I’m standing on a pedestal, two hands on my mouth, screaming “READ THIS”

I don’t even know where to begin. It was an overwhelming, intense, heartbreaking, breathtaking, emotionally devastating story.
I’m in awe, where does this come from? It’s almost unearthly.

It’s about vibration, tones and timbres, melodies, music, and scent. It has beautiful voices, chanting nine syllables, which got right into my center. I felt it!
I was flabbergasted by this concept. It was delicate, intimate and had a whole sphere of different levels. It was immensely intense.

The lovemaking was an art, the sensuality thick, erotic of the highest level, it felt like spiritual tantric sex.

Ángel has to pay for his father’s faults. He has to stay with Oberon for four years.
Oberon is a fae send from the Other World to explore and exchange music. Only the world doesn’t want him, he can’t go back to his own. He stays in a house far far away from civilization, surrounded by security, where no one can hurt him.
Ángel is afraid of Oberon, with his exceptional features. Afraid, until he isn’t anymore.

My heart exploded by the beauty what happened in this story!!

One of a kind story. It kept me awake till 3:35 am. I should sleep for hours but I couldn’t put it away till I was finished... crying warm and satisfying tears. Thank goodness my heart survived it. I’m out of words... just read this!!

This book is paranormal romance done right. It’s a dark take on Beauty and the Beast, my favorite fairy tale, and I love what Jenya Keefe does with her version.

Often in PNR, authors move fairly quickly past the stage where the human resists a nonhuman lover as being too strange to be with. That makes sense, because then they are able to focus on the romantic elements of the story. Keefe takes the opposite tack here, though, really leaning into the notion of the “uncanny valley” (referenced in the book)—the discomfort that humans feel when they encounter something that is human-like and yet clearly not human. That choice made the story feel fresh to me, which I appreciated as someone who’s read a lot of PNR, and I think that’s one of the reasons I liked this novel so much.

In the story, musician Ángel is coerced into living in an isolated mansion with the “monster” of the title, Oberon, the first fae to visit from the Otherworld in centuries and the target of violent protests. (How Ángel winds up living with Oberon is probably the weakest element of the plot.) Oberon is disturbingly “other” to Ángel in many ways, to the point that he finds it difficult to look at the fae. Oberon’s touch is also shudderingly inhuman, and Ángel is actively repulsed by it. Those are some real obstacles to romance!

Keefe does a terrific job worldbuilding here, too, as she makes Oberon truly alien in other ways, giving Ángel and Oberon other complications to overcome. Some of their issues are cultural, but a major one involves differences in how humans and fae communicate. Rather than relying on words, as humans do, the fae are able to empathically share their emotions, which is facilitated by touch, making the fae a very tactile people. Needless to say, Ángel isn’t comfortable with that at all.

So, it takes a while for Ángel to accept Oberon. I appreciated that the author took her time in building a path to romance for them through their shared love of music, which is essential to fae culture. Even after Ángel is able to see Oberon as a person rather than a monstrous thing and falls in love, Ángel continues to have doubts about Oberon’s feelings for him, since in their isolation Oberon is dependent on Ángel. Ángel also has some baggage from his past that contributes to his problems with Oberon and that he has to work through to get to their HEA.

I don’t want to say too much more about the plot, but in broad outlines it’s similar to what happens in Beauty and the Beast. Beauty and the Beast certainly has fewer sex scenes, though. And about that—let’s just say that Oberon isn’t human, and that encompasses anatomical differences, too. 😊

This book makes me want to gush, and that doesn’t happen very often. I really did love it. If you are willing to try something a bit different from other paranormal romances, I’d say go for it!

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.

I love a good Beauty and the Beast story, and this was a unique take on the tale with an interesting and well-written cast of characters, though I thought it lacked depth and felt rushed in places. As a thinly veiled allegory for today's tense, fraught political and cultural climate of racism and xenophobia, Keefe does an decent job speaking to he value of love vs. hate through Angel and Oberon's love story, although it's predictable and manages to feel like well-travelled territory despite being set in a world where humans have made contact with that faerie realm. It will appeal to music lovers and urban fantasy fans, but the characters didn't speak to me as much as I hoped. Oberon was by far the most interesting character, but we got much less of him than Angel, who came across as pretty flat sometimes, and less compelling than those around him.

