Devastation: A Beauty and the Beast Retelling (A Beastly Tale Book 3) Kindle Edition

*Be prepared for spoilers*I'm sorry, but this book is not doing it for me. I'm reading and reading - waiting for something. The heroine, Benella, seems to have slipped into unending state of idiocy. It GALLS me how she can be so damned stupid. I'm not even done with the book and I don't know if I want to finish.1) There's. Nothing. Happening. They've been preparing for some feast for the entire first half of the book (I'm now at 66% and that damned feast is STILL five days away!). Literally, everything of note happens within the last few pages.2) Those who have wronged her still have faced no retribution - in fact, she gave the little shit's a job! Her sisters are little backstabbing, back-biting, b*tches - but, oh no, she doesn't say a word to them about their treatment of her and her father. She's just the most forgiving person in the world when it comes to them, when really they need to be slapped into the next chapter. But, yet, it seems she doesn't have too hard of a time treating Alec like hell. The dude is obviously trying and she's not opening her mouth to try and explain why she keeps putting him off. She's actually really illogical and I hate the fact that the author had to result to horrible "wronged-so-bad-they-can't-see-right" plot in order to keep the story going. It's just fluff! We're reading words that aren't taking us anywhere! She basically allowed herself to be abused in order to keep a secret for someone else who didn't give seven hell's about her. Ridiculous. Ridiculous!!I enjoyed the first two books. Particularly the second one. I enjoyed the interactions between Benella and the beast. I had high hopes for this book. The end felt rushed and a little too neatly tied up. She turned down his offer of marriage so many times, he resulted to basically tricking her, and seconds after he did that ALL of a sudden she started thinking that maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all. Ugh. Unfortunately, the way the heroine treated the people who were just awful to her left a bitter taste in my mouth. I'm entirely too vindictive of a person to be able to continue reading things like that.

I bought 'book 1', thinking it was a marketing ploy to get a reader to try out the author, and that the additional parts would cost about $1.99, so spending $6 for an e-book sounds fair, I like that I could try it before committing. But when I went to buy the additional books, $4 for each. So I spent nearly $10 for an e-book from a fairly unknown author, and felt that the end better be worth the cost I RARELY pay for an e-book from a trusted author. Sadly, it wasn't. At all. The story completely ran out of steam. It's almost as if to justify paying $4 more for the last 190 pages, she filled about 100 of them with cleaning the estate. It got to a point where I didn't want to read anymore, but I couldn't reconcile how a story that started out so good, could end so poorly. So I kept at it, thinking, hoping, the end would slingshot me into a happy relief at the author's direction. But no. Mostly we cleaned. We learned about pressing apples. Other than that, no real communication with the beast. No GROWING emotionally or mentally, really with either character. No believable emotional reactions with just about every significant character.I encourage the author to take some time and study a bit of psychology, frankly. Real human reaction and consequences to repeated and extended events. She has a definite gift for storytelling and concept, but without the believable aspects of humanity, it falls flat. I haven't checked the publication date of this, so perhaps she has improved with other stories, but I won't be reading any anytime soon. Not when I feel conned into the price with such a poor outcome.

While the first two books were interesting and intriguing, I was really disappointed with this end to the trilogy. It dragged on with inconsequential filler. This series could have easily been edited down to two much more satisfying books. The plot got strange in ways that I found off putting and unnecessary. While the ultimate conclusion was good, what it took to get there just wasn't worth it. I was also hoping for a lot more interaction between beauty and the beast, more chemistry, more passion, more sex. Disappointing on all counts. The interaction between the family members was bazaar and the endless repetitive actions drove me crazy. If I read about one more tray of food being brought to the characters I was ready to scream. Unfortunately, this conclusion ruined the entire series for me.

