Beauty and the Phantom by Harper Helton
Publisher & Release: Self-Published, January 7, 2020
Time and setting: 19th Century, France
Genre: Historical Romance
Length: 202 Pages
Heat Level: 1 Flame
Rating: 5 Gold Crowns
Book Description:
Olivia Joliot is a liar and a thief.
Recently widowed, she is trapped by the wicked dealings of her late husband's relatives, forced to work for them to pay off an endless debt. Her next target, the wealthy violin builder Erik de Villiers, is scarred by a past that left him permanently disfigured and heartbroken.
When she meets him, however, she sees the man behind the mask.
As walls begin to fall and hearts begin to heal, a terrible secret threatens to tear their fragile love apart.
Recently widowed, she is trapped by the wicked dealings of her late husband's relatives, forced to work for them to pay off an endless debt. Her next target, the wealthy violin builder Erik de Villiers, is scarred by a past that left him permanently disfigured and heartbroken.
When she meets him, however, she sees the man behind the mask.
As walls begin to fall and hearts begin to heal, a terrible secret threatens to tear their fragile love apart.
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Vikki’s Musings
Thanks goes to the author for the opportunity to read and review Beauty and the Phantom by Harper Helton prior to publication. My opinions are my own and are not influenced in any way. I received the eBook as a gift.
Beauty and the Phantom pulled into the story from the first page and held me in its thrall until the end. This is an outstanding novel, and I’m thrilled I accepted the author’s request. The writing is descriptive yet allowed me to use my imagination. The pacing is steady adjusting to what’s going on in the story to move the story in the right direction. There’s good depth to both main characters and the matchmaking stable master.
Olivia Joliot’s character is definitely a damsel in distress yet not a weak, helpless female, just a trapped one. She’s the widow of a con artist who used her for his nefarious plots. Now his family is doing the same thing. I could feel Olivia’s desperation and pain.
She’s not only practically a prisoner, she’s abused, physically and mentally. It’s amazing she’s still able to want to escape their machinations. So many times, abuse victims become so beaten down, they believe it’s their fault, and if they can just be better, smarter, more compliant, their abusers will stop. I thoroughly enjoyed Julia’s struggle to overcome her deplorable situation.
Erik de Villiars is my favorite kind of hero. The widower is tortured by what happened to his wife and son. His pain is visceral from the first meeting. He’s terribly scared from the fire that took his loved ones and has become a recluse who lives only to create his string instruments. He’s turned his back on everyone, including his family.
When he meets Olivia, there’s an instant attraction. I loved the romance that builds between them. I thoroughly enjoyed the stable master’s match making. This added a great deal to the story, and Olivia and Erik would never have gotten together without him.
The sexual tension between the couple is there from the beginning and there’s a natural progression to the physical side of their love story. The sexual scenes are very good, focusing more on the emotions than what goes where, which is the case in so many romances. Even though the hero appears to be only concerned by the sexual attraction, it’s apparent from the first, it’s much deeper than that.
If you enjoy tortured heroes with a huge character arche, and a heroine who is desperate to break away from her tormentors, then you will love Beauty and the Phantom as much as I did. I will definitely be looking for the rest of the books in this series. Happy reading!
Excerpt:
She felt her eyes begin to water and gave a small sound of gratitude as he handed her a handkerchief. “Everyone I’ve ever loved has died,” she agreed softly. “It’s almost as if you are...”
“Cursed,” Erik finished.
He turned to face her, and she felt a kinship with him. Yes, this man knew loss. Terrible, enduring loss. He would be shattered when her deception was revealed. It already felt as if she’d played with his heart. Even if she stopped now it would be too late to prevent him from being hurt. But she did like him. He was a kind man, and it had been an age since she’d been treated so well.
Olivia smiled at him and for once, didn’t have to force it.
“I think that sounds terribly depressing, don’t you? Life does go on. No matter how often we wish that it wouldn’t.”
“You have an assuredly positive philosophy on life.”
It was now or never. She’d done this before. Many times. But why were her nerves so rattled? Why did it feel like this wasn’t pretending? Why did she wish that he might make the first move?
She set a hand on his shoulder and leaned forward, pressing her lips against his cheek with the utmost tenderness, and when she leaned back, his wide eyes were on hers. He certainly didn’t look like he’d minded that. His eyes were full of wonder and tenderness, and he moved, just a little, toward her.
“I’ve found that it is the only way to live, Erik.”
Author Bio:
Harper Helton is a recovering fanfiction writer, obsessed with faeries, monsters, and happily-ever-afters. She likes steamy romance in all genres, spends way too much time watching Netflix, and has a One-Click addiction.
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