⭐⭐⭐⭐ Was I hooked by that book? Yes. An intriguing new fantasy world comes to life in this thrilling (loose) retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

Raine Stone was the sole survivor of a horrific creature while camping. Her account of the attack was attributed to shock, but Raine knows all too well that her story is true because now she carries that same Beast inside her! She’s been restraining its violent urges by letting it “feed” on the pain and chaos she’s exposed to as an ER nurse, and by playing vigilante against would-be muggers at night. But when Raine uses the Beast’s energy to heal a frail elderly gentleman from a seemingly random attack, she opens herself to a new world of danger—literally. Remington “Remy” Byrne knows that the wall between a realm of deadly mythic creatures and our own world is very thin; he’s the Warden who guards the gateways between them. He also rules the supernatural creatures living in secret among us. Raine’s Beast makes her an intruder on Remy’s territory, but the elderly gentleman she saved is Remy’s grandfather, and her Beast contains power that could tip the scales in a sinister plot against Remy’s rule—if Raine allies with him. Will they be friends or foes… or will the dangerous attraction between them turn into something else? And can our world be saved by their explosive alliance?

MY THOUGHTS

I loved Raine. She was kind, generous, and considerate, with a quiet inner strength. All of this was what made it possible for her to control the beast and to believe Remy when he convinced her that she needed him. Even though he did have some ulterior motives and she suspected that she couldn’t trust him completely. Her slightly naïve openness was in direct contrast with Remy’s more closed-off demeanour and his habit of only doling out information like sacred candies when he absolutely had to.

Since the story was entirely from Raine’s point of view, we had to infer a lot about Remy’s thoughts and feelings. I thought his feelings were fairly obvious, but Raine didn’t always interpret it the same way. Her fears about the beast were usually forefront in her mind and that clouded a lot of her interactions with Remy. He did turn out to be the possessive, protective MC we all needed. They worked well together. Mostly I liked that Raine finally found a place where she wasn’t the worst monster in the room anymore and was able to relax her constant vigilance. I also need to add that Remy’s magic was pretty darn impressive.

The story played out on Earth, with portals to fantastical realms, and included a plethora of fantasy creatures, some of which were new to me. I found the world-building interesting, with loads of new details. Some parts were described extremely well and others left me with some questions, but overall I found the world believing and I liked how everything was revealed to us through Raine’s experiences.

I can recommend this if you like fantasy romance with beasts, dragons, magic, and more. This is the first book in a new series. Raine’s story was resolved, but the book’s ending suggested that way more was on the way.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Were you hooked by that book? Let me know in the comments below.

Genre: Fantasy Romance
Published: May 26, 2026
Sensuality Rating: Warm
Series: Book 1 of Beautiful and Beastly