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Beast & Beauty #2
Beauty
I thought I could escape the Beast … but he already devoured my heart.
When the Beast took me and dragged me back to his cell, I thought my life was over.
In the darkness, he watched me.
Yearned for me.
Tasted me.
He loved my scars, called me a beauty …
Made me irrevocably his.
Until his owner finally let him out …
And his final task was to destroy my father.
The only thing that stood between them was me.
Faced with an impossible choice, I run.
But even the beauty can’t escape the claws of the Beast.
When the Beast took me and dragged me back to his cell, I thought my life was over.
In the darkness, he watched me.
Yearned for me.
Tasted me.
He loved my scars, called me a beauty …
Made me irrevocably his.
Until his owner finally let him out …
And his final task was to destroy my father.
The only thing that stood between them was me.
Faced with an impossible choice, I run.
But even the beauty can’t escape the claws of the Beast.
278 pages, Paperback
First published August 30, 2022
782 people are currently reading
2223 people want to read
About the author
Clarissa Wild
101 books8,573 followers**NOTE FOR LIBRARIANS: please check with me before making any changes - I generally make all necessary changes and updates myself. :)**
--- I generally do NOT check my messages on Goodreads, so if you want to contact me, please do so on my website: https://www.clarissawild.com/contact --
Clarissa Wild is a New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author with ASD, who was born and raised in the Netherlands. She loves to write Dark Romance and Contemporary Romance novels featuring dangerous men and feisty women. Her other loves include her hilarious husband, her cutie pie son, her two crazy but cute dogs, and her adorable kitties. In her free time, she enjoys watching all sorts of movies, playing video games, and cooking up some delicious meals.
Check out my books: https://geni.us/clarissabooks
Join my reader group on Facebook:
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--- I generally do NOT check my messages on Goodreads, so if you want to contact me, please do so on my website: https://www.clarissawild.com/contact --
Clarissa Wild is a New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author with ASD, who was born and raised in the Netherlands. She loves to write Dark Romance and Contemporary Romance novels featuring dangerous men and feisty women. Her other loves include her hilarious husband, her cutie pie son, her two crazy but cute dogs, and her adorable kitties. In her free time, she enjoys watching all sorts of movies, playing video games, and cooking up some delicious meals.
Check out my books: https://geni.us/clarissabooks
Join my reader group on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/FanCl...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 253 reviews
September 17, 2022
how many times can a couple be abducted?
The answer is too many.
This book was somehow worse than the first. They KEPT breaking free, they kept getting captured and her almost SA’d. The romance has been cheapened through the fact that they do nothing but bang. Just because they glimpsed each other as kids doesn’t make my heart melt, it’s just cringe.
I wish I never read this series..
The answer is too many.
This book was somehow worse than the first. They KEPT breaking free, they kept getting captured and her almost SA’d. The romance has been cheapened through the fact that they do nothing but bang. Just because they glimpsed each other as kids doesn’t make my heart melt, it’s just cringe.
I wish I never read this series..
September 8, 2022
<3.5 stars> The finale is here- can Beauty and Beast find a way forward, surviving the most precarious danger and thwarting a sea of enemies? This story begins right in the middle of the epic cliffhanger in Beast, as we see Aurora escaping immediate danger but she’s on the run, leaving behind a dying Beast. Her escape has her crossing paths with her slimy father- is he an ally or a foe? And can she leave behind the man she loves, when she doesn’t know his fate?
This is fast paced and action packed- and with our characters on the run (often apart) for much of the story, it’s a really action-centered narrative and certainly an adrenaline rush. Twists and betrayals amass, we have lots of violence and danger, and we dig deeper into Beast’s past and connection to Aurora, as well as Aurora finally has to come to terms with herself about her delicate relationship with her father.
The action is certainly enjoyable, and I did enjoy seeing Aurora find her inner strength and being her own heroine over and again, though her waffling with her father after he repeatedly proves how selfish he is got frustrating after a while. Because the focus is action and because the narrative has our lovers apart for a good majority of the story, I felt like I didn't quite get the relational depth I hoped would grow more substantive in this second half of the story. Aurora seems caught in a cycle of shame, doubt, lack of reason, and strength, which despite all the action does make certain portions of her POV feel a bit repetitious. All in all, a solid read- just wanted a bit more non-action relational growth for this couple. 3.5 stars
This is fast paced and action packed- and with our characters on the run (often apart) for much of the story, it’s a really action-centered narrative and certainly an adrenaline rush. Twists and betrayals amass, we have lots of violence and danger, and we dig deeper into Beast’s past and connection to Aurora, as well as Aurora finally has to come to terms with herself about her delicate relationship with her father.
The action is certainly enjoyable, and I did enjoy seeing Aurora find her inner strength and being her own heroine over and again, though her waffling with her father after he repeatedly proves how selfish he is got frustrating after a while. Because the focus is action and because the narrative has our lovers apart for a good majority of the story, I felt like I didn't quite get the relational depth I hoped would grow more substantive in this second half of the story. Aurora seems caught in a cycle of shame, doubt, lack of reason, and strength, which despite all the action does make certain portions of her POV feel a bit repetitious. All in all, a solid read- just wanted a bit more non-action relational growth for this couple. 3.5 stars
January 1, 2023
My review applies to both this book and it’s “sequel” so I’m going to copy and paste it both to save anyone interested in reading the time. I don’t even want to warn for spoilers because it’s hard to spoil something that barely contains a plot but SPOILER WARNING nonetheless.
First off, I have never written a book review before but I just had to here. Each book was written like an 11 year old on wattpad. The writing style was juvenile and choppy and even downright ridiculous at some points. The books read in like two hours because there’s a space after every word and every word is it’s own sentence. When I first started reading these, I knew I had to finish them just to write an educated review about how bad they were.
The plot revolved (loosely) around a mafia lord and his “pet”. The writing was so poor she made the main villain mean AND stupid with no explanation for either. “Her dad never repaid his debt” okay?!? That was literally the plot for all of the two books. It’s like she couldn’t come up with any other catalyst to move the book along so she made the main villain a moron and needlessly vicious just to keep going.
And don’t get me started on auroras father. The plot line here is that he hates Aurora and the author takes every second to make him say something mean to her and that’s pretty much his whole character. Shockingly uninspired and so ridiculous that I’m like “we would’ve gotten the point if you had him say maybe half of the insults he did”. You don’t need to keep repeating yourself.
Aurora herself was a ridiculous moron. She’d have sex with Beast and then she’d be like “oh jeez he couldn’t like me….. could he?” And he’d be like “I’m obsessed with you forever and would die for you” and sacrifices his life for her on a number of occasions and her thought process is “I have gross hands so surely he could never love me”. Constant “woe is me” bullshit about her hands for both damn books in spite of everything else Beast does. Not to mention all we know is that she has three fingers on one hand which no one noticed with a glove on?! And her dad has zero redeeming qualities (poor writing) and yet aurora has to keep saving him over and over again? You could’ve just written “MC is stupid so she goes back to save dad again and he sacrifices her to save himself AGAIN” and saved yourself the wishy washy explanation you gave for her actions.
And guys…. The sex scenes weren’t even good. They were a little ridiculous to be honest. And aurora was such a moron I had a hard time getting past that ridiculous inner dialogue to even enjoy anything the author wrote about her. Have I read a horrible book just for a steamy scene between characters? Sure, guilty as charged. Would I recommend that here? Absolutely not.
The beast character was painfully one dimensional as well. He would say something awkwardly eloquent and then ask “what is a ‘friend’” or “what is a ‘party’” and then go back to speaking the English language at a normal adult level. Like the author forgot he was a “beast” and had to throw that in despite the notion of it being ridiculous.
I honestly could keep going and dissect every bit of this book but let me sum it up. For what it is, there a THOUSANDS of better books out there. I love reading trashy spicy books but this one was AWFUL. Go read any other steamy romance and I guarantee you it is better than whatever this sh*tshow was.
If you couldn’t tell by my lack of a better descriptor, all in all, the book was RIDICULOUS.
First off, I have never written a book review before but I just had to here. Each book was written like an 11 year old on wattpad. The writing style was juvenile and choppy and even downright ridiculous at some points. The books read in like two hours because there’s a space after every word and every word is it’s own sentence. When I first started reading these, I knew I had to finish them just to write an educated review about how bad they were.
The plot revolved (loosely) around a mafia lord and his “pet”. The writing was so poor she made the main villain mean AND stupid with no explanation for either. “Her dad never repaid his debt” okay?!? That was literally the plot for all of the two books. It’s like she couldn’t come up with any other catalyst to move the book along so she made the main villain a moron and needlessly vicious just to keep going.
And don’t get me started on auroras father. The plot line here is that he hates Aurora and the author takes every second to make him say something mean to her and that’s pretty much his whole character. Shockingly uninspired and so ridiculous that I’m like “we would’ve gotten the point if you had him say maybe half of the insults he did”. You don’t need to keep repeating yourself.
