Beauty's Beast by Amanda Ashley

Beauty's Beast by Amanda Ashley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Beauty's Beast is Beauty and the Beast meets The Phantom of the Opera. Kristine, condemned for murder, escapes the executioner's blade when the cursed lord of Hawksbridge Castle buys her to be his bride.

I've been looking forward to this book ever since I read a sneak peek. I'm a fan of anything B&tB and this tale didn't disappoint. The plot was interesting and stayed true to the classic tale. Even so, I found parts of it to be unpredictable. There was a part in the book that reminded me of Maiden's Song, but the plot twisted from there. One thing that frustrates me is I can't remember the name of the book I read that begins the same way with the condemned heroine. They cut her hair off, too. I wish I could remember the title, but it continues to elude me.

I recommend this book if you love Beauty and the Beast and/or The Phantom of the Opera. Another good read from Ms. Ashley!




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Stormy Persuasion by Johanna Lindsey

Stormy Persuasion by Johanna Lindsey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed reading another book from the Malory series. I sometimes had a hard time remembering extended family members from previous books. A family tree would have come in handy. I had a little difficulty focusing on the romance between the main characters, due to a vast number of characters in the story. It left me looking forward to the next novel in the series, which I'm guessing will be Jack Malory's story. I'm left wondering what really happened to her during her ordeal? Hopefully, the next book will elaborate more on it. I recommend this one if you love the Malory's. There's plenty of James and Anthony, but not enough Jeremy.

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Love Story vs. Romance

What is the difference between a romance and a love story?  I had to do a little research to answer this question.  The biggest difference would be a romance is expected to have a happy ending.  A love story has more options for the ending.  Even though I love reading romance, I decided to go with a love story for The Whisperer of Storms.  It allows many possibilities in addition to decreasing predictability.  Plus, it omits the expectation of a love scene.  I have no qualms about writing a love scene, but I do with publishing one. Would I want my parents or my children to read those scenes?  No!  Therefore, what goes on behind closed doors is going to remain there.  I'll leave it up to the reader's imagination.  I had to make a few more changes with moving away from romance, which included stripping a few fellows of their titles and replacing the word ton, which referred to London's fashionable society.  With weighing the options, I do believe a love story is the right fit for my novel.        

Speaking of which, I've completed the first draft of The Whisperer of Storms!  Now, I'm in the process of revising.  It's not as fun as creating scenes, but I do enjoy improving them.

Enjoy the summer!

Veronica    

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