for having reservations about intimacy with her and is like "You're so stupidly self-protective!" because he is trying to protect people from getting hurt by him--and by that I mean she's pissed off that he would rather not take a chance at hurting her than fucking her whenever she demands.
The whole situation is this:
Axis: I might kill you if we have sex, my wolf is crazy and I can't control him when I get that worked up physically and emotionally. I could kill you; even now I struggle to keep it contained.
Layna: Uhm, I really want your cock inside me, so you're being really selfish right now by being concerned about my life instead of throwing caution to the wind and fucking me just because you're not COMPLETELY sure you'll kill me if we have sex. Like, I really need to get fucked and I'm going to be a pouty, selfish brat until you give in to me pressuring you and it won't be until afterwards that I regain a drop of self reflection and common sense that my behavior wasn't great but it won't last because mama needs to cum.
Like what a fucking horrible woman??? Also, it's never cool to coerce or force people into sex by hurling insults or pressuring them.
That isn't to say Axis is exactly all that great either, he's super moody and acts like an edgelord a lot of the time, it's just that his angst and bullshit felt a bit more reasonable than Layna's, all things considered. She really just pouts about everything before she has an epiphany that she jumped to a self-centered, petty conclusion and then never learns from this experience that maybe next time she should think before jumping to another petty, self-centered conclusion and pouting. She's not all that fun to read about. I think I actually hate her.
Scratch that, I do in fact hate Layna. I'm retroactively mad Axis didn't go crazy while in wolf form and rip her entire being to absolute pieces.
Another turn off for me was that this is a crass book; the language is crass, the visuals are crass, the characters are crass, the sex is crass, the emotions are crass, the motivations are crass. From the cover, this looks like it wants to be an elegant book, but it more or less strikes me as vulgar and unrefined.
There's also a large helping of possible triggers in this book including: child abuse, self-harm, drug use/selling/manufacturing, lots and lots of sexual themes (a lot of submission/domination stuff), killing/murder, mentions of torture, spousal abuse, and mentions of sexual misconduct between Tristan and Axis (Tristan claims he took advantage of Axis when Axis was emotionally vulnerable, though this is cleared up later with Axis going "nah I didn't feel taken advantage of" but, you know, still mentioning it because it was in this book for some reason; it offered nothing to the plot). Maybe some others that I missed but, you get the idea: lots of dark or possibly upsetting themes.
Since this is a debut of an indie author, I wasn't expecting anything too grand and I think that Kyla D. Knight has some talent and some great ideas, but I hope in future books she learns how to better utilize erotic aspects to enhance her romances and stories, not overshadow and drown them.
This book is available on Kindle Unlimited if you want to try it. For the current $4 USD price tag, I don't think it's worth it and would not purchase it myself.
I personally wouldn't recommend it unless you're after a more crass beauty and the beast with a large helping of long sex scenes (though I personally found the sex scenes lacking, so I wouldn't recommend this book for that, either). I read more for the stories and characters than anything. I want to feel the romance, the emotional pull. The sex only works if it compliments those emotions.
One positive is that there's LGBT representation just for the hell of it. It's worked in nicely, doesn't overshadow, doesn't necessarily feel token, though it's like, so why did like one of the only queer characters have to have this sudden "I think I sexually assaulted you" thing like, there's already a weird association that gay people are all predators, please don't just slap them into stories as weird sexual predators or people incapable of controlling their sexual feelings without there being a purpose that's handled correctly.
Now, I seem to have some subconscious preference towards Beauty and the Beast retellings because somehow I've read a large number of them. I promise that I don't actively hunt them down I just see them, read the blurb, and go "Okay, I'll try it."
What I'll begin with is that this book could have been GREAT. I liked the ideas a lot. In fact, the part about the creatures known as "the Children" and the wood being dangerous distinctly reminded me of Uprooted which is a fantasy novel that I absolutely loved. This could have been a dark re-imagining of a classic romance with an emotional bite to it.
But what really killed this book for me is that the author opted for sex over EVERYTHING else.
This book isn't really about romance or love. It's a lot of lust and a lot of sex and a lot of angst.
It's a good Beauty and the Beast retelling--or at least one that had the potential to be a good retelling--that had basically ALL of its insides (including plot and emotional impact) viciously ripped out so that more copious, unnecessary, and unappealing sex scenes could be stuffed inside it.
Now, I'm not against sex in books. I'm not against expressing one's sexuality. I'm not against erotica.
But what I have never liked is when a good idea is destroyed by an author wanting to write sex scenes more than they want to develop their idea and when they choose to make the sex itself--not the plot or characters or anything like that--the main focus of the book, rather than just using it to enhance the romance or relationship that they're crafting within the story.
That isn't to say you can't have a worthwhile story with bits of erotica, or even a lot of erotica, but there has to be a deftness in their execution and balance to their inclusion.
If you want to frame a lot of erotica in a story, you either can't make the story too long or you can't have a plot/story that's very complex, because if you go too long or too deep, the sex scenes either become repetitive or they overshadow the plot and make for a badly underdeveloped story.
Despite it being the popular belief of many authors, stuffing a book with too many multi-page erotic scenes will not, in fact, save what is an otherwise terrible story.
This book is over 500 pages and is trying to have a degree of complexity in its lore/world/etc. so, it unfortunately was both too long and too deep to be let off as a your basic "100 page kindle erotica"--which are novellas that basically exist just to frame erotica for particular tastes/preferences, not tell a story.
This, however, wanted to be an actual novel with an actual story. It's just that the author got too caught up in how many times she could use the word "cock." I guess she must've thought that more sex instead of a well developed plot, characters, and romance would mean the book would sell more copies and be better liked overall.
At least in my case, this choice of hers--to prioritize sex over story--cost her a reader.
Especially since the sex scenes weren't good. Nothing about them resonated or stood out.
After the first two erotic scenes, I skimmed through the rest. I was really bored and already feeling like I was being hit with repetition that offered me nothing more than another unoriginal scene of flesh slapping against flesh.
I was way more curious about what had caused Axis' wolf form to go mad and about how Layna fit into everything and how the element of curing the beast was going to work. Yet, the author was very unconcerned with this and instead wanting to insert yet another sex scene, as if that's a good enough substitute.
I honestly had zero inclination to keep reading about Layna once again lose her mind because of her need for orgasms.
And speaking of Layna... oh lord, did her character quickly tank for me.
She's yet another heroine who orgasms and then all else is irrelevant for a while--any other goals, desires, traits, etc. all vanish in the heroine's sudden lust-filled pursuit of more and more orgasms. To top it all off, she's also the sort of character who will pout or yell or stubbornly assert how her point of view is the correct one without a single inclination that she might be wrong and it is only after something bad happens, after her childish pouting and stubbornness, that she has a moment of self reflection--which, of course, doesn't last.
Like, she wants to fuck Axis so bad that she's like, "Uhm, it's totally worth me dying, just fuck me. Here, I got restraints, let's just fuck already." and only after they have sex, despite Axis' protests, is she like "Oh, wow, my sex-crazed brain didn't consider talking to him about this or seeing anything from his perspective! I now see that my actions caused him discomfort and were kind of asshole-ish-ly presumptuous!"
I hate all characters who lose their minds and become simpering, self-centered fuckhats because they're horny and there's nothing more important in the world to them than having an orgasm. It's insulting as a woman to keep seeing people think that if you make a woman cum, she loses her mind and abandons everything else in the pursuit of an orgasm.
