Beast in the Tower

I'll admit it. I don't read category romance. I don't even read very much straight romance. I won this book in a raffle, and one bored evening with nothing else to do, picked it up. The cover is atrocious, the title is worse. I wasn't expecting to get more than a few pages into it. To my own surprise I read it cover to cover and found it very engaging. Don't get me wrong. There are definite problems (cliche after cliche after cliche and the 'miracle cure' reminded my of something off of a soap opera). However, if I take this for what it is - a short, unserious read - and let go of my inbred literary snobbiness, I will definitely admit that I enjoyed it. Good job author for winning over a very picky reader.

Julie Miller has come up with a retelling of beauty and the beast with this story. Ms. Miller always comes through with a well thought out and emotional engaging story.

Julie Miller is an automatic buy for me. She has a penchant for wounded heroes, and Damon Sinclair is no exception. The tension and attraction between Sinclair, who hides his face from the world, and Kit, who is an open book, rings true except for one scene in which Kit misunderstands Damon's reaction to a photograph of his ex-wife. The plot is complex but not absurdly so, and we are misled a few times before the surprising villain is exposed. Don't start this book if you have something you need to get done in the next few hours -- it's hard to put down! One note: this book is part of a "He's a Mystery" promotion with several other Intrigue authors (Amanda Stevens, Cassie Miles, ...). I was afraid this was one of those (dis)continuity series like the recent "Big Sky Bounty Hunters," but after some digging, I've concluded that it is separate books around a common theme. So no need to dig up the prequels and sequels.