When Beauty Tamed the Beast audiobook

This was fun!

Beauty and the Beast if the Beast was House M.D., and Beauty was hilariously snarky. I totally loved this!Even better than this retelling. It was a close race."Beauty" is Linnet. She gets ruined by a prince because she wears an unfortunate dress that makes her look preggers. It doesn't matter if it's true or not, according to the ton, she is done. Her only choice is to marry a Duke, who is a brilliant doctor, and is nicknamed the Beast. He is supposedly impotent, so her fake little princely bun in the oven is her ticket to a nice sham of a marriage. It's perfect!It sure helps."Beast" is Piers. He's hilariously grouchy and brilliant and an asshole. His caustic, condescending manner makes people cower before him.But, he meets his match with Linnet. She can dish it out just as well as him, and she's not scared in the least bit. Sébastien brought Linnet over. “I thought perhaps you didn’t notice that your fiancée had entered the room.” “Good evening, fiancée.” “Beelzebub,” she said, inclining her head. Linnet feels completely comfortable with Piers because she knows that he is impotent, so she doesn't have to worry about him trying any funny business. She goes swimming with him, and it's just a good thing that this girl is as innocent and clueless as she is because, if not, the jig would be up. ahem. “You know?" She glanced at him, and a little flare of color rose in her cheeks."What?" He said, rearranging himself discreetly and then rewrapping the towel more tightly."You're going to laugh, being a doctor and all, but my mother said something once...""What?" "She told me once that men hung.""Hung?" he repeated. "Hung," she said giggling again. "In front. You don't hang, do you" She waved a hand in the general vicinity of his waist. "You don't mind me saying, that, do you? I formed this disgusting vision of--of a hanging thing and--well, you don't hang at all. You stand straight up."He burst out laughing."I know," she said laughing too. "I'm a fool." Well. okay then.anyway.Piers has no intention of marrying Linnet, even though they are perfect for each other. That seems to be a theme in this series so far, so it looks like our HEA may not happen. But, hey, it IS a fairy tale. "If I were to marry anyone, Linnet, it would be you.""I always knew these breasts would come in handy," she said with satisfaction. (It's not like they are comfortable to own or house. They gotta give us something back for our troubles, right girls?)The humor in this book is awesome! I LOVED this couple because they were perfect for each other. Beast is the best beast in any retelling ever. He was hilarious. The banter between them was great. And, again, the side characters were so good that I'm going to look for the half-book novellas that have their stories. All in all - totally fun.

*4.5 stars* Tortured male MC based off of Dr. House, snarky banter, and a slow-burn love story?I adored When Beauty Tamed the Beast, which was just what the doctor (ha!) ordered right now. It was my first read by the talented Eloisa James, and I think I started off with the right one. I loved the loose interpretation of a "Beauty and the Beast" retelling, especially since the beauty character had even more brains than beauty. Linnet was relatable, charming, and hear me out, probably on the demisexuality spectrum. I loved how she used her beauty to disarm people, but it was truly her wit and charm and made her special. Piers was beastly and snarky and I loved it. I have a thing for sarcastic MCs and male MCs who are broody and damaged, and Piers was it. I was rooting for him to get his head out of his ass for the whole book, and I loved his raw sexuality and straightforward nature. The whole book was great, even if the middle got a bit slow. However, the emotional, stellar last few chapters will keep you up reading until late into the night. Trust me. I enjoyed all of the secondary characters, the medical content, and the pacing. Eloisa James, this one is a hit.goodreads|instagram|twitter|blog

My goal was to read as many Beauty and Beast retellings as possible before I went to see the new movie. However, with all the book club reads and personal reads I was able to only read two. I read Beauty by Robin McKinley and this book. I looked up available Beauty and the Beast stories at the my library and this book popped up, so I thought, "why not?!"This book was nothing like the original story of Beauty and the Beast. Miss Linnet Berry Thrynne is beautiful, so she is called beauty every once in a while. However, rumors start that she is pregnant with the prince's baby so she becomes an unwanted woman. Her father agrees to have her married off to Piers Yelverton. Piers Yelverton, Earl of Marchant, lives in a castle in Wales that is turned into a hospital; he is a doctor. He has a bad temper and he has a severe wound to his leg that has left him as a "beast." Piers doesn't want a wife and is not interested in Linnet, but as time carries on his perspective on her changes. Do they fall in love? You will have to read to find out!Like I said earlier, this book is nothing like Beauty and the Beast. It does not follow its plot or style at all; however, this was a fantastic book in all other ways and kept me very interested.

