Summary from Goodreads:

An unthinkable danger. An unexpected choice.Annabel, once the daughter of a wealthy merchant, is trapped in indentured servitude to Lord Ranulf, a recluse who is rumored to be both terrifying and beastly. Her circumstances are made even worse by the proximity of Lord Ranulf’s bailiff—a revolting man who has made unwelcome advances on Annabel in the past.Believing that life in a nunnery is the best way to escape the escalation of the bailiff’s vile behavior and to preserve the faith that sustains her, Annabel is surprised to discover a sense of security and joy in her encounters with Lord Ranulf. As Annabel struggles to confront her feelings, she is involved in a situation that could place Ranulf in grave danger. Ranulf’s future, and possibly his heart, may rest in her hands, and Annabel must decide whether to follow the plans she has cherished or the calling God has placed on her heart.

My Review:

I’m going to begin this review of a warning and a list.  Here’s the warning: This review is a negative opinion of this book.  If that troubles you, move along.

Here’s the list:

1. I love fairy-tale retellings.

2. I love a good, solid inspirational read.

3. I love strong heroine’s.

Unfortunately, this book was only one of the three.  It was a fairy-tale retelling of Beauty and the Beast.  While it was a Christian retelling, it bordered more on the preachy, in your face side of Christianity, and the heroine… well… I’ll talk about that in a bit.

First of all – here’s something that really annoyed me – as in, made me so angry I couldn’t sleep last night in thinking about it.  I felt as if Annabel was being used as a pawn, or rather – her “calling” to be a nun was just a set-up to make it seem as if she wasn’t going to actually end up with the “Beast”, Ranulf.  It felt forced – all her speaking of the Holy Writ, the huge passages of Bible verses being read, the constant protesting, and yearning to be a nun.  It felt forced, unrealistic, and made me uncomfortable to read.

Now, as for Annabel herself – seriously, I’m amazed the girl can even stand up straight enough to walk in this story. No. backbone. at. all.  Her one method of standing up for herself is to carry a knife around – but when push comes to shove, she can’t even use it – and THEN.. she carries that martyrish guilt around when something bad does happen to the guy she intended to use it on, thinking it was her fault for wanting to defend herself in the first place.

HELLO. THIS IS NOT THE MESSAGE WE WANT TO SEND TO YOUNG WOMEN OUT THERE.

What happened to having a good, Christian woman with strength, character, and integrity?  If she wants to be a nun, follow through!  If she wants to protect herself, have her do it – why does she need to hide behind the britches of a man who has to do her dirty work for her?  And furthermore – what is the big deal about telling someone what happened?

(I’m not even going to talk about the bait and switch pulled here because, God-forbid, a bad guy actually get his just desserts in a book)

Oh my gosh, I’m angry just writing this review, and I swear I was finally calmed down when I started to write it.  Y’all,  I tossed and turned last night, railing against the messages being broadcast in this book.

Basically – if you want your daughter/sister/cousin/niece to believe that she must be protected by a man, that she should feel guilt for wanting to defend herself from being RAPED, that she should be wishy-washy in her goals for herself, because who knows – the right guy might just come along! Then this is the book to give them.

As for me – I’m going to find a Christian book that treats women with respect.

For a more positive review of the book, check out:

What’s Beyond Forks