I love Beauty and the Beast. But so many fairy tale retellings are all the same. So when I find one that really stands out and brings a new layer to the familiar tale, I have to tell people about it. Check out this review of Kill the Beast.
Today I’m highlighting the new book Midnight for a Curse by E.J. Kitchens, I found it original and funny And I’m sure you’re going to like it too.
Every Curse Must Have an End
Belinda Lambton knows a curse when she sees one. She also knows the wisdom of agreeing with a powerful enchantress. So when she inadvertently gets mixed up with a cursed Beast and his enchantress, she finds herself tasked with the role of Curse Breaker. That’s not an easy position, for Beast has reasons of his own to keep his curse. There’s also someone else determined to break it by whatever means possible and claim Beast for herself, and she doesn’t take competition well.
With wit, clean romance, and a touch of danger, Midnight for a Curse is a retelling of the beloved Beauty and the Beast tale.
My Dive in reveiw.
Midnight for a cure is not your ordinary Beauty and the Beast retelling. In this version the beauty, Belinda Lambton, is not trying to save her father. Rather she is actively running from an unwanted suitor. And she runs right into the Castle of an enchanted Beast.
I loved Belinda so much she is a crafty and sneaky protagonist. Who is not afraid to use Beast’s curse to her own advantage. Like getting her hearts desire from the desperate fairy godmother who needs this curse broken — yesterday.
The Beast of this story is not a monster. He just wants to be left alone so he can read his books in peace. A man, um . . .beast, after my own heart. He is also sneaky and wise to the ways of crafty village girls. He doesn’t want his old life back and will try any subterfuge necessary to get the beautiful interloper to leave.
Watching these two play off each other and try to one up each other is my kind of romance. None of this going to balls and pleasantries. Give me a good matching of wits any day.
The best scene is where Belinda confronts Beast about the excessive number of sweets she’s being fed.
The actual mechanics of the curse were so original while still hearkening back to the original french version of the tale. This is a great retelling of a classic tale for those who want to go deeper than the Disney version.
The number one on the cover carries promises of a series. I certainly look forward to more adventures with these characters.
I was the recipient of an advanced reader copy of this novel. All opinions are my own and are given honestly.
Buy it here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08777SVDV
About E.J. Kitchens
E.J. Kitchens loves tales of romance, adventure, and happily-ever-afters and strives to write such tales herself. When she’s not thinking about dashing heroes or how awesome bacteria are–she is a microbiologist after all–she’s probably photographing flowers, walking in the woods, or talking about classic books and black-and-white movies. Elizabeth is a member of Realm Makers and blogs at Lands Uncharted. She lives in Alabama.
If you’d like up-to-date news on her writing, visit her website and sign up for her newsletter.
https://www.elizabethjanekitchens.com/
If you want more Beauty and the Beast fun from E.J. Kitchens check out The Rose and the Wand. It’s a B&B retelling from the enchantresses point of view. It’s also now available in audio-book and the narrator has the most amazing English accent.
Rose and Wand blurb:
When prim and proper enchantress Lady Alexandria attempts to bewitch a magic mirror, she ends up cursed -powerless, penniless, dumped in a strange land, and stuck in the body of an old hag. As if that weren’t bad enough, the mirror gives her two tasks: Curse the prince whose arrogant cruelty she once ignored and find her way home – before the Magic Collectors find her and strip her of her powers forever and before the mysterious woodsman who finds her lost in the forest discovers who she really is. The prince she cursed must learn to love before an enchanted rose dies or he will remain a beast forever. Will her fate also be sealed when the last petal falls?
Buy it here: https://www.amazon.com/Rose-Wand-Magic-Collectors-Book/dp/B088ZXV9GG/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Once Upon a Twist #3
Kirsten Fichter is a twenty-something Christian writer who loves being the wife to her favorite person ever, mommy to two precious blessings, a piano enthusiast, a dragon buff, a serious bookworm, and an INFP synesthete. Fairytales have always fascinated her, and she has made it her goal to rewrite as many as possible and become known as the “Grimm Dickens” (i.e. mixing Grimm fairytales with a Dickens style). 
AUTHOR BIO:
Devon Alexander is a 15 year-old teenager coping with the monotonous reality of his average life. His life receives an interesting reprieve as he has his first realistic dream of a spaceship. The strangest thing about the dream is that he seems to be the only one on board who isn’t in a dream-like trance. Before he can figure out anything about the dream or his strange shipmates, he manages to wake up. The next day, Devon catches a news story about inexplicable comas taking place all over the world. Devon’s life becomes increasingly interesting as he recognizes some of the victims from his spaceship trip.
L. E. Fred is a perpetual dreamer who writes about worlds both within and without this realm. With a degree in psychology, she tends to get lost in the mind, the greatest adventure of all. L. E. Fred just returned from a tour of Japan, and hopes to have many more adventures to inspire new tales of dreams and beyond. She currently lives in New Orleans, seated at her messy writing desk with her red furred dog at her feet.
Kamryn Kensington is a wonderfully relate-able heroine. She may be an adult in years but like many she still struggles with ‘adulting.’ Her passion’s and dreams are taking her in a different direction than her older sister would have her go. Unfortunately, when the two siblings butt heads it’s Kam’s head that takes the hit. Right at the bottom of the stairs. When she wakes up in the land of Ur she has some questions. What she gets is a mission from a very shifty Oracle, but few answers.
Even as a young girl, Kandi J Wyatt, had a knack for words. She loved to read them, even if it was on a shampoo bottle! By high school Kandi had learned to put words together on paper to create stories for those she loved. Nowadays, she writes for her kids, whether that’s her own five or the hundreds of students she’s been lucky to teach. When Kandi’s not spinning words to create stories, she’s using them to teach students about Spanish, life, and leadership.
Born a princess in a land where the sun never sets, Arynne longs for the freedom to use her inborn magic. When an emissary from the dark side of the world requests an alliance sealed by marriage, Arynne jumps at a chance to escape the rules of her homeland, even if it means marrying a prince she’s never met and never seeing the sun again.
Prince Kajik of Frorheim has known all his life that he was a mistake. The second, unwanted son of a cold and calculating king, Kay’s birth was accompanied by a dire prophecy, that he would bring about the return of the dreaded sorcerer Athan and therefore cause his kingdom’s destruction. When Kay falls in love with the intended bride of his beloved brother, Olyn, his father finally has cause to be rid of him. Banishing Kay from their home upon pain of death, the king proclaims that the Princess Arynne will marry Olyn and unite the kingdom against Athan.Kay is determined to accept his lonely fate to protect those he loves from Athan’s dark magic. However, when he learns that Arynne is in danger, everything within him yearns to save her … even if such an action will cost his life.
Born in a small town in north central Oregon, H. L. Burke spent most of her childhood around trees and farm animals and was always accompanied by a book. Growing up with epic heroes from Middle Earth and Narnia keeping her company, she also became an incurable romantic.
C. O. Bonham 