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

I read a lot in 2024 - just five shy of 100 books according to my Goodreads profile .  I've realized I don't love reading goals - they muck with the quality of what I'm reading.  Sometimes a quick and easy book is just the thing; sometimes I'm eager for a 1,000 page tome.  I'm an achiever by nature and if a goal is set, I'll strive towards it.  But reading is a passion and I don't want to muck with that, so I'm skipping a reading goal in 2025. All in all, it was a great reading year with some really excellent books.  I discovered Kate Quinn with  The Rose Code .  I enjoyed Violet and Xaden's dramatic fling in Fourth Wing and Iron Flame , and I re-read the first five of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series .  Gabriel de León in Empire of the Damned is one of my favorite not-so-heroes.  And both the Ilona Andrews Clean Sweep series and Spellslinger series by Sebastien de Castell were super fun.  What about Bride by Ali Hazelwood and ...

Beauty and the Beast inspired tales and fairy tale retellings for the young adult audience are in abundance, and that's great, because we all need a touch of  BATB magic in our lives. 5 Beauty and the Beast Books for Young Adults with a New Angle Here are 5 Beauty and the Beast inspired young adult books that offer a new angle.  Let's read something, shall we? Hunted by Meagan Spooner Hunted is highly rated, and not just among Beauty and the Beast enthusiasts.  In this BATB -inspired tale, Beauty is a hunter who sets off to find her missing father in a cold, wintry setting.  What she finds are fantastical beasts and a Beast in need of rescue.  It's a beautifully written tale and perfect for young adult audiences. Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast  by Robin McKinley Robin McKinley is one of my favorite authors.  I just love her style.  McKinley's Beauty was one of the early BATB  retellings, published in 1978, long...

As I mentioned in the  reading list for 2020 post , I'm endeavoring to change up my go-to genres for reading in general.  I've taken that to heart and added a bit of variety for the retellings read over the 2020 winter months.  A contemporary romance, sci-fi rendition, and an Amish retelling made the list this season. Of Beast & Beauty  by Stacey Jay - A dystopian, sci-fi-esque, young-adult retelling with a moral undertone encouraging acceptance of differences. Belle:  An Amish Retelling of Beauty and the Beast (An Amish Fairytale Book 1)  by Sarah Price - A sweet, clean romance between a disfigured recluse and a heart-strong Belle. Beauty & the Billionaire:  A Dirty Fairy Tale (Dirty Fairy Tales Book 1)  by Lauren Landish - A racy BATB-esque story. Masque (Two Monarchies Sequence Book 5)  by W.R. Gingell - A delightful read about a smart, savvy protagonist set in an environment evoking the Victorian era. 💖 Beauty and the Phanto...