ARC Review: Beauty of the Beast by Rachel L. Demeter

Title: Beauty of the Beast
Author: Rachel L. Demeter
Series: Fairy Tale Retellings #1
Publication: March 15th 2017
Genre: Adult ~ Historical Romance
Purchase: Amazon | Kobo
Rating: 4/5

Experience the world’s most enchanting and timeless love story—retold with a dark and realistic twist.

A BEAST LIVING IN THE SHADOW OF HIS PAST

Reclusive and severely scarred Prince Adam Delacroix has remained hidden inside a secluded, decrepit castle ever since he witnessed his family’s brutal massacre. Cloaked in shadow, with only the lamentations of past ghosts for company, he has abandoned all hope, allowing the world to believe he died on that tragic eve twenty-five years ago.

A BEAUTY IN PURSUIT OF A BETTER FUTURE

Caught in a fierce snowstorm, beautiful and strong-willed Isabelle Rose seeks shelter at a castle—unaware that its beastly and disfigured master is much more than he appears to be. When he imprisons her gravely ill and blind father, she bravely offers herself in his place.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

Stripped of his emotional defenses, Adam’s humanity reawakens as he encounters a kindred soul in Isabelle. Together they will wade through darkness and discover beauty and passion in the most unlikely of places. But when a monster from Isabelle’s former life threatens their new love, Demrov’s forgotten prince must emerge from his shadows and face the world once more…

Perfect for fans of Beauty and the Beast and The Phantom of the Opera, Beauty of the Beast brings a familiar and well-loved fairy tale to life with a rich setting in the kingdom of Demrov and a captivating, Gothic voice.

Disclaimer: This is an edgy retelling of the classic fairy tale. Due to strong sexual content, profanity, and dark subject matter, including an instance of sexual assault committed by the villain, Beauty of the Beast is not intended for readers under the age of 18.

Right from the start I thought this was a great story. The first thing that I loved from it was the first main character we got introduced to, Isabelle. I just loved how kind and good she was and even so this didn't make her a total Mary Sue or anything because she also had a lot of fire in her, which I really like in the heroines I read about.

Adam got introduced a little later into the story and he also didn't dissapoint. Once we reached that part of the story it was very similar to Disney's Beauty and the Beast, only for adults. The story was very similar to the story we all know and love with some differences throughout. It was also slightly darker and there was a gothic feel to it, which is what I love most about it.

The vilain of the story, Raphael was absolutely vile. I hated him but in one way that was good because I love reading about bad guys that you can really hate, you know? But I also gotta say, there's a reason why he is the way he is. And I also feel like I should say I really wasn't a fan of Isabelle's stepsisters. They were pretty awful, just like stepsisters often are in fairy tales.

The romance between Isabelle and Adam was incredible. It was a slow burn and written perfectly the way it was. I fell a little in love with Adam myself. He really needed someone like Isabelle to pretty much make him alive again and rejoin the world. I have so much feels for them! And I also feel like I should say how much I enjoy reading about any of the male main characters this author writes. I just love them all!

Overall, Beauty of the Beast by Rachel L. Demeter was such a beautiful retelling. One of the best I've read so far. The writing was simply gorgeous and easily my favorite thing in the book. It wasn't quite 5 star worthy but I would still highly recommend it to fans of retellings, Beauty and the Beast, historical romance or just anyone who wants to read a great story.

       About the Author:

       Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest

Rachel L. Demeter lives in the beautiful hills of Anaheim, California with Teddy, her goofy lowland sheepdog, and her high school sweetheart of eleven years. She enjoys writing poignant romances that challenge the reader's emotions and explore the redeeming power of love.

ARC Review: A Kindled Winter by Rachel L. Demeter

Title: A Kindled Winter
Author: Rachel L. Demeter
Publication: November 1st 2015 by Black Lyon Publishing, LLC
Genre: Adult ~ Contemporary Romance
Purchase: Amazon
Rating: 5/5

  

“Christmas, my child, is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it’s Christmas.” — Dale Evans

A week before Christmas, Jeseca Reed sets off for Blue River, Oregon—her childhood home and a vault of tender memories. However, fate takes an unexpected turn when she’s left stranded in the mountains’ vast, untamed wilderness. Desperate and alone, she seeks shelter at a cottage and finds herself in the arms of a mysterious stranger.

Dr. David Drake was once a renowned cardiovascular surgeon. But a devastating tragedy has left him scarred both inside and out, unable to use his hands to operate again. For the past five years, his Blue River cottage has been his sole escape—a safe haven where he can shut out the world, bury himself in his grief, and reunite with his son’s memory.

Together they are summer and winter. Fire and ice. And yet a poignant connection forms between them. Jeseca awakens David and thaws his heart with a romance hot enough to melt snow. But before David and Jeseca can fully embrace each other, they must wade through darkness and confront the ghosts of their pasts …

Equal parts steamy and heartfelt, A Kindled Winter brings the spirit of the holidays to life with a passionate story of second chances and healing love.