She even blames Axis for having reservations about intimacy with her and is like "You're so stupidly self-protective!" because he is trying to protect people from getting hurt by him--and by that I mean she's pissed off that he would rather not take a chance at hurting her than fucking her whenever she demands.
The whole situation is this:
Axis: I might kill you if we have sex, my wolf is crazy and I can't control him when I get that worked up physically and emotionally. I could kill you; even now I struggle to keep it contained.
Layna: Uhm, I really want your cock inside me, so you're being really selfish right now by being concerned about my life instead of throwing caution to the wind and fucking me just because you're not COMPLETELY sure you'll kill me if we have sex. Like, I really need to get fucked and I'm going to be a pouty, selfish brat until you give in to me pressuring you and it won't be until afterwards that I regain a drop of self reflection and common sense that my behavior wasn't great but it won't last because mama needs to cum.
Like what a fucking horrible woman??? Also, it's never cool to coerce or force people into sex by hurling insults or pressuring them.
That isn't to say Axis is exactly all that great either, he's super moody and acts like an edgelord a lot of the time, it's just that his angst and bullshit felt a bit more reasonable than Layna's, all things considered. She really just pouts about everything before she has an epiphany that she jumped to a self-centered, petty conclusion and then never learns from this experience that maybe next time she should think before jumping to another petty, self-centered conclusion and pouting. She's not all that fun to read about. I think I actually hate her.
Scratch that, I do in fact hate Layna. I'm retroactively mad Axis didn't go crazy while in wolf form and rip her entire being to absolute pieces.
Another turn off for me was that this is a crass book; the language is crass, the visuals are crass, the characters are crass, the sex is crass, the emotions are crass, the motivations are crass. From the cover, this looks like it wants to be an elegant book, but it more or less strikes me as vulgar and unrefined.
There's also a large helping of possible triggers in this book including: child abuse, self-harm, drug use/selling/manufacturing, lots and lots of sexual themes (a lot of submission/domination stuff), killing/murder, mentions of torture, spousal abuse, and mentions of sexual misconduct between Tristan and Axis (Tristan claims he took advantage of Axis when Axis was emotionally vulnerable, though this is cleared up later with Axis going "nah I didn't feel taken advantage of" but, you know, still mentioning it because it was in this book for some reason; it offered nothing to the plot). Maybe some others that I missed but, you get the idea: lots of dark or possibly upsetting themes.
Since this is a debut of an indie author, I wasn't expecting anything too grand and I think that Kyla D. Knight has some talent and some great ideas, but I hope in future books she learns how to better utilize erotic aspects to enhance her romances and stories, not overshadow and drown them.
This book is available on Kindle Unlimited if you want to try it. For the current $4 USD price tag, I don't think it's worth it and would not purchase it myself.
I personally wouldn't recommend it unless you're after a more crass beauty and the beast with a large helping of long sex scenes (though I personally found the sex scenes lacking, so I wouldn't recommend this book for that, either). I read more for the stories and characters than anything. I want to feel the romance, the emotional pull. The sex only works if it compliments those emotions.
One positive is that there's LGBT representation just for the hell of it. It's worked in nicely, doesn't overshadow, doesn't necessarily feel token, though it's like, so why did like one of the only queer characters have to have this sudden "I think I sexually assaulted you" thing like, there's already a weird association that gay people are all predators, please don't just slap them into stories as weird sexual predators or people incapable of controlling their sexual feelings without there being a purpose that's handled correctly.
March 7, 2022
“It is my privilege to be with you, then and always.”
this was an interesting spin on beauty and the beast. i'm fine with the plot, and the romance was very sweet, spicy and a little angsty. the cover is really pretty too. the characters were great and i liked the chemistry between each of them. i also liked that we were able to get perspectives from both the beauty and the beast, layna and axis.
this was an interesting spin on beauty and the beast. i'm fine with the plot, and the romance was very sweet, spicy and a little angsty. the cover is really pretty too. the characters were great and i liked the chemistry between each of them. i also liked that we were able to get perspectives from both the beauty and the beast, layna and axis.
October 13, 2018
Buddy read with Karma
I've read quite a few Beauty and the Beast retellings recently - it's always been my favourite fairytale and I can never resist a book that even hints at being a retelling! - but I think this was probably my favourite out of all of them. The thing that first drew me to this book was the stunning original cover so I have to say I'm a little bit disappointed it's been rebranded to something so generic (I probably wouldn't have even looked at the blurb of this book if I'd seen the new cover on Amazon) but I guess they do always say you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover.
Anyway, more important than the cover is the story and Beautiful Beast was an enjoyable read. Layna has broken ties with a drug cartel and now she finds herself in trouble thanks to the revenge she tried to take. Axis is a wolf shifter who has trouble controlling his wolf form and who buys drugs from the cartel to help control himself. He rescues Layna and offers her a way out of the city by taking her with him back to his countryside castle retreat but he's keeping a lot of secrets from her about his wolf side and the emotional trauma he is dealing with from an abusive childhood.
I think what I liked most about this story was that Layna was a strong character who knew what she wanted and was prepared to fight to get it. She's not a damsel in distress and she's capable of looking after herself. Axis is the more vulnerable of the two emotionally even though he's physically stronger and that made them feel like quite an even match. I do love a brooding, damaged hero so Axis was a hit on that front and I enjoyed the way Layna brought out a different side to him and the way she was willing to take the reigns in the bedroom to help bring him out of his shell. Sex and love was never used as a cure for his emotional problems either which I think was important.
Gareth and Tristan were great side characters who added a bit of humour to a story that was quite dark in places. Axis had suffered a lot of abuse as a child and that could be quite hard to read about so it needed a bit of humour to tone things down and I think Kyla D. Knight did a good job getting the balance right. This was her debut novel and I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for what she publishes next, if it's anything like this one I'm sure I'll enjoy it.
I've read quite a few Beauty and the Beast retellings recently - it's always been my favourite fairytale and I can never resist a book that even hints at being a retelling! - but I think this was probably my favourite out of all of them. The thing that first drew me to this book was the stunning original cover so I have to say I'm a little bit disappointed it's been rebranded to something so generic (I probably wouldn't have even looked at the blurb of this book if I'd seen the new cover on Amazon) but I guess they do always say you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover.
Anyway, more important than the cover is the story and Beautiful Beast was an enjoyable read. Layna has broken ties with a drug cartel and now she finds herself in trouble thanks to the revenge she tried to take. Axis is a wolf shifter who has trouble controlling his wolf form and who buys drugs from the cartel to help control himself. He rescues Layna and offers her a way out of the city by taking her with him back to his countryside castle retreat but he's keeping a lot of secrets from her about his wolf side and the emotional trauma he is dealing with from an abusive childhood.
I think what I liked most about this story was that Layna was a strong character who knew what she wanted and was prepared to fight to get it. She's not a damsel in distress and she's capable of looking after herself. Axis is the more vulnerable of the two emotionally even though he's physically stronger and that made them feel like quite an even match. I do love a brooding, damaged hero so Axis was a hit on that front and I enjoyed the way Layna brought out a different side to him and the way she was willing to take the reigns in the bedroom to help bring him out of his shell. Sex and love was never used as a cure for his emotional problems either which I think was important.