Ok. This was an amazingly great series. This is book three and the HEA of the series. Yes, you have to read book one and two. And I am jealous of those who haven’t read it Yet. All the books are available. If it’s cheaper to get them as a set, do it.I love the way M. j. Lays out a mystery. I stayed engaged all the way through the three books.This is an excellent reimagining of beauty and the beast. I kept picturing the animated beast the whole time I was reading. He’s grumpy and possessive with a lot to learn.Benella, yeah. Benella is a strong and intelligent heroine to Beast’s volatile temperament. She is also kind.Very little actual sex in books one and two, but lots of sexual tension.There may be some rape triggers for some. there are some pretty nasty bad guys and selfish sisters just like the original telling.I highly recommend if you like darker stories that end with justice or happiness for everyone

The concluding part of an intensely riveting take on a fairy tale classic that had the power to so deeply ensnare and torment me until I devoured it in it's entirety (all three tantalisingly addictive parts of it).Feeding on sensual tension, twisted interference and selfish greed with an injection of trusting innocence, heart and a deep seeded desire to care. Benella is drenched in fundamental strength, ingenuity and an instinctual caring nature that positively captivates. Despite countlessly being subjected to cruelty and witnessing heart-aching selfishness, she some how retains the resilience too not let her integral goodness, intellect, inner spark of growing boldness, kindness and innocent curiosity dwindle, as she strives to see the good in others and fight against the injustices, so plainly on display around her, that so repeatedly and tenaciously grip her in their net and refuse to let go.A book that must be read as part of the three. Otherwise you will miss out on so much of the chemistry, magnetically bonded allure and frustratingly angonising connection and palpable longing between Benella and Beast/Alec. As you remain on tenderhooks as their traumatic histories as well as another tantalising piece of the mysteriously dark and brooding internal puzzle - that makes Beast so delicious to unravel piece by intriguingly beguiling piece - is revealed.An utterly enjoyable haunting tale!!

WARNING: For mature readers onlyWell, how to write a review that does this third part justice... Every girl has a breaking point. And really, your strength can only last so long before things just become too much! Unlike in fairy tales, Benella is a real person who, despite her strength of character, al so has weaknesses - which make her human and real.Alec's desire to win her as a man is touching and heart warming and I wished for him to succeed against all the odds. That he would be better than his old self but at the same time feared that he would make good on his comment of returning to his beast state if he lost her.And all the twists and manipulation and deceit...This is one of those stories which stays with you. I found myself thinking about Benella and Alec for the next two days, vividly remembering their stories.

It was absolutely addictive for me. I couldn't put it down until I read all three books in this series.Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite fairy tales of all times so I am always looking for retellings. And I very much loved this one. It was amazing!The characters were great and very well developed. The story didn't rush - it was taking its time, but I didn't find it annoying. I found it more enjoyable that way actually.And I so much loved the Beast! And later Alec, of course. How he was trying to win Benella over once again as a man - aww! Sometimes I was melting for him...And Benella, well, she was getting on my nerves in the Part 3, but considered that she was supposed to be only 16, I understood some of her behavior. Besides that, she was very good female leading character. I found her courageous, intelligent and adorable and innocent at the same time.It has some adult content, definitely not for kids, but I would say anyone up to 16-17 can easily read it.Absolutely recommend this series, if you love retelling stories of Beauty and the Beast or fairy-tales in general.

I did enjoy this - the weeks waiting for it to come out seemed endless. On the other hand this book loses some of the action and intrigue of the previous two. The cliff hanger we are left with at the end of book two never really comes to anything, other than what seemed an entirely constructed barrier between Benella and Alec. I quite enjoyed learning about how they revived the estate and started putting the North in order but I imagine a few people are going to be non-plussed, not to say disappointed, that cider making and cleaning seem to take up about 60% of the book. Not sure if the author has been inspired by Downton Abbey but the whole life below stairs and running of an estate really did seem to be the focus of the story.Refreshingly, Benella's sisters don't suddenly become better people - it's a slow hard lesson. The characters remain vivid and well rounded although I'm really not sure why Mrs Wimbley was needed at all. It was good to finally see some justice meted out to the less savory characters although Rose seems to be able to do whatever she wants - her hanging around seemed more than a little contrived.However this was a fun read with an ultimately satisfying if somewhat sappy ending. Not as good as the previous two books - for one thing Benella appears to lose agency which is frustrating - but still a good note to end on and finish the trilogy.

Really enjoyed the twist in this book that meant Beauty didn't trust the man behind the beast and we had to watch them getting to know one another all over again! Love it! Would recommend this and previous books. I'm not normally a fan of books with 'sexual' scenes in but I found this series to be one of my favourite re-telling's of Beauty and the Beast because of the time invested in their developing relationship. There were a couple of scenes that made for uncomfortable reading but all in all I really enjoyed this series.