Aurora herself was a ridiculous moron. She’d have sex with Beast and then she’d be like “oh jeez he couldn’t like me….. could he?” And he’d be like “I’m obsessed with you forever and would die for you” and sacrifices his life for her on a number of occasions and her thought process is “I have gross hands so surely he could never love me”. Constant “woe is me” bullshit about her hands for both damn books in spite of everything else Beast does. Not to mention all we know is that she has three fingers on one hand which no one noticed with a glove on?! And her dad has zero redeeming qualities (poor writing) and yet aurora has to keep saving him over and over again? You could’ve just written “MC is stupid so she goes back to save dad again and he sacrifices her to save himself AGAIN” and saved yourself the wishy washy explanation you gave for her actions.
And guys…. The sex scenes weren’t even good. They were a little ridiculous to be honest. And aurora was such a moron I had a hard time getting past that ridiculous inner dialogue to even enjoy anything the author wrote about her. Have I read a horrible book just for a steamy scene between characters? Sure, guilty as charged. Would I recommend that here? Absolutely not.
The beast character was painfully one dimensional as well. He would say something awkwardly eloquent and then ask “what is a ‘friend’” or “what is a ‘party’” and then go back to speaking the English language at a normal adult level. Like the author forgot he was a “beast” and had to throw that in despite the notion of it being ridiculous.
I honestly could keep going and dissect every bit of this book but let me sum it up. For what it is, there a THOUSANDS of better books out there. I love reading trashy spicy books but this one was AWFUL. Go read any other steamy romance and I guarantee you it is better than whatever this sh*tshow was.
If you couldn’t tell by my lack of a better descriptor, all in all, the book was RIDICULOUS.
January 22, 2023
As long as it’s your voice calling, I’ll answer.
I know this was a mafia romance okay but some of the things just didn’t make sense. The villain Lex has a wife and grown son. They were not introduced in book one. Well, they play a big part in book two BUT it was weird. And Aurora aka Beauty is dumber in this story! I didn’t think that could be possible. How she didn’t get Beast killed is beyond baffling.
However, I finished this story in one sitting. I needed to know what would happen. But it was just too much and NOT enough at the same time.
I know this was a mafia romance okay but some of the things just didn’t make sense. The villain Lex has a wife and grown son. They were not introduced in book one. Well, they play a big part in book two BUT it was weird. And Aurora aka Beauty is dumber in this story! I didn’t think that could be possible. How she didn’t get Beast killed is beyond baffling.
However, I finished this story in one sitting. I needed to know what would happen. But it was just too much and NOT enough at the same time.
September 3, 2022
Clarissa Wild’s rendition of Beauty and the Beast concludes with Beauty. Aurora is finding herself drawn to the Beast, there is a familiar pull, drawing her to him. She tries desperately to convince him of his goodness rather just a tool for his owner’s personal use.
There is hidden messages and meanings in this story and they thread together beautifully, creating a story that has purpose and serendipity.
This story was wonderful to read.
There is hidden messages and meanings in this story and they thread together beautifully, creating a story that has purpose and serendipity.
This story was wonderful to read.
October 16, 2022
The beast is perfect!!
I found Aurora a little annoying but beast is perfect!!
He would do anything for Aurora and it was everything!
I found Aurora a little annoying but beast is perfect!!
He would do anything for Aurora and it was everything!
January 6, 2023
I liked the first book a little bit better, Beast.
This book have a lot of back and forth being on the run / being captive.
But for me, i grow to love the caracters So Much in book one that i needed to know How it finished.
It’s a very interesting twist on Beauty and the Beast. Modern.
This book have a lot of back and forth being on the run / being captive.
But for me, i grow to love the caracters So Much in book one that i needed to know How it finished.
It’s a very interesting twist on Beauty and the Beast. Modern.
January 10, 2023
DNF at 57%, I don’t know if the heroine was dumb or dumb dumb.
September 8, 2022
Read an Excerpt and Enter a GIVEAWAY here ➡ https://bit.ly/NBReviewb2
What a way to end the duet!
Just like with the first book in this Duet, BEAST, we have non-stop action and soooo many twists! Luca plays a pivotal role in this story which I loved, if you read THE MARRIAGE DEBT, you'll be familiar with him.
At the end of BEAST, we were left with a whopper of a cliffhanger not knowing if he was still alive or not and what would happen to Aurora once she escaped. Those questions are answered and so many more. I really enjoyed this Dark Retelling of Beauty & The Beast. It was Steamy and had a ton of WTF moments in it.
If you enjoy Dark Steamy Retelling's or Organized Crime Romances I highly recommend this Duet to you. Remember these books need to be read in the order of release as the first book ends with a cliffhanger and if you start with this book without reading BEAST first you will not be able to follow the story line completely.
Happy Reading!!!
**I have voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Readers Copy of this book for my Blog, Nadine's Obsessed with Books
**I also pre-ordered a kindle copy
You can find me here: https://linktr.ee/NadineBookaholic
What a way to end the duet!
Just like with the first book in this Duet, BEAST, we have non-stop action and soooo many twists! Luca plays a pivotal role in this story which I loved, if you read THE MARRIAGE DEBT, you'll be familiar with him.
At the end of BEAST, we were left with a whopper of a cliffhanger not knowing if he was still alive or not and what would happen to Aurora once she escaped. Those questions are answered and so many more. I really enjoyed this Dark Retelling of Beauty & The Beast. It was Steamy and had a ton of WTF moments in it.
If you enjoy Dark Steamy Retelling's or Organized Crime Romances I highly recommend this Duet to you. Remember these books need to be read in the order of release as the first book ends with a cliffhanger and if you start with this book without reading BEAST first you will not be able to follow the story line completely.
Happy Reading!!!
**I have voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Readers Copy of this book for my Blog, Nadine's Obsessed with Books**I also pre-ordered a kindle copy
You can find me here: https://linktr.ee/NadineBookaholic
September 6, 2022
***5 ‘Beast’ Stars***
Yeah…Beast totally did it for me.
Not that it’s surprising since I have a thing for the beastly ones, but for someone who has been treated worse than an animal for almost his entire life, he has more compassion and heart than many of those around him.
Aurora, I loved her, I did. She found her her own voice and was working on figuring out just who she wanted to be, but she does have a bleeding heart, which puts her in some interesting situations that had me shaking my head.
Their journey to the HEA happens quickly, but considering the forced proximity situation they found themselves in, it wasn’t all that surprising, but it worked for me because they became each others champions, even when the odds were against them.
This was an interesting, and enjoyable, take on the Beauty and the Beast fairytale…but I do warn you that it is dark, very, and it is simply ‘inspired by” so don’t expect a true retelling. But, as crazy as things got, it kept me turning the pages to see how everything would turn out and I wasn’t disappointed.
~ Copy provided by the author & voluntarily reviewed ~
Yeah…Beast totally did it for me.
Not that it’s surprising since I have a thing for the beastly ones, but for someone who has been treated worse than an animal for almost his entire life, he has more compassion and heart than many of those around him.
Aurora, I loved her, I did. She found her her own voice and was working on figuring out just who she wanted to be, but she does have a bleeding heart, which puts her in some interesting situations that had me shaking my head.
Their journey to the HEA happens quickly, but considering the forced proximity situation they found themselves in, it wasn’t all that surprising, but it worked for me because they became each others champions, even when the odds were against them.
This was an interesting, and enjoyable, take on the Beauty and the Beast fairytale…but I do warn you that it is dark, very, and it is simply ‘inspired by” so don’t expect a true retelling. But, as crazy as things got, it kept me turning the pages to see how everything would turn out and I wasn’t disappointed.
~ Copy provided by the author & voluntarily reviewed ~
September 8, 2022
This is the 2nd and concluding part of this amazing duet. Aurora and Beast are no longer imprisoned, but they are not entirely free either. Aurora is not the innocent girl she used to be, and the attraction between her and Beast is undeniable, and they complement each other perfectly. This is a well written story which is dark, raw, gritty, intense, intriguing, and heartbreaking, with violence, action, suspense, twists, trust, loyalty, survival, and love, which leads to a steamy and addictive page turner.
I received a free copy of this book via Give Me Books and the author and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Give Me Books and the author and am voluntarily leaving a review.
February 13, 2023
Beauty
🌶️🌶️- this one was okay. I wanted to jump right in and see what happened to Beast and Aurora, and where the rest of their story would go. I get things have to happen for the plot but some things were just so odd and didn’t really fit. Them going back to his childhood home and finding out his name, only not using it.. like what’s the point of doing all that for nothing to come of it? And when Beast left, that was so OUT OF CHARACTER it killed it for me. I feel like this could have been made into one book and half of this story could have been cut and it would have been better.
🌶️🌶️- this one was okay. I wanted to jump right in and see what happened to Beast and Aurora, and where the rest of their story would go. I get things have to happen for the plot but some things were just so odd and didn’t really fit. Them going back to his childhood home and finding out his name, only not using it.. like what’s the point of doing all that for nothing to come of it? And when Beast left, that was so OUT OF CHARACTER it killed it for me. I feel like this could have been made into one book and half of this story could have been cut and it would have been better.