Gareth and Tristan were great side characters who added a bit of humour to a story that was quite dark in places. Axis had suffered a lot of abuse as a child and that could be quite hard to read about so it needed a bit of humour to tone things down and I think Kyla D. Knight did a good job getting the balance right. This was her debut novel and I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for what she publishes next, if it's anything like this one I'm sure I'll enjoy it.
August 27, 2018
3.5 Stars
Review:
*I received an ecopy of this book via NetGalley. This has not influenced my review.*
I have to admit, this was a little outside my normal preferences when it comes to books, but I could not resist such a gorgeous cover. But sometimes cover reads turns out well, and fortunately, though I did have some issues, I enjoyed a lot of things about this too.
First things first, the writing itself was great. It flowed smoothly enough to make me forget I was reading a book, and the characters had voice and personality.
Speaking of the characters... Layna had a relatable, sarcastic voice at times. She was also a very strong-willed, compassionate, understanding person. The only thing I didn't like was how Axis was doing this huge favor for her, and she repaid him by snooping around and acting like she deserved to know all of his secrets.
Axis was the quintessential brooding paranormal hero. He was kind and compassionate to people, but he was damaged from a dark past and had a temper and mood swings, and he frequently pushed people away and emotions down. He also struggled with depression and suicidal impulses. His emotions and flaws were dramatic (as these things often are in books) but complex. (And his mental illnesses and emotional struggles weren't automatically cured by love.)
Supporting characters Tristan and Gareth were great. Tristan could be prickly but had a good heart, and Gareth was a big, ol' sweetheart who was always trying to lighten the mood and smooth things over between everyone.
There were also relationship complexities, like Tristan being in unrequited love with Axis but being in a relationship with Gareth. I was uncomfortable with Layna telling the gay men their relationship turned her on (to her, these were real people in a real relationship), but aside from that, I enjoyed seeing the way all four characters interacted and the way their relationships with each other grew. It brought some good angst and tension, and some sweet moments, to the story.
As for the romance... I'll be honest, I tend to prefer books where romance is a subplot because I don't like a lot of romance tropes, and while I didn't feel it was fair to dock my rating too much since I think these are "me" things, I did have a couple issues there. I felt like the romance and love happened really fast, like they knew about each other but didn't really know each other yet. They were also really preoccupied by sex, and there were A LOT of sex scenes. There were a couple other tropey things that bothered me too, like Axis's need to claim Layna and the way he felt like having sex with her was the way to do that. But what I did like was how there was maybe a bit of a role reversal---or at least a more equal balance than what I'm used to seeing in M/F books---with the woman being the one to say and initiate the sexual stuff, to give sexy speeches, to be dominant sometimes, etc. And the man was the one who usually felt more emotional. And both enjoyed submission and being treated a bit roughly.
There were also some intense, heavy moments in this book because of Axis's inability to control his wolf form, his use of drugs to counteract that, and his traumatic, abusive childhood. The author wrote the intense moments really well.
So overall, I had a couple issues, but they were mostly about personal taste. I still enjoyed the writing, the character relationships, and the intensity, and I think this one that a lot of paranormal/fantasy romance fans will like!
Recommended For:
Anyone who likes fantasy romance, shifters, brooding heroes, characters with depression, intensity, and lots of sex scenes.
Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight
Review:
*I received an ecopy of this book via NetGalley. This has not influenced my review.*
I have to admit, this was a little outside my normal preferences when it comes to books, but I could not resist such a gorgeous cover. But sometimes cover reads turns out well, and fortunately, though I did have some issues, I enjoyed a lot of things about this too.
First things first, the writing itself was great. It flowed smoothly enough to make me forget I was reading a book, and the characters had voice and personality.
Speaking of the characters... Layna had a relatable, sarcastic voice at times. She was also a very strong-willed, compassionate, understanding person. The only thing I didn't like was how Axis was doing this huge favor for her, and she repaid him by snooping around and acting like she deserved to know all of his secrets.
Axis was the quintessential brooding paranormal hero. He was kind and compassionate to people, but he was damaged from a dark past and had a temper and mood swings, and he frequently pushed people away and emotions down. He also struggled with depression and suicidal impulses. His emotions and flaws were dramatic (as these things often are in books) but complex. (And his mental illnesses and emotional struggles weren't automatically cured by love.)
Supporting characters Tristan and Gareth were great. Tristan could be prickly but had a good heart, and Gareth was a big, ol' sweetheart who was always trying to lighten the mood and smooth things over between everyone.
There were also relationship complexities, like Tristan being in unrequited love with Axis but being in a relationship with Gareth. I was uncomfortable with Layna telling the gay men their relationship turned her on (to her, these were real people in a real relationship), but aside from that, I enjoyed seeing the way all four characters interacted and the way their relationships with each other grew. It brought some good angst and tension, and some sweet moments, to the story.
As for the romance... I'll be honest, I tend to prefer books where romance is a subplot because I don't like a lot of romance tropes, and while I didn't feel it was fair to dock my rating too much since I think these are "me" things, I did have a couple issues there. I felt like the romance and love happened really fast, like they knew about each other but didn't really know each other yet. They were also really preoccupied by sex, and there were A LOT of sex scenes. There were a couple other tropey things that bothered me too, like Axis's need to claim Layna and the way he felt like having sex with her was the way to do that. But what I did like was how there was maybe a bit of a role reversal---or at least a more equal balance than what I'm used to seeing in M/F books---with the woman being the one to say and initiate the sexual stuff, to give sexy speeches, to be dominant sometimes, etc. And the man was the one who usually felt more emotional. And both enjoyed submission and being treated a bit roughly.
There were also some intense, heavy moments in this book because of Axis's inability to control his wolf form, his use of drugs to counteract that, and his traumatic, abusive childhood. The author wrote the intense moments really well.
So overall, I had a couple issues, but they were mostly about personal taste. I still enjoyed the writing, the character relationships, and the intensity, and I think this one that a lot of paranormal/fantasy romance fans will like!
Recommended For:
Anyone who likes fantasy romance, shifters, brooding heroes, characters with depression, intensity, and lots of sex scenes.
Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight
August 17, 2018
Thank you to Weapenry Co-Op. for the arc of this book.
I loved it, couldn’t put it down, forced myself to stay awake to finish it, but I really didn’t want it to end.
A great story, strong characters, some smut, what more could you ask for really!
I loved it, couldn’t put it down, forced myself to stay awake to finish it, but I really didn’t want it to end.
A great story, strong characters, some smut, what more could you ask for really!
December 4, 2019
"My will is your fucking cage. "
Meet Beauty and the Beast, Layna and Axis. Their story is different. Layna cannot remember her life or anything before she was fourteen and now, she has turned into a vengeful vigilante that is trying to rid her city of street drugs by going after the drug lord with whom she has history. Axis is a shifter werewolf, but his wolf is corrupted and the only way to cope is to take a very high concentrate of the street drugs that he must buy straight from the big boss because it’s a specialised formula. On Layna’s last mission things go wrong and she ends up captured by the drug lord. Axis rescues her and decides that she should hide at his place while she is still the most wanted by the gangbangers.
Obviously, because they just met, they both have things that they don’t know about each other. Which, to a normal person, should be acceptable, but to Layna seems to be offensive because she feels entitled to know what is happening in Axis’ life. And because of this self-entitlement and the fact that she suspects him of being a drug dealer and some other possible evil doings, she starts snooping around. This leads to a whole lot of issues and complications that becomes the crux of the story. And it was promising to be a really good story. Until Beauty and the Beast found the bedroom and they turned into Christian and Anastasia wannabes.