Though some readers might find them kinky bordering on weird, I thought the sex scenes were unique and very hot, though sometimes drawn-out.... which is odd because I wanted way more from this story in other areas. The book could have been much longer, or at least dedicated more attention to other elements. The thriller and world-building elements felt rushed and shoehorned in. Thin backstory is something I've struggled with in Keefe's other books, because as with previous titles like Relationship Material, important backstory and character development took backseat to the romance or sexual elements of the writing. Nevertheless, The Musician and the Monster is a compelling subject--I would have just liked far more of it, as I don't really feel Keefe did the characters or the subject matter justice considering the incredibly fun sandbox she had to play in.

It took me a minute to realize that this was a re-telling of Beauty and the Beast, just a gay version of it with an elf-lord and a human. It talks about love and hate and bigotry. I love the parallel between Oberon and Angel, our two main characters, who experienced their own form of hate from other people. Oberon is a fae who crossed over the veil 8 years ago from when our story takes place. He came over to study music as well as how humans interact. It's just him, so obviously he is lonely, especially since the government has him shacked up at this mansion in the middle of BFE, Canada. Cue our lovely session musician, Angel, who is from Miami. He is essentially bought to go be Oberson's companion after his father got caught with a Ponzi scheme, which was really him taking the fall for his ex-wife and her husband. They were the typical Southern white couple who probably looked down on Angel's dad since he was Cuban, and Angel also experienced his own disappointment with his mother when he came out. Basically, fuck his mother. She shows up at the beginning of the book, and we never have to deal with her homophobic, racist, and classist ass again.

Due to his coming out and previous horrible relationship, Angel has some baggage. This begins to show when he discovers that he's sexually attracted to Oberon after some time at the mansion. They bond over music and even create a podcast to help assuage the public opinion that Oberon is really trying to take over the world. During their recordings, Angel sees a different side to Oberon and begins to understand how fae communicate. As Oberon mentions that yes, he speaks fluent English, but he doesn't understand humans. He communicates through touch, and when Angel comes to terms with this, it begins this beautiful connection between them.

I liked Angel. He was dealing with his own demons and his own form of bigotry against Oberon, but he grew as a person during his time. He took the time to learn about Oberon's customs and the fae. He was funny, witty, smart, and a well-rounded character. Oberon as well as well-written. We learn more and more about him through Angel's perspective. I had to get accustomed to Oberon's lack of facial expression and allow the descriptions and Angel to show me how pleased, happy, or upset Oberon was. I felt what Angel felt, and Jenya does an excellent job describing the feelings and emotions through the visual.

It's a very sweet book, and I think for those who want more LGBT+ books out there, this one would be a great collection. It was tropey in the sense of the romance, but it wasn't tropey in regards to Angel being gay. He was just gay, and Jenya never made it this big thing. It was just who Angel was, but she focused on all the other parts of him that made him a great character. I'm a straight woman, but I'd recommend it to others who are not.

The Musician and the Monster is a M/M Beauty and Beast retelling with a musical spin. I found the first 50-60% to be quite decent. The pacing was a little slow, but it felt pretty well-balanced, and I really enjoy how music was incorporated into the story as a whole. After the 60% mark, however, the story really started to slog for me. I was losing interest fast, and the last few "obstacles" in the plot were wrapped up in a hasty manner. Overall, it was a fairly decent read but kind of fell off a bit towards the end.

TW for homophobia and slurs.
Really not sure how to go about this, other than starting off with how.....weird of a turn this book took. Between Ángel literally being held captive, watched/monitored at all times, the highly explicit sex scenes detailing the intricacies of fae anatomy and physiology, and the Wattpad premise, I think this book was just a little much for me. At least the author put their own stamp on fae, and chose to make some things different to what we typically see these days.

4.5 but rounding it up!

If you had told me a week ago that I rated a book that started off sounding like a Wattpad novel (yes, the ‘I’ve been sold to Harry Styles for a debt’ kind) five stars I would have laughed. But honestly? I loved this. It was an enjoyable read, I liked the characters and the pacing. The sex was great & if you get passed the first chapter or two you’ll love it.

I’m not normally one for cringe & cliche but this author just made it work! And oh boy do I hope there’s a story about Mendel. I need more of this universe please!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing this ARC.
The premise of this book was intriguing, reminiscent of beauty and the beast I was interested in seeing where Keefe would go with it.
It has a plot rich with many things and the overall message was strong and compelling. We are uncomfortable with that which is alien to us, but if we take time to understand it we can grow and learn new knowledge. Acceptance is key, and everyone deserves it. No one should be hated for who they are.
Nevertheless there were times when the pacing struggled, some elements came to light so quickly that I found myself going back and re reading, thinking I had missed something. A few parts felt slightly rushed and a little underdeveloped.
However, it was still a easy and interesting read so thanks.

