Storm and Solace: A Beauty and the Beast Retelling

by Robin Woods

In this Beauty & The Beast role-swapping mashup, Saxa is stripped of her powers and cursed by her two sisters. She has twelve weeks to change her ways or lose everything--including her life.

Brandr, shipwrecked after a terrible storm, is swept into the world of gods and goddesses. When he trades his life for his brother's, he sentences himself to a world he knows nothing about.

When their paths collide, nothing is as it seems. Who will survive this game of immortals?

Genres: Fantasy, Retellings, Young Adult

256 pages, ebook

First published August 1, 2021

About the author

Robin Woods is a former high school and university instructor with two and a half decades of experience teaching English, literature, and writing. She earned a BA in English and an MA in Education.

In addition to teaching, Robin Woods has published six highly-rated novels, eight creative writing workbooks, and has multiple projects in the works.

When Ms. Woods isn’t teaching or writing, she is chasing her two kids around and spending time with her ever-patient husband.

Reviews

[Elizabeth Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robin is a friend and in our book club. It was such an honor to read this book for book club this month. I expected to like the book bc I like Robin- but then I realized I like the book bc I really enjoyed the story. A capable female character whose humility brings her back to herself was refreshing, along with a male character that is strong and dependable in staying true to his family and values. A double win in my book!

Bravo Robin! What a gift to read this creation of yours!

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

**Update** I loved loved loved this story. While the story was a great escape it made you think about what you would do if you were faced with the same situation. How far would you go to get revenge for a horrible trauma if you had the power to do so? How far would you let a family member go in their quest for revenge before you stepped in? These are the questions that make you think about a story and characters long after you have closed the book and they are why I enjoyed this book so much. The characters were unique, complex, and well developed. The chemistry between them made the story and plot believable. I have come across some books where I love the characters but they don't seem to mesh well when they are together, in this story the characters blended very well together.

Loving this story! It is not the cookie-cutter retelling, it is so much more. It has the best parts of different folklore set in what feels like Ireland or Scotland. I also love that it is the 2 sisters that "punish" Saxa because it shows the "punishment" is done out of love and a hope that maybe she is redeemable. I look forward to the new updates to the story every Monday. Keep them coming Robin!

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. I loved the story and the characters- it’s a lovely Norse twist on beauty and the beast. It was fun and a good story.

The only reason it looses a star is because I struggled with the inverted sentence structure many of the characters spoke in. I could only hear Yoda when I was reading the dialogue 🤣

[Abbey · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a ride! I don't stay up all night for just any book, but WOW, I did for this one.

I found myself rooting for characters and hoping others would get their comeuppance. I esp. loved figuring out who each character was compared to the traditional arc. And the "Gaston?" I wanted to strangle her all while being delighted in the fact that she was more complex here than in any other version I've come across.

SPOILER ALERT: As I was reading I realized, too, that what's great about this retelling is that, unlike Belle, Brandr is a prisoner, but NOT being held there by Saxa. (Yes, it's her fault he's there, but SHE isn't the forcing this prison.) So, when they fall in love it isn’t the creepy prisoner falling in love with their captor scenario. A MUCH better way to handle it.

I'm giving it to my husband to read next. I'd also recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy, fairy tales, and fairy tale re-tellings. But, honestly? Anyone who enjoys a good story will absolutely love this one...

[Robin Woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

Link to all purchase options: https://books2read.com/StormAndSolace
Behind the scenes extras: https://robinwoodsfiction.com/storm-s...

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclosure: I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book was great. I recently read ACOTR, so another beauty and the beast retelling was just a joy to read. I really enjoyed the story of how people were cursed / bound. The invisible staff was so fun. The bad guys were extra evil. I don’t have much more to say other than I definitely recommend this as a read.

[Nancy Breen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved Storm and Solace! The protagonists were fierce, interesting and sexy! It was a pleasure to read something totally different (for me) that kept my interest until the very end. I love reading where the characters are well developed but yet you don't know how they may develop - it keeps you interested and sometimes surprised!! Woods has certainly done that. It's a book that you won't take long to finish!

I am hoping that there will be a precursor to this novel - I'd like to see how the sisters were before and more about Brandr and his family. Also, totally psyched to see the next novel in hopefully a series??

[Courtney · Rating 2 out of 5]

I so wanted to love this, but I just didn't. I think the premise and the take on Beauty and the Beast is outstanding. However, the writing was stilted and abrupt and felt more like an outline of a novel rather than a full-fledged work. There was absolutely no character development, and I was unable to invest in any of them whatsoever.

[Ginger Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a great read! I loved the mythology woven in with a favorite fairy tale. She created a beautiful world around well written characters, and the story flows along at an exciting pace. I highly recommend this book!

[Amy Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun summer read! Refreshing retelling of the Beauty & the Beast story Viking style. Witty and engaging!
Great new book from a great author, Ms. Woods.

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Storm & Solace

I liked the story and its reference to the mythological gods. Quick & easy read. I felt I needed more background info about Saxa and her sisters.

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

Received this ebook in a Goodreads Give Away.

It was okay. I found the narrative style awkward. The dialogue was trying too hard to set itself apart from modern speech and society, with backwards sentence structure and calling a trial/hearing "the Thing." The characters were kind of flat, the plot and character development linear. A few things were supposed to be twists or surprises, but they were easily figured out ahead of time. This was a retelling of "Beauty and the Beast," but it really didn't much resemble the tale until the last 50-75 pages. Had a decent ending, though, and a few instances of humor.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fabulous retelling of Beauty and the Beast with so many great twists. I love Beauty and the Beast stories and Norse Mythology, and Ms. Woods does such a masterful job integrating these two into a delightful, suspenseful story that will keep you eagerly turning the page, anxious to know what is going to happen next. It's a thrilling ride to the end. I fell in love with all the characters (except the bad guys), and even found myself endeared to a sheep! Such great character development and imagery! I love, love, love this book! Definitely one of my favorite top 5 of all time! I've already read it more than once. And I've discovered new things in the next read. I can't wait to read it again. There's so much depth to this book. You can read it again and again, and I know it will be as much of a thrill ride each time, with new things to discover with each read. Get this book. You won't be disappointed.

[Brooke Wayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Viking-style Beauty and the Beast gender swap saga was riveting as it unfolded moment by moment for me on Vella (as a token-based story on Amazon). I enjoyed the process of anticipating the next chapter to drop! You can also download the eBook or buy a soft or hard copy of the novel now everywhere!
If you like time-period novels with sweeping landscapes, imaginative world-building, and lots of action, I highly recommend this novel. Brandr and Saxa have excellent chemistry, and the descriptive settings create a captivating world loaded with twists and turns. I highly recommend Storm and Solace to anyone who longs for a mature, sexy take on this classic tale.

[Judi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robin Woods goes in a new direction with Storm and Solace. This YA fiction is a retelling of "Beauty and the Beast" with a twist.

Set in a fantastical island group, Woods incorporates both land- and sea-based mythologies into a story that will keep you enthralled and on your toes from start to finish! I hope to see more of Woods' reimagined stories.

[Ginger Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

You’ll want to read this one over and over! One of my favorite fairy tales mixed with goddesses and a scrumptious main character, what more could I want? The author creates beautiful imagery and complex characters. I highly recommend this one!

[Gretchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say. This book is exceptionally written. I first got the digital copy, read it and decided that I also needed the paperback version it is so good.