August 29, 2022
The second half of this duet is here and takes off where the shocking cliffhanger left us. Will Aurora find a way to keep her freedom and find Beast? What will come of him? Who really is the beast/beauty? This is an action packed dark romance that will have you turning the pages for more. Told in dual POV
September 2, 2022
This is book two of a duet and you MUST read Beast first in order to get Beast and Aurora’s complete story. These two really give your heart and mind a workout as their story unfolds. Darkness, drama, emotion, tension, action, twists and suspense suck you right back in and have you reading those pages feverishly to find out what happens. This is my volitional, forthright review.
August 31, 2022
What an amazing ending to this duet. It is everything that I hoped it would be and more. So many twists and turns and that ending was fabulous.
October 26, 2022
Rated
5 Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Kindle Unlimited Read
5 Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Kindle Unlimited Read
September 8, 2022
Beast & Aurora’s Dark Mafia Duet Comes To A Violent Conclusion In This Beauty-&-The-Beast-Inspired Story! While Book One Focused More So On Aurora’s Story, This Book Digs Deeper Into Beast’s Background. It Helps Bring Their Story Full Circle.
This dark story has many triggers, including violence and captivity.
This is the second book in the Beast & Beauty duet. If follows book one, Beast, which ended in a cliffhanger. It is part of the Debts & Vengeance world, although this new duet may be read independently. Those having read the earlier books will have already been introduced to the beast and his owner and therefore have more context.
The Debts & Vengeance series includes:
1. The Wedding Debt (an optional prequel to Luca & Jill’s story)
2. The Marriage Debt (Luca & Jill’s story)
3. The Blood Debt (Liam & Jasmine’s story)
FROM THE WEDDING DEBT:
This story primarily takes place in the Netherlands. It opens when Luca and Jill are nine years old.
Hugo and Vera Baas are powerful mafia figures, and they got there through careful planning and control. They have no sons, so their empire must pass on to their daughters, Jasmine and Jill. The girls are close friends. Jasmine is a few years older than Jill, and she is the only one that shows an interest in the family business. Both girls are introduced to it, but Jill is more interested in escaping the ugly life that she was born into. She is sweet and kind to all around her, very unlike the dark mafia world she lives in. She lives a protected life and spends her time making her own clothes so her wardrobe is rather original. The girls have known since they were young that their father would decide who they would one day marry, though that day always seemed too far off for it to feel like reality.
Lex and Anne De Vos are the head of another mafia family. They have two sons, Liam and Luca, who are the same ages as the Baas girls. The parents have plans for their sons, so the ideas of freedom and choice are a luxury unavailable to them. Liam is the apple of their eyes. He stays out of trouble at school and keeps a low profile as instructed. As the eldest, the business will pass on to him, although he dreams of traveling before assuming his place as head of the family. Luca knows he doesn’t measure up to his perfect brother, and although the brothers love one another, Luca’s sense of not measuring up only pushes him to get into more trouble. Luca doesn’t care about happiness because he knows he can never have it. Instead, he turns his attention to money and girls. He is not perfect, so he doesn’t bother trying. Liam would always be the preferred son, the one to go on to inherit the kingdom. Luca is just a backup plan and nothing else.
The Baas and the De Vos families have run in the same circles for years, and the parents get together from time to time. The De Vos family moved to the Netherlands about four years ago. Recently the Baas family became new trading partners with those at The Ruin and moved to the Netherlands as well. For years, the parents have been in talks about a marriage joining their families, and they might just be getting close to making a decision.
Luca and Jill’s enemies-to-lovers mafia romance starts out with a bang in this quick read about arranged marriages and sibling rivalry. With their decisions made for them, the Baas and De Vos children are certain to be bitterly disappointed. This is an exciting read that will have you grabbing for the sequel. The story is nicely written. The plot is somewhat simple. The characters are complex and layered. The story is told in first person. The POV alternates between Luca and Jill. I rate this book 4.5 stars.
FROM THE MARRIAGE DEBT:
This book opens in The Netherlands when Luca and Jill are twenty-one. Tensions between the De Vos and Baas families remain high since the tragedy that took place three years ago.
As this story opens, Jill has come face-to-face with her family and the De Vos family for the first time in three years. She doesn’t get the reception she had expected, but then again, she didn’t expect much. Despite Jill’s choice to return, she is determined to keep certain things off-limits from her new husband. Her innocence and her heart are her most guarded secrets, but he wants her to hand both of them over to him. He wants everything from her in payment for what she did to his family. She hates him, but her feistiness has only ever made him want her more. The two go back and forth in much the same fashion as all their childhood interactions. He insults and demeans her, while she stands up to him in a way nobody else would ever dare.
Luca and Jill’s enemies-to-lovers mafia romance starts out with a bang in this angsty read about arranged marriages and sibling rivalry. Luca had been shaped by his near life-long obsession with Jill and the life he was born into. He, like Jill, knew his future would be dictated by his parents. Liam got everything that Luca wanted – his parents’ praise and attention, the family business, and the girl of his dreams. It had never mattered how much he wanted Jill, she would never be his once her marriage with Liam had been decided upon. He hated her for that, and in his jaded state of mind, he became a monster in her eyes. Jill had always been drawn to the more respectable and behaved Liam, the older brother. But it was always Luca that riled her up, and it was Luca’s kiss that her body craved. They are so set upon hating one another that their HEA seems unattainable. This story is nicely written. The plot is somewhat complex. The characters are complex and layered. The story is told in first person. The POV alternates between Luca and Jill. I rate this book four stars.
FROM THE BLOOD DEBT:
This book opens in The Netherlands as Liam attempts to get his revenge on Jill.
Liam De Vos, twenty-three, has lived a quiet life in a remote German cabin for going on three years now. He remembered almost nothing from his life before being rescued from a river three years ago. At that time he only had a vague sense of danger and the need to run. He likes living on his own and enjoyed a quiet life until his brother Luca tracked him down. That was when vague memories and the need for revenge turned him into a monster. Revenge against Jill was not enough for him, though. He wants more. He wants what should have been his, the girl he expected to marry and the only one he had ever truly craved. He had had many girls in his youth, but there was only ever one that was out of his reach: Jill Baas. No matter how long it took, he would make her crave him, too.
Jasmine Baas, twenty-three, has always done the right thing for other people, and in the end, it cost her. She had always understood that her parents would use her in an advantageous marriage and that she had no choice in the matter. It didn’t prevent her from hoping that her marriage might be to Liam even if she acted otherwise to protect herself from potential heartbreak. She had done everything to ensure that she was the best choice, but in the end, she had proven herself too indispensable to be handed over to the De Vos family. Liam’s death had been further heartbreak, and in the years that passed, she had given up on the ideas of dating and love. Liam’s surprising return three years later might have given her a glimmer of hope – especially now that Jill had married Luca – but there was nothing about the man he had become that resembled the well-mannered Liam of her dreams. This man was a monster. But Jill had sacrificed herself for Jasmine when she stepped forward to marry Luca, and now Jasmine would step forward to protect her sister from Liam’s wrath. She follows him to his cabin in Germany, but she is hardly prepared for the plans he has in store for her.
Liam and Jasmine’s dark enemies-to-lovers romance is a story of captivity and revenge. Jasmine’s captivity is partly voluntary, but it doesn’t take away from what Liam puts her through. He does not want his old life back, but he has no intention of giving her up. Their story also sheds new light on Luca and Jill’s story. Liam’s memory issues are sometimes confusing, as he often seems to remember more than he purportedly does. Even taking into account the return of more memories over time, it is hard to follow. He also wavers between being a monster and his old self, and the shift does not always feel natural. It is also never explained how he makes a living. He seems to do nothing, yet he has money and owns a cabin in the woods. The plot is fairly simple. The characters each have deep issues to deal with while under stressful conditions. There are a few surprises along the way. The story is told in first person. The POV alternates between Liam and Jasmine. I rate this book 3.5 stars.
FROM BEAST, BEAST & BEAUTY, BOOK 1:
This story takes place in the Netherlands.
Beast doesn’t care much about his name. He also answers to Dog and Monster. He is treated with disdain by his owner, mafia boss Lex De Vos, who keeps him locked up in a dark basement cell. Deprived of light, human interaction, and kindness for years, Beast has been trained to be a perfect killing machine. Beast loves to kill – it gives him a taste of freedom. Since most of his time is spent in the dark basement hole he calls home, he has developed an endless supply of patience. He has perfected the art of existing. And he knows that if he waits long enough, he will finally have his chance. Beast’s owner gives him a new assignment. The target is Peter Blom, and he is told to kill anyone who gets in his way. Knowing what will happen if he fails, Beast sets out to finish the job.
Aurora Blom has a hard time looking away when it comes to her father’s cruel and sadistic ways. In fact, at one time he told her to never look away. She might have taken over her father’s business one day if not for a single wrong choice when she was seven. Now she just needs to keep quiet, look pretty, wear her gloves, and play the piano on cue. Still, she has seen a lot over the years, and it never gets any easier. When the violence finally catches up with her father, chaos ensues. Her father escapes, but Aurora finds herself hauled away. She becomes a hostage, a toy, a reward – a lure to catch her father. She finds herself trapped in a cell with the same monster who stole her away, and the fact that she finds herself drawn to the beast terrifies her.
