To Beguile a Beast

By: Elizabeth Hoyt

Narrated by: Anne Flosnik

Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

Can a wounded beast trust a beauty with a past to tame his most secret desires?

Reclusive Sir Alistair Munroe has hidden in his castle ever since returning from the Colonies, scarred inside and out. But when a mysterious beauty arrives at his door, the passions he’s kept suppressed for years begin to awaken.

Running from past mistakes has taken legendary beauty Helen Fitzwilliam from the luxury of the ton to a crumbling Scottish castle—and a job as a housekeeper. Yet Helen is determined to start a new life and won’t let dust—or a beast of a man—scare her away.

Beneath Helen’s beautiful façade, Alistair finds a courageous and sensual woman. A woman who doesn’t back away from his surliness—or his scars. But just as he begins to believe in true love, Helen’s secret past threatens to tear them apart. Now both Beast and Beauty must fight for the one thing neither believed they could ever find—a happy ever after.

©2009 Elizabeth Hoyt (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“There’s enchantment in Hoyt’s stories that makes you believe in the magic of love.” ( Romantic Times BOOKreviews)

fun romance.. very sweet

If you could sum up To Beguile a Beast in three words, what would they be?

intriguing and kept me hoping for these two lovers to come together.... sweet story

What three words best describe Anne Flosnik’s performance?

awful! so nasaly! accents were ok but could barely listen to it... read the book!

enjoyable listen

This was an enjoyable book, a nice twist on the 'beauty and the beast' story line. I like stories where characters have made mistakes and yet still find happiness. This female lead was a strong woman, which always appeals to me in these historical romances. Not sure how realistic some of those characters are for their time, but it is fun to read about them. I thought the narrator did a good job, not perfect, but certainly easy to follow the different people. Would like to listen to others in this series.

Added to my reread pile!

Lovely Helen Fitzwilliam is on the run with her two young children at her side. A friend recommends that she take a position as a housekeeper in a crumbling Scottish castle owned by the reclusive Sir Alistair Munroe. To hide from her past, and the one person who can take her children away, Helen must convince the scarred man to give her a chance.

I read this book a few years back, and liked it enough to re-read it again via audio. I really enjoyed both the book and the narration style. Beauty and the Beast scenarios are one of my favorite themes, and this book does not disappoint. I especially liked the addition of the children, each with their own distinct personalities. Alistair's sister is a gem, and the steamy scenes were well written and not repetitive. It's an enjoyable read I'll be picking up again.

The narration was done well, with a dramatic flair at times. Read through Audible's Romance Package.

Great narration

I really enjoyed the story, although toward the end it dragged a bit. But I have to say that the narration was really good as well. A lot of times people will learn to avoid narrators because they've read one or two books in the past from that narrator. Don't make that mistake this time. The reading speed was a lot easier to listen to, and the male voices did not all sound strained.

So Touching...So, So Touching....

Because of all of the positive reviews on this book, I just knew it was going to be an amazing reading/listening experience. Yet, the experience was beyond expectations. This book is touching on so many levels. It is now one of my favorite Elizabeth Hoyt books.

I have to say, I struggled with some things in this book. That is, I did not like the idea that the hero was so badly scared. I mean, I like to read to escape reality & to encounter such a traumatic, inhuman, terrible experience that the hero went through was just sad. But, this aspect is part of the reason Elizabeth Hoyt is a freaken genius-author. She has an ability to allow the reader into a character's world of pain, but brings redemption and wonderful outcomes that leave you cheering and crying for that lead....this is the case with Alistair Munroe.

What a gentle man! I had assumed that he was a soldier, but he in fact is a scientist (naturalist) who accompanied the army when they went oversees in order to further his research and study the terrain and animals etc. Yet, he became a victim of vicious enemies who tortured him (and others who were captured). Despite this tragic life-altering experience, his nature never changes. Alistair is an intelligent, beautiful man...so worthy of love, despite his scars.

I was so happy with his destiny in meeting Helen Fitzwilliam. Or, I should say, I'm so happy she knocked on his door and brought love and color to his life. She was such a lovely and perfect gift to him. Although Helen is beautiful she was able to look beyond his scars and open her hear to an unconventional love. And, who would blame her? She was seduced as an early age to be the mistress of a jerk of a Duke. It really made me angry at how much power that animal had over her and her children. Children he fathered but cared nothing for. Helen deserved a beautiful, unquenchable love like the one Alistair offers her.

