Long and Short Reviews

Enchanted Beauty by Marly Matthews
New Concepts Publishing
Fantasy
Full length, Spicy
Review by Orange Blossom

Annabelle Hawthorne Morton hails from an ancient mystical line—even though she herself has not been endowed with the mark of magic that the magic-kind of Thaliana are born with. Despite this, she aspires for magical greatness, and while performing a spell the enchantment backfires in her face, robbing her of half her sight. But it doesn't take her long to realize that within a few months she will be completely blind. When her father enrages the local lord and he's imprisoned for his crimes, Annabelle must muster her courage and save her father from the beast's wrath.

Lord Malachi Hawthorne, Earl of Markham has been horribly disfigured during a magical battle. His sister betrayed him—and now her curse has put him into his own living hell. Believing that the outside world will revile him for his monstrous appearance, he retreats to his enchanted castle. He is determined to make Annabelle's father his indentured servant, until he meets Annabelle. He quickly decides that she is the one that might finally set him free from his living hell, and knows he must have her as his own.

♥ ♥ ♥

If you’re looking for well-written, romantic fantasy fiction, then this is definitely the story for you. Enchanted Beauty is a retelling of the classic Beauty and the Beast story and with it Marly Matthews has created a fun-filled, touching and romantic tale.

I absolutely loved this book from beginning to end. The writing is top notch, all the characters are wonderfully drawn and the magical world is both entertaining and intriguing. Annabelle and Malachi are wonderful leads—you feel for them, you support their efforts and in the end you want them to succeed in their deeds and be happy. Adding to the enjoyable effect of this book are all the supporting characters which brought the story to life. Each and every one was well-rounded and—even in a magical story as this—felt real.

The world building involved in creating the magical realm of this book was also well done which is important in a fantasy story as this. It came across as thorough and logical. And at the end, all the loose ends were tied up, making it a satisfying and worthy read. I hope to hear about other stories in and around the Enchanted Kingdom of Thaliana from Ms. Matthews. That is a journey I would most definitely like to take once again.