this is a not very clear review of Beguiling the Beauty rather I am writing notes about the book for myself who couldn't put this book down!

Loved all of the references to Judith Ivory's Beast (of which there were many! the languages, the ship, the encyclopedias, the jasmine, I could go on but I will stop - Sherry Thomas I love that you love Judith Ivory, too!) Really enjoyed characters from Thomas's other series being mentioned or making brief appearances. I loved seeing more from Fitz and Millie because omg the tension makes my hand twitch. I still didn't care as much about Helena and Hastings in this. I like their book! But I didn't care for their interludes here or in Ravishing the Heiress. ANYWAY - I loved Christian and Venetia.

I'm really excited to read all of these books by Thomas again and catch each the references to her other books.

*borrowed the ebook from my library but loved the cover so much I bought a physical copy. ( )

totally mediocre. I do not understand the hype. ( )

I've enjoyed previous books by this author, so repeatedly I considered reading this one, but the blurb, with mistaken identity and revenge, they're not my favorite tropes and combined they seemed so hokey, and I'd set it aside for another book. I finally decided that even if I didn't care for this book I might still enjoy the next two in the series and I like to read in order, so I'd go ahead and tackle it. Well do I feel silly now. The characters get themselves tangled up in a mess, but their thoughts and actions make so much sense given their understanding. I was engrossed in their courtship. They spend a lot of time on page getting to know each other, both of them grow into their best selves with each other, it was complicated but lovely. Of course there's a part later where things go poorly, there's always a hitch in the third quarter. But they end up back in a good place, and besides a little bit of frustration with them during that turbulence, it was a very nice journey. I think it will be memorable as well, so it stands out from the crowd for me. ( )

Loved everything about this. Christian and Venetia falling in love was amazing, and then we had to go through some pretty great angst for them to get their HEA. Looking beneath the surface is the lesson here, and it’s an important one. ( )

RTC. Cause that was a binge read and it’s bedtime.

The review hasn't written itself, but I did so appreciate the conversation and intimacy built between these characters. I HATE mistaken or hidden identity plots, but this one did work for me. The hero makes a mistake and is punished in a singular fashion for it, but of course that goes awry because he's also a really decent guy.

There's some sexy hairpin action (aka sexy consent) and what results is a sweet, convincing relationship. When it all falls apart--less a big misunderstanding and more a big understanding--it is also dealt with in a convincing way and all character vulnerabilities melt away in favor of their regular defensive modes. The secondary characters play a large role here and have set this series up so I'm almost reluctant to step away from it now.

Last night, because I enjoyed it and binged it to no end, I might have given it a 5. This morning, I think it's not quite that, perhaps the rush to the end and the device employed, so I'll leave it at 4 for now. Probably. ( )