How to Tame a Beast in Seven Days

How To Tame a Beast in Seven Days was a fantastic book. Set in a fantasy world, it pulled on my roots of high fantasy reading and made them proud. A world that is detailed and vibrant, with people to go right along with it. There are even dragons!!!! Combine that with a beautifully arranged marriage style romance, I think I found a truly winning series. The Embraced are a group of people born under a certain moon and grow up to be blessed/cursed with strange and sometimes terrifying powers. Luciana is an orphan growing up on the Isle of the Moon, the one place where Embraced are not feared and reviled. She was sent there to protect her from those that would kill her for what she is. She loves the island and her 'sisters,' but when her father (surprise!) shows up, she finds out that her history is completely different than what she believed. Returning with her father to the mainlands, Luciana will have to convince the world that she is another person as she prepares to marry the Beast of Benwick, a man rumored to kill all who come near. And so begins our romance. Of course, the Beast has a surprising history and personality. I'm wasn't sure how Kerrelyn Sparks was going to get these characters together for a while. Everything was stacked against them and both were terrified of what might happen. There are some crazy twists and turns as Luciana and the Beast travel to the capital. Attacks, deaths, discoveries, and along the way we get to meet some really great secondary characters that I feel just might show up with a story of their own - I certainly hope so. While I enjoy a good twisting tale, there were a few times that it seemed like a twist was thrown into drag the story out just a tad, and then we had a bit of a rushed ending. Overall, I loved the world, I loved the characters, and I can't wait to see what they are going to do next. **I voluntarily read a review copy of this book**

Great new series!

In a world where magic is despised, a group of magically blessed young woman are thrust from the safety of their lives on an island sanctuary into the world that would see the destroyed for their abilities. Luciana never knew she had a twin or a family that sent her away for her safety. When her sister is murdered, her father barely escapes, but he must ask Luciana to enter this world that would see her dead in order to save a family she never knew…but beyond that, she must marry the Beast of Benwick to save her father’s life. Sparks is back with a brand new series that has a compelling historical, light fantasy flare. Magic and mayhem take place in a world controlled by dictators that fear both magic and mayhem. Light, playful, and highly entertaining, HOW TO TAME A BEAST IN SEVEN days was utterly enjoyable. While Sparks provided her classic world building and humor filled characters to back up the humor and romance. My only complaints, it was an insta-love situation as well as a bit repetitive, which kept me from loving it. If you are a fan of Sparks, this is a must read! For all others, you must check out this new set of quirky characters in Spark's' THE EMBRACED SERIES. I received this ARC copy of How to Tame A Beast In Seven Days from St. Martin's Press. This is my honest and voluntary review.

So, I have only seen a few episodes of Game of Thrones, but Tame a Beast reminds me of that. Fantasy, dragons, kingdoms at war...its all very GoT but with more romance and I liked it more than I expected. Honestly, I am not a GoT fan, but this book is good! Its certainly not as x rated as GoT or as violent, but the themes are there. You have your scheming kings, murders, secret identities, hidden royals, and more. Luciana can talk to and see the dead. She has to pretend to be her dead twin sister,Tatiana, and marry "The Beast", a man who can harness lightening. Leo (the Beast) is the nephew of a king who wants him dead. This arranged marriage between Leo and Luciana/Tatiana is merely a way for the king to gather more land. The book takes some time world building. You have to get the basics on the kingdoms, the people, the religions, and more. Luciana is an Embraced. Since the kings on the mainland kill Embraced, she is sent to live on an island at a convent. She and the other Embraced girls have no idea who they are or that people would kill them. I think the premise of the story is really interesting and drew me in right away. Luciana is so kind; even after her father abandoned her but kept her sister she is willing to go along with this plan that could mean certain death for them both. Leo is such a tortured hero! He has this power that nearly kills him, but he knows he needs it in order to keep his people safe. He is willing to sacrifice himself to save the people. He can't touch anyone without killing them, so his existence is lonely and isolated. He is giving up his entire life to save the people who call him the Beast. Its tragically sad! I LOVED the love story between Luciana and Leo. It was so good!! This is probably my favorite ship of all time. Seriously, that is saying something since I read like 300 romance books a year. These two are epic! You also get a great cast of supporting characters. The sister, Tatiana, Christopher, a young ghost boy, Brody, Nevis, and all of Luciana's 'sisters' from the convent. These characters provide such a rich depth in their small roles. I can't wait to read more about this world. I think this series has a great deal of potential! With each book there will be less world building necessary so the pace should pick up. There were times this book just felt so slow because of the necessary background information. However, the story is fantastic and I think this series will be well received!