They’ve been enemies their entire lives, until an arranged marriage sparks a passion they can’t ignore… of—and her mysterious husband is at the center of them.
King Raith may have taken a bride to end a needless war, but after his former wife’s murder he has no interest in falling in love again. As Rose defies him at every turn, her beauty and boldness tempt him to open his heart a second time, and every day it gets harder to resist her. But she must never discover the curse threatening the kingdom—or the dark depths of Raith’s soul.
As their desire for each other grows, Rose will do whatever it takes to uncover the truth about Raith’s past and the shadows spreading across the land. When darkness threatens to tear them apart, they’ll have to find a way to stop it together—or doom their kingdom forever.
Beauty In Darkness is a steamy fantasy romance inspired by Beauty and the Beast, perfect for fans of Sarah J Maas, Amanda Bouchet, and Grace Draven.
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*I received a free copy of this book which I voluntarily chose to write an honest review for.
What an interesting take on Beauty and the Beast! Rose is a strong take on Belle that manages to really carry the story as she deals with everything being thrown at her. The Beast is intriguing as well since his issues are a whole new take on things though is still fits with the actual fairy tale. Great writing full of characters that you will both love and hate depending on who they are. Perfect for fans of remakes. I really liked it so I give it 4/5 stars.
I like the characters and the little twist of the Hero’s problem was done well. Beauty and the Beast as expected with a slight twist.
I love this fairy tale retelling of Beauty and the Beast!!!!
I liked the book for the most part, but I felt as if the whole “he’s the Shadow Lord” thing was just…no. That was a big turn-off for me; I feel like that whole idea could’ve used some polishing.
Overall the story was good, I enjoyed the development between Rose and Reith’s relationship, and I liked how Rose was so keen on taking her role as queen so seriously.
I do wish we had some more backstory on the whole darkness and portal and Silena parts, though.
I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoys fairytale retellings (Beauty and the Beast, right?) and insta-love/attraction between the main characters.
this was an interesting take on the whole beauty and the beast thing. I loved the magic, the romance, the intrigue. I enjoyed the stubborn beauty and the cranky beast that couldn’t steel himself against her determination no matter how hard he tried. But mostly I loved that while it held traces of beauty and the beast it did not feel like something I had read before, it was different from other retellings. A very interesting read and I will continue the series.
A story that flows well, well done characters and a love that slowly grows combine to create a great story.
Awwww I loved this!
Beauty in Darkness is the first book in the Royal Hearts series…. and loosely based on Beauty and the Beast.
Princess Rose is forced to marry King Raith to solidify a treaty between the two countries. While Rose admires Raith, especially his magic, she starts having him teach her more magic since it was outlawed in her country by her father.
This story was really sweet… and had a big twist on who the “bad” guy was. And as always in a good book, they lived happily ever after!!!
I received an ARC for my honest review.
ONE ENTICING ADVENTURE
Fantastic! If you’re in search of something a little different, thrilling with drama aplenty, uncertainty is a given, strong determination and hard made decisions, add in a little action and intrigue, congrats my friends, you’ve stepped right off the cliff into no-man’s-land, raising the stakes and keeping you riveted and frozen to your seat. Traversing the intimidating trials and challenging tribulations, alongside the stunning twists and wicked turns, testing our characters in ways than they could have never anticipated. Bound, wound and tightly banded, unmasking the tempting quirks and defying bents, putting our characters through their paces, testing them in ways they could have never envisioned. Restrictions are heightened and exploited, baring the fervent facts, feels and fiascos, shifting this baby into overdrive, blasting it into a hissy with astonishing results. The characters, interactions and charged atmosphere along with relatable qualities and individual traits adding depth and diversity, transforming into genuinely amazing personalities. The scenes are abundantly descriptive with colorful details that blend and flow, creating a majestic backdrop that’s so rich and lively it feels like you can just reach out and touch it. Remarkable job Elizabeth, thanks for sharing this awesome little gem with us.
Meh. There wasn’t really anything *new* happening in this book if you know what I mean. I pretty much predicted everything that would happen in the plot and the tropes are familiar to all of us.
