Finding Beauty in the Beast by Jessilyn Stewart Peaslee

Princess Rose's fiery temper has kept every potential suitor away...until now. After being spurned and humiliated for the last time, the princes forces every eligible man to present a gift to her under pain of death. The man who brings her the best gift will be chosen as her husband.

When Corbin presents his gift, he hopes that his simple offering will keep him safely overlooked. All he wants is to return to his quiet life as a blacksmith away from forbidding castles and beastly princesses. But love works in mysterious ways, and it all starts with a rose...

 

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This books was so sweet!  The story was familiar yet new and that's exactly how you want fairy tale re-tellings to be.  

I fell in love with Corbin.  What an emotional journey he went on but for the most part, he handled it with dignity and kindness.  He won me over right away.  The Princess took a bit longer, as expected, but understanding someone's pain and loss can change your view of them.  Kindness and love win in this book.  That's a good message any day.

It was so fun to see Ella and Will from the previous books appear in this book too.  Old friends, happy reminders.

I was smiling my way through most of this book and in the end I felt good.  That's exactly where I love to be.

This story is gentle and easy.  I would say appropriate for younger teenage readers on up which also makes me happy.  I love sharing a book that can be read through many ages.

- I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Excerpt:

A beast. That was what they called her. When she was in a good temper, Princess Rose's face was deceptively sweet, even beautiful. Her large emerald eyes could appear tender, her rosebud lips touched with softness. There was a time, some would say, that her voice was warm and full of life and, though no one believed it, that she used to laugh. But today, there was no hint of softness, no trace of tenderness. Her eyes blazed like green fire and she pursed her lips until they became indistinguishable from her pale skin. The freckles she painstakingly tried to hide glared angrily across her nose and cheeks—cheeks deep crimson from humiliation. No tears would escape her eyes, no quivering would touch her lips. She sat—cold and aloof—her gaze fixed straight ahead, glaring at the opposite wall of the swaying carriage.

Jessilyn Stewart Peaslee was born the fourth of seven children into a family of avid readers, music lovers, movie quoters, and sports fans. Jessilyn graduated from Brigham Young University with a BA in English. She loves going on dates with her husband and playing with her five adorable, rambunctious boys. Jessilyn grew up in the beautiful high desert of Southern California and now resides in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains. As you read this, she is probably folding laundry . . . or should be.

Ella's Will by Jessilyn Stewart Peaslee

Will Hawkins is just a mere stable boy. How can he ever think to woo Ella, his once-wealthy childhood friend who is stubbornly independent, especially when his competition is the prince? Without any magic or fairy godmothers, Will must show Ella that he is her true prince charming in this perspective twist of the Cinderella story.

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Okay, so this is actually the same story as found in "Ella" but told from a different perspective.  Instead of Ella's point of view, this book comes from Will.  I haven't read the first book but I don't think it's necessary to read the first book in order to understand this one.  I will say that now I feel almost compelled to read the first book because I know Ella has a point of view and I long to know it.  

What is not to love about Will?  He is so devoted to Ella and determined to make her life easier however he can but he knows Ella has to battle through her unfortunate circumstances.  Will knows he cannot save her, but his little acts of kindness do seem to save Ella and keep her spirit from shrinking away and dying.  It is a tender and sweet love story.  Heartbreaking.  

Sometimes I felt like things got a bit drawn out and as a reader I was wrapped up in Will's circular thoughts for too long but overall this was an emotional, character driven story.  Where old fairy tales are recreated so often, I appreciated the unique perspective from Will's point of view and also the simple twist that changed this story up a bit.

Content:  clean, some references to abuse 

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

About the author:

Jessilyn Stewart Peaslee graduated with a BA in English from Brigham Young University in 2004. She loved taking creative writing classes, and was particularly fond of the works of Shakespeare, Jane Austen, and the Bronte sisters. She also studied French and the humanities. Jessilyn grew up in the beautiful deserts of Southern California and now resides in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains in Saratoga Springs, Utah, with her husband and five boys.

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