Beast and Aurora’s dark mafia story begins with a bang. Beast brings Aurora home to his owner, and her future is uncertain. Lex De Vos doesn’t hesitate to take out innocents, and as the daughter of an enemy, her value could change at a moment’s notice. Little is known of either Beast or Aurora, who are thrown together by circumstances. They find themselves in the same boat, and tentatively begin to build trust. Their steamy story ends in a cliffhanger. It concludes in book two, Beauty.
Wow, Beast and Aurora’s story delivers on dark and dirty. It takes place in a mafia world where loyalty is demanded and betrayal has a steep price. It takes a special kind of evil to treat a human as Beast has been treated for years on end. How Beast has survived with any shred of humanity, no matter how deeply buried, is confounding. This is a story of survival, hope, and quiet perseverance. The story is nicely written and plot-driven. The plot is fairly simple but unfolds slowly. The characters are shrouded in mystery; it takes some patience for their stories to be told. The story is written in first person. The POV alternates between Beast and Aurora. I rate this book four stars.
IN THIS BOOK:
This book opens in the port city of Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Beast had managed to facilitate Aurora’s escape at the end of book one. She is now on the run, determined to ensure that his sacrifice was not in vain.
With no money to her name, Aurora seeks safety in the streets of Amsterdam while Lex’s men trail her. Fortunate or not, she catches up to her father, who is in very bad shape after suffering at the hands of Lex’s men. With his aid, they find temporary shelter, but it doesn’t last long. Aurora struggles to come to terms with her relationship with her father, who never came to her aid during her captivity. She grew up feeling like a burden, never feeling the warmth of a father’s love. He talks down to her and guilt trips her repeatedly, yet she feels an obligation to save him at any cost. She wants to hold herself to a higher standard; she cannot fathom abandoning the only family she has left.
Aurora wants to honor the gift of freedom given to her by Beast, but she cannot move forward without at least trying to discover his fate. She risks her temporary safety to satisfy her curiosity, bringing her back into Lex’s orbit. She risks everything for love when she learns that Beast miraculously survived. No longer the meek victim, she finds a new inner strength that emboldens her.
As Beast and Aurora find their way back to one another, their struggles are only beginning. Their enemies all remain, and they are both pawns in the feud between Lex De Vos and Aurora’s father, Peter Blom. Lex wants to collect on Peter’s debt, and Peter will do anything to survive. But Beast and Aurora have challenges of their own as they argue about her father. Just as Aurora seems to understand that her father is not only morally bankrupt but that he will sell out his own daughter, too, she insists on saving him yet again. After recognizing his failure as a father, she wants to forgive him time and again despite his atrocious treatment of her. Beast and Aurora’s disagreement begins to feed into Aurora’s insecurities. While she and Beast are both disfigured, Aurora has always hidden her physical imperfection in shame. They are tested along the way, but they eventually find their happy ending.
Beast and Aurora’s dark mafia duet comes to a violent conclusion in this Beauty-and-the-Beast-inspired story. While book one focused more so on Aurora’s story, this book digs deeper into Beast’s background. It helps to bring their story full circle. This trigger-filled book is not for everyone. It is dark, violent, and steamy. There is not much depth here; it is the shock factor that drives the story. It drags at times, particularly with Aurora’s circular reasoning. Much is also left to coincidence. The story is written in first person. The POV alternates between Beast and Aurora. I rate this book 3.5 stars.
I received an advance copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This dark story has many triggers, including violence and captivity.
This is the second book in the Beast & Beauty duet. If follows book one, Beast, which ended in a cliffhanger. It is part of the Debts & Vengeance world, although this new duet may be read independently. Those having read the earlier books will have already been introduced to the beast and his owner and therefore have more context.
The Debts & Vengeance series includes:
1. The Wedding Debt (an optional prequel to Luca & Jill’s story)
2. The Marriage Debt (Luca & Jill’s story)
3. The Blood Debt (Liam & Jasmine’s story)
FROM THE WEDDING DEBT:
This story primarily takes place in the Netherlands. It opens when Luca and Jill are nine years old.
Hugo and Vera Baas are powerful mafia figures, and they got there through careful planning and control. They have no sons, so their empire must pass on to their daughters, Jasmine and Jill. The girls are close friends. Jasmine is a few years older than Jill, and she is the only one that shows an interest in the family business. Both girls are introduced to it, but Jill is more interested in escaping the ugly life that she was born into. She is sweet and kind to all around her, very unlike the dark mafia world she lives in. She lives a protected life and spends her time making her own clothes so her wardrobe is rather original. The girls have known since they were young that their father would decide who they would one day marry, though that day always seemed too far off for it to feel like reality.
Lex and Anne De Vos are the head of another mafia family. They have two sons, Liam and Luca, who are the same ages as the Baas girls. The parents have plans for their sons, so the ideas of freedom and choice are a luxury unavailable to them. Liam is the apple of their eyes. He stays out of trouble at school and keeps a low profile as instructed. As the eldest, the business will pass on to him, although he dreams of traveling before assuming his place as head of the family. Luca knows he doesn’t measure up to his perfect brother, and although the brothers love one another, Luca’s sense of not measuring up only pushes him to get into more trouble. Luca doesn’t care about happiness because he knows he can never have it. Instead, he turns his attention to money and girls. He is not perfect, so he doesn’t bother trying. Liam would always be the preferred son, the one to go on to inherit the kingdom. Luca is just a backup plan and nothing else.
The Baas and the De Vos families have run in the same circles for years, and the parents get together from time to time. The De Vos family moved to the Netherlands about four years ago. Recently the Baas family became new trading partners with those at The Ruin and moved to the Netherlands as well. For years, the parents have been in talks about a marriage joining their families, and they might just be getting close to making a decision.
Luca and Jill’s enemies-to-lovers mafia romance starts out with a bang in this quick read about arranged marriages and sibling rivalry. With their decisions made for them, the Baas and De Vos children are certain to be bitterly disappointed. This is an exciting read that will have you grabbing for the sequel. The story is nicely written. The plot is somewhat simple. The characters are complex and layered. The story is told in first person. The POV alternates between Luca and Jill. I rate this book 4.5 stars.
FROM THE MARRIAGE DEBT:
This book opens in The Netherlands when Luca and Jill are twenty-one. Tensions between the De Vos and Baas families remain high since the tragedy that took place three years ago.
As this story opens, Jill has come face-to-face with her family and the De Vos family for the first time in three years. She doesn’t get the reception she had expected, but then again, she didn’t expect much. Despite Jill’s choice to return, she is determined to keep certain things off-limits from her new husband. Her innocence and her heart are her most guarded secrets, but he wants her to hand both of them over to him. He wants everything from her in payment for what she did to his family. She hates him, but her feistiness has only ever made him want her more. The two go back and forth in much the same fashion as all their childhood interactions. He insults and demeans her, while she stands up to him in a way nobody else would ever dare.
Luca and Jill’s enemies-to-lovers mafia romance starts out with a bang in this angsty read about arranged marriages and sibling rivalry. Luca had been shaped by his near life-long obsession with Jill and the life he was born into. He, like Jill, knew his future would be dictated by his parents. Liam got everything that Luca wanted – his parents’ praise and attention, the family business, and the girl of his dreams. It had never mattered how much he wanted Jill, she would never be his once her marriage with Liam had been decided upon. He hated her for that, and in his jaded state of mind, he became a monster in her eyes. Jill had always been drawn to the more respectable and behaved Liam, the older brother. But it was always Luca that riled her up, and it was Luca’s kiss that her body craved. They are so set upon hating one another that their HEA seems unattainable. This story is nicely written. The plot is somewhat complex. The characters are complex and layered. The story is told in first person. The POV alternates between Luca and Jill. I rate this book four stars.
FROM THE BLOOD DEBT:
This book opens in The Netherlands as Liam attempts to get his revenge on Jill.
Liam De Vos, twenty-three, has lived a quiet life in a remote German cabin for going on three years now. He remembered almost nothing from his life before being rescued from a river three years ago. At that time he only had a vague sense of danger and the need to run. He likes living on his own and enjoyed a quiet life until his brother Luca tracked him down. That was when vague memories and the need for revenge turned him into a monster. Revenge against Jill was not enough for him, though. He wants more. He wants what should have been his, the girl he expected to marry and the only one he had ever truly craved. He had had many girls in his youth, but there was only ever one that was out of his reach: Jill Baas. No matter how long it took, he would make her crave him, too.
Jasmine Baas, twenty-three, has always done the right thing for other people, and in the end, it cost her. She had always understood that her parents would use her in an advantageous marriage and that she had no choice in the matter. It didn’t prevent her from hoping that her marriage might be to Liam even if she acted otherwise to protect herself from potential heartbreak. She had done everything to ensure that she was the best choice, but in the end, she had proven herself too indispensable to be handed over to the De Vos family. Liam’s death had been further heartbreak, and in the years that passed, she had given up on the ideas of dating and love. Liam’s surprising return three years later might have given her a glimmer of hope – especially now that Jill had married Luca – but there was nothing about the man he had become that resembled the well-mannered Liam of her dreams. This man was a monster. But Jill had sacrificed herself for Jasmine when she stepped forward to marry Luca, and now Jasmine would step forward to protect her sister from Liam’s wrath. She follows him to his cabin in Germany, but she is hardly prepared for the plans he has in store for her.
