Re-released in a second edition. Re-edited but no substantial changes.A playboy who needs to grow upFresh from his latest tabloid scandal, vampire playboy Dante Dellacourt has been given an ultimatum. Either he takes a consort and settles down, or his family will disown him. Unwilling to lose everything he has, he reluctantly agrees to find a wife. Marriage is just another kind of contract, after … just another kind of contract, after all. No one said anything about love being a part of the bargain.
An outcast who has only known hardship
Exiled by her pack, Kaja is a werewolf without a home. Her life was never easy in the frozen tundra she grew up in, but it was familiar. Waking up in a foreign landscape, surrounded by bright lights, loud noises, and far too many people has left her overwhelmed. Frightened and with no one to trust, she savagely fights to get free of this strange new world.
A passion strong enough to change them both
Called to defend the gnomes of the marketplace, Dante is almost blinded by the radiant light coming off the fierce werewolf. Kaja glows like no consort he has ever seen. Gorgeous and wild, she calls to him in ways he had not dreamed possible. For Kaja, she finds in Dante a man unlike any she has ever known. They could not be more different, but she finds him irresistible.
In order to claim his werewolf bride, Dante must first discover how to overcome their differences. Will he tame his ferocious beauty, or will she unleash his inner beast?
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I read these because of the slight intertwining portion for Stealing Summer and I am SO glad I did. These were amazing.
This is Lexi Blake writing as Sophie Oak and YUM.
Each of these is an interconnected standalone so you need to read them in order. They are quick and sexy reads and by the end you are completely obsessed with these characters and this world. Just a quick review for me but they were amazing.
I loved the strength of the heroines and the tenacity they showed book after book even when seated down. The heroines shined and the guys were just along for the ride. Girl. Power. But like, alpha yummy power too. Shifters and Magic and Vampires, OH MY.
Lexi Blake rocks! I do not read Paranormal Romance novels, and now she had me addicted! This is the second book in a series of three, so I highly recommend reading Bound first. I fell in love with Dante the vampire in the first book as he is funny and sarcastic and says what’s on his mind. So I loved reading his love story. He finds Kaja, a werewolf that is very beaten down about her past as she has only been used, never loved and cast out of her pack. The two create a wonderful love story and an even stronger power couple for battle as the war will begin soon for the twins to take back over the throne as kings. Everything is going to come to a head in Beauty that I can not wait to read!!
Hooked from the beginning! Knowing Dante’s past being a player and yet wanting to find a consort…..but will he? Then he meets Kaja. Kaja and her struggles adapting to new surrounds and her feeling for Dante. Will Kaja be able to tame his playboy ways and bring the ultimate playboy to his knees?? You don’t want to miss it!!
4.5 Stars for Dante!
Always the consummate storyteller, this book does not disappoint. Witty banter, well developed characters, heart wrenching and uplifting storyline – checks all the boxes. Beast is book 2 in Sophie Oak’s Faery Story series. Be sure to read Bound first, or you will be lost in the world building. In Bound we were introduced to carefree Dante, a vampire who seemed to not have a care in the world. In Beast, we get to see Dante for who he really is, not the shiny veneer he puts on top. He wants what he sees his cousins, sister, and parents have – true love. Not just love of convenience. Enter Kaja, who also isn’t as she first appears.
The romance between these characters blossoms and blooms as the pages turn. They make each other stronger. And in true Sopie Oak / Lexi Blake style, there are some head spinning twists and turns along the way.
Lexi Blake brings readers back into her paranormal universe with Beast. And, let me just say, I LOVE that Dante has met his match! Please note, Beast is book two of the Faery Story trilogy and is better after reading Bound.
Vampire playboy Dante is loyal to his family, but doesn’t seem to care about anything else, except having a good time. When he’s told by his father to find a consort and settle down or else, he forms a plan to find a wife so unacceptable she’ll never fit in and his family will release him from his vows and he can go back to the way things were. Instead, Dante not only finds his one true mate, he also finds pieces of himself he didn’t even know he was missing.