This book starts off weird, then gets better only to drop again by the halfway point.

First, the premise is quite unbelievable. I know it's simply to get the character into position but neither Ángel nor the reader have any stakes in saving his father, and it is never explained why Oberon agreed to this deal.
Having to characters alone with little outside changes can be challenging to write but Keefe pulled it off quite well. It did not feel repetitive, she didn't cycle through the same emotions every single time and you could see how different they both were.
I loved that she decided to actually make the fae less humanlike and gave them a different way of communication, hearing range and a different social structure. It makes for interesting conversations and the language barrier adds tension and conflict. I wished there had been more of a focus on those parts. Some parts were addressed but never truly resolved (how olfactory communication works between fae and humans,...) or simply brushed over.
I also enjoyed the focus on music. It makes a lot of sense for both to have acquired some knowledge in the musical department and I loved reading about there discussions and the vocabulary peppered in made it more authentic.

Sadly, I thought the main relationship between felt rushed and underdeveloped. I thought the first sex scenes read awkward (especially considering Ángel's emotional state) and the focus on it was not to my taste (which is, of course, a personal preference). They skipped over many steps and had no actual conversations about what was happening. As a reader I felt they lost my halfway and I was not invested any more as soon as it they stopped communicating.
The role of the agents of the DOR was also very predictable.
The last quarter was sadly very predictable, to not go into any spoilers, and I was not unimpressed by the ending.

2 ⭐s for delicious sex. Other than that, the characters were flat and insipid, though I did find Oberon endearing at times. This book is perhaps a bit light on substance, so if you want tension and something that moves you, this probably isn't it. But it's an easy read that gets sexy in a beat, so if you get hooked and wanna stay for the show, that's alright too. It's just not singing anything new that matters.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Real rating: 3.5*s

Apparently a theme in my reading this month has been ‘characters falling in love with someone they’re initially terrified of’, so I’m not sure what that’s a symptom of, but there we are. This is very much a romance novel, with a certain amount of explicit sex, so those coming to me for YA recommendations should probably steer clear of this one – it’s not what you’re looking for. It may surprise people that it’s something I’d read and enjoy, but there’s something about seeing romance tropes reinvented in queer contexts that makes me enjoy them. Also this one involved music. And fairies. So, you know…

The promise of this one is that a few years earlier, the Otherworld made contact with this one. The fae sent a single representative, whom humans have taken to calling Oberon, mostly because they can’t pronounce his real name. Most people are terrified of him, and there are also groups who think he’s an abomination and have made attempts on his life, so he now lives in isolation in the middle of nowhere. The protagonist, Ángel, gets traded in exchange for familial debts to go and be Oberon’s companion for five years – an undertaking that fills him with absolute terror. But he goes. Because he has to.

Oberon is there to collect music from the human world, gathering samples to send home. Ángel is a musician. This combination means that what follows is a story of him gradually learning first to trust Oberon, then to admit that he’s attracted to him, and then to fall for him – which of course, others see as Stockholm syndrome due to his position.

Ángel concludes that there’s a reason the outside world is afraid of Oberon, and it’s because they don’t know anything about him. They never get to see him, and when they do, his appearance frightens them – though beautiful, he’s very obviously not human. But his voice, the way he speaks, is much less frightening. So he comes up with a solution… and they start a podcast.
Honestly, this is kind of delightful. I think it’s just the incongruous absurdity of that idea – an envoy of the fae starting a podcast with a random musician, which then goes viral. I may have slightly grinned at the book at that point.

It’s a fairly quick read – I managed it in a night, though stayed up late to finish it, against my better judgment. Not all of it was entirely to my tastes – frankly, the sex scenes were a little off-putting, mostly because Oberon isn’t human and so some of what goes on is objectively quite weird. (I won’t go into details, though. You’ll have to discover that for yourself, to spare my blushes.) Then again, I’m picky about those kinds of things anyway. It’s funny how different it feels to come across explicit content in novels rather than in fic. In fic, there are always enough tags and descriptions that you know exactly what you’re letting yourself in for before you start reading; with a novel you just have to trust the author not to make it weirder than you’re expecting. This… may have come down a little hard on the side of weird.