Liam and Jasmine’s dark enemies-to-lovers romance is a story of captivity and revenge. Jasmine’s captivity is partly voluntary, but it doesn’t take away from what Liam puts her through. He does not want his old life back, but he has no intention of giving her up. Their story also sheds new light on Luca and Jill’s story. Liam’s memory issues are sometimes confusing, as he often seems to remember more than he purportedly does. Even taking into account the return of more memories over time, it is hard to follow. He also wavers between being a monster and his old self, and the shift does not always feel natural. It is also never explained how he makes a living. He seems to do nothing, yet he has money and owns a cabin in the woods. The plot is fairly simple. The characters each have deep issues to deal with while under stressful conditions. There are a few surprises along the way. The story is told in first person. The POV alternates between Liam and Jasmine. I rate this book 3.5 stars.
FROM BEAST, BEAST & BEAUTY, BOOK 1:
This story takes place in the Netherlands.
Beast doesn’t care much about his name. He also answers to Dog and Monster. He is treated with disdain by his owner, mafia boss Lex De Vos, who keeps him locked up in a dark basement cell. Deprived of light, human interaction, and kindness for years, Beast has been trained to be a perfect killing machine. Beast loves to kill – it gives him a taste of freedom. Since most of his time is spent in the dark basement hole he calls home, he has developed an endless supply of patience. He has perfected the art of existing. And he knows that if he waits long enough, he will finally have his chance. Beast’s owner gives him a new assignment. The target is Peter Blom, and he is told to kill anyone who gets in his way. Knowing what will happen if he fails, Beast sets out to finish the job.
Aurora Blom has a hard time looking away when it comes to her father’s cruel and sadistic ways. In fact, at one time he told her to never look away. She might have taken over her father’s business one day if not for a single wrong choice when she was seven. Now she just needs to keep quiet, look pretty, wear her gloves, and play the piano on cue. Still, she has seen a lot over the years, and it never gets any easier. When the violence finally catches up with her father, chaos ensues. Her father escapes, but Aurora finds herself hauled away. She becomes a hostage, a toy, a reward – a lure to catch her father. She finds herself trapped in a cell with the same monster who stole her away, and the fact that she finds herself drawn to the beast terrifies her.
Beast and Aurora’s dark mafia story begins with a bang. Beast brings Aurora home to his owner, and her future is uncertain. Lex De Vos doesn’t hesitate to take out innocents, and as the daughter of an enemy, her value could change at a moment’s notice. Little is known of either Beast or Aurora, who are thrown together by circumstances. They find themselves in the same boat, and tentatively begin to build trust. Their steamy story ends in a cliffhanger. It concludes in book two, Beauty.
Wow, Beast and Aurora’s story delivers on dark and dirty. It takes place in a mafia world where loyalty is demanded and betrayal has a steep price. It takes a special kind of evil to treat a human as Beast has been treated for years on end. How Beast has survived with any shred of humanity, no matter how deeply buried, is confounding. This is a story of survival, hope, and quiet perseverance. The story is nicely written and plot-driven. The plot is fairly simple but unfolds slowly. The characters are shrouded in mystery; it takes some patience for their stories to be told. The story is written in first person. The POV alternates between Beast and Aurora. I rate this book four stars.
IN THIS BOOK:
This book opens in the port city of Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Beast had managed to facilitate Aurora’s escape at the end of book one. She is now on the run, determined to ensure that his sacrifice was not in vain.
With no money to her name, Aurora seeks safety in the streets of Amsterdam while Lex’s men trail her. Fortunate or not, she catches up to her father, who is in very bad shape after suffering at the hands of Lex’s men. With his aid, they find temporary shelter, but it doesn’t last long. Aurora struggles to come to terms with her relationship with her father, who never came to her aid during her captivity. She grew up feeling like a burden, never feeling the warmth of a father’s love. He talks down to her and guilt trips her repeatedly, yet she feels an obligation to save him at any cost. She wants to hold herself to a higher standard; she cannot fathom abandoning the only family she has left.
Aurora wants to honor the gift of freedom given to her by Beast, but she cannot move forward without at least trying to discover his fate. She risks her temporary safety to satisfy her curiosity, bringing her back into Lex’s orbit. She risks everything for love when she learns that Beast miraculously survived. No longer the meek victim, she finds a new inner strength that emboldens her.
As Beast and Aurora find their way back to one another, their struggles are only beginning. Their enemies all remain, and they are both pawns in the feud between Lex De Vos and Aurora’s father, Peter Blom. Lex wants to collect on Peter’s debt, and Peter will do anything to survive. But Beast and Aurora have challenges of their own as they argue about her father. Just as Aurora seems to understand that her father is not only morally bankrupt but that he will sell out his own daughter, too, she insists on saving him yet again. After recognizing his failure as a father, she wants to forgive him time and again despite his atrocious treatment of her. Beast and Aurora’s disagreement begins to feed into Aurora’s insecurities. While she and Beast are both disfigured, Aurora has always hidden her physical imperfection in shame. They are tested along the way, but they eventually find their happy ending.
Beast and Aurora’s dark mafia duet comes to a violent conclusion in this Beauty-and-the-Beast-inspired story. While book one focused more so on Aurora’s story, this book digs deeper into Beast’s background. It helps to bring their story full circle. This trigger-filled book is not for everyone. It is dark, violent, and steamy. There is not much depth here; it is the shock factor that drives the story. It drags at times, particularly with Aurora’s circular reasoning. Much is also left to coincidence. The story is written in first person. The POV alternates between Beast and Aurora. I rate this book 3.5 stars.
I received an advance copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
September 8, 2022
This one starts where the other book left off. Beast's owner Lex De Vos has just received word that his men have finally tracked down Aurora's father and they have him at a warehouse. Lex, along with Beast and Aurora all head towards that warehouse. Aurora is tossed into the white van again with her hands tied with a tie wrap and a hood over her head; she been separated from Beast. She is pulled from the van and is being escorted into a warehouse near the docks. Another car pulls up and out comes Lex with several of his guards and Beast. She enters the warehouse and sees that it has several rooms stacked with boxes of merchandise. She is shoved towards a big room in the back. It's a large office and in it is her father, strapped to a chair, bleeding from his forehead and legs. Lex enters the room and starts circling Aurora's father and striking him while he begs for his life. Before she knows it, he's yanked into the hallway, still strapped to the chair, and Lex stabs him in the thigh. He pulls the knife out, cleans it on his shirt. He asks Aurora why does she think he brought her here. She says to let her go and he laughs, telling her it's to watch the man who spent his money on her die. He pushes a gun into Beast's hand stating that his dog will do it for him. Beast places the gun against Aurora's father's head. Aurora is begging him not to kill him and take away the only family she has left. Lex tell him to ignore her, do what he was born to do and he'd set him free. Things happen and chaos ensues. Aurora cuts her father loose and he runs to the exit without even a thank you. In the meanwhile, Beast is shielding Aurora with his body as Lex's men try to shoot them. Beast is shot several times, Lex points his gun at Beast and Beast yells at Aurora to run. Aurora runs, making it out of the warehouse and she's on her way to freedom when she hears someone call her name from behind a dumpster. She stops and spots someone laying in the rumble, it's her father. He asks her to please help him. He can barely walk and she agrees to help him, but they need to move fast. They hear the voices of some of Lex's guards, so they duck behind some machinery outside a warehouse until the guards have passed. They take off running. They make it to a busy street and people are staring because of her father's bloody condition plus he's leaving a blood trail. Aurora is not sure where to go. Her father points at dingy hotel. She tells him that she doesn't have any money and he tells her that he does. They enter inside and a man behind the counter asks if he can help them. Aurora's father tells him yes, that he's a friend. The man calls his name and tells him he's back. Apparently they know each other. Her father slaps a wad of money down for a room for a couple of days. The hotel guy gives them instructions to take a back way to the room and try not to bleed on the recently cleaned carpets. They get to the room and Aurora places her father in it while she finds a cleaning lady's cart where she finds a bag of clothes destined for the cleaners. She rummages through it, finding a shirt and pants she can change into. After changing into the clothes she collapses on the bed and starts to cry. Her father tells her to be happy, that they made it and are alive. She tells him that yes, "they" made it, but "he" didn't. Her father asks who, that beast? He's nothing but a killer and does she even care. She tells him it's because he deserved to survive as well. After a few hours, Aurora's father taps her on the shoulder and tells her that he's hungry and for her to find something to fix it. She ventures into the hallway and finds a cart outside a room with a tray of someone's untouched dinner. She sneaks the cart back to their room. Her father immediately claims the steak and she takes the small dish of broccoli. After their meager meal, Aurora goes to sleep and it's a fitful one filled with nightmares where she sees Beast killed over and over again in front of her. She races from the bed and throws up her miniscule meal. She collapses on the floor in tears thinking how could she have just left Beast to die. Her father opens the bathroom door and tells her she needs to rest, to get her strength back because she will need it in the coming days. She yells at him that she doesn't care about that, that she's fed up with everything. They get in a large argument over Beast, how they both did and said things to stay alive, but she can't forget him seeing her as an ugly monster. She pushes past him grabs a room key saying that she's through with that conversation and she's