When Beauty Tamed the Beast

Title: When Beauty Tamed the Beast
Author: Eloisa James
Series: Eloisa's Fairy Tales
Genre: Fairy Tale, Romance



Linnet has been flirting with the prince. This combined with a poor wardrobe choice, and the everyone thinks she's pregnant. She is no longer getting any suitors and is ruined, without actually being ruined. Her aunt and father concoct a plan in which they arrange a marriage for her with a man who cannot have children, that way everyone is happy.

Piers is a cranky, limping, doctor, who doesn't want a wife. He hates his father and when he brings a wife for Piers, Piers doesn't want her.

The dialogue between Linnet and Piers was fantastic. They went back and forth with each other and they had me laughing at times. I enjoyed watching their relationship grow and what finally brought them together in the end had me in tears.

Although this is part of the Fairy Tales series, it is not connected to A Kiss at Midnight. This is only the second story of Eloisa James I have read, but I have enjoyed both of them highly.

A Kiss at Midnight

Title: A Kiss at Midnight
Author: Eloisa James
Series: Eloisa's Fairy Tales
Genre: Fairy Tale, Romance



Kate is our Cinderella, her father died when she was a young age, leaving all the money to her Step-Mother, who then forced Kate to move to the attic and work as essentially another servant. A pleasant change of pace is her stepsister, Victoria, who isn't evil at all but a wonderfully loving and nice sister.

Kate has to pretend to be Victoria at a Prince's ball due to a dog bite on Victoria's lip. Kate gets to wear Victoria's nice clothing, be pampered and pretend to be engaged to Victoria's fiance. Victoria and her fiance need the blessing of his relative, the prince.

Gabriel, "Prince Charming," is betrothed to a Russian heiress. He needs the money to save his failing castle and keep it's inhabitants comfortable and fed. Gabriel discovers that Kate isn't Victoria and starts to fall for her.

I adored this little twist on Cinderella. The twisted family trees, and somewhat more realistic characters. I'm a little skeptical that not even the people who knew Victoria could tell that it wasn't her, but for the sake of the story, I could pretend.

Kate was very down to earth and I enjoyed her as a heroine. She told it just like it was, with often pointing out what parts of certain characters were more fake then others.

Gabriel made a fantastic prince. He put aside his own wishes so that he could keep his family and subjects safe and cared for. I'm glad in the end he got what he really wanted.