The downfall of the this story started with just one sentence:-
"Hey, I’ve got some shackles in the bedroom. I thought I’d chain you up and fuck you."
And so began a 150 pages marathon of non-stop coitus-sleep-eat, repeat. And because of this we lost our beloved kickass Beauty and the Beast.
Layna started as a strong heroine, kicking asses and taking names but by the end of the book it was like a different character or a cheap imitation of her former self and she just couldn’t stop whining. The character that was basically playing Catwoman and blowing shit up was turned inside out. By the end of the book, she was “kicking names and taking asses” and very proud of herself doing it.
Axis started as a well-dressed, tough guy who could scale up walls and jump over rooftops while carrying a person on his back. He turned into a simpering, suicidal, whining shadow of a badass that we started with.
What I loved
Great beginning, inspired and unique take on the tale of Beauty and the Beast (unique to me anyway).
I loved all the secondary and support characters
- Jealous Tristan
- Serious but playful Gareth
- All the ladies of Blackcoat Castle,
- The Children and their Queen
What I didn’t like
- All the sex scenes after the first 2.
- How the plot was almost lost and couldn’t flow naturally after all the bedroom scenes.
- The way the MCs were undone, un-developed and totally diminished by falling in love.
- Missed opportunity – the Children and their Queen
My take – If you can ignore (or like I guess) all the aforementioned 150 pages or so, or most of them anyway, this is a good book and the writing does not suck.
Meet Beauty and the Beast, Layna and Axis. Their story is different. Layna cannot remember her life or anything before she was fourteen and now, she has turned into a vengeful vigilante that is trying to rid her city of street drugs by going after the drug lord with whom she has history. Axis is a shifter werewolf, but his wolf is corrupted and the only way to cope is to take a very high concentrate of the street drugs that he must buy straight from the big boss because it’s a specialised formula. On Layna’s last mission things go wrong and she ends up captured by the drug lord. Axis rescues her and decides that she should hide at his place while she is still the most wanted by the gangbangers.
Obviously, because they just met, they both have things that they don’t know about each other. Which, to a normal person, should be acceptable, but to Layna seems to be offensive because she feels entitled to know what is happening in Axis’ life. And because of this self-entitlement and the fact that she suspects him of being a drug dealer and some other possible evil doings, she starts snooping around. This leads to a whole lot of issues and complications that becomes the crux of the story. And it was promising to be a really good story. Until Beauty and the Beast found the bedroom and they turned into Christian and Anastasia wannabes.
The downfall of the this story started with just one sentence:-
"Hey, I’ve got some shackles in the bedroom. I thought I’d chain you up and fuck you."
And so began a 150 pages marathon of non-stop coitus-sleep-eat, repeat. And because of this we lost our beloved kickass Beauty and the Beast.
Layna started as a strong heroine, kicking asses and taking names but by the end of the book it was like a different character or a cheap imitation of her former self and she just couldn’t stop whining. The character that was basically playing Catwoman and blowing shit up was turned inside out. By the end of the book, she was “kicking names and taking asses” and very proud of herself doing it.
Axis started as a well-dressed, tough guy who could scale up walls and jump over rooftops while carrying a person on his back. He turned into a simpering, suicidal, whining shadow of a badass that we started with.
What I loved
Great beginning, inspired and unique take on the tale of Beauty and the Beast (unique to me anyway).
I loved all the secondary and support characters
- Jealous Tristan
- Serious but playful Gareth
- All the ladies of Blackcoat Castle,
- The Children and their Queen
What I didn’t like
- All the sex scenes after the first 2.
- How the plot was almost lost and couldn’t flow naturally after all the bedroom scenes.
- The way the MCs were undone, un-developed and totally diminished by falling in love.
- Missed opportunity – the Children and their Queen
My take – If you can ignore (or like I guess) all the aforementioned 150 pages or so, or most of them anyway, this is a good book and the writing does not suck.
August 10, 2018
Color me surprised.
I mean, I'm not familiar with the author and I believe this is her first book, though I am not sure.
Sure, from the blurb or at first glance you'd say that this is another dark retelling of The Beauty & The Beast, but really, you should never judge the book by it's cover or blurb. Why? This book is more than that. It's more than accepting your faults. It's more than doing something good for others. It goes beyond the usual premise. It's more than romance.
There are so many triggers in this book and I mean not one, not two, and not even three. Like I said "many", but don't let that discourage you because these triggers made the book compelling. It made the story more complex and it gave one an opportunity to delve into the effects of these "triggers". I'd like to specify these triggers but that would ruin the fun.
I got to say though, after reading this book I felt emotional drained. It was hitting a little bit close to home and more than once I found myself a tad bit too emotional. Also, there's a lot of sex. Not one or two scenes, but more like several chapters. The sex played a role too. I understood it's purpose in the book. The author did not write these scenes just for the heck of it.
Now that I am done, I can now truly appreciate the saying "there is beauty in madness".
I mean, I'm not familiar with the author and I believe this is her first book, though I am not sure.
Sure, from the blurb or at first glance you'd say that this is another dark retelling of The Beauty & The Beast, but really, you should never judge the book by it's cover or blurb. Why? This book is more than that. It's more than accepting your faults. It's more than doing something good for others. It goes beyond the usual premise. It's more than romance.
There are so many triggers in this book and I mean not one, not two, and not even three. Like I said "many", but don't let that discourage you because these triggers made the book compelling. It made the story more complex and it gave one an opportunity to delve into the effects of these "triggers". I'd like to specify these triggers but that would ruin the fun.
I got to say though, after reading this book I felt emotional drained. It was hitting a little bit close to home and more than once I found myself a tad bit too emotional. Also, there's a lot of sex. Not one or two scenes, but more like several chapters. The sex played a role too. I understood it's purpose in the book. The author did not write these scenes just for the heck of it.
Now that I am done, I can now truly appreciate the saying "there is beauty in madness".
September 15, 2018
3.5 Stars
Beautiful Beast by Kyla D. Knight is the story of Layna and Axis.
Axis has to control his beast because it can hurt people. Axis grew up abused but has found friends with fellow beast who aren't has bad as him. When he goes to a drug king to buy drugs that keep him more uncontrolled he happens upon Layna. Layna was taken in years ago by the drug king who used her from a young girl to when Layna wised up to him. Now Layna is out to destroy the drug king but is saved by Axis when she is almost caught. Axis takes her to his home where she starts to learn what a beast he is along with his friends.
Exciting read.
Beautiful Beast by Kyla D. Knight is the story of Layna and Axis.
Axis has to control his beast because it can hurt people. Axis grew up abused but has found friends with fellow beast who aren't has bad as him. When he goes to a drug king to buy drugs that keep him more uncontrolled he happens upon Layna. Layna was taken in years ago by the drug king who used her from a young girl to when Layna wised up to him. Now Layna is out to destroy the drug king but is saved by Axis when she is almost caught. Axis takes her to his home where she starts to learn what a beast he is along with his friends.
Exciting read.
September 28, 2019
DNF at 260 pages. That was super disappointing. This book's world building is cool and had so much potential. The characters had interesting backstories and there was a nice fantasy element. I didn't really care much for the romance in the first place, but then the author made it total instalove and it did not make sense for the circumstances at all. Nobody falls in love with someone in a few days and if there is any form of infatuation there better be some kind of mating bond explanation of some sort for it. Here there is not so I'm just moving on to the next thing because 👏🏽HOW👏🏽DARE👏🏽YOU👏🏽WASTE👏🏽MY👏🏽TIME!
