After much okay a little analysis I've decided to remove a star to this book.
Here's the thing: did the romance swept me of my feet?
Hmmmmmm... No, it did not.
As other reviewers have mentioned, for me the weakest part of this book was also the romance.
Or romances, as in plural. Because there's another one to which we readers are presented to, and it honestly left me scrunching my face in distaste.

Here's the thing, in a general perspective I actually liked the characters.
maybe because they reminded me a little too much of the Hathaways... o_O
And if I want to read about a dysfunctional family I rather re-read the Hathaways, and not some distorted version of them.

In this one, our main characters are Devon Cam and Katherine Amelia... only in this one Devon is a cad with a sharp tongue, and Katherine could use a little more of Amelia's strength (See Mine Till Midnight). Or age.

As secondary characters there's West _ Devon's brother_ here a "little" of Leo Hathaway( See Married by Morning). He drinks, he doesn't care about anything else... until the moment he starts caring about everything.

Helen is Katherine's sister in law, and here a little of Winnifred (See Seduced At Sunrise). Or Poppy.(See Tempt Me At Twilight)
 Unfortunately she doesn't get to have a Merripen, but an ill mannered idiot who is supposed to be some sort of Harry Rutledge.
Then there's also a pair of twins, and one of them just reminds me of Beatrix (See Love in The Afternoon).
Do you see where this is going? -_-

Thing is, I actually loved the setting. I loved the fact that this story takes place in a time when the old traditions are being challenged by a new age.
I loved the relationships between sisters and brothers.
Katherine and West's friendship was a blast to read.
...
But the two romances weren't that great.
Even so I preferred reading Katherine's and Devon relationship to Helen's and Winterborne's. At least with the first ones there isn't a nasty shade of abuse surrounding the thing.

And I am already seeing how things are going to work out for those two. She's probably going to apologize to the idiot. Arghg.
I don't like bullies.
I don't care if he has had a difficult background: I don't like him, and I wish that Devon had let him drown.
But, and this was worth less a half a star, I also had a hard time with Devon's attitude towards the end!
Hey, jackass, if you want a dog, you should get a four legged one. Guys, who give commands by pointing fingers should have their hands broken.

On the positives I think I may like West's book when it comes out.

If only this book had been shorter, and more focused on Kathleen and Devon's romance _ I understand why it wasn't, with Kathleen being a widow _ I think I would have found less things to bother me.
Like Winterborne not being in it.

p.s- I better finish this review or by the time I'm done with it, this rating will be reduced to a one star rating. -_-

DNF at 41%

Confession time:

This story provoked such a reaction in me _ and no, it wasn't a good one_ that even after deciding to DNF it, I am still mad as... hell.

Yes, I am not being impartial, because back in the day when I started reading historical romances, most guys behaved as atrociously as this did does, and I would read them and like them.

Thing is, we're in 2015 and violence against women is still the main cause of women's death. More than cancer.

Being a woman our days still means that you're probably going to receive inferior wages compared with guys.

It also means that you're probably going to be subject to sexual abuse.

And to read something that tries to romanticize this type of behaviour in our time and age, really gets under my skin.

I've honestly been going over and over in my head, trying to find a way to write this review without going into a rant, but I cannot.

I can't get over the fact, that during the first interaction between Bella and _ I've come to think about him as the Pig _ Alwynn, he lifts up her skirts so than he can see if she was a specific tattoo (the one you see on the model's ankle) . Now, you're probably thinking: Oh, its just the ankle. It could be worse...

But it is, because not only did she not consent to it, soon enough he is grabbing her leg, and thinking about he would like to do with parts of her anatomy.He has all the power, and she has to submit to his whims.

Not hot. Not sexy.

_______

_____________

__________

To make matters even worse, Bella and all the other characters _ from what I read _ just felt flat to me.

I read a review in which the reviewer basically tells that if you liked the Mummy, especially Evie, you were going to love this.

I am not a fan of horror movies. I don't like to see scarabs eating people's... faces. -_-

But I've seen that movie a couple of times because I like the characters.

 I loved Evie's personality. Even Rick's. And I loved their romance.

Bella is no Evie.

No.

So, let me recapitulate:

I hate the guy.

The woman is a nitwit who is supposed to be strong and brave but instead feels like an Anastasia.

Then I can't stop thinking that this book should be called "Bella and The Pig".

The guy has just gone to a brothel.

The guy returns home after frequenting said brothel, and decides "what the hell, I should f***k Bella as well".

She tells him no.

He decides to ignore her attempts to free herself from his unwanted attentions, because surely that's just her maiden sensibilities arising.

She pulls a dagger to his throat _ YAY! _ but only because she came second to the brothel scene. -_-

No. No. And no.

Not sexy. Not hot.

I want him tramped by a horse carriage.

And I want her shaken until her brain cells get back into place!

There: this is what this book has made me feel. I cannot be more honest than this.

I can deal with brooding, ill mannered Beasts. What I can not do, is stand abusive borderline rapists.

Also to call this a retelling of Beauty and The Beast is really, really pushing it.

First book that I've read by this author, and the thing is, I have been curious about the first book in this series for a long time now.

Now, not so much.