5 stars – Historical RomanceAfter reading three books by Eloisa James that left me less than wowed, I was wary about reading another one. But the premise for this sounded great and all the rave reviews convinced me to give it a try. Boy oh boy, I’m so glad that I did because it’s fabulous...and yes, it wowed me! I loved it!Sarcastic, snarky humor, witty banter, and snappy dialogue? Check!A feisty, funny, intelligent, lovable heroine with razor-sharp wit who gives just as good as she gets? Check!A crass, crotchety, cranky, self-centered, borderline mean, disabled, brilliant doctor hero who somehow manages to be likeable, amusing, and even sexy, despite his insufferably rude, general pain in the ass demeanor? Check! A refreshing, unusual storyline, even though it’s a retelling of a class fairytale and borrows from the TV show House M.D.? Check! Satisfying secondary characters? Check!Nice, unique setting? Check! (The scenes in the “pool” and guardhouse were sensual and steamy!)Some sad, touching moments that manage to avoid spiraling into melodramatic angst? Check!Great epilogue? Check!An overall keeper? Check!The book that finally made me an Eloisa James fan? Check!

✨AHHHHHHHHHHHH✨THIS WAS SO GOOD BUTTERCUP AND WESLEY VIBESI WAS CLUTCHING MY PEARLS. IF YOU DON’T HAVE PEARLS, AQUIRE PEARLS IN WHICH TO CLUTCHTHE BANTERTHE SICK SCENETHE PININGAHHHAHHHHHHAHHHHHHHHTHE EPILOGUEWHY WAS THIS SO CUTE I WASN’T PREPARED I was never annoyed by her beauty; Linnet was such a great character. She never annoyed me how could she she was FABULOUS. YES QUEEN OWN THAT BEAUTY. MAKE THE MAN SUFFER. DRAG HIM THROUGH THE COALS. KISS IT BETTER. DO. IT. AGAIN. PIERS. The humor. The irritability. The denial. The reckoning. The caring. The penis. The two were PERFECT for each other. I couldn’t have imagined a better couple if I tried. Favorite Beauty and the Beast retelling EVER. The supporting characters were amazing. It was just so fun. And touching. I’ve been touched! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 🌶🌶🌶.25/5“Oh good.” Piers said. “I’m ferociously competitive. I think I told you that before.”“He probably liked to laugh,” the earl said. It was the first nice thing he’d said to her. You should read the book so these quotes make sense and steal your heart.

I love love love this book. It is classic Eloisa James...fun and funny, and emotional and wonderful all at the same time. Could well be my favorite of all her books!

★★★★½ (This is a review of the audiobook.) I loved this one, narrated by Susan Duerden, who does an excellent job. I’ll be looking for more of her work. She is so good with the male (not easy) and female voices and the accents, regardless of the country or the social class. Ms. Duerden is very good at making me forget the book is even being narrated, instead drawing me into the story.Speaking of the story…granted, there are a few things for which I really should mark off on my star rating; however, I just couldn’t because it was such a joy to listen to. In the opening, the plotting and rationalizations by the heroine’s father and aunt were almost too ridiculous for me to get over. I was rolling my eyes. All they had to do was dress Linnet, the heroine, in a form-fitting outfit and the rumors would be reduced by half. (view spoiler)[The whole go to the prince or a brothel and get pregnant tonight? When she is supposed to be five months along? Huh? (hide spoiler)] The author also throws in some modern day expressions, such as “What happens in Wales, stays in Wales” and “It’s not me, it’s you. No, it’s not you, it’s me…” Ms. James even admits in the author’s note that the hero was inspired by the irascible doctor on TV’s House.Still, the upshot of it all was just too tongue-in-cheek to resist; I found myself laughing, smiling, and enjoying the tale – a lot!Plus, I really adored the way the heroine handled the hero, Piers, without resorting to snipping; Linnet used charm, wit, and inner beauty to tame her beast.Fairy Tales Series ["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>

