The atmosphere of the book was exceedingly gothic, and the people and scenery seemed very French (to my uneducated eye). So the stage was set – and in comes Lucie, a girl looking to escape her step-father and find a way to earn her way in the most respectable of ways. She manages to find a job as a cleaning maid at Chateau Beaumont only to find that Chevalier de Beaumont is a monster of a person. He enjoys the misery and pain of others and looks only to further himself.
Enter the curse – the one we’ve seen many times. And suddenly the Chevalier is no more, and in his place is Beast. Lucie watches over Beast in a transformed state herself, but this is where the story takes a new and exciting turn of events.
I love how Lisa Jensen incorporated the roses and Beast’s love for them. I love the little twists and turns she put on the curse to make it unique and surprising. And I loved it when she introduced Rose. So we have two potential Beauties, which is not a way to make this some kinky ménage. It’s just a way to show Beast’s desire for companionship.
The ending was nothing like I expected at all. And I will also add a trigger warning for rape, suicide, and abortion topics.
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Title: Beast: A Tale of Love and Revenge
Author: Lisa Jensen Genre: Fairy Tale Re-Telling 
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They say Château Beaumont is cursed. But servant-girl Lucie can’t believe such foolishness about handsome Jean-Loup Christian Henri LeNoir, Chevalier de Beaumont, master of the estate. But when the chevalier’s cruelty is revealed, Lucie vows to see him suffer. A wisewoman grants her wish, with a spell that transforms Jean-Loup into monstrous-looking Beast, reflecting the monster he is inside. But Beast is nothing like the chevalier. Jean-Loup would never patiently tend his roses; Jean-Loup would never attempt poetry; Jean-Loup would never express remorse for the wrong done to Lucie. Gradually, Lucie realizes that Beast is an entirely different creature from the handsome chevalier, with a heart more human than Jean-Loup’s ever was. Lucie dares to hope that noble Beast has permanently replaced the cruel Jean-Loup — until an innocent beauty arrives at Beast’s château with the power to break the spell.
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