A Kindled Winter was really amazing. It was a beautiful story but also captivating and so passionate. I absolutely loved it and couldn't put my Kindle down!

Unlike the author's other books, which are historical, this one was a shorter contemporary holiday story. I thought Jeseca and David's connection was incredible. Both are grieving people they've lost but when they met they finally started healing.

It was really great to read and see how Jeseca slowly made David open up to her. They both had a lot of demons inside them but together they faced them head on. Also, can I just mention how totally adorable Brody, the dog, was. Favorite character of the book? Might be!

Although it was a contemporary story, it still had a dark gothic-like feel to it, which I loved. It was also a very steamy read. Jeseca and David's passion pretty much burst off the pages. Also, I teared up at the end because the characters really got to me and I genuinely felt overjoyed that in the end it was a happily ever after ending.

Overall, A Kindled Winter was a beautifully written holiday story that touched my heart. There's something about the way Rachel L. Demeter writes her characters — so intriguing, flawed and memorable — that just stays with me. 

About the Author:

   Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Rachel L. Demeter lives in the beautiful hills of Anaheim, California with Teddy, her goofy lowland sheepdog, and her high school sweetheart of eleven years. She enjoys writing dark, poignant romances that challenge the reader's emotions and explore the redeeming power of love.

ARC Review: Finding Gabriel by Rachel L. Demeter

Title: Finding Gabriel
Author: Rachel L. Demeter
Publication: August 27th 2015 by Momentum (Pan Macmillan)
Genre: Historical Romance
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
Rating: 5/5

Review copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

 

Colonel Gabriel de Laurent departed for the war intending to die.

After a decade of bloodstained battlegrounds while fighting in Napoleon's army, Gabriel returns to the streets of Paris a shattered and haunted soul. Plagued by inner demons, he swallows the barrel of his flintlock pistol and pulls the trigger.

But fate has a different plan.

Ariah Larochelle is a survivor. Orphaned at twelve and victim to a devastating crime, she has learned to keep her back to walls and to trust no one. But when she finds a gravely injured soldier washed up on the River Seine, she's moved by compassion. In spite of her reservations, she rescues him from the icy water and brings him into her home.

Now scarred inside and out, Gabriel discovers a kindred spirit in Ariah—and feelings he imagined lost forever reawaken as he observes her strength in the face of adversity. But when Ariah's own lethal secrets unfold, their new love is threatened by ancient ghosts. Can Gabriel and Ariah find hope in the wreckage of their pasts—or will the cycle of history repeat again?

Perfect for fans of Gaelen Foley's Lord of Ice and Judith James's Broken Wing, Finding Gabriel features all the dark romance, searing passion, and historical intrigue of The Phantom of the Opera and Les Misérables.

Finding Gabriel was unlike any books I've read before. It was exquisite, personal, emotional and I just loved it so much. It took me a good six days to finish it but it never got boring. All I know is, I want to read more by this author!

This book felt a bit like a mix between Les Misérables and The Phantom of the Opera. In fact I like this one just as much (if not a little bit more), which is a huge deal since I'm a huge fan of both those stories. 

The story starts quite shockingly with Colonel Gabriel de Laurent trying to kill himself. This is where Ariah Larochelle, a mother of a six-year-old girl, finds him, severely wounded. In spite of not knowing who is is, Ariah rescues him and brings him to her home to heal him. At first Gabriel finds himself angry with Ariah but the more he gets the know her the more he admires her strenght and feels a close connection to her, which Ariah also feels. 

My first thought when I finished Finding Gabriel was: this is utterly beautiful. And it really was for so many reasons. One of them was how both Gabriel and Ariah were broken, with scars inside and in Gabriel's case out. But when they found each other they slowly started healing. That was amazing. 

This book was really emotional, in my opinion. I must admit that I shed a few tears (which is something I almost never do with reading). I felt myself really invested in the characters and I wanted Gabriel, Ariah and her little girl to have the happy ending they deserved. 

This book was heavy on the romance but it wasn't too much, you know? It felt exactly right. Even when life got in the way for Ariah and Gabriel I still felt the love and connection they shared. I especially loved the scenes between Gabriel and Ariah's daughter Emmaline. They simply melted my heart.

The writing also was gorgeous. Actually, that was one of my favorite parts of this book and I was practically inhaling every sentence because it was written in such a beautiful way. I'm definitely keeping an eye on the author's future books. I just want more stories like this!

       

       Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Rachel L. Demeter lives in the beautiful hills of Anaheim, California with Teddy, her goofy lowland sheepdog, and her high school sweetheart of eleven years. She enjoys writing dark, poignant romances that challenge the reader's emotions and explore the redeeming power of love.