4 Beauty and the Beast Fairytales by Best Selling Period Romance Authors

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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 cover of many bodice-rippers.  We had a customer base of ladies that came into the bookstore on the appointed day to purchase their stack of Harlequin Regency Romances with a few Avon Books titles thrown in.

Beauty and the Beast Tales by Top Selling Historical Romance Authors

Plenty of authors have been inspired by Beauty and her Beast, including favorite, best-selling authors of traditional, historical romances.  Here are four you might enjoy:


Beast by Judith Ivory tells the story of an American heiress who agrees to marry the Beast, a French aristocrat hideously scarred by a childhood illness. But Beast is also a rake and a sneak, and seduces her as a fellow traveler during the journey from America to France. She falls in love with her unknown seducer and drama ensues.


When Beauty Tamed the Beast by Eloisa James is set in Regency England with a grumpy Beast who has a lame leg and is a smarty pants doctor.  Beauty is a fiesty lady who finds herself in a social scrape. Fun fact:  the Beast character is based on the MC of the TV show House.


If you Deceive (The MacCarrick Brothers Book 3) by Kresley Cole features a favorite trope of mine - alpha-male Highlanders. The Beast in this story has been unjustly beaten and scarred and is out for vengeance. He's beggared his enemy and is launching the final step of revenge… but dang it, falls in love with his nemesis' lovely daughter.  


The Bride and the Beast by Theresa Medeiros is set in 18th century Scotland. A practical-minded, outspoken Beauty is staked out as a sacrifice for the local dragon... who's not really a dragon.



If you enjoy a more traditional, period romance, I think you'll enjoy these four tried-and-true authors.

If you're interested in a variety of Beauty and the Beast tales, check out this post highlighting contemporary, dsytopian, Amish, and a Phantom of the Opera mash-up.  Variety is the spice of life after all.

Cheers!

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