A contemporary twist on Beauty and the Beast, with just a touch of magic to spice things up.
Crystal Belle St. James’ life is demanding to the point of overwhelming. Her days revolve around the thriving exotic plant and floral nursery. Her nights are devoted to caring for a parent suffering from Alzheimer’s. She is lonely. But there are not enough hours in the day for a social life.
Reclusive Daniel Di Domenico may be handsome and wealthy but prefers solitude. No aimless thrashing about to find love for him. He doubts true love even exists.
Then Fate steps in. A brief glimpse of Crystal captures his interest. But before he can act on his desire to meet her, Daniel contracts Bell’s palsy and becomes temporarily disfigured. Just when he was ready to reach for something more than the status quo, his world becomes a cage of doctors and therapy.
Enter Blindfold, Inc. a unique dating service which allows couples to get to know each other without relying on a visual assessment of the other. On a Blindfold date, all the other senses come into play. They have the opportunity to discover the person behind the social mask. If they are lucky, they get to know their heart and soul
Title: The Beast Within
Series: Blindfold, Inc. #1
Author: Liz Cowan
Genre: Romance, Modern Retelling
Published: March 1, 2019
Publisher: BooksGoSocial
My Rating: 4 stars
I love discovering stories with their own twists on the “tale as old as time” theme. The Beast Within offers a unique take on the Beauty and the Beast idea with a couple who might have met under more usual circumstances if fate hadn’t stepped in and changed everything. Now they play out part of their romance through the anonymous dating of Blindfold, Inc. where each person meets without being face to face. In many ways this allows a person’s true self to show through, and in other ways it hides people until they are ready to be revealed.
Crystal and Daniel’s story is unique, realistic in the parts that others play in our lives and the hard fact that, to many, appearance does matter no matter how wonderful a person might actually be. You’ll find the cover description blurb does a very good job of setting up this romance. There are harsh realities In Daniel and Crystal’s story, each are dealt with gently yet realistically. I was easily caught up in their lives both separate and eventually together. If you enjoy not only Romance but variations on the Beauty and the Beast theme, then you’ll enjoy The Beast Within.
*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*
Available for the Kindle
