Beauty of the Beast
by Rachel L. Demeter
Fairy Tale Retellings, #1
Publication Date: March 15, 2017
Genres: Historical Romance, Fairy Tale Retelling, Gothic Romance, Adult
🌹 Buy 🌹
🌹 Book Blurb 🌹
Experience the world’s most enchanting and timeless love story—retold with a dark and realistic twist. A BEAST LIVING IN THE SHADOW OF HIS PAST Reclusive and severely scarred Prince Adam Delacroix has remained hidden inside a secluded, decrepit castle ever since he witnessed his family’s brutal massacre. Cloaked in shadow, with only the lamentations of past ghosts for company, he has abandoned all hope, allowing the world to believe he died on that tragic eve twenty-five years ago. A BEAUTY IN PURSUIT OF A BETTER FUTURE Caught in a fierce snowstorm, beautiful and strong-willed Isabelle Rose seeks shelter at a castle—unaware that its beastly and disfigured master is much more than he appears to be. When he imprisons her gravely ill and blind father, she bravely offers herself in his place. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Stripped of his emotional defenses, Adam’s humanity reawakens as he encounters a kindred soul in Isabelle. Together they will wade through darkness and discover beauty and passion in the most unlikely of places. But when a monster from Isabelle’s former life threatens their new love, Demrov’s forgotten prince must emerge from his shadows and face the world once more… Perfect for fans of Beauty and the Beast and The Phantom of the Opera, Beauty of the Beast brings a familiar and well-loved fairy tale to life with a rich setting in the kingdom of Demrov and a captivating, Gothic voice. Beauty of the Beast is the first standalone installment in a series of classic fairy tales reimagined with a dark and realistic twist. Disclaimer: This is an edgy retelling of the classic fairy tale. Due to strong sexual content, profanity, and dark subject matter, including an instance of sexual assault committed by the villain, Beauty of the Beast is not intended for readers under the age of 18.
🎬 Book Trailer 🎬
🌹 EXCERPT 🌹
~
The East Tower ~
Arms
sprang out from the darkness. They spun her full circle and slammed
her body against the king’s portrait. Isabelle gasped, more in
shock than from pain, as she stared into Adam’s deformed face. The
lantern flickered behind his massive form, casting his cloaked body
in silhouette. But she saw enough to know he was far from pleased.
Rage and frustration radiated from his body like a palpable force.
“I
warned you to stay out of here,” he said, his voice dangerously
cold and deep. Those rugged vocals vibrated against her body and
seeped into her marrow. “What part of forbidden
didn’t you comprehend?” His voice lashed out from the darkness
like a hurtled knife, and the word “forbidden” seemed to whisper
another meaning altogether. Isabelle tried to answer but failed to
find her voice. Indeed, her vocal cords had turned to solid ice, as
numb and cold as the blood rushing through her veins. She couldn’t
breathe; she felt like she was suffocating.
“My
mother gave me that musical box on my fourth birthday,” he said,
the sensual lull of his voice causing the fine hairs on her nape to
stand erect. “And now your recklessness has destroyed it. Have you
nothing to say?”
“I—I’m
sorry.” He offered no reply; only the ragged sound of his breathing
and the hammering blizzard broke the silence. “Please—I didn’t
mean any harm.”
She
struggled under the weight of Adam’s colossal body and battled to
free herself. He merely gave a low chuckle and pressed her firmly
against the portrait. He looked otherworldly at that moment, like an
angel of death seeking vengeance. Both beautiful and monstrous, his
cool, sapphire eyes overflowed with warring emotions. In spite of his
harsh and ruthless exterior, she detected a quaver in his voice and
saw that his large, cloaked shoulders trembled. The darkness in his
soul cast a shadow that embraced her; as she peered up at him, she
knew he was drowning in the turbulent waters of a past time.
“What
a disappointment,” he went on, his voice growing deeper still,
mocking her words from so many days ago, “You’re like any other
woman.”
“I—I’m
sorry. Please, Adam. I—” Her gaze shot past his body and over the
wreckage of a past life. She thought of her private chamber again—of
the stale perfumes and outdated garments.
Her
flight or fight instinct seized hold of her. She attempted to
scramble free, but he merely grabbed her shoulder and whirled her
back against the portrait. Gloves wrapped his hands; his long,
silk-clad fingers grasped her shoulder and kept her firmly in place.
He
stood intimately close.
Far
too close.
As
close as Raphael had been that night.
“Going
somewhere, ma
belle?
After you’ve worked so hard to find my East Tower?”
Hands
like two steel bands held her wrists in place. Hot breaths, which
faintly smelled of wine, seared her cheeks and assaulted her senses.
Her breasts flattened against the pressure of his strong chest, and
she felt that same chest swell and deflate in perfect sync with her
own. One large hand slipped down her elbow and glided across her
extended arm. The lush material of his gloves drew a shudder from her
heaving chest. His breathing grew more ragged, shallower, and the
erratic beat of his heart banged against her own.
Anger
and desire warred on his face, twisting his features into a mess of
both monster and man. “Find anything of interest, aside from my
musical box? Come, come. You went through such great trouble to get
here,” he asked, his voice now threaded with both anger and
something
else.
Yes,
Isabelle recognized that something else. It was the same note that
had entered Raphael’s voice that night…
She
attempted to duck under his arm, but he moved swiftly, capturing her
in the crook of his elbow. Reeling her toward him, he emitted a low,
haunting chuckle that swelled the eastern tower to its rafters. She
was back where she’d started—pinned against the portrait, Adam’s
body serving as a flesh-and-blood blockade.
Hunger
radiated from him, enfolding her in a current of sizzling power. His
silk-clad hand grazed the curve of her breast as it moved down her
body in a painfully slow caress. Even more alarming was her reaction
to him. Her treacherous body responded with a crush of hot and cold
pulsating waves. Then he whispered a taunt in her ear, and his liquid
baritone slid down her backbone like honey; it swirled inside her,
finding its home in her most intimate area.
He
leaned closer still. His face’s uneven skin brushed against her
neck, the black waves of his hair tickled her chin... His thick
arousal expanded against her, reminding her of what he was capable
of—and of her sheer vulnerability.
His
lips teased the base of her throat. Cursing her traitorous body,
Isabelle gasped at the gentle scraping of his teeth. His tongue and
lips tormented her throbbing pulse—just barely, stirring her skin
in a mere ghost of a touch.
🌹 Meet the Author 🌹
🌹 Enter the Giveaway 🌹
Hosted by
No comments:
Post a Comment