Somehow I still found this story kinda charming though. The tropes that Briggs uses are some of my favorites and I thought the romance between Rose and Raith was cute. But what I really loved was the world building! Hearing about all the different kingdoms and learning about the magic system was the best part and I’m excited to explore that more in the next book.
I really love when romance series have a set of main characters that each get their own book and I can sense Briggs setting up the series that way. I’m 100% here for it and am super curious to see where these books go!
A lovely light read inspired by beauty and the best. Major plot points were predictable, but given the re-telling it’s not a surprise. It was a fun escape.
It’s a Beauty and the Beast retelling (my favorite story) and should be pretty predictable…but it wasn’t. I enjoyed the magic and the character of Rose…I like my heroines feisty.
A beautiful read!
They’ve been enemies their entire lives, their two kingdoms locked in a never-ending war—until an arranged marriage sparks a passion they can’t ignore…
What a stunning, beautiful and majestic read! Loved the story and the writing – so beautiful and poetic!
Truly hypnotising and magnetic. Was sucked in from the very first page!
Full of magic, war, enemies, secrets, darkness, struggles and love.
Perfect for readers of fantasy romances.
Anyone who loves a fairy-tales and brooding male leads, snag this one! A retelling of Beauty & the Beast, this book contains a cursed castle, a male lead with a tragic past, and a heroine who grows into her role as a powerful, magic-wielding queen. Recommended!
A enjoyable & intriguing romantic fairy-tale with an undertone of “Beauty & the Beast”. I found the story-line and plot fascinating with splendid scene descriptions. The characters are interesting & they are quite realistic with their emotions feelings & expectations.
It is about: a rather defiant princess & second daughter (Princess Rose) who practices magic although her father (King Balsam) banned it in his kingdom, she is given in marriage to an apparently cruel wizard king (King Raith) & from here the story begins.
There is: twists & turns, intrigue, magic, secrets, danger, threats, enemies, family issues, schemes, strange abilities, emotional turmoil, loneliness, political issues, distrust, defiance, attractions, guilt, verbal conflict, confrontations, happiness, love, some steam & a satisfying happy conclusion
I don’t read a lot of fantasy, but Elizabeth Briggs is a favorite author of mine. I’m so glad I decided to read this book. I didn’t want to put it down when needed. Rose was such a strong heroine and Raith grew on me. I was not expecting the turn towards the end. What a great storyline. It was well written and I cannot wait for the next book.
*l recieved an ARC of this book and this is my voluntary review.
Amazing read! Rose is the second oldest daughter of the king in Talador. She has desires to travel and be a person who helps her Kingdom and all the kingdoms be better than they currently are. Raith is the king of Ilidan, a kingdom at war with Talador. He has requested a truce between the kingdoms and Rose’s father offers the hand of one of his six daughters in marriage to seal the alliance. Rose is such a strong character. She knows there is more out there for her , but she doesn’t see a way to accomplish all she can. She enters the marriage with Raith with intentions to save her sisters and her kingdom. Fortunately this opens the door for her to do so much good and possibly find happiness. Raith has suffered the loss of his parents and wife so he has closed himself off to love and feelings in general. Rose is just the stubborn and driven heroine he needs to save his kingdom and himself. I loved the broodiness of Raith and the defiant , but gentle nature of Rose. They are a perfect match. I also loved the descriptions of the kingdoms, castles, clothes, and people. Very thorough, but not overdone to the point that the book is all descriptions. Great story that kept me interested and invested in the outcomes for the characters. Can’t wait to see what’s in store for the rest of the sisters!
Princess Rose (the MFC) is a woman who hates following rules. The main one being practising magic even though she knows her father (the king) has banned magic in his kingdom. Not that he would notice because her father rarely acknowledges her or her 5 sisters. That is until he has to pick one of them to marry King Raith. A king they have been at war with for years. Rose’s life from that point changes significantly but the better or worse will remain to be seen. I love the way Rose & Raith play off against each other. Rose’s character is strong-willed & opinionated whilst Raith is stubborn & Hard-headed. I really liked this book & i cant wait to see how her other sisters get on in their books. Which im hoping they get?