A werewolf in exile, Kaja has never known love or kindness. When she finds herself in a new world frightened and afraid, she’ll do anything to win her freedom. But, when Dante steps in and takes charge, Kaja knows she has found her alpha. But, can she convince Dante of that as well? That they could have forever and not just for now?
I loved watching Danta unleash his wild side. And, Kaja is so brave, strong and smart and so unbelievably loving considering her background. I loved watching her blossom under Dante’s care. They are like fireworks together. Their bond truly brings out the best in one another. I adore when Dante gets all primal, and Kaja is simply fierce! But I love that she submits to give Dante what he needs and the trust she has in him is astounding!
And, the shocker at the end of this book . . . Holy Cow!!!! Nothing is as it seems and book three, Beauty, is going to knock our socks off – I just know it! 5 stars!
I have been anxiously waiting for Dante’s story and am definitely not disappointed! I loved Dante’s character in bound, and was glad to see him come into his own in Beast. With the love of Kaja, Dante finds his strength and purpose. In return, Kaja finds the love and acceptance that she has so desperately longed for. This one will give you the feels and have you routing for true love.
Dante has given himself the reputation of the ultimate player. Perceived by most to only have interest in fun, women and good times. Dante is one of those people that you can’t judge by what he wants you to see. He’s intelligent, loyal and cunning. As Dante’s layers begin to peel away we find a man filled with emotions, determinations and wants he wasn’t ready to admit.
Kaja is primal yet submissive. Rugged Pack life was all she knew, then to be thrown into a world of which nothing is known the beast within her takes survival to an instinctual level. She was an outcast of the pack and something different to the new place she finds herself in. Dante is her alpha. From the moment she finds herself in his presence she sees him as her first. She feels a connection, something that’s unknown to her. Kaja is unique all around. From her sheer nature to the way she tries to adapt for something he’s not quite sure what it is, but she wants it.
Beast was fantastic. Dante was so much more thanI expected. He has some pretty deep layers of emotions. He did what he thought was expected of him only want to find out, those expectations were nothing but a push for him to find what he truly wanted him his life. Kaja and Dante together is something truly unique. I love the way their connection and bond formed, developed and grew into something more than either one of them expected it could be. Two beasts find their balance to their beast with another beast. I truly love this fairy world that Lexi Blake has created. This is not the first time I have kicked myself not discovering these books earlier. I am very happy they have been released and I get to enjoy them now.
With Beast, Lexi Blake gives us lessons about accepting who you are, meeting societal expectations and protecting friends and loved ones above all others. Dante finally becomes the man he is capable of being when he finds his consort, Kaja. In her he finds love. She’s always been an the outside now she is accepted, happy and in love with this gorgeous man. Tensions continue to mount as evil keeps stalking the rightful Seelie Kings and their Queen. War between the Planes is coming faster than any of them anticipated.
This series is one that should be read in order, there’s a lot going on and it will make a lot more sense if you’ve read Bound.
Kaja is treated as a misfit and exiled from her pack. She ends up a consort, almost ends up being
annihilated until Dante catches sight of her. He also decides that she will be the perfect bride to get back at his father’s insistence that he marry.
What transpires is a love story unlike no other, the playboy falling in love and the misfit who is thirsty for any type of kindness and she finds that and more coming from Dante.
This story appeases my paranormal-loving heart, what a complex world that was built by the author, it always amazes me how authors do that and Lexi certainly does it for me.
Dante and Kaja captured my heart and spoke to my soul! How I loved these two, their discovery for who they are, how they are, and how amazingly good together they are. Dante was the vampire with no focus; Kaja as the wolf with no purpose. But Dante was always focused, he just needed a purpose to show him that. Kaja always had a purpose, she just needed to focus on what was important to her. Together, they looked like they wouldn’t fit. Together they found themselves, without losing the core of who they were. Together, they were unstoppable!
I always know I’m going to love a Lexi Blake book, and yet I’m still shocked at how much I get pulled in! The way Lexi writes the emotions of her characters makes you feel so much for them, and is one of my favorite things about her writing.
