carolesrandomlife

This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.

This book was so much fun to read! This is the first book that I have read by Kerrelyn Sparks and I am now thinking that I have probably been missing out on a very good thing. This book caught my attention right away with the fun title and when I picked it up to take a closer look, I was immediately hooked. I actually read half the book without even realizing it because I simply couldn't put it down.

This book focuses on Luciana and Lord Leofric, or the Beast. Luciana has lived her life on the Isle of Moon at a convent with her friends that she considers her sisters. She is shocked to meet her father but recovers quickly and agrees to go with him and marry the Beast. The Beast has led a life where he is feared by others because of his powers. He has rarely been touched by others since coming into his power because he is so dangerous.

I really liked the characters in this book. Luciana and Leofric were both wonderful. Each of them had really interesting abilities that really added a layer to their characters. Luciana was such a caring person from the very beginning of the story when she gives up her life to protect the father she didn't even know she had. Leofric is thought to be heartless and tough. It quickly becomes apparent that he cares about others deeply but must distance himself out of fear of causing harm. He leads a rather lonely life until he meets Luciana.

I liked Luciana and Leofric as a couple. They did fall for each other quite quickly but I wasn't bothered by that in this particular story. They had a nice banter with each other and Luciana did not fear the Beast as others did. They had a lot of chemistry from the very first time they saw each other and it only grew throughout the story. I had a lot of fun watching this pair get to know each other.

I really enjoyed the world this book was set in. The special abilities of the characters were a lot of fun and added an interesting element to the story. I liked the almost medieval feel to the kingdom complete with evil king. The supporting characters in the story were very well done and I hope to see some of them featured in future books in this series.

I would highly recommend this book to others. This was the kind of book that just swept me away into a fantastical world of romance. I can't wait to read more in this exciting series!

I received an advance reader edition of this book from St. Martin's Press.

Initial Thoughts
I had a lot of fun with this one. The characters were great and I loved the chemistry between them. Great start to a new series!