The Borrowed Rose: Beauty and the Beast Book Recommendations and Retellings

Who knew that Beauty and the Beast  would meet smutty mafia romances and become a thing? But of course it is! I picked up a Beauty and the Beast -themed mafia romance the other weekend on a whim.  Mafia romances are not a genre I typically enjoy, especially not the dark variety.  Yet on a lark, I read Beautiful Beast (Perfectly Imperfect: Mafia Legacy #1) by Neva Altaj about a hacker and her scarred, obsessed mobster boss who hides her clothes so she'll wear his.  (Ummhmm... Aren't weekends perfect for a fast, fun read?) It was indeed fun, fast-paced and cute, so I read the second in the series:  Broken Whispers  (Perfectly Imperfect #2)  by the same author about an arranged marriage between a mute ballerina and her scarred husband.  And you can guess what happened next - I read another one. The Mafia Romance Trope So then I got curious as to when mafia romances became a trope.  It's not a theme I remember selling much of working at a bookst...

This is not a fairytale post - at least not yet*…   “A life without books is a life not lived, Dior. There’s a magik like no other to be found in them. To open a book is to open a door—to another place, another time, another mind. And usually, mademoiselle, it’s a mind far sharper than your own.” ― Jay Kristoff, Empire of the Damned I just finished Empire of the Damned , book 2 in the Empire of the Vampire series by Jay Kristoff , and I loved it! Empire of the Vampire series by Jay Kristoff Warning - it's a cliffhanger!  And while I'm not irritated by that, I'm anxious to find out what shenanigans Gabriel de León and his band of misfits will pull off.  I anticipated the ending, but wasn't disappointed in any way.  I loved the dual points-of-view throughout and the dynamic layers within the final scenes. Kristoff's style is grimdark, gothic and edgy; his use of language profuse and lovely.  His writing reminds me of what baroque might look like as a writi...

Beauty and the Beast has been around for a looonng time - evolving from variations of Cupid & Psyche from the 2nd century AD.  What about the werewolf trope?  It was myth and folklore long before it was a paranormal trope today.  Early writings about lycanthropy popped up early in the 1st century AD and then later in the 1100-1200s.  Dealing with werewolves was concern enough in medieval Europe to write about it.   Both mythologies involve the animal nature of man - whether good or evil, whether to embrace or to tame.  The original Beauty and the Beast used a similar animal magnetism to demonstrate how young women can claim their own agency to tame the beast in a coming of age experience. It's not surprising then, to see these two mythologies cross over from time to time.  Jerry Griswold comments in his fun Beauty and the Beast commentary,  The Meanings of "Beauty and the Beast:" A Handbook , that "in a hyper-civilized society like ou...

I see you there.  I think you love Beauty and the Beast tales just as much as I do.  They are fun, challenge the status quo, and scratch that inner call-of-the-wild itch we don't want to admit.   I read an interesting book that well articulated why I appreciate a Beauty and the Beast story over other selections.  Why I gravitate towards a werewolf or shifter romance for an easy weekend read. Hey you!  I'm not the only one!  Beauty and the Beast is a tale as old as time (see what I did there), showing up throughout the ages in various forms and myths.  The oldest version is likely " Cupid and Psyche " from the second century AD.  "The Woman Who Married a Snake" was another early version in Indian culture, shared orally and finally appearing in print in 500 AD (p 15).  Each age and culture has it's version of Beauty and her Beast.  And it turns out we love it just as much in today's culture. In The Meanings of "Beauty & the Bea...

I've been thinking about this list for a while and having trouble making a commitment. As I reflect on the books I read in 2023, there are no titles that continued to visit me throughout the year - you know, those stories and characters that pop into your mind at random times or that you find yourself mulling over when you first wake up.  Sometimes I even think, how would "so-and-so" character handle this situation.  Oh, you don't do that?  That's weird. Even so, I read some great books in 2023. tea & books are always a good idea; image by Wallace Chuck via Pexels Favorite Books of 2023 (in no particular order) As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone An interesting and lovely way to write a sci fi novel.  I loved the style and the story.  This is probably my favorite of the year. The Last Queen by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni The Last Queen was a historical imagining of th...

When I think of Beauty and the Beast tales, fantastical, magical settings come to mind.  I mean, in the original yarn by Madame Barbot de Villeneuve , Beauty was attended by birds and monkeys dressed in elegant attire, Beast and Beauty cavorted in nighttime dreams and Beast's mom was a cousin of Xena the Warrior Princess (not really, but could have been).  It certainly was not a proper Disney setting. Beauty and the Beast by Walter Crane While I enjoy an imaginative fantasy setting, it's fun to encounter a retelling of this favorite fairy tale as a different genre.  I've been reading romances for a long time, and worked in a bookstore in high school and college.  While I was mostly enamored of the sci fi / fantasy section of the store, I did enjoy a dalliance in the romance section to check out the new romance covers.   Those were the days when Harlequin Romances were issued monthly on a set schedule and Fabio with his long flowing locks graced the cove...