I’m not usually a huge paranormal fan (too many books that all seemed the same), but there are a few authors that write within the genre in their own unique way and I am anything but bored! Vampires, Fae, Werewolves, Demons, and more are all there, with many qualities often attributed to them, but Lexi adds her own twists that have me glued to the page. I’m laughing out loud, crying, swearing, and of course, getting very hot and bothered by the smoking hot sex 😉
Dante and Kaja have a unique bond that grows throughout their story. They both change and come into their own, and are stronger together for it. They complement each other and are a force to be reckoned with! Plus, Dante’s possessiveness is just super hot.
P.S. If you’re a Lexi Blake/Sophie Oak fan, you will probably die laughing at all the random Easter eggs!!! I need to read Vampire Ian’s story!
3.5 stars. Beast is the second book in the Faery series. This is Dante and Kaja’s story. Dante is a vampire who is struggling to change his spoiled, rich, playboy image. His family orders him to settle down and find a consort or they will disown him. He lives on the vampire plane, but he finds himself on the refuge plane to find a consort at auction. There he meets Kaja. She is a werewolf and has had a hard life, outcast from her pack for no fault of her own. She is confused and lost, but happy to find Dante, who cares for her like no other. They both feel a connection to each other, but they must overcome their vast differences, and, of course, they fall in love along the way.
I accidentally read this book first in the series, instead of book one, Bound. So I was a little confused on the world-building. I definitely recommend reading the books in order. Still, I did enjoy this book and found it entertaining. I found Kaja and Dante to be a good match with great chemistry. Kaja was very unworldly and innocent in many things, but she was she was still a grown woman who felt a strong primal connection to Dante. I did find him to have a few jerky moments at times and I didn’t totally love his character, but I liked him more by the end as he matured and took responsibility for himself. I would have liked a little bit more resolution of the couple’s relationship at the end. But I still found the book to be a sexy, enjoyable fantasy romance.
Overall, Beast was an enjoyable read. I didn’t quite like it as much as Bound, but I still liked it. I look forward to more from this fun series!
I was so excited for Dante’s book! Another absolutely terrific story! And the ending I definitely wasn’t expecting it to go that way. Can’t wait for more in this series.
After reading Bound, I couldn’t wait for Dante’s story in Beast – and I was not disappointed. In Beast, we see the different layers to Dante and it was satisfying to watch him develop and mature emotionally. Kaja was a new type of character and it was a joy to see her overcome her past and blossom. And I love-love-loved all the references to characters from other books in the Lexiverse. I may have actually startled my cat with a shout with one character was mentioned. I devoured this book in one afternoon and am eagerly awaiting Beauty now. (I received a free ARC to review but I had also already pre-ordered the book. Well worth it!)
Action, suspense, plot twists, and, of course, lots of heat
Book 2 in the The Faery Story trilogy, while I think you could start the trilogy here without too much confusion, there’s an underlying story arc running through the three books (Meg, Beck and Cian from book 1 all have roles here), so I’d recommend reading the series in order, and you should plan on reading book 3 as welł.
Dante was mostly comic relief in Bound, but we get to see beneath the mask to layers even he didn’t know he had—or at least didn’t want to admit to. Kaya not only brings out his hidden Dom, she also brings out the hidden warrior in the hedonistic playboy. In return, Dante shows Kaya that there is kindness, love and pleasure in the planes, and that she’s far more worthy than her old pack ever allowed her to even dream.
I loved the world building here, not only the various planes and creatures, but the cultures that have been built up around those creatures. It was a nice change to have Kaya as the werewolf in the pair when so often in these stories it seems like the male is the were. I also loved the journey these two go on as throughout the book they both grow and change each other for the better.
