I had to pick up Amalie Howard’s historical romance, The Beast of Beswick. I’m a sucker for “Beauty and the Beast” stories. It’s even my favorite Disney film, although I preferred the beast over the prince. And, that library! What can I say? One reason I like the Disney film? Belle sets out to save her father, herself, and the beast. She doesn’t wait around for someone to save her. Lady Astrid Everleigh does the same thing. She takes matters into her own hands in order to save her sister.

When Lady Astrid Everleigh was only sixteen, in her first season, she was supposed to be engaged to Edmund, Lord Beaumont. When he became a little too familiar, she asked him to release her from the engagement. Instead, he spread ugly rumors about her. She was ruined in the eyes of the ton, and she and her family were forced to flee from society. Now, she’s a spinster at twenty-five, and Lord Beaumont wants to marry her sixteen-year-old sister, Isobel. Their uncle, who is now in charge of their estate, is eager to marry off Isobel to a man with position and money.

Lady Astrid is desperate to save her sister, but the only idea she can come up with is to marry herself off so her husband will be responsible for Isobel and her estate. What better way than to offer herself to the Duke of Beswick, a man no one sees? She was trained to run a household, and she was the daughter of a viscount. She comes with a great deal of money. So, she shows up at the Duke of Beswick’s estate, and asks him to marry her.

Lord Thane Harte, Duke of Beswick, had just been told by his valet that he needs to marry. The man had hidden himself away after he returned from war with bayonet wounds all over his body. He knows people are horrified when they see him. He’s angry. He’s hurt, and he won’t marry because he knows no one woman could love him. He doesn’t accept Astrid’s proposal. However, when Beaumont shows up, and tries to compromise Isobel, Astrid makes her sister pack, and the two flee to Beswick’s estate. Again, he won’t accept her offer of marriage. But, one more confrontation with Beaumont, and Beswick himself claims Lady Astrid as his future wife. And, he’s gentleman enough to agree to save Isobel. He’ll marry Lady Astrid, and it will be a marriage in name only.

The Beast of Beswick features a confident, intelligent woman who challenges a man who is deeply hurt. As they fall in love, she isn’t willing to back down, and he isn’t willing to admit someone could love him. It’s a sexy, romantic story. And, he understands his “Scholar”, and buys her an astonishing gift, showing he understands her. But, they struggle throughout the book. It’s interesting to see a wounded hero who suffers because of his war injuries.

As much as I enjoyed the changing and challenging relationship between Astrid and Thane, The Beast of Beswick wouldn’t be as good without the strong supporting cast. The valet, the butler, and Thane’s Aunt Mabel, who acts as chaperone, are wonderful characters who add humor, and in Aunt Mabel’s case, humor with a twinkle.

In reading these historical romances, I’ve discovered that the women I appreciate in the stories are the independent ones who take control of their own lives. According to several of the mystery writers I know who write about the Victorian period, that was more common then than people realize. And, Lady Astrid Harte, Duchess of Beswick, fits the bill. With excellent advice from Aunt Mabel, she takes her heart, and her husband’s, into her hands in The Beast of Beswick.

Amalie Howard’s website is https://amaliehoward.com/

The Beast of Beswick by Amalie Howard. Entangled Publishing, 2019. ISBN 9781640637412 (paperback), 403p.

*****
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