Review by Kaylyn: Beast by Allison Cassatta and Tracey Michael

Title: Beast

Author: Allison Cassatta and Tracey Michael

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Rating: 5/5

Blurb:

Ara Costas has it all—riches, power, and the kind of beauty that attracts all the right people. He’s flying high and loves his life, until a serious car accident leaves him horribly scarred. Ara becomes an angry recluse, hiding away in his Chicago high-rise apartment, running his multimillion-dollar business from behind a computer screen.

Ilias Adams is a quiet farm boy who keeps his nose buried in books. A great education and stellar resume land him a job as Ara's assistant and liaison to the board of directors. Little did he know when he signed up for this dream job that he’d end up working for the world's moodiest, most uptight boss.

Ilias is scared of Ara at times, but he recognizes the challenge he faces when he meets Ara and sees the reason for the man’s anger. Ara is guarded and suspicious, since he can’t believe anyone can bear to look at him. Despite all this, Ilias is determined to turn the beast into a beauty again, at least on the inside, and tear down the walls Ara has so carefully constructed around him.

Review:

This story is a classic fairytale but with a fresh modern twist. In fact Beast is probably the best remake of Beauty and the Beast that I have ever read. It pulls on your heart strings and you can’t help but cheer on Ara and Illias.

Ara is a very deep character. I felt sorry for him, when he wasn’t being a dick. He was so mad at the world, that he made himself into a beautiful beast. After his accident the outside reflected the beast within. After years of being a recluse, Illais walked into his life and slowly helped him live again. I thought it was beautiful that once he admitted to himself that he wasn’t a monster, the scars that he thought ruined his life faded into almost nothing.

Illais is such a sweetie and took a lot crap from Ara. I think my favorite part about him was that he worked so hard to make Ara happy even though he was such an ass to him. It was like he knew there was an amazing man underneath the grouchy exterior. I loved how he treated Ms. Sprigs.

I will admit I got a little teary eyed more than once. The library scene was amazing and a huge tear jerker for me. I applaud Allison and Tracey that scene because after the heart wrenching scene between Illias and his horrible father, I needed something to lift my spirits.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a fantastic fairytale heavy on the romance. You will not regret it.

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