Read
July 15, 2021dnf cause wtf was going on
May 18, 2021
Fairytale retellings are tricky - you either get the formula right, or you create a monstrosity. Fortunately, this book wasn't a case of the latter.
Layna is in need of a place to hide from the guy whose operations she just tried to blow up. Axis can provide that, given he owns a castle, but the man has issues of his own - and the beautiful woman he feels instantly attached to is only going to add to his problems. Together, they navigate ancient curses and explore bloodlines, in pursuit of happiness and forgiveness, as they fight to survive and find their happily ever after.
Honestly, this was a sweet but mysterious read, with tons of hot scenes after a certain part of the book. The story was full of magic and suspense, and the dialogues were a piece of art, with each character being a complicated, realistic person.
And I'm not talking only the main couple - the side characters were just as important and intriguing. Tristan and Gareth stole my heart - I mean, I want a book for those two, they were just so wholesome! -, and I wanted to wrap a blanket around Jill and Edith and protect them from the rest of the world! The plot twist with Ryever was also pretty unexpected, and I came to regret everything I had thought about him when he first appeared.
Mind you, this is a fairytale for adults. There are multiple sex scenes, and some things that might trigger younger people, who might not be able to understand them fully and accept them enough to like their addition in the story. There is abuse, and death, and several parts where something close to drug addiction - or use of sex as a way to replace the whatever-the-fuck Axis was pumping in his veins. Every single one is necessary for the tale to bloom to its completion and not used as a plot point, so I advise everyone to be prepared for the weirdly satisfying and unsettling ride that is this book.
***I was given an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinion stated in this review is solely mine, and no compensation was given or taken to alter it.***
Read this and other reviews at: http://cupcakesandpopcorn.wordpress.com
Layna is in need of a place to hide from the guy whose operations she just tried to blow up. Axis can provide that, given he owns a castle, but the man has issues of his own - and the beautiful woman he feels instantly attached to is only going to add to his problems. Together, they navigate ancient curses and explore bloodlines, in pursuit of happiness and forgiveness, as they fight to survive and find their happily ever after.
Honestly, this was a sweet but mysterious read, with tons of hot scenes after a certain part of the book. The story was full of magic and suspense, and the dialogues were a piece of art, with each character being a complicated, realistic person.
And I'm not talking only the main couple - the side characters were just as important and intriguing. Tristan and Gareth stole my heart - I mean, I want a book for those two, they were just so wholesome! -, and I wanted to wrap a blanket around Jill and Edith and protect them from the rest of the world! The plot twist with Ryever was also pretty unexpected, and I came to regret everything I had thought about him when he first appeared.
Mind you, this is a fairytale for adults. There are multiple sex scenes, and some things that might trigger younger people, who might not be able to understand them fully and accept them enough to like their addition in the story. There is abuse, and death, and several parts where something close to drug addiction - or use of sex as a way to replace the whatever-the-fuck Axis was pumping in his veins. Every single one is necessary for the tale to bloom to its completion and not used as a plot point, so I advise everyone to be prepared for the weirdly satisfying and unsettling ride that is this book.
***I was given an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinion stated in this review is solely mine, and no compensation was given or taken to alter it.***
Read this and other reviews at: http://cupcakesandpopcorn.wordpress.com
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 28, 2018
This book is about strengths.
The main character, Layna, is a former associate of a drug cartel turned vagrant, living in a tiny appartement. The other protagonist, Axis, is a smart and physically powerful man from a wealthy family. Son enough, the two characters meet, are attracted to each other and are pretty much forced by the circumstances to help one another. They leave town for Axis' estate, surrounded by a deep and dangerous forest that has everything to do with Axis' family and its tragedies.
Each character's limitations has to do with their secrets. That could have been an interesting fact, except Layna's secret is not much interesting since she doesn't even remember it and Axis' is revealed very soon with heavy foreshadowing and is not actually the point of his issues. Another limitation, interestingly, has to do with mental health, and lies on the male character, something not very often seen in this kind of literature.
I feel like the strongest part of the book is, sadly, the first third of it : the world building, even just hired at, is interesting despite some weird anachronisms that don't add up (mentioning use of both horse carriages and zippers in the same sentence is... jarring). The two main characters definitely have chemistry, and the dialogues are dynamic and skilfully sed to show and not tell. The secondary characters are, for the main part, well crafted.
Another strong point is the writing style : beautiful and effective, it's definitely promising of very good things for her future works.
What I did not understand was why this book abandoned its strengths so easily. I obviously won't reveal too much of the plot here but it turns very quickly into a closed-world kid of psychological thriller intersped by many sex scenes whose ending is a pretty huge deus ex machina that hangs on facts never hinted at nor developed before. Sex scenes are numerous, about 10, and while I don't mind them, I fail to see what they're bringing to this story : they're not really used to show character development except for one of two, are not written as really romantic or even titillating as erotica. They just don't feel as natural as the other actions happening in the book, even the unnatural ones.
As a consequence, I'm left with many questions. Was proper worldbuilding too hard or just not the point for the author ? Was it her intention to turn it into a romance/mystery with gothic undertones or just a way to tie the end ?
Will definitely keep an eye on Ms. Knight's career but am still disappointed by this very promising book.
The main character, Layna, is a former associate of a drug cartel turned vagrant, living in a tiny appartement. The other protagonist, Axis, is a smart and physically powerful man from a wealthy family. Son enough, the two characters meet, are attracted to each other and are pretty much forced by the circumstances to help one another. They leave town for Axis' estate, surrounded by a deep and dangerous forest that has everything to do with Axis' family and its tragedies.
Each character's limitations has to do with their secrets. That could have been an interesting fact, except Layna's secret is not much interesting since she doesn't even remember it and Axis' is revealed very soon with heavy foreshadowing and is not actually the point of his issues. Another limitation, interestingly, has to do with mental health, and lies on the male character, something not very often seen in this kind of literature.
I feel like the strongest part of the book is, sadly, the first third of it : the world building, even just hired at, is interesting despite some weird anachronisms that don't add up (mentioning use of both horse carriages and zippers in the same sentence is... jarring). The two main characters definitely have chemistry, and the dialogues are dynamic and skilfully sed to show and not tell. The secondary characters are, for the main part, well crafted.
Another strong point is the writing style : beautiful and effective, it's definitely promising of very good things for her future works.
What I did not understand was why this book abandoned its strengths so easily. I obviously won't reveal too much of the plot here but it turns very quickly into a closed-world kid of psychological thriller intersped by many sex scenes whose ending is a pretty huge deus ex machina that hangs on facts never hinted at nor developed before. Sex scenes are numerous, about 10, and while I don't mind them, I fail to see what they're bringing to this story : they're not really used to show character development except for one of two, are not written as really romantic or even titillating as erotica. They just don't feel as natural as the other actions happening in the book, even the unnatural ones.
As a consequence, I'm left with many questions. Was proper worldbuilding too hard or just not the point for the author ? Was it her intention to turn it into a romance/mystery with gothic undertones or just a way to tie the end ?
Will definitely keep an eye on Ms. Knight's career but am still disappointed by this very promising book.
