I never thought I’d see him again.
My first love, back from the grave.
My captor and tormentor.
He holds my past, present and future in his scarred hands.
He owns me.
No matter how far I run, my path leads me back to that lonely castle.
Back into the arms of the Beast.
This is the second book in the Beauty and the Rose series and it is not a standalone. Picking up from where the first book left off, Daphne has unwillingly succumbed to a marriage proposal from Adam that she never agreed to leaving Logan feeling betrayed and, on a mission, to punish. Logan has been through the ringer and this gives readers his back story to see why he is the way he is and what is truly driving him. Adam is still “the golden boy” but there are cracks coming through and his true nature is going to show. Daphne is coming into her own as a woman but how long will she put up with Logan’s lack of faith in her to choose him. This is one wild ride with Daphne and Logan as the two twist and turn bleeding pleasure and pain into a new path that they can travel together. The question is will it be enough or will the unthinkable transpire and cause a wedge between these two that they will not be able to recover from? Ending in one heck of a cliffhanger, one cannot help but feel for these two and what they have endured. It will leave anyone gutted and eagerly awaiting the next book to see where this journey leads. I volunteered to read an advance copy of this book.
Book 2 in the trilogy and it continues to engross me. I did get frustrated with both Logan & Daphne as they almost willfully refused to see what was happening around them. Invested in this story now so will definitely read the finale but I’m ready for this story to finish.
What happened?
This is a great BDSM story with dueling love interest. I was a little disappointed in the female main character. She just didn’t have enough strength to control her life and to deal with the males in her life. If you like elements of BDSM I recommend this book to you.
Beauty and the Thorns start right where the first book Beauty’s Beast ended. So you will have to read that book first before starting this one. This second book is twisted, dirty, and wonderful to read. I could not put it down. I am totally in love with this story and obsessed with Logan and Daphne.
There will be a third book (which surprised me or I just wasn’t paying attention) with this storyline. I am hoping we get to see Logan and Daphne get revenge and find a cure for the disease. I am hoping of course for their love and the sex we have come to love and enjoy. But I want the revenge that Logan has been wanting for so long!
I really enjoyed this 2nd book. Gives you more back story. Can’t wait for the next book to see how this is all going to end!
Logan And Daphne’s Story Begins Dark And Steamy, But The Story Becomes Plot-Driven When Daphne Needs To Return To New Olympus.
This is book two of the Beauty and the Rose series, which is a steamy modern spin on Beauty and the Beast. While it follows book one, Beauty’s Beast, and is best read in sequence, it is possible to read it without having first read book one. The only significant points not clarified in this book are the missing seven years of Logan’s life and how he earned his wealth during that time (which doesn’t play an important factor in this story), and the full picture of the power struggle within Belladonna.
For fans, characters in other books by the authors make brief cameos in the story. Marcus and Cora from the Innocence trilogy make an appearance.
The story takes place in New Olympus. It revolves around Belladonna, a research company that was once headed by Dr. Piers Laurel. The company’s mission was to find a cure for Battleman’s disease, the illness that Dr. Laurel’s wife fought. When she died seven years ago, the doctor was overcome by his failure to save his wife and was lost to his depression. The board fell under the influence of conniving Adam Archer, heir to Archer Industries, a billion dollar empire. Adam, along with Logan Wulfe, had conducted research at Belladonna under Dr. Laurel. Adam wanted to shift the company’s focus from diseases to cosmetics.
Logan Wulfe, at twenty-seven, had always been rough around the edges. His parents were into drugs more than parenting and he was orphaned at age twelve. He grew up never having felt the love of a family. He did eventually find a mentor, and Dr. Laurel became a surrogate father figure once he began research at Belladonna. He worked diligently towards finding the cure Dr. Laurel sought.
Daphne Laurel, at nineteen, didn’t have much of a childhood. Her mother was often sick and her father’s sole focus was on finding a cure for his wife. To please her father and help her mother, Daphne devoted herself to her studies. At eighteen, she was nearly finished with her PhD. She spent long hours studying at the lab. It was then that she quietly tried to get noticed by Logan, her first crush.
Logan became aware that Daphne was no longer a child, and as tempted as he was by her, he knew she was yet too young for him. But they spent long hours together in the lab, so they developed a close friendship over the course of a year. But Logan’s life took a devastating turn when he discovered Adam’s scheme to take over the company shortly after Daphne’s mother passed. Logan ended up hospitalized and disfigured, eventually disappearing from the hospital and New Olympus.
As the story opens seven years later, Dr. Laurel’s daughter Daphne is CEO and her father is in the hospital. Belladonna is struggling. Daphne has just left Logan’s castle to check on her father after promising Logan to return to him afterward. She had been held by him for two weeks as part of a mad plot for revenge, but by the time she left they had developed real feelings for one another. Daphne is intercepted by Adam while en route to her father and proposed to amidst a crowd of reporters. Though she never actually accepts, she is incapable of forcefully speaking for herself. She knows immediately how deeply the news will hurt Logan and accepts that he will take it out on her when she returns. Logan owns Belladonna’s patents, so she must face him to try to get them back and save Belladonna.
