In Bed With The Beast by Tara Sivec

In Bed With The Beast by Tara Sivec
Release Date - June 5, 2018
Publisher Website - Swerve

Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages -  304 pages
My Rating - 3.5/5
**purchased**

**Spoilers for At The Stroke Of Midnight**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

A tale as old as time: she needs a place to stay, he's a grump with a secret and an extra room...can love find a way?

Meet the Naughty Princess Club, a series from USA Today bestselling author Tara Sivec that brings readers to Fairytale Lane and the hilarity—and romance—that three women fall into once they decide to strut their stuff and bring on their own happily ever after.

Living in her overprotective dad’s basement, shy Belle lives her life through books. Being a part of the Naughty Princess Club is the first adventure she’s ever had, plus she desperately needs the money to save one of her favorite places - the local library.

But when her new friends and new business gets her kicked out of her dad’s house, Belle is rescued by the surly Vincent “Beast” Adams who invites her to be his house guest until she gets back on her feet. Despite his attitude problem and long list of rules, Belle finds herself warming to the muscled man with a penchant for growling and starts seeing a gentle side to him that wasn’t there before.

Yet there’s a room that Beast keeps locked and Belle keeps getting hints that Beast is hiding something…can a nerdy librarian tame the beast or will their romance be over before it has a chance to blossom?

The Naughty Princess Club series started with a Cinderella themed romance that puts a little spice on the classic tales we know. The series continues with a Beauty and the Beast inspired tale that paid tribute to the source material while putting its own delightful spin on it.

A story that pairs iconic princesses with a strip club immediately caught my interest. The three ladies behind the Naughty Princess Club won me over in the first book in the series and only continued to do so with the second. The friendship that exists between these women is my favourite part of this story. They are supportive of one another and they give each other the strength to face the hard things that come up. I wish the friendship had even more of a focus because I think the scenes with just the women are some of the best in the novel.

Belle, like many 'beauties' before her is a bookworm whose quiet exterior hides a fierce and capable young woman. This Belle, like those before her, doesn't allow herself to be treated like a doormat. She stands up for herself, others, and what she deems right. She is not afraid to stand up to Vincent and it makes the spark between them feel a little more real.

Vincent is a man of little words. Less is more when it comes to conversation and dealing with people. Underneath that tough, scary exterior is a decent guy who has some secrets that he is hiding. He will probably remind those familiar with romance tropes of the classic alpha love interest. He is protective, broody, and often infuriating. His character really worked for me because of the story being told. He works because he is a stand in for the 'beast' in our story. He is meant to be portrayed this way. He, however, is not typically the romance hero I go for. I found myself warming up to him by the end though.

Fans of the classic tale this is inspired from will delight in the inclusions found within these pages. There are some great puns and word plays that made me chuckle as I realized their significance. I found this book, even more than the first in this series, weaves these inclusions seamlessly. The references only add to the charm of this story and they are the right ones to be using. They build a feeling of connection with the story without overpowering the elements that make this one something all its own. Characters that are iconic to the classic tale show up in unexpected way, and items that are linked to this love story show up in really fun ways.

The romance itself is, unsurprisingly, one that is built as Belle and Vincent get to know each other. The way Belle ends up living with Vincent is rather fun and makes for a slightly less sad version of the story. Belle's father 'giving' her to the beast never sat right with me and so I appreciate any twist on that element of the story. The romance morphs from sexual attraction to something deeper as their mutual appreciation of each other grows. As a result the romance didn't feel rushed to me.

If you're looking for an easy binge ready read I highly recommend this series. They are light, fluffy fun that will certainly work as a great follow up to a heavier read. Tara Sivec puts a new twist on stories that have been told again and again in a way that worked for me.

At The Stroke Of Midnight by Tara Sivec

At The Stroke Of Midnight by Tara Sivec
Release Date - February 27, 2018
Publisher Website - Swerve

Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages -  304 pages
My Rating - 3.5/5
**purchased**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Meet the Naughty Princess Club: a brand new series from USA Today bestselling author Tara Sivec that introduces readers to Fairytale Lane and the hilarity—and romance—that ensue when three women start a new business to make it rain.

Once upon a time Cynthia was the perfect housewife. Between being the President of the PTA and keeping her home spotless without a hair (or her pearls) out of place, her life was a dream come true. Her husband was once her knight in shining armor, but now he’s run off with all their money…and the babysitter.