September 17, 2018
as soon as i saw this cover, i requested it. i try very hard not to judge a book by its cover, but sometimes they are just so pretty.... plus, beauty and the beast retelling. sold.
unfortunately this one did not live up to the cover. i love romance, obviously, i read a lot of it. i don't mind sex scenes, obviously, quite like them but there is such a thing as too much. i guess i just wanted a bit more of a build up, a stronger foundation. i never felt any tension or them falling in love.
i wasn't a huge fan of some of the writing. the world took a bit to get into, not a whole lot of explanation of certain words so for the first few times you read them they make no sense - wanderer, children, snow just to name the ones i remember - or you think they are something else. i know you don't want to hit your readers over the head with world building but a little wouldn't hurt.
also there was a line where a gay couple say something about the girl not minding they're gay and she says 'actually i think it's hot'. uhh that just rubbed me the wrong way, flip the sexes and have a guy tell a lesbian couple he thinks it's hot. or someone tell a male/female couple they think their relationship is hot... yeah. no. then later she says 'i told you it turns me on'. do you seriously not see a) the difference of something being hot and turning you on, and b) how not okay that is? maybe i'm just being picky or finding offense anywhere but... like i said, rubbed me the wrong way.
then there was a fairly explicit m/m scene, which is fine, it's not like this book can be tagged as m/m because they aren't the focus, but if you're not into m/m, it's not something you'd expect and might not be your jam. and that's fine. it's not something i like to read. the whole m/m and tristan situation was just not my jam at all.
overall, this wasn't horrible, definitely didn't live up to the cover, was a bit too long and had a lot going on. didn't work for me personally. sorry netgalley and author. sigh. gorgeous cover though.
ARC received from netgalley in exchange for honest review
unfortunately this one did not live up to the cover. i love romance, obviously, i read a lot of it. i don't mind sex scenes, obviously, quite like them but there is such a thing as too much. i guess i just wanted a bit more of a build up, a stronger foundation. i never felt any tension or them falling in love.
i wasn't a huge fan of some of the writing. the world took a bit to get into, not a whole lot of explanation of certain words so for the first few times you read them they make no sense - wanderer, children, snow just to name the ones i remember - or you think they are something else. i know you don't want to hit your readers over the head with world building but a little wouldn't hurt.
also there was a line where a gay couple say something about the girl not minding they're gay and she says 'actually i think it's hot'. uhh that just rubbed me the wrong way, flip the sexes and have a guy tell a lesbian couple he thinks it's hot. or someone tell a male/female couple they think their relationship is hot... yeah. no. then later she says 'i told you it turns me on'. do you seriously not see a) the difference of something being hot and turning you on, and b) how not okay that is? maybe i'm just being picky or finding offense anywhere but... like i said, rubbed me the wrong way.
then there was a fairly explicit m/m scene, which is fine, it's not like this book can be tagged as m/m because they aren't the focus, but if you're not into m/m, it's not something you'd expect and might not be your jam. and that's fine. it's not something i like to read. the whole m/m and tristan situation was just not my jam at all.
overall, this wasn't horrible, definitely didn't live up to the cover, was a bit too long and had a lot going on. didn't work for me personally. sorry netgalley and author. sigh. gorgeous cover though.
ARC received from netgalley in exchange for honest review
June 29, 2020
As clichéd stories go, this one was enjoyable. The one thing I would have loved is that instead of insta-love the protagonists had had more time to get to know each other.
What I loved about this book, and the reason why it gets so high a rating is its handling of trauma and how people react to it.
I also want to address the sex scenes, there's some light bondage and dom/sub play and I frickin' loved it. The author never forgets to add tenderness and intimacy to each scene, they aren't portrayed as just gratuitous but they overall serve a purpose or show the characters' trust in each other.
Anyways, I just wanted to say I really liked this book.
What I loved about this book, and the reason why it gets so high a rating is its handling of trauma and how people react to it.
I also want to address the sex scenes, there's some light bondage and dom/sub play and I frickin' loved it. The author never forgets to add tenderness and intimacy to each scene, they aren't portrayed as just gratuitous but they overall serve a purpose or show the characters' trust in each other.
Anyways, I just wanted to say I really liked this book.
August 21, 2018
2.75 stars.
Review to come.
Review to come.
February 14, 2021
4.5 starts. Rating it as an erotica.
If you want to read an erotica romance fantasy that are very loosely based on retelling of Beauty and The Beast without an overbearing typical alpha male type of main character, this one is for you. Look elsewhere if you want rich world building.
What I like:
- Characters were not too fleshed out but just enough for this standard of romance centered fantasy story. Most author usually made their heroine sassy but too flippant. But Layna is someone who had a good head upon her shoulder. And she's brave in the sense she's not afraid for voicing out her true feelings, she won't hide who she was. Axis was a good portrayal of someone dealing with trauma. He had an abusive father growing up and now he's bad at dealing with conflict, thinking that it's his responsibility to shoulder the pain or jeopardy his life in order to ensure the safety of people he loved. How he dealt with grief and guilt also added a layer to his character.
- The romance. I loved how the story never once used poor of miscommunication to create conflict. As the hero had deeply rooted trauma from childhood, the heroine actively tried to always initiate communication and to get the hero talking. It was a surprisingly healthy relationship with equal power dynamic. And it is pretty rare to find in adult BATB retelling without the hero to be depicted with hyper masculinity, being very possessive and always wanting to dominate.
- I didn't know it was erotica before going in, there were lots of sex scene. In fact, it has the most sex scene in all the books I've read. But I never once felt suffocated by the amount of boning that the Layna and Axis were doing, unlike other book that I had came across (cough Kingmaker Chronicles Series). I guess it was also due to the fact that I like both main character. The sex scene that had some light dom/sub element and both Layna and Axis were flexible. Through those scene, the author used that opportunity to weave in and how they learned to trust each other and it was such a communicative relationship and im here for it.
What I don't like:
- The worldbuilding is non-existent. There were working plumbing but no electricity, they had gaslamps. And there was bra in this world?? Also the main characters had ever been to two location in the book, the city and the castle. Other locations were briefly mentioned (places Axis had travelled to previously) but they were just name dropped with no further description given to the world. The explanation surrounding the magic system of the world was vague and I still don't understand how it worked, or any other rules governing it.
- The resolution was just so damn easy. It was basically resolved in a paragraph and again, it was not clearly explained how, everyone just accepted that the issue was solved.
Still I'd give it a high rating because I know even before starting the book that I'll be reading a story for the romance and not a book that is promising mind blowing plots with complex magic system and fleshed out world building.
tw: abusive parents, death of parents, drug use
If you want to read an erotica romance fantasy that are very loosely based on retelling of Beauty and The Beast without an overbearing typical alpha male type of main character, this one is for you. Look elsewhere if you want rich world building.
What I like:
- Characters were not too fleshed out but just enough for this standard of romance centered fantasy story. Most author usually made their heroine sassy but too flippant. But Layna is someone who had a good head upon her shoulder. And she's brave in the sense she's not afraid for voicing out her true feelings, she won't hide who she was. Axis was a good portrayal of someone dealing with trauma. He had an abusive father growing up and now he's bad at dealing with conflict, thinking that it's his responsibility to shoulder the pain or jeopardy his life in order to ensure the safety of people he loved. How he dealt with grief and guilt also added a layer to his character.
- The romance. I loved how the story never once used poor of miscommunication to create conflict. As the hero had deeply rooted trauma from childhood, the heroine actively tried to always initiate communication and to get the hero talking. It was a surprisingly healthy relationship with equal power dynamic. And it is pretty rare to find in adult BATB retelling without the hero to be depicted with hyper masculinity, being very possessive and always wanting to dominate.