I’m not going to go into much more detail in order to avoid spoilers, so let me just say, as usual with this author, there’s plenty of action, suspense, plot twists, and, of course, lots of heat between the main characters. This ends on more of a cliffhanger for all the characters than than the first book (though I tend to consider it more of a pause in the action rather than a major cliffy), plus there’s a major tease in the form of a hook for the third book in the epilogue, all of which means I’ll be counting down the days to Beauty. 5 stars
B2B Kelly
Beast by Sophie Oak / Lexi Blake is book Two in A Faery Story Series. This is the story of Kaja and Dante. I haven’t yet read the previous book, so for me this was a standalone book. Kaja is a wolf shifter whose father, brother and mother have died leaving her a hated orphan in her wolf pack who they abuse. Kaja is finally forced to leave the pack to make it on her own. Dante is a vampire playboy who doesn’t think he can settle down but his family has put it to him that he needs to find a wife and settle his ways. Dante ends up buying Kaja and makes her his temporary wife but problems start when he finds he can’t let her go. Enjoyed their steamy story.
Another blockbuster in Lexi Blake’s Faery world! It’s vampire Dante Dellacourt’s story in Beast. Dante meets his match in his consort, Kaja. Kaja is a werewolf who lived on a distant plane until she was exiled by her pack. A Planeswalker picked her up and transported her to the marketplace on the Refugee plane to be sold as a bondmate. Dante chooses Kaja and thus the adventures begin. There’s lots of heart-pounding action as Dante and Kaja bind to each other, fight the actions of a royal thug who has it out for them and support Dante’s cousins, the rightful Kings of the Fae, symbiotic twins Beck and Cian. I loved this story and look forward to the next book in the series, Beauty!
I sat and read Beast in one afternoon, I couldn’t put it down! It was like reading a recipe for all of my favorite paranormal authors:
A splash of Karen Marie Moning
A dash of Kerrelyn Sparks
A pinch of Lora Leigh
A sprinkle of Pamela Palmer
And for a kick of spice added in with Lexi Blake. Stir and mix until the perfect book comes out. This is Beast.
I jumped into this second book without reading the first one (although as soon as I can I want to go back and read it. Yes, they are interconnected, but you do not need to have read it to jump into Beast. Lexi did a great job of bringing me up to speed of anything I missed, I’m just craving more of this world she created.)
In Beast, Dante Dellacourt is a playboy among his family and his peers. Never expecting to settle down his father gives him an ultimatum, wed or be disinherited. This thought terrifies him, considering he’s never gone a day in his life without having all of his needs met, but he also won’t marry just because his father dictates it. What he decides to do is pick the worst possible bride so she would be cast aside, meeting his father’s requirement and he can still live his playboy life as he sees fit. he finds Kaja, the beast, an untamed werewolf.
Kaja has never known affection, love, or kindness. Ejected from her pack she seeks refuge on the vampire plane only to be bought by a vampire who makes it plainly clear that he only wishes to marry her to appease his family. Kaja finds his world strange and his customs even stranger. However, she is attracted to Dante and willing to go with him if it means her freedom. He shows her kindness and stirs feelings in her that makes it hard to understand why he wouldn’t want to stay.
As Kaja and Dante figure out their relationship, they also try to escape from outside dangers. The more they work together it only makes their relationship and connection stronger. It’s harder for Dante to remember his original plan. He becomes addicted to his wife and even though she may be a werewolf, Kaja may be the key to unlocking the beast that lives inside him.
This book contains light Dom/sub play, lots of paranormal characters, and unique plane crossovers which fans of Lexi’s other series will love.
Dante is a vampire who has been given a choice by his father, either get married or be kicked out. Dante is a playboy and considers sex his main calling in life. Kaja is a werewolf shifter and thrown out of her pack. She is taken by a demon and given to a gnome to sell. Dante goes with his cousins to a market to find a consort, which is their version of a mate. He sees Kaja and knows she’s the one. He had planned to find the most unsuitable consort, then his father would expect him to leave her and he could back to his playboy ways. Wait he doesn’t want is love or a wife but something in him is drawn to her. But someone wants to take his family down and figure they could get him by taken Kaja. Dante will do anything to get her back.
Great story. A little confusing at first but once you start reading it’s hard to put down. A little sex, a little BDSM, humorous and a whole lot of action. An old friend appears.
* Voluntarily read and reviewed this for the author *