going out. She heads in the direction of the warehouse that they escaped, to see Beast's body. She gets there and sees that it's devoid of all the merchandise and all that's there is the chair her father was tied to and blood on the floor. There's a puddle where she remembers Beast being. She calls his name but there's no response or trace of where he is. She has to drag herself back to the hotel room. When she gets there her father is all over her asking where she went and if she was followed. He grabs her and begins shaking her until she answers him. She finally confesses that she went back to the warehouse. Suddenly he grabs her in a fit of rage, asking if she is out of her mind. She tells him that she needed to know if Beast was alive. The door handle starts jiggling and doesn't stop. Someone is there. The door gives way and a man enters the room saying that they thought they could run away from them. Her father attempts to hit him with a lamp but misses and he's too weak to put up much resistance. Aurora ends up breaking a vase over his head which only serves to turn his attention to her. In the melee, Aurora ends up killing him which really passes her dad off because first she led someone to their location but now they have a body to dispose of, plus find a new hideout. She gets fed up with her father and strikes out on her own. It's very frigid outside and she all alone with no idea where to begin. She ends up meeting a homeless guy by the name of Dirk. He's very kind to her and assists her with a spot to sleep in.She eventually feels safe enough to doze off. She wakes up the next morning and Dirk explains to her that he had a nice visit with his daughter that morning. She's slightly shaken up by the fact that she was unknowingly left all alone this morning while she slept. She gets over that quickly when she hears him mention that his daughter works at a small clinic nearby and that this mornings clientele weren't the usual ones. These were large men in dark suits with blacked out cars in the parking lot. All of them were sitting in the lobby staring at only one door. Aurora's heart catches in her throat and she wonders, what if She takes off in search of this clinic. She gets to the clinic and speaks to receptionist, asking her if a large man with a lot of scars was treated there. The receptionist tells her she can't tell her anything due to privacy reasons and Aurora convinces her that she DeVos' wife. She then tells Aurora that they did treat someone there but she shows that they left alteady but she doesn't remember seeing them leave, someone else must have been manning the desk. Aurora asks if he lived or died and she tells her that from the amount of blood he lost, she doesn't think he made it. Aurora feels like breaking down right there but instead asks to see the treatment room.The lady tells her that's impossible. She goes behind the clinic where she breaks down with heavy sobs rippling through her body. Next, she hears her name followed by gotcha. She looks up and sees one of Lex's guards staring at her and approaching. She screams and he grabs her. She ends up breaking free and he yells for another guard to come help. Another one appears and she escapes him, running into the clinic to get away. They chase her into the clinic and she ends up locking herself into a room with no exit, only a window; it's too high up to survive the drop from it. She hears a voice saying her name and it's a voice she dreads, it's Lex. Suddenly the lock unlocks and in enters the man himself.He tells her that he was only a few blocks away when he heard that his guards had found her here He came right back to collect her himself. He explains to her that this clinic only services criminals. She goes to the window and he tells her not to even think about. She's half way out of the window when a hand grabs her arm and tugs her back inside. He tells her that her father would be distraught to learn she threw herself put of a window.She tells him that her father doesn't love her and she has no one that he's taken everything from her, she has nothing to lose. He then asks her if she wants to know the truth. She asks what truth? He replies "he is alive." Here is where I'll leave you but believe me, the rest of the book will certainly sink its claws into you and you won't be able to put it down. So, where is Beast and will they ever see each other again? What does Lex have in store for Aurora since he has her captive again. Will Aurora's father be seen again and will he finally embrace his daughter as someone worthy of love and not the monster he claims she is? Well buckle up folks because it's gonna be a thrilling ride! This duet of books are a definite must have for all mafia romance lovers or lovers of good, gripping romances. It's an original storyline of beauty and the beast; with two broken individuals finding each other, with one of them not even knowing that they're broken until their world crumbles down around them. Truly a gripping story with the two main characters tied together with a past that was totally unexpected and a wonderful dash of ingenuity on the part of the author. A definite FIVE star read!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 2, 2026
Also trash
October 13, 2022
⭐⭐2.5/5
(I received a free copy of this ARC and am voluntarily reviewing it.)
I can only use one word to describe this book: disconnect.
There was just something about this follow-up book that didn't sit well with me. I found bits and pieces of random facts were dropped into the story, but it wasn't expanded, which left it feeling overly placed instead of allowing the storyline to flow smoothly and take you on it's intended journey. I don't know if it was the FMC that just seemed to be idiotic in her EVERY decision or the fact that the MMC went from a somewhat intelligent person and then flopped back to a caveman again. Also, how in the eff'ing world after all these years are they able to go back to his childhood apartment and have it exactly as it was when he left?? Like, can someone just explain how on god's good green earth this happens?
Also, a sub-note: can we just remember that Beast was only 7 or 8 (I can't remember which) when he was "taken". A child that age, especially in European/UK countries, has an immense amount of knowledge and schooling that's already been put into them, then to not know what friends or parties were, just blew my mind completely. Why was this possible? Another part of the plot that's a bit lacking.
Points like these in the story just didn't sit well with me.
I must say though, I really did enjoy the author bringing in tidbits about the Netherlands, I wish it had been more though as it left me with this disconnect. I know the author is Dutch, so I would have loved to have this expanded on a bit more.
All in all, I felt this book was more of a telling than a showing. I wasn't able to envision the story which stopped me from really enjoying it.
(I received a free copy of this ARC and am voluntarily reviewing it.)
I can only use one word to describe this book: disconnect.
There was just something about this follow-up book that didn't sit well with me. I found bits and pieces of random facts were dropped into the story, but it wasn't expanded, which left it feeling overly placed instead of allowing the storyline to flow smoothly and take you on it's intended journey. I don't know if it was the FMC that just seemed to be idiotic in her EVERY decision or the fact that the MMC went from a somewhat intelligent person and then flopped back to a caveman again. Also, how in the eff'ing world after all these years are they able to go back to his childhood apartment and have it exactly as it was when he left?? Like, can someone just explain how on god's good green earth this happens?
Also, a sub-note: can we just remember that Beast was only 7 or 8 (I can't remember which) when he was "taken". A child that age, especially in European/UK countries, has an immense amount of knowledge and schooling that's already been put into them, then to not know what friends or parties were, just blew my mind completely. Why was this possible? Another part of the plot that's a bit lacking.
Points like these in the story just didn't sit well with me.
I must say though, I really did enjoy the author bringing in tidbits about the Netherlands, I wish it had been more though as it left me with this disconnect. I know the author is Dutch, so I would have loved to have this expanded on a bit more.
All in all, I felt this book was more of a telling than a showing. I wasn't able to envision the story which stopped me from really enjoying it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 17, 2023
This was SO disappointing.
I had quite high expectations for this because the concept was really interesting : him being kidnapped as a child and basically living in a cage and getting fed raw meat and all so treated like an actual dog his whole life could have made such a great book if only the psychological aspect of being brought up that way had been explored but NOTHING.
He gets freed after decades of captivity but we don't see ANYTHING about his rehabilitation, how he adapts to his new life, basically all he does is eat her pussy and seems to have forgotten twenty year of slavery.
A big moment in the first book was him eating only raw meat and yet we didn't even see him having his first real meal once freed. I mean REALLY ?
This book is EMPTY and yes too much smut is actually a real thing with this, it was so repetitive.
Also, please just a little bit of common sense or logic could have been great. Hear me out : the guy gets tortured and shot multiple times and doctors said he should have died but the same day he is back in his cage and has sex when mere seconds ago he was saying that his pain was pure agony and wanted to die WTF ?
Also couldn't he have escaped years ago ? I get that he has the collar and all but snapping lex's neck would've only taken a second.
Also WTF is wrong with Aurora ? can she be more stupid and selfish ? how many times does her father have to betray her for her to understand ? yet she once again chose to put Beast in real danger to save him. It seems that she cares about him only when she needs saving. That was very ugly.
To finish she does not do a single thing for him, he spent his whole life in an actual cage but now it's all about "worshiping her" with him kissing her feet and all and her not pampering him one bit.
The concept was amazing but the author just missed.
I had quite high expectations for this because the concept was really interesting : him being kidnapped as a child and basically living in a cage and getting fed raw meat and all so treated like an actual dog his whole life could have made such a great book if only the psychological aspect of being brought up that way had been explored but NOTHING.
He gets freed after decades of captivity but we don't see ANYTHING about his rehabilitation, how he adapts to his new life, basically all he does is eat her pussy and seems to have forgotten twenty year of slavery.
A big moment in the first book was him eating only raw meat and yet we didn't even see him having his first real meal once freed. I mean REALLY ?
This book is EMPTY and yes too much smut is actually a real thing with this, it was so repetitive.
