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

Please note:  As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Most Beauty and the Beast retellings are based in fantasy and magical in some way.  That's the nature of most fairytales.  In this update, I have three retellings for you with fun magical twists!  Plus, all three are currently available via Kindle Unlimited , which is an awesome way to access an seemingly endless supply of fairytale retellings. Enjoy! Roses in Amber is one of the first retellings I've read that makes great use of the original, original Beauty and the Beast fairytale , along with fun nods to Disney's version .  Beauty and her family retire to the countryside due to financial turmoil, just as in the original tales. She and her father venture back to the big city when they learn their fortunes may have turned and on the way back... that darned rose. But this time, Beauty picks the rose and the tale unfolds.  Beauty leads the story in this retelling with agency and growi...

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...

A great resource for those with a passion for fairy tale retellings?  Kindle Unlimited .  I found I was spending $3-5 for many of the quick reads I enjoy and most of them were Kindle Unlimited offerings.  The $10/month investment in Kindle Unlimited has been a savvy savings for us, as the hubs has made great use of it, too.  We both consume books at a fast clip, and most of the Unlimited books are self-published, affordable, quick reads, making it a good value for us.  A majority of the books I read for book club or catching up on my ever-growing wish list are not included on Unlimited, but that's ok.  When perusing a quick weekend paranormal mind-melt, it's a good bet. Currently, two of the books on the list below are included with  Kindle Unlimited . New Beauty and the Beast discoveries   Hunting the Beast:  A Beauty and the Beast Fairy Tale Retelling (Fairy Tales with a Bite Book 1)  by Anna Santos & May Freighter - ...