Logan is devastated by Daphne’s betrayal. That she accepted Adam’s proposal, his enemy, makes it worse. He isn’t sure how many times he can break and still go on. So when Daphne shows up at the castle asking for him to return the Belladonna patents, he plans to make her burn for them. He is the Master, the Beast, and she is his slave. Daphne plans to take the punishment. She hopes the anger will burn out and they can return to being Logan and Daphne.
Logan and Daphne’s story begins dark and steamy as Logan dishes out Daphne’s punishment. They are lost in erotica as they work through their trust issues. But just as they begin to reconcile, Daphne needs to return to New Olympus and the real world. The story becomes plot-driven at this point. The couple’s fragile truce is once again tested. They nearly achieve a happy ending, but the story ends with a sad twist that leads to book three in the series, Beauty and the Rose.
Logan and Daphne’s story is a mix of erotica and complex storylines. It is nicely written. The plot is complex (in the latter half). The characters are well-defined. The story is written in first person. The POV alternates between Logan and Daphne. I rate this book four stars.
I received a free advance copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
OMG!! A second chance romance is what is in between these pages!! When it was reveled who the Beast really was I was so shocked. This poor girl has been through hell but was able to find her first love again. I thought this was a duet but found out that there is gonna be another book. I really want to get my hands on it NOW!!
Daphne comes into her own in this second installment of the trilogy, and it is glorious. And what a ride to get there. Logan is a conflicted man, unable to trust, and full of the need for revenge against his enemies – real and imagined. His anger is palpable, his external destructive tendencies a mirror of his tortured soul – so much so that he does not, can not, trust the one person he should – Daphne. The writing is excellent; the authors develop the characters seamlessly with the story. I can’t wait for the next book, Beauty & the Rose! I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
This picks off right where the first one left. Daphne was shocked when Adam proposed to her. He is not the one she wants, but Logan will not believe her. He wants to punish her for what he thinks she did. You do see more of what happened in their past, when she was eighteen years old. The beasts aren’t always those who look like them, they are usually the ones who seem perfect and nice. This is a dark romance and erotic. The connection that Daphne and Logan have becomes stronger, but it is fragile due to the hurt Logan has in his past. The chemistry between them is explosively hot. While Logan is a beast and a monster, he is all Daphne’s. There are times that he shows that softness and kindness. I love Daphne and the beast’s story and can’t wait to see them get their full revenge on all that have betrayed them. You need to read Beauty’s Beast before reading this. I will be eagerly waiting for the final book. I love this series and the characters, and you get to see a couple familiar faces from the first series.
Ends with a cliffhanger that will rock your world but,the storyline will keep you tied to the book till you get to the end. You have been warned.
Sensuously dark and STEAMY, and astoundingly full of intrigue, A TOTAL MUST-READ!!
BEAUTY AND THE THORNS is the second part of the AMAZING triumvirate by the equally OUTSTANDING authors Stasia Black and Lee Savino. EVERYTHING I raved about in the first part of this three-part episodic series is found in BEAUTY AND THE THORNS as well. BEAUTY AND THE THORNS is sensuously dark, erotic and breathtaking. It is darker than BEAUTY’S BEAST, so readers 18 and over only. Yet BEAUTY AND THE THORNS is also so full of action and intrigue readers won’t be able to put it down! With bated breath and pins and needles, I waited for BEAUTY AND THE THORNS to be released! Now, after reading it, I have to say the experience has been totally worth the wait. In fact, the reading of BEAUTY AND THE THORNS exceeded my expectations, because nothing happened as I supposed it should and though thoroughly surprised, I understood why events couldn’t have progressed any other way! These authors are truly talented and offer twists and turns so totally unexpected, realistic yet ever-developing characters, and prose so descriptive this reader felt like that proverbial fly on the wall. Again, I am struggling to find the words worthy to express the sheer dichotomy of emotion, both abhorrence and elation, I am feeling after reading this most remarkable novel. The main characters of Daphne and Logan continue to be well-written, but within BEAUTY AND THE THORNS, Daphne becomes the woman I have always longed to be. However, I cannot tell you more about that without risking a spoiler, so know that I voluntarily read a copy of BEAUTY AND THE THORNS and it is everything and more than I expected it would be. BEAUTY AND THE THORNS will be placed in the FAVORITES collection on my Kindle to be read and re-read to my heart’s content. I am now voluntarily rendering my honest 5+STAR recommendation wishing with every breath I could give BEAUTY AND THE THORNS more stars! It is for mature audiences as BEAUTY AND THE THORNS includes explicit sexual scenes which are typical of BDSM/sadomasochism. Beyond those scenes is a sensuous romance and a seductive mystery concerning the quest to treat the rare but fictional disease called “Battleman’s,” the control of a company called Belladonna, and the sale of many patents developed at/by Belladonna. So, again I await the third and final part of this series with bated breath. There are so many loose ends to tie up; I can hardly wait to see what happens!! I STRONGLY suggest that you purchase your copy of BEAUTY AND THE THORNS today! Happy pages!