Also, please just a little bit of common sense or logic could have been great. Hear me out : the guy gets tortured and shot multiple times and doctors said he should have died but the same day he is back in his cage and has sex when mere seconds ago he was saying that his pain was pure agony and wanted to die WTF ?
Also couldn't he have escaped years ago ? I get that he has the collar and all but snapping lex's neck would've only taken a second.
Also WTF is wrong with Aurora ? can she be more stupid and selfish ? how many times does her father have to betray her for her to understand ? yet she once again chose to put Beast in real danger to save him. It seems that she cares about him only when she needs saving. That was very ugly.
To finish she does not do a single thing for him, he spent his whole life in an actual cage but now it's all about "worshiping her" with him kissing her feet and all and her not pampering him one bit.
The concept was amazing but the author just missed.
September 15, 2022
Absolutely despised the fmc
She was so ridiculous its not even funny. Such a goody goody it was actually disgusting n too much. Then she mutinies against him when he wants to leave her farther to his own demise. I was relieved for him when he left her behind n I honestly felt nothing for her plight. It was of her own dumba$$ making.🙄 Seriously, this girl does NOT learn. Not even in the end. Beast deserves better.
She was so ridiculous its not even funny. Such a goody goody it was actually disgusting n too much. Then she mutinies against him when he wants to leave her farther to his own demise. I was relieved for him when he left her behind n I honestly felt nothing for her plight. It was of her own dumba$$ making.🙄 Seriously, this girl does NOT learn. Not even in the end. Beast deserves better.
October 23, 2022
TSTL
So I had to stop at 67% on this second book when she once again tries to defend and wants to save her father. She keeps risking Beast’s life to save her worthless father, the man that she even watched kill Beast’s parents as a child. Good grief, how many crappy things does her father have to say and do before she gets the picture? She doesn’t deserve Beast’s love and loyalty.
So I had to stop at 67% on this second book when she once again tries to defend and wants to save her father. She keeps risking Beast’s life to save her worthless father, the man that she even watched kill Beast’s parents as a child. Good grief, how many crappy things does her father have to say and do before she gets the picture? She doesn’t deserve Beast’s love and loyalty.
September 13, 2022
Part 2 of the Duet
This is NOT a STAND-ALONE, it is the second part of the Duet featuring Beast and Aurora.
** From the beginning to the end is nothing but scenes not suitable for sensitive readers. There are trigger warnings listed on Clarissa Wild’s website and I have included a listing of topics below. **
⛔️ If you have not read the story, the following WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS, otherwise I can not adequately explain why the lower rating.
LAST CHANCE …
There are some grammatical issues, of which I uploaded my notes to goodreads for anyone interested. These were mainly comprised of extra inserted words, missing words, typos and/or incorrect word choices. I mention these for readers such as myself that visualize the story as it is read, because errors interrupt the flow and visualization.
I was really enjoying everything and then her father showed up again … so I just couldn’t rate this 5 stars and the more I went through my issues with the story, I ended up at 3. Here are some of my issues:
This ‘man’ is supposed to be her father and he has done nothing but sell her out, put her down, and show her how much he hates her through his personal interactions and treatment from the beginning. Yet, she still wants to ‘save’ him to the detriment of everyone, including Beast. I’m sorry, but WTF?! There were so many different directions this could have been taken that it just about ruined the whole story for me.
Then there were times, just like in the first part of the Duet, when it was just too repetitive in thoughts and actions. Then there were a couple of data inconsistencies, although far less that the first part, such as a gunshot wound that was not treated or mentioned again (Beast’s forearm by Lex).
Yes I get that he is a ‘Beast’, but at the end of the day, he is still human. Otherwise, what was the purpose of him being shot to end the first / begin the second parts of the story?
I still don’t get the rationale of the raw meat only being fed to Beast one time. Yes I know it was to demonstrate him being less than human, but he was never fed raw meat again, and nothing was ever mentioned again about that, or his reaction when waiting in the cage acting like he had rabies or something (I.e. foaming at the mouth, biting the bars, etc.). Obviously it was all an act because he was doing what was expected of him, but to not discuss it seems a bit senseless.
Then finally, what happened to the guard, Raymond? So much time was spent to build up the hurt, animosity and hate between Beast, Aurora and Norman. Then he is just gone??? No big scene, or even a small one referencing / showing some payback was a very big disappointment.
⛔️ Contains references to, or scenes detailing, subject matter that may be a trigger or offensive to some, including, but not limited to: adult language; derogatory terms; mental health challenges of depression, PTSD and anxiety; steamy adult intimate scenes with consensual / non-consensual acts, (attempted) rape, voyeurism, exhibitionism, blood play, breath play, etc.; violence such as kidnapping, enforced long-term captivity with inhumane treatment and conditions, murder / death, torture, assault, fighting, betrayal, blackmail, coercion, human trafficking, child neglect, mental, physical and sexual abuse of children and adults, drug use and distribution, gun running, gambling, loan sharks, mafia organizations, etc.
This is NOT a STAND-ALONE, it is the second part of the Duet featuring Beast and Aurora.
** From the beginning to the end is nothing but scenes not suitable for sensitive readers. There are trigger warnings listed on Clarissa Wild’s website and I have included a listing of topics below. **
⛔️ If you have not read the story, the following WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS, otherwise I can not adequately explain why the lower rating.
LAST CHANCE …
There are some grammatical issues, of which I uploaded my notes to goodreads for anyone interested. These were mainly comprised of extra inserted words, missing words, typos and/or incorrect word choices. I mention these for readers such as myself that visualize the story as it is read, because errors interrupt the flow and visualization.
I was really enjoying everything and then her father showed up again … so I just couldn’t rate this 5 stars and the more I went through my issues with the story, I ended up at 3. Here are some of my issues:
This ‘man’ is supposed to be her father and he has done nothing but sell her out, put her down, and show her how much he hates her through his personal interactions and treatment from the beginning. Yet, she still wants to ‘save’ him to the detriment of everyone, including Beast. I’m sorry, but WTF?! There were so many different directions this could have been taken that it just about ruined the whole story for me.
Then there were times, just like in the first part of the Duet, when it was just too repetitive in thoughts and actions. Then there were a couple of data inconsistencies, although far less that the first part, such as a gunshot wound that was not treated or mentioned again (Beast’s forearm by Lex).
Yes I get that he is a ‘Beast’, but at the end of the day, he is still human. Otherwise, what was the purpose of him being shot to end the first / begin the second parts of the story?
I still don’t get the rationale of the raw meat only being fed to Beast one time. Yes I know it was to demonstrate him being less than human, but he was never fed raw meat again, and nothing was ever mentioned again about that, or his reaction when waiting in the cage acting like he had rabies or something (I.e. foaming at the mouth, biting the bars, etc.). Obviously it was all an act because he was doing what was expected of him, but to not discuss it seems a bit senseless.
Then finally, what happened to the guard, Raymond? So much time was spent to build up the hurt, animosity and hate between Beast, Aurora and Norman. Then he is just gone??? No big scene, or even a small one referencing / showing some payback was a very big disappointment.
⛔️ Contains references to, or scenes detailing, subject matter that may be a trigger or offensive to some, including, but not limited to: adult language; derogatory terms; mental health challenges of depression, PTSD and anxiety; steamy adult intimate scenes with consensual / non-consensual acts, (attempted) rape, voyeurism, exhibitionism, blood play, breath play, etc.; violence such as kidnapping, enforced long-term captivity with inhumane treatment and conditions, murder / death, torture, assault, fighting, betrayal, blackmail, coercion, human trafficking, child neglect, mental, physical and sexual abuse of children and adults, drug use and distribution, gun running, gambling, loan sharks, mafia organizations, etc.
February 15, 2023
The first book was just awful, but I thought “maybe the second book is smth like redemption”. Boy was I wrong! This book tops everything that I hated in the first book “beast”.
Spoilers ahead!
First of all, why did beast even survive if he was shot multiple times?! And then he was chained up at the wall and could break free like the strong beast that he is. I had to laugh out loud, bc does this author even know what is and isn’t possible? She makes up so much ridiculous stuff, so much so that I’m asking myself if she was high when she wrote that duology.
Secondly, how is it possible that aurora becomes even more dumb. Why did she still question the love beast shows her. He literally tells her that he loves her and that she’s beautiful and she still thinks that she is unlovable and ugly because of her hands. And it was repeatedly brought up. And also, why does aurora want to save her father even when he was nothing but mean to her. He says that she is a monster, a failure and everything bad in this world and she still wants to save him every damn time. Also, why does she want to save him when he rats her out and she was like “oh no, he wouldn’t do that to me, he loves me”. Bitch please, HE TOLD HER THAT HE HATES HER AND SHE STILL THINKS HE LOVES HER?!
And lastly, why do beast and aurora get kidnapped like thrice in this book? The author just couldn’t come up with a new plot, so she just repeated the kidnap trope like 5x in two books.
To sum it up, if you read the first book and didn’t like it, don’t read this one, you will be disappointed. This duology is an example, that some books don’t need a sequel. It would have been better if the book “beast“ was a bit longer and had an happy ending. This whole second book was like “oh where is beast - oh I want to be kidnapped by lex again - we break out of the prison - aurora gets kidnapped again - lex makes unnecessary drama - beast comes to save the day - Happy End”. The only good thing are those ridiculous moments where you had to laugh out loud.
