Monday, August 14, 2017

Audiobook Review: Beauty and the Highland Beast by Lecia Cornwall

Series:     Highland Fairytale #1
Pub. Date:June 20, 2017
Publisher:Tantor Audio
Narrator:Ruth Urquhart
Length:9 hrs 33 min
Source:Publisher

I have had Beauty and the Highland Beast on my TBR for a while, so I was happy to see it come out in audio just in time for my latest road trip. I'm a sucker for Beauty and the Beast retellings, so I was extra excited about a Highland beast!

Dair Sinclair is our beast. He is a once proud son, rumored to be a pirate, with all the cocky swagger that entails. But after being captured and tortured, Dair has returned home a broken man whom most of his clan thinks to be mad. Between injuries, scars and nightmares, he made a sympathetic beast.

Fia Mcleod is one of the dozen daughters of the Fearsome Mcleod. Having a sad story, scarring and disability herself, she is often overlooked by her father and the rest of her family. Fia spends her days healing wild things, birds and foxes and felines. So when Padraig Sinclair is looking for a wife for his son, Fia seemed like the perfect choice to soothe the beast. So Fia and her devil cat Beelzebub, find themselves at the Sinclair keep facing a daunting task with Dair's injured soul.

Dair and Fia were perfectly matched. Fia was compassionate and seemed to know exactly what Dair needed, even when he denied himself simple human comfort. And Fia's frailty piqued Dair's protective instincts and gave him something to worry about besides his own demons. It was interesting to see how they each coped with similar disabilities, and their own unique trauma. 

But danger is lurking around Dair and Fia, and an evil plot is afoot. There are questions about Dair's sanity and ability to lead the clan... and Fia's fae-like beauty and healing efforts are bringing about whispers of witches and curses. The odds were definitely against the two, and it didn't seem like love was going to win the day. The culprit behind the plot conflict was predictable, but I still enjoyed it and thought it enriched the story.

Speaking of enrichment, there were some humorous moments to this story as well. Fia's cat, Beelzebub, earned his name. I loved seeing the fierce Highland warriors freak out about the feline and cater to its every whim. It definitely got some chuckles out of me.

This is my first time listening to this narrator, Ruth Urquhart. She did a good job with the accents and character affectations, and held my attention throughout the story. I would definitely listen to her again.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this audiobook that I received from the publisher, Tantor Audio.

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