Secret Beast

If you don't know this, Beauty and the Beast is my all time favorite stories. I always get so excited reading a new re-telling especially if it's a dark romance. Right out of the gate, I knew this was a book I would not be setting down. I’ve literally been reading it all day at work (shhhhhhh don't tell my boss), and I just couldn't tear my eyes from the pages! Leo Morelli is my favorite type of broken hero. He’s cruel, intense, and dangerous. Though, below all of that, he is someone who's hurt and who just wants to hurt others to feel better. Haley Constantine is such a sweet and genuine soul. She wants nothing but to keep her family safe and out of trouble. I'm loving this series so far, I can't see where things are going yet, but I can't wait to keep reading to see where Amelia takes us. I’m hungry for more and ready to dive into my ARC of book two! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5. it was an easy read. i didn’t feel super connected to the story but it was fine. but that cliffhanger at the end…

A dark and modern twist and retelling of beauty and the beast. I love when authors take a fairytale and reinvent it in a delicious and sometimes scandalous way. This book did exactly that. I read this book in recorded time (5 hours) and cannot wait for the second one to come out because it leaves you hanging! Haley's family doesn't live up to the Constantine namesake like the rest of them. They don't have money like the rest of them. Haley's father is an inventor trying to get his inventions off the ground. She comes home from college to find that her father has made a deal with the devil Leo Morelli or better known as the beast of bishop landing. There is a feud between the Constantine's and Morelli's that has gone back for a long time. When Haley goes to find her father to stop him from signing away his life, when Leo sees her he know that he can finally get some revenge for things that have a happened in the past. He strikes up a deal with Haley he gets her and her body for 30 days and in which time he can do whatever he wants. He agrees only to save her father from himself and her Aunt Caroline Constantine (she is absolutely despicable) but she doesn't really know what she hasn't gotten herself into. Can Leo learn to look through his past and accept what Haley is willing to give him or will he be lost forever?

Let me start off by saying that Amelia Wilde completely nailed this retelling of Beauty and The Beast. So much so that this may have stolen my top spot. The amount of correlations between the original and Secret Beast blew me away. There are so many details woven throughout this book that quickly remind you of the classic but in a new, modern way. I couldn’t help but fall in love with the nostalgia felt in these pages with every word I read. Leo Morelli is the type of broken you instantly wanna fix. It’s not hard to see that his bitter facade is held in place for much more than just villain appearance. Someone hurt him, the damage infiltrating him to his core, twisting his soul every day that he’s alive. Haley Constantine’s devotion to her father is so deep and genuine that she doesn’t hesitate to offer herself up to save him. She faces her deal head on and with shoulders held high, knowing that she is her family’s only saving grace. There’s a shared feeling of personal humiliation found within these two characters, separate from their relationship, and this factor of their character development really sealed the deal for me. It gives the story that extra layer of connection with a twist to this well known tale. It gets kinky and dirty, holding the perfect amount of filth to keep you hooked yet doesn’t over shadow the deeper feelings that are so clearly forming. Leo and Haley become so vulnerable with one another, it solidifies their bond to the point where uncertain death doesn’t even keep them apart. I enjoyed the hell outta this first book and I say first because even though it’s not openly advertised as a trilogy, it is. I didn’t realize a cliff hanger was coming until around 80%. That being said it shows that the story line was unpredictable. I’m not quite sure where this is going to go but I’m more than willing to continue the journey.

3.25 ☆