Spoilers ahead!
First of all, why did beast even survive if he was shot multiple times?! And then he was chained up at the wall and could break free like the strong beast that he is. I had to laugh out loud, bc does this author even know what is and isn’t possible? She makes up so much ridiculous stuff, so much so that I’m asking myself if she was high when she wrote that duology.
Secondly, how is it possible that aurora becomes even more dumb. Why did she still question the love beast shows her. He literally tells her that he loves her and that she’s beautiful and she still thinks that she is unlovable and ugly because of her hands. And it was repeatedly brought up. And also, why does aurora want to save her father even when he was nothing but mean to her. He says that she is a monster, a failure and everything bad in this world and she still wants to save him every damn time. Also, why does she want to save him when he rats her out and she was like “oh no, he wouldn’t do that to me, he loves me”. Bitch please, HE TOLD HER THAT HE HATES HER AND SHE STILL THINKS HE LOVES HER?!
And lastly, why do beast and aurora get kidnapped like thrice in this book? The author just couldn’t come up with a new plot, so she just repeated the kidnap trope like 5x in two books.
To sum it up, if you read the first book and didn’t like it, don’t read this one, you will be disappointed. This duology is an example, that some books don’t need a sequel. It would have been better if the book “beast“ was a bit longer and had an happy ending. This whole second book was like “oh where is beast - oh I want to be kidnapped by lex again - we break out of the prison - aurora gets kidnapped again - lex makes unnecessary drama - beast comes to save the day - Happy End”. The only good thing are those ridiculous moments where you had to laugh out loud.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 7, 2022
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of "BEAUTY" OMG!!!! What a wild crazy dark twisted rollercoaster ride full of danger, suspense, intrigue, action, secrets, betrayal, torture, mental & physical abuse, murder, passion, heartache, twists you never saw coming you can't put this book down so addicting to the very end definitely a page turner.
Beast was treated worse than an animal practically his whole after the murder of his parents at age 7yrs. then on the streets stealing scraps to survive then taken trained to kill he was such a compassionate person after everthing he's been through all the torture being treated like he was nothing more than a beast.
Aurora sheltered all her life was captured the night BEAST came to kill her Papa on his owners orders but ending up bring her back to the mansion where Lex his owner threw her in the cell with him he was punished for not completing his task this is where Beauty & Beast's story starts to take hold.
Aurora learns the truth about her father telling her he never wanted her, she was nothing more than a monster, she had scares from surgeries that didn't correct the the problem he said he never wanted her such a blow to her heart, but as Beast would tell her her heart was to big for her little body.
I definitely recommend to get this on the edge of your seat riviting, intense action packed dark twisted story you'll love "Aurora & Beast" their story was heartwrenching beautiful even after everything they went through.
Will Beast & Aurora get their freedom, take out the bad guys, get a HEA in the end we'll a surprising twist you didn't seeing coming makes this one awesome duet you don't want miss getting you so won't be disappointed. AWESOME AWESOME READ!
Beast was treated worse than an animal practically his whole after the murder of his parents at age 7yrs. then on the streets stealing scraps to survive then taken trained to kill he was such a compassionate person after everthing he's been through all the torture being treated like he was nothing more than a beast.
Aurora sheltered all her life was captured the night BEAST came to kill her Papa on his owners orders but ending up bring her back to the mansion where Lex his owner threw her in the cell with him he was punished for not completing his task this is where Beauty & Beast's story starts to take hold.
Aurora learns the truth about her father telling her he never wanted her, she was nothing more than a monster, she had scares from surgeries that didn't correct the the problem he said he never wanted her such a blow to her heart, but as Beast would tell her her heart was to big for her little body.
I definitely recommend to get this on the edge of your seat riviting, intense action packed dark twisted story you'll love "Aurora & Beast" their story was heartwrenching beautiful even after everything they went through.
Will Beast & Aurora get their freedom, take out the bad guys, get a HEA in the end we'll a surprising twist you didn't seeing coming makes this one awesome duet you don't want miss getting you so won't be disappointed. AWESOME AWESOME READ!
September 8, 2022
I received a copy of this book from the publisher/author to review for Stephanie's Book Reports.
When the Beast took me and dragged me back to his cell, I thought my life was over. In the darkness, he watched me. Yearned for me. Tasted me. He loved my scars, called me a beauty...Made me irrevocably his. Until his owner finally lets him out. And his final task was to destroy my father. The only thing that stood between them was me. Faced with an impossible choice, I run. Bet even the beauty can't escape the claws of the Beast.
This is the second book in the Beast and Beauty Duet. This duet is inspired by Beauty and the Beast but it is a dark duet and you will need to heed the warnings in the beginning of the book.
You need to read Beast first. Beauty picks up where Beast leaves off with Aurora being more and more attracted and drawn to Beast. There is something familiar drawing her to him and she tries her hardest to convince him that he is not what he was made to be. A tool for his owner to use. She sees the goodness in him and she wants desperately for him to see it. I loved that about him too. That he had some much compassion in him and a heart that was so big no matter what has happened to him. I loved that Aurora found her voice in this story. She is a little bit the opposite of Beast and has a bleeding heart that gets her into some situations that makes it very interesting to see her get out of. You just have to read this book because if I talk about it too much I will surely give something away. I loved every second of this duet and thought it was absolutely amazing.
When the Beast took me and dragged me back to his cell, I thought my life was over. In the darkness, he watched me. Yearned for me. Tasted me. He loved my scars, called me a beauty...Made me irrevocably his. Until his owner finally lets him out. And his final task was to destroy my father. The only thing that stood between them was me. Faced with an impossible choice, I run. Bet even the beauty can't escape the claws of the Beast.
This is the second book in the Beast and Beauty Duet. This duet is inspired by Beauty and the Beast but it is a dark duet and you will need to heed the warnings in the beginning of the book.
You need to read Beast first. Beauty picks up where Beast leaves off with Aurora being more and more attracted and drawn to Beast. There is something familiar drawing her to him and she tries her hardest to convince him that he is not what he was made to be. A tool for his owner to use. She sees the goodness in him and she wants desperately for him to see it. I loved that about him too. That he had some much compassion in him and a heart that was so big no matter what has happened to him. I loved that Aurora found her voice in this story. She is a little bit the opposite of Beast and has a bleeding heart that gets her into some situations that makes it very interesting to see her get out of. You just have to read this book because if I talk about it too much I will surely give something away. I loved every second of this duet and thought it was absolutely amazing.
November 23, 2023
Nearly DNF. The only way to get through it was to speed up the audio version to 2.55 and I still struggled and suffered vertigo from the extreme eye rolling this idiotic h caused.
Selfish, petulant child. She's so dramatic and all over the place. She allows Beast to get killed so she can protect her father, knowing he wouldn't make it, even though her father is the one that killed his parents and led to his captivity and lifelong torture. Then she runs off and gets herself recaptured to find out if he was actually dead?
Time and again, she protects her father at the expense of beast, despite him never coming for her and blatantly announcing he never wanted her and can't stand her. She repeatedly puts Beast in harms way and guilts him and causes him to be injured and tortured because shes an immature, spoiled brat. Then acts like she feels terrible, rinse and repeat.
Beast deserves better and she deserves to be alone with her pathetic self.
On top of the terrible plot, were some annoying things the author overused. Examples: Every time something happens to anyone, they say their eyes dilate. Are you aware of your eyes dilating when you're excited, nervous or turned on and significantly enough to pause your natural reaction to acknowledge it? And every comment or statement anyone makes is "muttered", over and over, even when it's described as the opposite of that in the situation. Overall, this was just a very long, overly drawn-out game of cat and mouse, and essentially the same situations were repeated for the entirety of the book. Surprise-fight-capture-imprisonment-escape, repeat. This happened 4-5 times with the same people and is the whole story.
Selfish, petulant child. She's so dramatic and all over the place. She allows Beast to get killed so she can protect her father, knowing he wouldn't make it, even though her father is the one that killed his parents and led to his captivity and lifelong torture. Then she runs off and gets herself recaptured to find out if he was actually dead?
Time and again, she protects her father at the expense of beast, despite him never coming for her and blatantly announcing he never wanted her and can't stand her. She repeatedly puts Beast in harms way and guilts him and causes him to be injured and tortured because shes an immature, spoiled brat. Then acts like she feels terrible, rinse and repeat.
Beast deserves better and she deserves to be alone with her pathetic self.
On top of the terrible plot, were some annoying things the author overused. Examples: Every time something happens to anyone, they say their eyes dilate. Are you aware of your eyes dilating when you're excited, nervous or turned on and significantly enough to pause your natural reaction to acknowledge it? And every comment or statement anyone makes is "muttered", over and over, even when it's described as the opposite of that in the situation. Overall, this was just a very long, overly drawn-out game of cat and mouse, and essentially the same situations were repeated for the entirety of the book. Surprise-fight-capture-imprisonment-escape, repeat. This happened 4-5 times with the same people and is the whole story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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