**Reviews ~ Beast Parts One & Two ~ Ella James**

Beast Part One by Ella James

(Beast Serial #1)

Release Date: August 18, 2014
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance

Source: I purchased an ecopy on Amazon

Rating: 4.5 Bookworms

Goodreads

FROM HOLLYWOOD ROYALTY...

At twenty-one years old, third-generation movie star Cal Hammond was on top of the world. He had more money than God and more women than any man could need. But when a night of debauchery ends in tragedy, he forfeits a life of luxury for a ten-year prison sentence at La Rosa, California’s most violent prison.

TO BRUTAL BEAST.

Eight years later, a ruthless, cunning man runs La Rosa from the inside. He is known simply as Beast. All the wardens fear him. All the gangs obey him. He speaks to no one but his inner council. What he says is law.

ONLY SHE CAN SAVE HIM.

Annabelle Mitchell’s stepfather is the warden at La Rosa. He deals as dirty as his trustees, and after years of smooth relations with Beast and the gangs he runs, Holt lands on the powerful prisoner’s hit list. That very afternoon, Annabelle pays a surprise visit to La Rosa, hoping to use her new counseling license at a place she thinks she could make a difference. When Beast sees her, he releases the warden and grabs the nameless girl who played a starring role in the worst night of his life. The price for the warden’s error is not death. It’s his precious Belle.

I'm really digging these erotic re-tellings from Ms. James. I thought Red & Wolfe was great. But in Beast, she's upped the game.

I don't want to say much about what happens in this first installment because it would ruin the experience for you. But I will tell you, I was enthralled. I was shocked. I was titillated. I was tense. I was dismayed but never disgusted.

Beast grabbed me by the throat and didn't let go. I finished it in one sitting. I fell for both Annabelle and Beast quickly. Was it fate? Annabelle is smart, responsible, and loving. Beast is cunning, powerful, and set in his belief he can't be saved.

Ms. James packs quite a bit of story into this novella and has laid the perfect foundation for this modern spin on Beauty and the Beast. What do you believe in? Fate? Karma? Punishment? Compassion? I'm eager to see if Beast is beyond redemption, as he believes. Or if Annabelle can save him before it's too late.

***

Beast Part Two

(Beast Serial #2)
Release Date: August 24, 2014
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance
Source: I purchased an ecopy on Amazon
Rating: 4.5 Bookworms
Goodreads

Continue the dark, erotic journey of Annabelle, the warden's daughter, and the man she's pined for since high school. No longer Cal Hammond, actor, Beast is a brutal man who runs La Rosa Prison's gangs from behind a shroud of secrecy and lies. 

Can Annabelle's love save him from his tainted past, or will his deceit ruin both of them?

**There may be slight spoilers for Part One**

Beast Part Two picks up right where Part One left off. Annabelle is spinning over what happened with Beast and over his proposal. And even more that that, she's spinning over her reaction to him and that proposal. As we see her struggle, we learn more about what it means to be Beast. Little hints are dropped about how he came to power at La Rosa. We also get a glimpse into what the accident and his time in prison has done to his psyche.

With this second installment, Ms. James gave me lots to ponder, and left me white-knuckling my kindle. The way she has allowed us into both Annabelle's and Beast's heads was great. Seeing Annabelle's family dynamics and the politics at the prison where Beast rules provided a lot of insight into them. And I delighted in the fact that the job Beast arranged for Annabelle included a library. ;)

I'm thoroughly enjoying this twist on Beauty and the Beast - and that's saying something since it's one of my favorite fairy tales. I'm so excited to see what direction Ms. James takes this story.