‘Beauty and the Beach’ by Diane Darcy is a clean
contemporary retelling of Beauty and the Beast.
Isabelle Kenna is a nurse who works in a VA hospital in
California. There is one veteran that comes to the hospital on days that she
works that likes her. The other nurses call him ‘The Beast’ because he’s such a
grouch, except around Isabelle. All the other nurses know he has a crush on her
and are willing to make sure she handles him, due to his grouchiness and they
think that she should date him. They don’t know that he’s already asked her
out. But she told him no because she has a plan, and dating guys isn’t in that
plan yet. First she wants to move out of her apartment before she starts dating,
due to too many responsibilities she has at home.
Adam Wilder is an ex-marine and hates going to the doctor’s.
The only reason he continued to allow himself to be tortured, was the pretty
nurse Isabelle. He’d tried asking her out, but she turned him down. At least
she was polite about it and didn’t look horrified, what with the right side of
his face so badly scarred. When he was growing up, his best friend’s dad was
jeweler and he taught his son and Adam his trade. Adam’s father was a marine
and he encouraged Adam to join them. Now that Adam’s out of the marines, due to
his four years being up and his injury, he’s fallen back on his next favorite
thing, making jewelry.
Isabelle’s father Stephen works as a manager at a
jeweler’s, while her sister Courtney is finishing up high school. On the night
of Courtney’s prom, Stephen lends a necklace to her. The first problem is that
the necklace he lent her is from the jewelry store where he works, without asking
permission to borrow it. He figured that he was the manager and no one would
miss it for one night, as long as he returned it before the owner came in the
morning. The second thing is that Courtney wasn’t known for her common sense,
and could possibly lose it. And the third and most important thing was that it
was a valuable piece with real rubies, diamonds, and sapphires called ‘The
Starfire’. And wouldn’t you know it but when Courtney came home, the necklace
wasn’t on her! They searched everywhere that Courtney went, but it was not to
be found!
Isabelle went with her father in the early morning to the
jewelry store owner’s house to explain what happened. Isabelle was surprised to
find out that the owner lived in the large house that the locals called ‘The
Castle’, due to its turret and its location in the exclusive area of town. It
also is on a cliff overlooking a private beach. But she was even more surprised
to find that the owner was Adam from the VA hospital! And to top it off was the
fact that the necklace that was lost was worth $100,000! She pleaded with Adam
to not call the police, and made a deal with him instead. As long as the necklace
could not be found, she would live in Adam’s house and do jobs for him. She was
to get her own room with the promise that he would be an absolute gentleman the
entire time she was under his roof.
This was a great story and wonderful version of Beauty
and the Beast. I would recommend it for ages 14+. This story only comes in
e-book format.
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