Sweet book I liked the characters the girl had a sense of humor and the guy was just so bluntly mean it was funny. It didnt really have much to do with beauty and the beast which was what I was looking forward to but still I enjoyed it

I am re-reading all my 5 star rated romance novels. There are 60 on my shelf. This is book 9. (Tropes: Tortured Hero (limp), Arranged Marriage, Enemies to Lovers, Starched (hero) gets Unstarched, Fairytale Retelling (Beauty and the Beast), Fake Relationship) This is how my 9th re-read held up.The male character of this book is based on Gregory House M.D. Snarky, bitter, mocking, moody, cranky, cynical, antagonistic, and with a complete disregard for social rules.WHAT’S NOT TO LOVE?????????**********- “A barking-mad doctor—that’s me—and a wickedly conniving beauty—that’s you—limping along together in a lifetime of happiness? I hardly think so. You’ve been reading too many fairy stories.”**********Linnet finds herself, by an unfortunate misunderstanding, shunned by polite society. The solution is to ship her off to Wales to marry the son of her father’s friend. - “He hasn’t got what it takes,” her aunt clarified. “He hasn’t?” Sundon asked blankly. “Minus a digit,” Zenobia added. “A finger?” Linnet ventured. “For goodness’ sake,” Zenobia said, licking a bit of honey off one finger. “I always have to spell everything out in this house. The man suffered an accident as a young man. He walks with a cane. And that accident left him impotent, to call a stone a stone. No heir now, and none in the future either.”- “The man’s got a terrible temper. Brilliant doctor—or so everyone says—but the temper of a fiend.”He’s all charms the first time they meet. - “You can count to three,” he said approvingly. “That bodes well for our offspring.”- “I suppose you think I’ll fall in love with you,” he said. “Quite likely.” “How long do you give yourself?” He sounded genuinely curious. “Two weeks at the outside.” And then she did give him the smile—dimples, charm, sensuality and all.He didn’t even blink. “Was that the best you’ve got?”Liar, liar, pants on fire!- She smiled, not that full-blown dimpled miracle that she used to manipulate the poor sods who fell under her spell, but a small, almost secret, smile. Just a curl of her lips and a smile deep in her eyes. “Right,” he said, pushing back from the table. “We haven’t had our second course yet—” “Patients dying upstairs, you know.” And with that he took himself off. He was losing his head, sitting there looking at her eyes.She doesn’t only hold her own against him, she gets him.- “No need to keep beating that particular dead horse.” “Yes, why bother, when your son can have fun doing it for you?” Linnet said. “Are you always this sarcastic?” Piers actually looked rather startled. “No. I’m a very nice young lady,” Linnet said. “You bring out the worst in me, however.”- “You must forgive your father because anger is destructive, and it makes you a worse doctor.”“Actually, it makes me a better doctor. I’m more likely to notice when people are lying to me, and believe me, there’s no one people lie to more than a doctor.” “Wrong,” she said. “Spouses win.” He gave a crack of laughter.- It wasn’t the flirtation, but the similarity to himself that intoxicated him. In her own way she was a female version of him: dislikable. Too beautiful, too intelligent, too sharp-tongued.(ok, she is blonde in the book, but play along please)- Sébastien brought Linnet over. “I thought perhaps you didn’t notice that your fiancée had entered the room.” “Good evening, fiancée.” “Beelzebub,” she said, inclining her head. There was a secret smile in her eyes.Resistance is futile on both accounts. - He held out his cane toward her. “Will you take that for me?” She stepped forward and took the end of it, whereupon he jerked backward, reeling her in like a fish on a line. Linnet fell on top of him in a fluttering soft bundle of sweet-scented womanhood. Piers’s arms tightened. “Damn, you smell good.”Of course the emotionally immature one backtracks. - “I must go.” He seemed suddenly irritated, as if he were blaming her for something. She caught his arm. “What’s the matter?” “Nothing.” “We were having a perfectly good time a moment ago, and now you’re stiff and unfriendly.” He turned around with a little snarl. “A man never likes it when he almost loses his head over a woman.”- “I’ve never bothered to love anyone,” Piers said. Linnet was laughing. Diamonds shone in her ears, twinkled at her throat. She looked like a fairy princess, someone created by a magic wand. “That’s true enough. You never bothered. And you’re not bothering now, are you? Even though your father wrapped her up like a present and dropped her in your lap.” Piers flinched, and Sébastien let out a crack of laughter. “So that’s why. You can’t contemplate Linnet because your father chose her. And you’re too busy hating your father for his past sins to admit that he found the right woman for you.”- “You don’t want to admit to loving me because that would mean you have to take responsibility for being miserable—or in this case, not being miserable,” she said, raising her chin and staring back at him.- “I don’t mind being a fool for you,” she said. “I love you.”Unfortunately, a pesky epidemic (scarlet fever) interrupts their happy ending, and it looks pretty bleak for a while. But it also brings clarity.- “She’s like my other half,” Piers said savagely, keeping his head down. “My other bloody half, like some sort of joke that Plato made up. Like nothing I ever wanted, and then, there she was.”(So let’s embrace epidemics going forward mkay?)**********(yeah, I might have a thing for G House…what gave it away?)

