Finding Beauty in the Beast by Jessilyn Stewart Peaslee

Synopsis:

Princess Rose’s fiery temper has kept every potential suitor away—until now. After being spurned and humiliated for the last time, the princess forces every eligible man in the kingdom 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 is summoned to present 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 common blacksmith, away from forbidding castles and beastly princesses. But love works in mysterious ways, and it all starts with a rose...

My Review: 4.5 Stars

Rose lost her parents when she was only 13 years old. Feeling hurt, angry, abandoned and broken, she hardens her heart towards everyone. She refuses to let anyone get close to her. The hurt and grief of losing her parents was just too much and she refuses to let it happen again. She knows what they call her, she just doesn't care. She's disconnected herself from everyone and does her best to just exist. 

Corbin can't believe his luck. Just as he breaks off his engagement to someone who doesn't love him and moves to the city of Laurel for a fresh start, he discovers that Princess Rose has ordered every eligible bachelor to bring a gift to her Gift Giving Ceremony. The man who brings her the best gift will be her husband and King of Laurel. 

All Corbin wants is to live a quiet life as a blacksmith. His hope is that his simple gift will be overlooked and he'll be able to return back to his life as a commoner. But little did he know that fate had something else in store for him and Rose. 

Thrown into an unknown world, Corbin does his best to balance his old life and his new life. But somewhere along the way, he loses sight of who he truly is. Having to take a good look within, he discovers that he's no better than Rose. If he had really opened his eyes, who would have seen the hurt and vulnerability behind her angry eyes. 

On the path of self discovery, Corbin not only finds out who he is and what he wants, but he will also help Rose discover the person she is meant to be and help her to live again. 

But just as things start looking up, outside forces do their best to tear them apart. Will Rose and Corbin allow past hurts and insecurities to get in the way? Or will they discover that together they can conquer anything that's being thrown at them? Will they continue to be miserable? Or will they both finally get the HEA they deserve?

I am a sucker for a good beauty and the beast retelling. So when I stumbled upon this book on Goodreads, I immediately downloaded a sample. It didn't take me long to go and one click this baby! I was definitely intrigued by the princess being the beast. Once I got started, I took very little breaks and read this book in one day. 

This is my first book by Ms. Peaslee and I've decided that I will definitely need to keep an eye out for other books by her! 

And of course I can't forget my casting! I am loving these two! What do you think?