- I didn't know it was erotica before going in, there were lots of sex scene. In fact, it has the most sex scene in all the books I've read. But I never once felt suffocated by the amount of boning that the Layna and Axis were doing, unlike other book that I had came across (cough Kingmaker Chronicles Series). I guess it was also due to the fact that I like both main character. The sex scene that had some light dom/sub element and both Layna and Axis were flexible. Through those scene, the author used that opportunity to weave in and how they learned to trust each other and it was such a communicative relationship and im here for it.
What I don't like:
- The worldbuilding is non-existent. There were working plumbing but no electricity, they had gaslamps. And there was bra in this world?? Also the main characters had ever been to two location in the book, the city and the castle. Other locations were briefly mentioned (places Axis had travelled to previously) but they were just name dropped with no further description given to the world. The explanation surrounding the magic system of the world was vague and I still don't understand how it worked, or any other rules governing it.
- The resolution was just so damn easy. It was basically resolved in a paragraph and again, it was not clearly explained how, everyone just accepted that the issue was solved.
Still I'd give it a high rating because I know even before starting the book that I'll be reading a story for the romance and not a book that is promising mind blowing plots with complex magic system and fleshed out world building.
tw: abusive parents, death of parents, drug use
February 26, 2023
Why was this book marketed as a romance fantasy when everything about is... modern setting? Because itnhas some undercooked magical forest thing going on? Because they ride horses? Hun that ain't enough to call it a fantasy. ESPECIALLY when characters walk, talk and dress like they live in the 21st century 😂
Such a pretty cover to be wasted on this... well, shit.
Honestly? This book is a definition of underwhelming random mess that thinks having trope after trope reenacted by souless carton figures interchanged with a few pages of erotica is worth 400pages. Because it is not.
I don't mind the sex, but if you want to write full on smut then write a full on smut fest without torturing us with any half assed attempts of writing actual characters and plot 🤷🏻♀️
Oh and the darker themes (suicide attempt, self-harm, abuse etc) felt like there were only there for the shock value as well as a sort of shortcut for character development 😒
Such a pretty cover to be wasted on this... well, shit.
Honestly? This book is a definition of underwhelming random mess that thinks having trope after trope reenacted by souless carton figures interchanged with a few pages of erotica is worth 400pages. Because it is not.
I don't mind the sex, but if you want to write full on smut then write a full on smut fest without torturing us with any half assed attempts of writing actual characters and plot 🤷🏻♀️
Oh and the darker themes (suicide attempt, self-harm, abuse etc) felt like there were only there for the shock value as well as a sort of shortcut for character development 😒
January 26, 2019
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I was not sure what to expect when I first started reading this book as I am not usually a romance reader so it was a little out of my wheel house. However if you like fantasy and foreplay then this is the book for you!
Axis is a man with a lot of problems who has suffered unbelievable abuse at the hands of his father as a child that haunt him still as an adult.
Layna is a feisty young woman who has ties to the drug Lord kingpin but is rebelling against him!
I did enjoy this book and I especially liked the fantasy side of the story. The romance side I could probably have done with less sex scenes only because they became quite repetitive with the same descriptions being used a couple of pages after the previous one.
Overall I thought it was a good solid story and for a debut book was a really good start!
I was not sure what to expect when I first started reading this book as I am not usually a romance reader so it was a little out of my wheel house. However if you like fantasy and foreplay then this is the book for you!
Axis is a man with a lot of problems who has suffered unbelievable abuse at the hands of his father as a child that haunt him still as an adult.
Layna is a feisty young woman who has ties to the drug Lord kingpin but is rebelling against him!
I did enjoy this book and I especially liked the fantasy side of the story. The romance side I could probably have done with less sex scenes only because they became quite repetitive with the same descriptions being used a couple of pages after the previous one.
Overall I thought it was a good solid story and for a debut book was a really good start!
August 27, 2018
Almost gave this book a miss because of the cover. Reminded me too much like a Harlequin book.
Well written, great storyline (wolf shifters but not the typical read) and hot sex. This book was a long read for me, spanned two days. I like my story gratification at a faster pace but there is not a sentence in this book I would eliminate to achieve that.
Cheers
(Returned make this comment:
Appears this is Kyla D. Knight's only book. Wow, in my opinion, off to a great start and look forward to reading anything else she writes.)
Well written, great storyline (wolf shifters but not the typical read) and hot sex. This book was a long read for me, spanned two days. I like my story gratification at a faster pace but there is not a sentence in this book I would eliminate to achieve that.
Cheers
(Returned make this comment:
Appears this is Kyla D. Knight's only book. Wow, in my opinion, off to a great start and look forward to reading anything else she writes.)
August 19, 2018
I really don't read fantasy romance books as much.....they don't really take my fancy. I've only liked the domineering Phoenix series but I must say, Kyla D. Knight has done justice to this book. the characters are engaging, explicit and trust me you'll be wanting moreeeeeeee. A beautiful story of a hard yearning question... what will you do for love? Kyla honey, I need to read more of your books pleaseeeeeeeeeee
Read
September 2, 2020Going on a reread because I dont remember this book at all or even why it was deserving two stars the first time I rated it.
Actually I am weak I saw a beautiful cover, I wanted to read it. Thats it.
Actually I am weak I saw a beautiful cover, I wanted to read it. Thats it.
March 2, 2021
Unimaginatively, I am yet again left feeling conflicted by a book.
The story started out so well, until halfway through we got an excellent, sexy fantasy story. I seem to have taken a liking to Beauty and the Beast retellings and this one had the potential to be the best one yet. Alas, then the protagonists have sex. And they don't stop having sex. The book turns into erotica and apparently the author forgot there was a plot to continue. The MCs seem to also forget they can use their brain cells for other things than new sex positions. It's quite remarkable, actually, how quickly a story dissolves into nothing. I think the biggest disappointment was the "final battle" that lasted for about five minutes.
Also, this book should have contained a ton of trigger warnings. It contains at least references to child abuse, domestic violence, depression, drugs, and suicidal ideation, just to mention a few. It's potentially very triggering. I thought the author handled these triggers well though, until they obviously forgot to advance the plot, and then the dark themes were just not handled at all.
I was left hanging - who are the Children, really? How are they all going to deal with their heavy family drama? What was Layna's relationship to the forest? How does her power really work and how would she evolve with it?
This book is good for erotica, interesting side characters and good dialogue, but honestly I don't know if I can recommend it.
P.S. I know this is a detail that most don't care about but what century was this supposed to be in? Because judging by the clothes they probably would be quite modern times, but then they ride horses everywhere? Their way of speaking was modern, but they have somehow very archaic hierarchies? They have somewhat modern warehouses, but also old ways of farming and clumsy firearms? So confusing.
The story started out so well, until halfway through we got an excellent, sexy fantasy story. I seem to have taken a liking to Beauty and the Beast retellings and this one had the potential to be the best one yet. Alas, then the protagonists have sex. And they don't stop having sex. The book turns into erotica and apparently the author forgot there was a plot to continue. The MCs seem to also forget they can use their brain cells for other things than new sex positions. It's quite remarkable, actually, how quickly a story dissolves into nothing. I think the biggest disappointment was the "final battle" that lasted for about five minutes.
