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Everett is used to disappointment and life not turning out the way he wanted it to. A violent attack years before pushed him from New York Society, so he became a recluse, hiding away in Texas, which is where we open our story.

What he wasn’t prepared for was for Callista to show up on his doorstep, ready to rebind his collection of stories, and bring light and hope back into his dreary life.

But, even as they grow to tolerate– and even like each other– someone threatens to shatter their lives, and they have to work together to stay alive in this retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

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⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5 stars)

This was fun. Way more fun than I thought it would be. I absolutely loved these characters, and the way the story played out. I wasn’t really feeling like reading a western, but honestly, there were a lot of times I forgot it was a western, because this was a really good retelling. So, whether you like Westerns or not, I think this one would be a good fit.

The prologue was a little hard to read, because it just kind of almost creeped me out a bit, because I knew where it was going, but it was also really good to be able to see our male lead’s backstory. By having that prologue, we were able to understand a lot more about how he acted, and how he was so sensitive to certain things.

Our main girl was such a good character, and I really appreciated how dedicated she was to her work, and how much kindness she showed even when the people around her weren’t kind.

The side characters were delightful, and I enjoyed them all. There was definitely a certain ‘found family’ feeling while reading this book, and since I’m a huge fan of that trope, I was excited about that. The villain was obviously not a favorite, and he was probably the downside of the book for me, but I’ve never found a Gaston character I enjoyed reading near so much as watching in the original Disney movie.

The romance was fun, and pretty standard for a Beauty and the Beast retelling (in my opinion). They had their cute moments together, and I felt like it was a pretty respectful relationship, which I enjoyed. There wasn’t a lot of sexual comments or anything, which is always a bonus in my opinion.

And, let me just say, if you’ve ever watched the bookbinding tutorials on YouTube and enjoy the process, then you should pick up this book. I was so happy to read those parts, and it’s funny how little has changed since the 1800s, because I could understand what they were talking about when they described the process, which was fun! (I think I might try my hand at rebinding a book soon!)

In the prologue, a character is attacked, and items are thrown at them, disfiguring his face and injuring his eye– resulting in facial scars. Characters are shot, with some death but mostly just injuries. Mentions of someone dying in childbirth. Kidnapping, tying up the abducted, and a comment suggesting doing ‘worse’ to the person. Being held at knife-point, shallow cuts, and threats of killing/disfiguring a person’s face.

I would say this book was appropriate for upper teens or adults. I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of sexual content. I was assuming there would be a lot more, but this one was surprisingly clean. There are a few violence notes, but besides that, I’d say it was pretty good.

This story is available on Kindle Unlimited, which is a very pleasant surprise for a newly released book. I enjoyed this book a lot, which I was worried about because I haven’t really been on board with a few of Karen Witemeyer’s new books, but I did like this one, and one day, I hope to add it to my own library (and maybe bind a new cover, because that would be fun, although I do love the original cover, so maybe just a dust jacket, or something? I don’t know. 😂).

EMOJI REVIEW!

• 🥀 beauty and the beast retelling
• 🤠 western setting
• 📖 she re-binds books
• 🎨 artist male lead
• ⛪ strong faith content
• 🫖 cute hidden puns (mrs. potter!)

Anyway, I really enjoyed this book, and I would definitely recommend it if you’re interested in fairytale retellings. This is one of my new favorites from this author, and I’m ready for the next book (whatever it may be). 😊