A Reader's Guide to Books and Reviews

Title: Beast: A Tale of Love and Revenge
Author: Lisa Jensen
Format: Epub
Rating: 1/5
Status: Didn't Finish
Reading Date: September 7, 2018
Book Summary: Filled with magic and fierce emotion, Lisa Jensen's multilayered novel will make you question all you think you know about beauty, beastliness, and happily ever after.

They say Château Beaumont is cursed. But servant-girl Lucie can’t believe such foolishness about handsome Jean-Loup Christian Henri LeNoir, Chevalier de Beaumont, master of the estate. But when the chevalier's cruelty is revealed, Lucie vows to see him suffer. A wisewoman grants her wish, with a spell that transforms Jean-Loup into monstrous-looking Beast, reflecting the monster he is inside. But Beast is nothing like the chevalier. Jean-Loup would never patiently tend his roses; Jean-Loup would never attempt poetry; Jean-Loup would never express remorse for the wrong done to Lucie. Gradually, Lucie realizes that Beast is an entirely different creature from the handsome chevalier, with a heart more human than Jean-Loup’s ever was. Lucie dares to hope that noble Beast has permanently replaced the cruel Jean-Loup — until an innocent beauty arrives at Beast’s château with the power to break the spell.
Book Review: To begin with this, please take note that there will be spoilers from here. I don't do the whole "beneath this cut is a spoiler". If you are going to go further, then you knew already that reviews contain spoilers and you are okay with them.

When I first saw this being listed as coming out soon, I was really excited. After all Beauty and the Beast was one of my favorite stories. Even when the blurb went up, I became more excited and thrilled that this would be out soon.

And like so many books of late, this will be added to books I cared little for the story and its main female and male characters. All other characters felt flat and one-dimensional.

This story falls Lucie whom is in need of a job and is given a chance at Château Beaumont. There is a rumor going around that the place is cursed but Lucie doesn't have time to believe such foolishness. She is doing her best to be remain invisible and not incur the wraith of Jean-Loup Christian Henri LeNoir. Then one night changes all that and Lucie vows to make Jean-Loup pay for what he has done.

The rape in this story is graphic and three pages long. Even worse we find that she has thoughts of suicide and even goes down to the river to drown herself because she finds herself pregnant. When she is pulled out of the river, an old woman named Mere Sophie gives her something that aborts the child in her womb.

When Jean-Loup is changed into the beast, Lucie starts to develop what seems to be Stockholm Syndrome and even falls in love with him.

Who the hell does that?

I get that she is pretty much left alone with him as he is beast form and she in candlestick (?) . And it is she whom pretty much interacts with him during this but at the same time how could one such as she forget the memory of what he has done to her? It doesn't matter if the beast is something different, it is still part of Jean-Loup regardless. I just did not get it. The whole thing seemed wrong.

The whole book made me cringe. My disappointment level on this book is unfathomable and I glad I was only borrowing this book from a friend. :/