Entreat Me

Beauty & the Beast retelling, with some differences. I enjoyed the strong characters and the story was lovely. One of my favorite retellings.

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Yes, to no one's surprise, I read another Beauty and the Beast retelling. Unfortunately, this one doesn't really feel like the Beauty and the Beast story to me. Yes, there's a curse, and yes there are roses, but other than that, there is very little that calls back to the original tale. However, that does not mean I didn't enjoy this book. On the contrary, I absolutely adored it. This is my new favorite Grace Draven, an author who previously I didn't think worked for me. Maybe I just like her older work? I was granted access to an ARC of her latest last year, and unfortunately ended up DNFing it. BUT WE'RE NOT HERE TO TALK ABOUT THAT BOOK.

Entreat Me hit many of my favorite tropes when it comes to romance. Older man who never thought he would love again? Check. Curses? Check. Stubborn, sassy female lead? Check. I cannot tell you how much I loved watching Ballard and Louvaen dual each other with their words. She was ready to take on an entire army to protect her sister, and Ballard knew it. He also was very much in love with her, pretty much on sight. I would have happily read about eight hundred more words of these two! The chemistry between them practically melted my kindle, and very easily blew right off the (metaphorical) pages. Yes, this is the only retelling that I've read where there are actual sex scenes! (Ballard's curse does not render him a beast all the time, for those of you that were curious.) I repeat, I loved getting to watch Louvaen and Ballard together, and I extra enjoyed watching them circle around each other at the beginning of the book.

Basically, if you're looking for a fantasy romance with older characters, I recommend Entreat Me. (Their ages aren't really given in the book, but it's clear they are older — Ballard has a son in his mid-twenties, and Louvaen is widowed.) It's got some familiar tropes inside, and the writing is just top notch. The peril that comes towards the end of the book feels genuinely real here, something that I really appreciated. Most of the time that sort of thing is washed over in the other retellings I've read. The epilogue was perfect, a nice little cherry on top of a beautiful book sundae. Five stars.