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

Discover the two original Beauty and the Beast fairytales, how the 1756 version shaped modern retellings and where to read both today.   Heads up: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. It’s no cost to you and I appreciate your support!   If you've spent any time with me, you know that I talk about Beauty and the Beast retellings… all the time… obsessively.   Have you ever wondered where Beauty and the Beast actually began and where you can read the original fairytales for yourself?   It's about time I shared a few ways to read the original tales yourself.   Beauty and the Beast by Warwick Goble The Two Original Beauty and the Beast Tales Let me clarify something right quick.  By "original" I mean, the first Beauty and the Beast fairytale written in France in 1740, and then the shortened version that most are familiar with written not long after in 1756.   Madame Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve wrote the first ...

If the Disney animated classic, Beauty and the Beast , is your jam, I already like you. First, a note:  A s an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. It’s no cost to you and I appreciate your support!   Disney's version of this fairytale classic has inspired so many authors and finding fun, modern riffs on Disney's BATB is absolutely enchanting.  I mean, I get it.  I was completely obsessed.  I knew the words to all of the songs and had the Belle and Beast dolls… as a teenager.  This is a no judgement zone. Beauty and the Beast caught my teenage attention, because Belle was different.  Belle didn't need to be rescued - she was the rescuer (of all the men) and definer of her own agency.  And of course, she liked to read. Belle from Disney's Beauty and the Beast A Quick Disney Script Breakdown (Why We Love Belle) Just to be sure we agree about how cool Belle is, let's recap the movie script right quick.  Let's pre...

Heads up: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. It’s no cost to you and I appreciate your support! Welcome, Friends, glad you're here! In this post we're exploring Beauty and the Beast movie retellings from beloved classics to hidden gems.  While researching this post, I even discovered a few adaptations I haven't seen yet, which sounds like the perfect excuse for a movie night.   Whether you're a longtime fairytale fan or simply looking for a movie recomendation, I bet you find something to pique your interest. Why Beauty and the Beast Stories Continue to Captivate Us First, let's explore why we are drawn to love affairs between a woman (or man) and a monster.  In traditional retellings, the notion of female empowerment where Beauty tames the Beast into a gentleman is attractive.   “I said: "He cannot be so bad if he loves roses so much." "But he is a Beast," said Father helplessly.  I saw that he was weakening, and wishing on...

Heads up:  As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.  It's no cost to you and I appreciate your support. Friends, I'm working to elevate my reading game - for Beauty and the Beast books, I want to take a closer look at the themes, tropes, archetypes, plot design, use of the BATB fairytale structure, et al.  I basically want to learn to read with a critical eye (in a good way - not to criticize). So, when I picked up M.J. Haag's  The Beasty Tales series, I gave it a go.  This was a great place to begin, turns out.  Ms. Haag has used the Beauty and the Beast structure to explore dark themes and push the boundaries of happily ever afters.   Let's dig in.   First, let me share that I enjoyed this BATB retelling.  It was fast-paced and a quick read - each book in the series is under 300 pages.  The story unfolds across the three books, so you can't stop with the first one, Depravity .  You've got to follow th...

The Beast's Bride (The Bluestocking War #1) by Eva Devon, writing as Maire Claremont The Beast's Bride is the first in a series called The Bluestocking War. Setting:  Regency era, England Genre:  Period Romance Beauty is a thrifty spinster fighting to manage a dwindling bank account to keep her family afloat and her sisters in society to make decent matches.  But... when she unwittingly snags the Ton's most eligible bachelor, the Beast, Duke of Blacktower, to a loose thread, well, we'll just have to see if these two duty-driven souls can loosen up enough to find their happily-ever-after. Spice:  I'm giving this a spice rating of 3 - steam with a few details (but steam in the sanctity of marriage, if that's important for you). No magic or magical realism in this sweet tale.  Beast is a gruff Duke with a rep.  Beauty is a smart, capable lady with a conniving father.  Themes I caught in this one - the power of wealth, seeing beyond one's pride, and capa...

Valentine’s Day is supposed to be all hearts and lace and chocolate‑dipped goodies… but let’s be real. Some of us prefer our romance with sharper edges.  Roses are lovely, sure — but a rose with thorns? Now we're talking. image by Ylantie Koppens via StockSnap I'm offering two tales that are edgier than the usual fairytale.  A little Beauty and the Beast -  a little paranormal chaos - a little “I might love you, but I also might bite you.” Welcome to Will You Be My Vampire?! — a Valentine’s mashup for fairytale fanatics who don't mind princes with emotional issues, heroines who take the lead and love stories just a touch feral.  This post brings you two books and two beasts that can make your V-day holiday just a little more interesting. But first, why vampires + Beauty and the Beast ? Why Vampires Fit the Beauty and the Beast Mold Like the Beast's tale, the romantic side of the vampire trope thrives on curses, isolation and inconvenient yearning.  Plus, the te...