Reviews

All Noelle wants to do is save the Winter Bliss Library and has a fundraising plan worked out. The last thing she needs is a distracting romance with the sexy, binge-reading demon she hasn’t seen since childhood. When an avalanche leaves Noelle and Rom stranded together, they can no longer ignore their feelings. But will their love come at the expense of the library?

This was an adorable and cozy story about a childhood friend reuniting and finding love. I love finding books with book loving characters and librarians, and this one was even better because they were both book lovers. While I knew I would enjoy this book, I was surprised by how sweet and cute it was and that I didn’t want to put it down.

Rom is a scarred up demon who never forgot about his first crush and now that he is back in town he goes out of his way to spend time with Noelle. I really loved Rom and how sweet he was. He has spent his life hiding half of himself away but with Noelle he can be himself and not hide his face. Also I loved his socials handle and that he was so knowledgeable about the book community. Noelle was a sweet and kind woman who goes out of her way to share her love of reading with the community. She tries her best to make everyone happy and keep the library a center of the community, but struggles to ask for help when she needs it. These two were just very sweet together and I enjoyed their romance.

While I did like Noelle a lot, I still found her refusal to discuss the building issues with her landlord to be stupid. Everyone knows it's the landlord's job to fix issues, but she refuses to believe that and thinks moving buildings would be better. Also she has lived around demons her whole life and understands their bargaining techniques, but refuses to actually practice them when it comes to dealing with the demon patrons. Noelle is sweet but her naivete about demon negotiation and renting was a bit annoying.

Overall, this was a sweet and cozy retelling of Beauty and the Beast that I enjoyed but I do wish Noelle had been a little less naive.

TW: Noelle’s Uncle has dementia;

Content Warnings

booked_with_kayla's review against another edition

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5.0

This book is a part of a 3 part book collaboration called Horned up for the Holidays! A short monster romance that will keep you intrigued as you read on. Noelle wants to save her family’s library when Rom returns back to the Winter Bliss town. The romance between Noelle and Rom in the library setting was a good development. A childhood friends to lovers book with themes throughout that can cause you to connect with the characters on a deeper level.

novellynikki's review against another edition

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5.0

Beastly & Bookish is an ADORABLE second chance romance, great for the Holidays and warming up even the coldest of hearts!

I'm not one for second chance romance (enemies to lovers is my trope of choice), however, Catrina has changed me! I loved everything about this novella - the subtle nods to Beauty and the Beast, an MMC who treats his woman like a goddess and Bookstagrams and a bubbly FMC who is determined to save the library and change the perspective of how her man sees himself at the same time. This book is wholesome, warm, and everything you need for a bookish holiday escape!

And let's not forget, this story is a bit spicy! The progression into the spice was natural and so exciting. There's a chase scene, a hot spring moment, and lot's more back at the cabin. Noelle's obsession with with Rom's hands is not something I knew I needed!

I also loved getting to see Catrina's side of Winter Bliss. I read Lucy Limón's novella first, so I thoroughly enjoyed the different moments where characters from either novella interacted and experiencing those moments from a different angle.

And...did I mention...Rom BOOKSTAGRAMS?! I'm still not over it!

Thank you to Catrina Bell and the other authors of Horned up for the Holidays for allowing me ARCs in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

ch3shir3rcat's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

mamaeri's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted slow-paced

3.0

I had to fight to finish it, wasn't my favorite it was so slow and very girl next door boy fell in love.
I don't think it's bad just not for me

fmcfranny's review against another edition

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4.0

this was a true second chance beastly romance that I adored. And friends to lovers trope. I love the work on self-esteem. It is a deeper than most of these topes. A great read.

djinnduffy's review against another edition

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3.0

This book was adorable. As is often the case, the spice did nothing for me, but the genuineness of the two many characters and the sweetness of their romance was truly charming. Bordering on twee even, yet there was enough world building and character development to add some substance. I would very likely read this again.

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