3.75 Strawberry StarsNothing good ever comes from kissing princes, well at least not for Linnet. It has already been decided that she is a light skirt and harlot who gave herself the Prince. It doesn’t matter that she didn’t and it surely doesn’t matter that she isn’t carrying a child by him. The Ton has decided that she is just like her mother and is a wanton harlot. “God Almighty, your ruined, and you didn't even eat the gingerbread.” I like Linnet, she is a beautiful woman who might look naughty but that doesn’t mean that she is. She didn’t really even like kissing the Prince but now she will forever be ruined. Good thing her father and medaling aunt have a plan to save her from spinsterhood. She shall marry someone who can’t have an heir of his own and would be grateful to take on a pregnant beauty who has a royal run in the oven. “I do believe that his given name is something odd. Peregrine, Penrose- Piers, that's it.""He sounds like a dock." Lord Sundron put in."Mrs. Hutchins called me a light frigate this morning," Linnet said "a dock might be just the thing for me.” So I would maybe not like this little deception except Linnet is really pretty cute about it. She figures that she can meet the Duke she has been picked to marry and let him fall in love with her and then just explain about the entire misunderstanding and lacking baby.Piers is really an 18th century House. He knows everything about medicine and everyone else of the time is simply barbaric using leaches and bloodletting as sure saves for fevers still. He even has a set of students following him around his house trying to learn all there is to know about medicine from him. He has a leg wound that hurts all the time and gives him a limp. He is a bully and a terror and Linnet isn’t going to let him push her around.This is a pretty cute tale. Peirs never wanted to care for anyone and Linnet has always been fawned over for her beauty alone. She is enjoying that her patented smile that has to this point turned most men’s knees to jelly doesn’t work at all on Peirs. He is enjoying that she can throw words around just as well as he can and never backs down in the face of his bad moods.It is a very loose interpretation of Beauty and the Beast, but still a good one. I did like that it was true to the history of medicine in that time and that the Beast wasn’t actually beastly looking but more that he behaved like one instead. The banter between Peir and Linnet was really quite fun and I loved how they teased each other relentlessly at times.Totally a cute historical fiction romance.

Totally wanted to hate this book, and I ended up really liking it! Basically combine the most perfect woman ever with a cranky House-like Duke and you have this book. That pitch alone made me NOT read it for a while, the heroine is described is SUCH DETAIL about how pretty and perfect she is, so I was even more impressed when you dove into the book how likable she became. And once I got over hearing House in my ear with the hero, I really loved his character. Def a Historical stand-alone that's worth a pick up!

This was a beautifully complex but also simple and sweet, seductive historical. Delightful banter, excellent characters, and a fun twist on the classic fairy tale.

5 STARS!! "You will never love anyone but me." Piers and Linnet were all kinds of farcical bantering fun! I devoured their story and would definitely reread it again in the future. This one solidifies Eloisa James as the master of witty grumpy/sunshine dialogue.😍😍 So glad I saw your review, Angie!