The Dawn of Courage (Princesses Uncovered Book 2)

Evelyn hunts them. She kills them. She hates them. The local villagers know them as The Beasts. Soon, Evelyn learns their most dangerous secret. A secret that could kill them all. The power to slay them lies within reach... but she struggles with her feelings for one of the beasts. Will she let her heart get the better of her? Is the beast just deceivingly charming?

He was once human, but a curse changed him forever. His only wish is to be the way he once was...but will redemption come too late? He's been watching over a young woman for years as she killed one after another of his friends. When they finally meet, he feels anger and sympathy with a mixture of some other, foreign feeling. He doesn't understand it. He should've hated her. But his heart seems determined to tell him something else. He longs to be loved, but in his condition, he isn't sure it's possible. Will he ever find the love he longs for?

As trouble brews with one of those who had been curse with him, he struggles to sort things out, and gets caught in the cross fire when that same trouble maker goes after Evelyn. While trying to protect her, he puts himself and his friends in danger. Can they overcome this outlaw? Will anyone be left to tell the story?

Excerpt:

A low growl emanated through the room, shaking the floor. The girl stood fearlessly on the ground as the beast moved forward. She could feel his breath as he drew close to her. A cold, clawed hand gripped her arm, piercing her fair skin and drawing tiny droplets of blood. The beast tilted his head. His shiny horns gleamed in the light of the flickering candles.
“Why don’t you quake with fear in my presence?” the beast asked her in a low, growling voice. His black eyes bore into her like knives.
The girl lifted her chin, dark brown hair falling around her shoulders and down her back. The beast drew her closer to him. She clenched her jaw as his overwhelming stench reached her nose. “I do not fear you, or anyone. I have hunted monsters much more fierce than you,” the girl said quietly. Her voice was calm but threatening.
The beast threw her to the ground. She fell on the hard marble with a thud and lay there, staring up at him.
“We will see if you’re afraid of me when I am finished with you,” The beast growled angrily. His black lips turned into an angry glower, his white fangs shining in his mouth. He took a huge step toward her. “You have been hunting my kind for far too long,” He told her quietly. “I would kill you now… if I didn’t know how you feel,” He said it in dangerous whisper. “But all I want from you is for you to swear to stop hunting us.”
“I will not. You terrorize my father’s farm! You and your kind are ruthless monsters, and I plan to kill you all so that you can never eat another one of our animals.”
“We have to eat something,” The beast growled at her. “If you won’t listen, I will kill you.”
“I will protect my family. I won’t stop, for I am not afraid of death.”

***

--The author has beautifully rewritten the classic fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast".

With a beginning that captured my attention from the start, I loved every bit of the book. It has an interesting twist to the original story, which makes me like this version even more than the original :D I love Evelyn and Dyret's characters, the beauty's courage and the beast's love.
I won't put any spoilers into the review, but I would say that there are certain characters here which aren't present in the original version, who make it all the more exciting and fascinating. (a tell-tale sign that you need to read the book to find out! :D)


I am a "die-hard" fan of Fantasy/Romance books, hence I've read tons of them; and this book is now one among my favorites!
I may not be able to write a captivating review, but if you like Fantasy novels, then I definitely recommend that you read this book! -- Scarlet --