Also, Helen's children were just adorable....they were very sweet aspects of this story. I love how Alistair treated Helen's children. He treated them with dignity, respect and affection. Alistair's relationship with Helen's children was such an endearing part of the story--melted my heart.

One of the reasons I enjoy Elizabeth Hoyt's books, and this one in particular, is because she creates very intelligent & compelling leads and characters. This book is full of lively, interesting and intelligent conversations between the leads & their family. I also like the flirtations between the leads & their steamy, HOT love scenes...whoa....steamy indeed!!!!

Overall, a great listening experience. I'm not sure when I will start with the other books in this series. I think this series can be heavy because of the trauma & torture the "four soliders" experienced together. But, I do want to find out who the traitor is & I ruthlessly hope he/she pays big time.

Ann Flosnik, narrator did a great job. I enjoyed her performance.

So good to hear about second chances in life!

This was a great story and the one I been waiting on. I love the characters and the children and even puddles the dog. Great job looking at the second chances in life and true love.

Nice book

this book is an erotic historical romance

Sir Alistair Munroe likes living the life a recluse after being physically and emotionally scared. When a woman and her two children show up on his door step claiming to be his new maid, it turns the world he once knew upside down.

Helen is trying ti escape the man who fathered her children, but he will not leave her. Since he has an upper class status it is hard to find anyone who will help her, until she comes up with a plan to change her name and work.

Hot, but silly. But the hot parts are super-hot.

Would you try another book from Elizabeth Hoyt and/or Anne Flosnik?

Yes, and in fact I already have. I don't love Anne Flosnik, but she isn't awful either. Elizabeth Hoyt is notable among modern romance writers for her extremely explicit and very steamy (ahem) love scenes. She is sometimes a little flimsy on plot and accurate period detail. But the relationships are interesting, the characters are generally a little outside the norm for romance novels, and again - the erotic scenes are really something.Personally I found the little fairy tale intro to each chapter an irritating diversion from the main plot. I mean, we're already being told a story that is based on a fairy tale - it seemed a bit heavy-handed to have yet another fairy tale that tells us the same thing, more or less, as the main story. What's the point?

What did work for me was that the hero is genuinely unconventional - truly disfigured (not just a rakish facial scar) and he genuinely suffers as a result of his injury and disfigurement. He doesn't miraculously recover at the end. So that was refreshing.

The heroine was fine, if a little vapid. There are children in the book, which I normally dislike, but I found them only moderately annoying. So it breaks down like this:

Tortured hero: yes, terrific. Great hero.

Heroine: Okay. She is insightful and has basically no issue with the hero's looks and doesn't act like she's doing him any favors, which is nice. The weakness is that the plot has her actively pursuing a job as a housekeeper, then lamenting her utter lack of experience as a housekeeper, and later demanding respect for her housekeeping despite the fact that her "employer" said he didn't want a housekeeper. Then, after she becomes her employer's mistress, she pretty much acts like his mistress while hoping she doesn't seem too much like his mistress. It makes her seem kinda dumb.

Kids: present, and annoying, but not the MOST annoying I've ever read.

Plot: Flimsy.

Sexy bits: Hot. There is a part with a lemon that was more disturbing than sexy, but whatever. It wasn't totally repulsive or anything.

Overall: Okay.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

"Meh." There wasn't a lot of genuine conflict here, just two unattached adults who clearly loved one another - plus, it's a romance novel. The ending is pretty much a foregone conclusion.

What three words best describe Anne Flosnik’s voice?

Syrupy, breathy, slightly overdramatic.

Did To Beguile a Beast inspire you to do anything?

Um. Was it supposed to?

Fairy tale for adults

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend all the books in the series, at first I found the fairy tale inside the story distracting but it became something that was almost as interesting as the book itself.

What did you like best about this story?

Dark and brooding man in a secluded castle, whats not to like?

Love Elizabeth Hoyt

What a beautiful story. Written perfectly. Just the right amount of romance and intrigue. E H is an incredible writer and this series is really good. My only complaint if it’s really a complaint is the narrator. She tried her best but her mouth sounds like it’s full of rocks when reading. I wish EH would use Ashford Mcnab for all her books. That would make this book a complete 5. Still it’s story is worth the credit. Very good and heartfelt.