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Monster Among the Roses: A Beauty and the Beast Story by Linda Kage- 5 lovely stars

Monster Among the Roses, Linda Kage
WOW! 
This was so so so good! It delivered in every possible way.

"I trust you with my heart. Giving you the truth was easy"

It is hard to find well written retellings for adults, young adults? yah... there are tons. New Adult/Adult not so much. Even less retellings not involving fantasy and magic. THIS however, THIS was pure perfection. I loved every single thing about it! 

Here is the blurb for you sunnies:

“Do you know how to get to the rose garden?” 
“No, you can’t go there. A monster lives there.” 


Shaw Hollander is desperate. 
Broke, unemployed, and determined to help his ailing mother, he falls on the good graces of a wealthy benefactor who is willing to give Shaw a job at his mansion in order to pay off his mother’s debts. Suddenly finding himself surrounded by lavish riches, he has no idea what his duties truly entail until he’s sent to the rose garden and meets the tragically mutilated Isobel. 



This Beauty and the Beast story holds true to the core of the fable while shaking off the element of fantasy and dragging it into present-day reality. Shaw and Isobel are ready to let you climb into their four-wheel-drive pickup and take a ride with them into their version of happily ever after, but only if you first dare to gaze upon the monster among the roses. 

WOW! I feel I must say that again! 
Monster Among the Roses was an extremely sweet and touching romance read. My e-book is highlighted from beginning to end. I mean, why highlight quotes when whole paragraphs melt your heart?

First we have Shaw. Goodness the boy is perfection...he has a heart of gold and I dare you not to love him. His mother is sick and bankrupt and he is willing to do anything -and I really mean anything- to fix their situation. He goes to the richest man he can think of, Henry Nash, and begs for help and forgiveness for his mother's debts. His determination and love for his mother were heart warming. His interaction with the other employees in the house and his banter and friendship with Isobel made for an entertaining, uplifting and moving story.

Henry Nash is a rich man, needs nothing. But his daughter does. So when the young good looking Shaw walks in hi office he has an idea. I liked his character, his love and care for his daughter are admirable.

Isobel has part of her face disfigured. She has been hiding indoors for years and is lonely. Shaw slowly but surely breaks her hard shell, teaches her to love and to live again. They do things together, get to know each other, lough, cry... she eventually stops hiding her scared face from him and learns to trust him.

It wouldn't be a good romance novel without some bumps in the road, so there were a few. Tear worthy few... you might want to have a box of tissues nearby!

"You hear that, scars?" I told them. "I know you like to hog all the attention away from my girl here, but I gotta tell you, she's still prettier than you are ugly"
*I swoon*

Published July 2017
Find the book at: GoodReads - Amazon - Nook: B&N - Kobo - Author's page


Comments

  1. This sounds interesting. I like fairy tale retellings

    ReplyDelete
  2. Old Garden Roses. These are my most loved as they contain probably the most seasoned classes of roses and come in each size. They have a solid aroma with flowers that sprout in practically any shading you like. La Fleur De Luxe

    ReplyDelete

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