Theresa Jane

A failed artist, Freya become gainfully employed when her lawyer brother get her a job as a live in house cleaner for Liam Henderson, rock star extraordinaire. There is one recurring problem, he is obsessive compulsive regarding cleanliness and she is a bit of a slob. Long and repetitive conversations slow the pace down considerably. Editing would help an okay romance become much more.

I received this book through a Publisher's promotional giveaway. Although encouraged as a courtesy to provide feedback, I was under no obligation to write a review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.… (meer)

About a quarter into reading this novel the meaning of the title “Beastly Lights” clicked and it began to make sense or at least my own interpretation of it made sense. I feel like in some ways this was a contemporary retelling of Beauty and the Beast with just a tinge of Snow White thrown in, with Freya becoming Belle and Liam assuming the role of “the Beast.” In many ways the stories are parallel to one another, for instance: Freya is kept “prisoner” in Liam’s place like Belle was, She is forbidden from entering a specific area of the apartment, Liam is brooding and mysterious and somewhat hot-headed. The “Snow White” element comes in with the fact that she is hired as his maid and is obligated to clean his home, even if she isn’t the most organized herself. While this novel isn’t being touted as a retelling, it’s quite clear there is some sort of influence at play here, one that I appreciated given that Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite fables.

There were only two faults I found with Beastly Lights when reading this novel. The biggest issue was the length. I felt that this novel was a tad bit too long for such a clear-cut story, and would have been best suited as two separate novels or edited down some, rather than one massive novel. This is my own opinion, of course. I completely admire and respect any authors (such as Theresa Jane) who are able to crank out such fascinating tales with such intricate detail and offer their readers an extended stay in the world alongside their characters, however after a while there were some moments that became a little laborious to keep up with in my own reading experience.

The other issue is that I sometimes struggled to find appeal to the main characters. Particularly in the beginning with the two of them yelling at each other all the time, and Freya even yelling at the moving guys even though the one that deserved the attitude was Liam. I get it, she was angry that her brother “lost her” to Liam in a game, which is a little odd. I felt it would have been even more interesting if Freya lost the bet against Liam herself and thus, would create even more delicious tension than her brother gambling her away like she was an object instead of a person. Freya sometimes also said or did things that were a little sketchy and discrediting of her overall position as a likeable main character. It’s a little hard to win me over when the main character comes off as rude and/or whiny or a few seconds short of a tantrum. I’m glad I powered through, however, as I eventually grew to like the back and forth between Liam and Freya and did find myself come to root for them in the long run.

Theresa Jane has a knack for creating an interesting story and her wonderful ability to give realistic and relateable life to these characters is worth noting. Freya and Liam aren’t overly stereotypical and while both of them have their minor faults, still make for great characters in an overall enjoyable novel perfect for some cozy reading before bed.… (meer)

If you love a good romance story with endearing characters than you should pick up a copy of this book. Liam came off as the perfect gentleman. In fact, he was almost too perfect that you had to wonder if he was real. Luckily, he was the real deal. Freya was very lucky to have Liam. Although, it may not have seemed like it in the beginning. I loved how Liam instantly came to Freya's side and became her protector. After getting to hear Freya's story about her childhood, she needed someone to protect her. Sometimes I don't like when the woman comes off as weak but in this case, it worked. Actually, I would not really call Freya "weak" but more like fragile. She has had to take care of herself for so long that it was nice to see Liam take over and care for Freya. Every time that Liam called Freya's name, I felt the love.

This book just goes to show you that there is more to romance then just "sex". There is the matter of the heart as well. In Liam and Freya's case it was a love story. Yet, it is Liam singing and not just because he is the musician. That is because Freya can't carry a tune. If you asked Liam, he would agree. Theresa Jane scores a hit with Beastly Lights as it is a wonderful read filled with endearing characters!… (meer)