The Beast and The Bookseller

Eva Devon

Jun 2023 · Once Upon a Wallflower Book 1 · Sold by Entangled: Amara

About this ebook

She’s about to make a beast of a bargain in this clever and deliciously engaging fairytale twist, from USA Today bestselling author Eva Devon...

All of London gossips about the Duke of Montrose. A recluse. Inflicted with a terrible disease. A gargoyle with a terrible temper. But he’s also the most important patron of the centuries-old book shop that belongs to Miss Elizabeth Sharpe’s family. Now she’s been charged with delivering books to the Gargoyle of London herself—or risk their shop falling into ruin. But surely a duke can’t be that ghastly...

Garrett Maximilian doesn’t give a tinker’s damn what society says about him. Most of them are sycophants, bowing and scraping in his presence. But not this proud, redheaded spitfire of a woman standing before him. In fact, nothing makes him feel more alive than Miss Elizabeth tartly criticizing his books. Perhaps he just needs a plan to keep her close...

The duke’s glower doesn’t terrify Elizabeth as much as it fascinates her. And worse, he looks at her with a dark hunger that should make her shake with fear—not desire. But Elizabeth’s father has sinister plans in store for his daughter...and this beastly duke might be her only salvation.

Each book in the Once Upon a Wallflower series is STANDALONE:
* The Beast and The Bookseller
* The Duke and the Dressmaker
* The Rake and the Rose

Ratings and reviews

Bonding over Pride and Prejudice This charming romance asks the question, "What if Elizabeth had been forced to accept Darcy's first proposal?" Elizabeth is the daughter, the only child, of a bookstore owner whose shop has been sustained for hundreds of years by the patronage of the Duke of Montrose. Garrett, the current duke, is a solitary man who prefers to be left alone, but when Elizabeth's father fails to keep up the weekly delivery of books to the duke, Garrett insists that she pick up the slack. Insightful and discerning, Elizabeth doesn't back down or "bow and scrape" to the duke, treating him as just another, albeit very important, customer. Garrett has his own very personal reasons to want to challenge the status quo and champion women's rights. These two find a common ground in the books written by A Lady, upon which a beautiful friendship is built. Elizabeth dreams of owning the bookstore outright when her father retires, and avoids any mention of romance or marriage because, in her astute understanding of current law, she loses all rights to her property if she weds. Her father, on the other hand, believes that he can only secure the future of his bookstore by selling his daughter in marriage. Not really similar to P&P, but the circumstances that force Garrett's proposal are enough to both infuriate Elizabeth and render her with no other viable option. It's a delicate conundrum, hampered by his quest for justice in a decades-old family matter, but patience wins the day and eventually secures their HEA. The writing is beautiful, lyrical even, diving deep into the hearts and souls of the main characters and allowing them to express a full range of emotions without risk to their futures. They each wrestle with knowing what they want but not finding a socially-acceptable path to achieving their goals. I loved the underlying respect between Garrett and Elizabeth, and how that was maintained even through the worst of the turmoil. This book was enthralling, captivating, and impossible to put down. I highly recommend it for anyone who loves regency romances. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

I enjoyed Elizabeth and Garrett's romance. I thought the author delivered a clever take on The Beauty and The Beast fairytale, which is a personal favorite of mine. While skillfully leaving the bare bones of the original intact, many tweaks, twists and additions have been made to create a fresh story that still manages to feel like an old friend. Offering up a easy to read blend of drama, emotion, cuteness, sweetness, heat and heart, Elizabeth and Garrett easily stole my heart.

Beautiful love story about a London bookstore owner's daughter and the Duke who patronizes their shop,but he never actually comes to the shop. Instead he prefers to stay in his Manor, in his office and library. That is until the shopkeeper fails to deliver his parcel of books on schedule, he comes bursting into the shop angrily demanding everyone but Elizabeth the proprietor to get out now. From this point since her father has been a drunken failure, he demands she deliver his books to him from now on. The beginning of a lustful friendship begins. I enjoyed this ebook very much and recommend it highly.

About the author

USA Today bestseller Eva Devon was raised on literary fiction, but quite accidentally and thankfully, she was introduced to romance one Christmas by Johanna Lindsey's Mallory novella The Present and a romance addict was born. Now, she loves to write her own roguish dukes, alpha males, and the heroines who tame them. evadevonromance.com