Book Reviews

Book Blurb

The suspicious death of Dante Bartholomew’s wife changed him, especially in the eyes of the residents of St. Giles. They no longer see a successful businessman… only a monster they believe was involved. Dante’s horrific reputation eclipses the truth to the point that he sees no choice but to isolate himself and his heart.

 

The plan backfires when he meets counselor Beau Clarity and the children he works with. Beau and the kids see beyond the beastly reputation to the beautiful soul inside Dante, and Dante’s cold heart begins to thaw as they slip past his defenses. The warmth and hope Beau brings to Dante’s life help him see his entire existence—his trials and sorrows—in a brighter light.

 

But Dante’s secrets could rip happiness from their grasp… especially since someone isn’t above hurting those Dante has grown to love in order to bring him down.

 

Book Review

An interesting, contemporary take on 'Beauty and the Beast', this is the story of two lonely men who need to work through their own pasts, other people’s preconceptions, and more than one obstacle before they can have the relationship they both need. Dante is “the Beast”, a name he thinks he deserves due to his inner ugliness, rooted in guilt and his ruthless way of doing business. Beau is a newcomer to the village, a counselor who is not exactly handsome, but he is open-minded and ready to give Dante a chance.

Dante lives a withdrawn life and he is full of remorse about something he did. It is only slowly revealed what that is, but the villagers all seem to agree that it’s pretty horrific. Despite the fact that Dante owns a big company where a lot of them work, donates to local charities, and supports a major community center, they hate him. Nobody seems to realize that his servants and the children he begins to work with after meeting Beau respect and even adore him. Dante is almost a split personality in the way his behavior changes depending on the situation and who talks to him, and it was fascinating to watch how he began to become more conscious about what he was doing – and why – and to see him deal with it.

Beau is someone who looks deeper than the surface, and not just professionally. He is very good with children, honest, and curious. He works at the community center, helping people with substance-abuse issues and their traumatized children. Dante fascinates him from the beginning, but he is also unsure and maybe even a little afraid of the “beastly” side of a man he is somewhat attracted to. Beau decides to focus on his work, but since Dante is an important part of his plans for expansion, he can’t quite avoid contact. Not that he really wants to.

From the beginning it is clear that the mystery around what happened to make Dante a recluse is a key piece of the puzzle. His dealings as a businessman, local politics, and the actions of some very disgruntled villagers all lead to more issues than solutions. The situation comes to a head when someone takes action – much to Dante’s shock. It gives him and Beau an opportunity to decide what’s important, but it had me holding my breath in suspense. Between these intriguing main characters and a whole set of brilliant supporting secondaries, ‘Taming the Beast’ is a good mystery with lots of emotional moments and a much-deserved, hard-earned happy ending.

If you like your romances with a major dose of mystery and suspense, if you think a man drowning in guilt deserves a second chance, and if you’re looking for an intriguing read about multifaceted, complex characters and the problems they have to deal with, then you will probably like this novel. It’s a wonderful variation on ‘Beauty and the Beast', and peeking at the blurb of the next story in this series, it looks as though the theme of modern-day versions of ancient fairy tales will continue. I definitely approve!

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook, print and audio
Length	Novel, 200 pages/61523 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	13-October-2017
Price	$6.99 ebook, $14.99 paperback, $14.99 bundle, $19.95 audiobook
Buy Link	https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/taming-the-beast-by-andrew-grey-8936-b