Control, empowerment, freedom
Beauty and the Thorns (Beauty Triology Book 2) by Stasia Black and Lee Savino is a wonderfully well written dark romance full of dark dominance and a journey of finding oneself.
Logan and Daphne begin tumultuously. There’s so much anger and defiance as these two collide and separate. Logan, is really struggling to maintain control and cannot bring himself to trust. It is something easy to understand based on what happened to him in the recent past, but in this book we learn even more about his youth which makes his ability to trust nearly impossible. Daphne has been manipulated all her life, the love for her mother, the need to please her father has emotionally controlled her every decision to the point she wonders if anything she’s done so far is really anything she really wanted at all.
Overall, this dark romance brings Daphne out of her shell; her submission became her empowerment to go after what she wants and Logan was the Master behind it all. All is not coming up Roses just yet though, Daphne and Logan have a sort of happy for now at the end, but a major, terrifying cliffhanger has me anxiously awaiting book three. If any characters in this series deserves a HEA it’s Logan and Daphne and I can’t wait to see how these two authors make that magic happen!
I read an ARC of this book and voluntarily share my review.
Lies, truths, betrayals, head spinning, captivating, steamy and oh so good. Book #2 will keep you reading until the very end.
As Daphne and Logan’s story continues, the stakes are raised, the tension is ever increasing, turmoil is a constantly simmering entity that lurks on every page and what trust has been earned is severely damaged. This is book two of this series and you must read book one first. This book is a much more of an emotional roller coaster as the fallout from the final events from book one become some major stressors for this couple. I really enjoyed this book and I’m loving this series. Logan is a really great character that I loved. He is very complex and fits his role as “Beast” quite well. Scarred outside and wounded on the inside, this guy has some anger and trust issues (and rightfully so). I found him very easy to feel for. As for Daphne, although in general I liked her and I felt she fit the role of “Beauty” quite well, I hated her extreme lack of spunkiness and overall cluelessness. Then when she finally begins to find a spine, she chooses to take the most annoying stand she can take. So, she is OK but I’ve got issues with her. Also, I was a bit on the fence over the back and forth time jumps in this book. While I did like delving deeper into these characters history, I did feel that this sometimes negatively affected the flow of the story a bit. In the end though, that was simply a petty annoyance and overall this was a an enjoyable and intense read that keeps you invested in seeing this couple get a HEA by overcoming the past and defeating their enemies. Fair warning: there is another whopper of a cliffhanger at the end of this book and a wait for book three. I can’t wait to see how it all ends!
The continuation of the story from “Beauty’s Beast #1” into “Beauty & the Thorns #2” is smooth & flawless. This outstanding & interesting romance has some dark undertones & is a splendid adult retelling of an old fairytale “Beauty & the Beast” The plot is well-written & intriguing with complex characters & is about two scientists (a rather naïve young woman, Daphne) & (a vengeful man, Logon) although I found Rose to be quite submissive in the beginning she does develop to become more assertive.
There is: a conniving man (Adam Archer), an apparently best friend (Rachel), family issues, intrigue, drama, suspense, twists & turns, deceit, betrayal, secrets, emotional turmoil, vengeful feelings, disbelief, trust issues, confrontations, drugs, treachery, desperation, heartache, compromises, contentment, discovery & a disease. Sadly this book does end with a cliffhanger & I look forward to the next book with great anticipation.
I liked this one as much as the first! I can’t wait for the last book and to find out what happens. The ending on this one is a killer! But the book is so worth the read!
I love where the authors take you in this book. Logan just keeps jumping to conclusions. Some right, but mostly he is wrong. And Daphne just wants to be where she belongs. Which is with Logan. He makes her feel so free and simplifies things for her. Which is something she doesn’t realize at first she needs. She has fought constantly to be what everyone else wants her to be. And she finally starts realizing she wants to make herself happy. Not everyone else. I love the journey she takes in the book to finally start realizing this!
Of course you still have to have the bad guy. Adam Archer is definitely that! I want to hurt him and he isn’t even REAL! Lol Like I said before I can’t wait to see what is next!
Oh my, I love this beast Logan. He has been through so much in his life but he still wants to love
Adam, on the other hand, is a terrible person and needs to be taken care of.
Lee and Stasia write fabulous stories that make the reader insert themselves into the pages and cheer on the Hero and heroine.
This story compels you to read on. You can’t put it down or you will miss something. I love the intrigue, the darkness, Logan’s mistrust is so deep that it seeps thru the story. Adam must have his day. His reckoning. His downfall. I can’t wait. Please ladies, keep writing.
I read and reviewed a copy of this book.
I don’t know I can wit for the third and last book!! WOW! Lee Servino and Stasia Black can definitely write. This take on Beauty and Beast is breathe taking. Lots of twists and turns this dark and erotic. Please don’t let us wait too long for the final book.
There is trust and betrayal; passion and despair in this book. The past is slowly revealed and the truth starts to come to light and with it a change in perspective for Daphne and Logan. Their relationship is like a teeter totter, up and down with Incredible highs as Daphne’s inner submissive is awoken and desperate lows as Logan fails to trust. Then apparent devastation as the book ends in a cliffhanger just when the reader thought it might be smooth sailing.