This was not an easy book to give a rating for. There was a part of me that absolutely loved this book and wanted to give it a five, and there was a part that wanted to give it a 1, so I've settled in the middle with a 3. Let me explain why.
If you read this book as a modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast (which incidentally is one of my favourite fairy tales) then it can stand at a five so easily. The sex scenes were written well, and there was no denying the passion and connection between Aleksandr and Anabelle. Gabriel was the ultimate villain and the amount I hated him was exactly as I dream the author would have wanted. And that scene in the elevator - just wow!
But there were so many incidents and times that I couldn't read this as a fairytale - even a modern retelling of it. Anabelle was in an abusive relationship. There is no way around that fact. A man who holds her in his home and refuses to let her leave, well, that's kidnapping. Add in a 'relationship' to the factor then it's a form of domestic abuse. Anabelle was a strong woman, but again and again she blamed herself for Aleksandr's issues. She would cry, wonder what she could have done differently to make him love her, stop him from having a wandering eye, let alone the fact that she openly doesn't trust him, but she never made a move to leave believing that she couldn't, that she didn't have the freedom to do so. It just screams of a man with dominance over her and of it being an abusive relationship. And for that reason I couldn't stand Aleksandr as a character. At all. As a character he did nothing to enamour me to him as a reader.
Until the last thirty or so pages. It was then that I began to see redeeming characteristics to Aleksandr, and I was so glad for the change! I ended up liking Aleksandr by the end of the book, and yes, I know that the Beast in Beauty and the Beast wasn't overly likeable at first, but in Beauty and the Beast there is a gradual change to the Beast because of Belle. And in the fairytale his goodness shows much earlier than it did here. It would have been so nice to see glimpses of Aleksandr's goodness before he had his epiphany with Sirena, and yes, they were there, such as looking after Anabelle, but it was written in a way it didn't feel like it was done from a place of goodness, but rather from a place of sheer possessiveness and a desire to dominate Anabelle in every way.
It was a good read, and I did ultimately enjoy the book, but it did take me a little while to get there.
3/5
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Top reviews from other countries
Janice
Shockingly Good!
Reviewed in Canada on 4 June 2017Verified Purchase
AFS15
Beautiful spin on fairy tales
Reviewed in the United States on 28 March 2017Verified Purchase
AlinaK
I love modern retellings of fairytales and Beauty and the Beast ...
Reviewed in the United States on 22 March 2018Verified Purchase
Susan
Steamy Fairy Tale
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Kimberley Linstruth-Beckom
Loved it!
Reviewed in the United States on 3 June 2017Verified Purchase