Also, this book should have contained a ton of trigger warnings. It contains at least references to child abuse, domestic violence, depression, drugs, and suicidal ideation, just to mention a few. It's potentially very triggering. I thought the author handled these triggers well though, until they obviously forgot to advance the plot, and then the dark themes were just not handled at all.
I was left hanging - who are the Children, really? How are they all going to deal with their heavy family drama? What was Layna's relationship to the forest? How does her power really work and how would she evolve with it?
This book is good for erotica, interesting side characters and good dialogue, but honestly I don't know if I can recommend it.
P.S. I know this is a detail that most don't care about but what century was this supposed to be in? Because judging by the clothes they probably would be quite modern times, but then they ride horses everywhere? Their way of speaking was modern, but they have somehow very archaic hierarchies? They have somewhat modern warehouses, but also old ways of farming and clumsy firearms? So confusing.
November 4, 2020
So my thoughts were basically a combination of the following:
Kriss's review
Sophia's review
and Sophie's review
and to them I'll add, the preoccupation with blaming others and blaming ones self for the awfulness of PARENTS, and making amends for one's PARENT's horrible actions, was... a lot.
I really, really, really liked the author's second book, Her Lord of Death, which had a similar VERY DARK overall outlook with moments of levity, but I think the author did a lot better characterization and plot progression in Her Lord of Death, whereas in this book it was mostly just... sex.
Great premise but the execution here was lacking. Try Her Lord of Death instead.
Kriss's review
Sophia's review
and Sophie's review
and to them I'll add, the preoccupation with blaming others and blaming ones self for the awfulness of PARENTS, and making amends for one's PARENT's horrible actions, was... a lot.
I really, really, really liked the author's second book, Her Lord of Death, which had a similar VERY DARK overall outlook with moments of levity, but I think the author did a lot better characterization and plot progression in Her Lord of Death, whereas in this book it was mostly just... sex.
Great premise but the execution here was lacking. Try Her Lord of Death instead.
December 6, 2020
I absolutely loved the beginning of this book and was so ready for this epic tale of lusty magic. The setting was perfect, the characters seemed amazing, but then it became so lusty that I did not even want to read because it inhibited the characters growth (imo). The Children, Axis's history and power, Tristan and Gareth's relationship, and Layna's budding powers all had such good qualities and potential, but halfway through the book it felt like the plot just slide into the background and the character development came to a bit of a halt.
May 26, 2021
Eh
There was a lot of useless detail that wasn’t interesting nor added to character or story depth. This could have been half as long as it actually was. Instant love with no reason other than it was a man and a woman and they’re both hot. Ridiculously timed sex scenes and like OKAY I do read erotic romance novels for the sex but it was out of hand here. We’d be smack dab in the middle of a scene that was supposed to be traumatic and upsetting and bam sex scene outta nowhere.
One of my least fave BatB reimaginings.
There was a lot of useless detail that wasn’t interesting nor added to character or story depth. This could have been half as long as it actually was. Instant love with no reason other than it was a man and a woman and they’re both hot. Ridiculously timed sex scenes and like OKAY I do read erotic romance novels for the sex but it was out of hand here. We’d be smack dab in the middle of a scene that was supposed to be traumatic and upsetting and bam sex scene outta nowhere.
One of my least fave BatB reimaginings.
December 12, 2020
Yikes....
November 30, 2018
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
SO!!! Now I've come down a bit, I *might * be able to write a coherent review! Let's see, shall we?
Axis doesn't like to be confined, but needs must. He just needs a get away for a while, to get something to help him deal. Layna is on a mission to interrupt the supply of that *something* and Axis puts her in terrible danger. So, he saves her the only way he knows how, he takes her home, where the secrets have secrets and more secrets. Then Layna's headaches begin. And those secrets begin to unravel. And it is not gonna be a picnic!
It seems, (correct me if I'm wrong but I can't find anything else by this author) that this is Ms Knight's FIRST novel. And Lord if that IS the case, I so wanna be on the end of the next one!!
Because I loved this! Bloody LOVED it!
Yes, its very obviously a Beauty and the Beast kinda retell, but who cares?? Axis' beast is of a nature that doesn't become clear immediately, and I was left second guessing what kind of beast he was. Layna isn't such the good little girl she portrays, what with trying to blow up buildings and all. And deep down, she knows that something isn't quite right in the castle, with everyone whispering and keeping her out the way all day. She KNOWS what she is hearing is a pained animal, but why would there be an animal in the lower levels? And what calls to her from the wood.
When the whole story begins to unravel, when the secrets start to become clear, it moves fast!! You gotta pay attention, take in every little detail, because you will need it! I had to double back a couple of times, and it made me slow down to really concentrate. And if a book makes ME slow down, it's gotta be a good one!!
It's dark, Axis is in so much pain since The Making and he deals with how best he can. He knows what he is doing might well kill him, but he doesn't let the others know. He just deals with it. But Layna in his home, his bed, indeed, his HEART makes him want to not have to deal with it anymore, he wants it to go away. And if that means him giving up his life to free the others from his pain, Axis will do that.
It's sexy. Axis and Layna have instant and powerful attraction, and it isn't long before they are getting up close and personal. But it's Axis' giving control over to Layna that I particularly liked. I'm a sucker for an alpha male tied to the bed, I really am!
OH!!! It's just so good! So very bloody good!! Can't wait to see what Ms Knight comes up with next!
5 excellent stars!
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
SO!!! Now I've come down a bit, I *might * be able to write a coherent review! Let's see, shall we?
Axis doesn't like to be confined, but needs must. He just needs a get away for a while, to get something to help him deal. Layna is on a mission to interrupt the supply of that *something* and Axis puts her in terrible danger. So, he saves her the only way he knows how, he takes her home, where the secrets have secrets and more secrets. Then Layna's headaches begin. And those secrets begin to unravel. And it is not gonna be a picnic!
It seems, (correct me if I'm wrong but I can't find anything else by this author) that this is Ms Knight's FIRST novel. And Lord if that IS the case, I so wanna be on the end of the next one!!
Because I loved this! Bloody LOVED it!
Yes, its very obviously a Beauty and the Beast kinda retell, but who cares?? Axis' beast is of a nature that doesn't become clear immediately, and I was left second guessing what kind of beast he was. Layna isn't such the good little girl she portrays, what with trying to blow up buildings and all. And deep down, she knows that something isn't quite right in the castle, with everyone whispering and keeping her out the way all day. She KNOWS what she is hearing is a pained animal, but why would there be an animal in the lower levels? And what calls to her from the wood.
When the whole story begins to unravel, when the secrets start to become clear, it moves fast!! You gotta pay attention, take in every little detail, because you will need it! I had to double back a couple of times, and it made me slow down to really concentrate. And if a book makes ME slow down, it's gotta be a good one!!
It's dark, Axis is in so much pain since The Making and he deals with how best he can. He knows what he is doing might well kill him, but he doesn't let the others know. He just deals with it. But Layna in his home, his bed, indeed, his HEART makes him want to not have to deal with it anymore, he wants it to go away. And if that means him giving up his life to free the others from his pain, Axis will do that.
It's sexy. Axis and Layna have instant and powerful attraction, and it isn't long before they are getting up close and personal. But it's Axis' giving control over to Layna that I particularly liked. I'm a sucker for an alpha male tied to the bed, I really am!
OH!!! It's just so good! So very bloody good!! Can't wait to see what Ms Knight comes up with next!
5 excellent stars!
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
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