Dressed as a princess at the annual Halloween block party on Fairytale Lane, she meets two other “princesses” also facing money troubles: antique store owner Ariel and librarian Isabelle. When the women are invited to wear their costumes to a party where they’re mistaken for strippers, Cindy, Ariel, and Belle realize that a career change could be the best way to make their money problems go bippity-boppity-boo.

But can structured Cindy approach a stripper pole without sanitizing wipes? And could the blue-eyed anti-prince that has been crossing her path become Cindy’s happily ever after? At the Stroke of Midnight is a hilarious, empowering story where princesses can save themselves while slaying in stilettos. 

I have always loved reading retellings of classic fairytales. At The Stroke Of Midnight promised to not only be a fun twist on the Cinderella tale but combine it with romance and humour. This outrageous stoy managed to be as fun as it was empowering.

The writing style leans into the humour that is natural to the plot and setting of the book. It embraces the absurdity of the entire premise and does it well. The secret is that in among all the outlandishness there is also a lot of heart and great character moments. It is this blend that really works and captures the readers attention.

This book is filled with ladies supporting each other. They push each other outside of their comfort zone and ensures that they each see the potential within themselves. The friendship that exists between them is the most important relationship in the novel. It reminded me of  Sex and the City in the way that the guys were secondary. It felt true here. My only slight quibble about the friendship element is that the initial interaction between Cindy and Ariel is pretty antagonistic. The connection Ariel has to what is going on in Cindy's life is never fully dealt with. It's not that Cindy should blame Ariel for anything but I think some time should have been spent dealing with the bombshell that is dropped so that the friendship felt a little more natural. I wanted to see more of them bonding and dealing with their issues but recognize this book was set up for further installments that will hopefully continue to progress their friendship.

This book is quite sex positive and the message of taking charge of your sexuality and body is clearly evident. Cindy's journey of discovering her sexual side is interesting because she's coming from a marriage that was unfulfilling in many ways. It is someone discovering things outside of her usual experience and that felt different for the type of story being told within these pages.

The fairytale element that is heavily teased is represented throughout. We glimpse Cindy as someone who takes care of everything around the home. Belle loves books. Ariel is obsessed with her little treasures that she collects. It's all cute, and subtle enough to work. It's meant to be tongue in cheek and it fits with the narration style effortlessly.

Cindy's 'Prince Charming' is as swoon worthy as you would expect. A guy who has a heart of gold and can give as good as he gets when it comes to banter. He, like the Prince from the original tale, is not as developed as Cindy is but I feel like it works in this case. He's supposed to be a little bit of a mystery. We also get the added bonus of seeing the love interests for both Belle and Ariel in this one. I am most intrigued to see the Ariel/Eric dynamic play out because she is a firecracker and he seems to know exactly how to relate to her.

A crass, humourous look at three women whose friendship helps push each of them forward and makes their lives better. It's a story that blends sexy with a fun, lighthearted plot and plenty of laughs. If you're looking for something to round out your summer reading I recommend taking a look at this series. I think it will be a hit with plenty of readers (even those who are not fans of the Cinderella tale).

New To My Book Closet

It's that time of the week again. Time to show you what bookish goodies made their way into my home and book closet (to be saved from the evil book eating cat monster named Aria). This is inspired by the various "mailbox" posts out there (eg. In My Mailbox by The Story Siren, and Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews)

I have a few ebooks to share this week that I purchased. They are mostly because they were recommended to me by people who I trust so I figured I would take a chance on them.

First up are some fairytale inspired reads that sound like a lot of fun.

At The Stroke Of Midnight by Tara Sivec (goodreads)

In Bed With The Beast by Tara Sivec (goodreads)

The first one is obviously inspired by Cinderella and the second is a Beauty and the Beast retelling. There is a third one that is releases in the fall and it is inspired by The Little Mermaid. I am hoping to read them soon to determine if I want to snag the next one when it comes out.

Next up is a Hollywood set romance that immediately caught my attention.

#Starstruck by Sariah Wilson (goodreads)

This is also part of a series and if I like the first one enough I'll pick up the second (which seems to be about a musician instead of an actor).

What bookish goodies made their way into your mailbox this week? Let me know in the comments.

Happy Weekend and Happy Reading!