But other than that, I enjoyed it. There were some good lines, and a good balance of humour, light-heartedness, and angst to make it feel emotionally satisfying. The author went to some pains to show Ángel’s explicit consent and to disabuse the idea that Stockholm syndrome was a factor in their developing relationship, which I think was wise; certainly some aspects of it could have got squicky fast if taken in a slightly different direction.

Finally, I just opened my Kindle notes to check for any highlights or comments I made, and I thought you might all appreciate this line:

“There are no sexually transmitted disease in the Otherworld.”

Anyway, it’s not particularly highbrow and I don’t know how freely I’d recommend it (I feel like any recommendations would have to come with a word of warning about the… interesting sex scenes), but it was an enjoyable enough read. I enjoy Riptide Publishing’s determination to keep me well-supplied with eARCs of queer books and would very much like them to continue.

“You’ve touched me. You know that I desire you. You are desirable. I admire you because you are admirable. I call you beloved because I love you.”

Alright, one: this is a Beauty and the Beast retelling so I was instantly hooked. I felt so bad for Oberon with how lonely and sad he was. I was rooting for Ángel and Oberon from the very beginning. The characters are engaging through the whole book- their backstories, their interactions, their emotions. It keeps your attention.

The way they work together to find a new way to communicate with each other that blends both the fae and human communication was really unique. Their communication starts to come through their touch, through scent, and bringing their emotions together. I don’t think I’ve ever seen something like it in a book. I also loved the way Oberon’s explanation of fae communication tied in with the ending of the novel. It was really well done.

This has just the right about of emotional angst in it. And the good news is, there is a happy ending.

I really, really liked the world building in this book. For a book that is set entirely in our world we learn a surprising amount of information about Oberon’s Otherworld and it’s amazing. The way that his magic is woven into the story is so skillful and nothing feels like an info dump.

I recommend this if you’re looking for a great retelling, especially if you love fae books.

My taste in books tends to be less sex focused but honestly, this was a great divergence from my normal reads. I appreciated the otherworldlyness of the "fae" character and the humanity of the protagonist. The story reads a bit like fanfiction (but without the pre-known characters) so if you're into that type of angst and fluff (hurt/comfort) scenario, you'll probably appreciate this!

There are a LOT of music references. I am not good at those but I didn't feel out of the loop too much. Someone with an appreciation for music would definitely appreciate them more though.

All in all, I'd 100% read this again.

Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5

Hatred is a spell only true love can break.

Ángel Cruz is a dedicated session musician, until loyalty to his estranged family forces him to work for Oberon: the feared and hated envoy from the Otherworld. Overnight, Ángel is taken from his life, his friends, his work, and trapped in a hideous mansion in the middle of nowhere, under constant surveillance, and with only the frightening fae for company.

Oberon’s poor understanding of humans combined with Ángel’s resentment and loneliness threaten to cause real harm to the pair. Then a long winter together in the mansion unites them in their love of music. Slowly, Ángel’s anger thaws, and he begins to realize that Oberon feels alone too.

Gradually, these two souls from different worlds form a connection like none other. But hate and prejudice are powerful things, and it’ll take all the magic of their love to stop the wider world from forcing them apart.

Honestly, I am still going back and forth between a 5 star rating and 4.75 for this new twist on a fantasy Beauty and the Beast story from author Jenya Keefe.  The writer's take on fae is quite unique and it not only makes this story but the comparison between our human visually oriented species and the harmonic Fae is  one that not only fills this story with amazing scenes and possibilities but can power an entire series.  How I hope it does.

The Musician and the Monster by Jenya Keefe is as I said is a slight take  Fae take on the wonderful Beauty and The Beast storyline.  Here the Beast is represented by a lone fae whose come through a portal from his world to the human one and now he's sequestered away, alone, in a mansion, wanting a companion.  The Beauty of this tale?  A hispanic session musician named Ángel Cruz, who becomes the Fae's companion through messy dealings of his father's.  That's the plain facts that this incredible story and romance is built upon.

I will admit I am more enthralled here by Keefe's world building and her clear understanding of species differences than by the romance.  Oberon's excitement and understanding of the way human's communicate visually through facial movements, clothing choices, tattoos, hair colors, etc.  is fascinating and spot on.  Especially as it's something "alien" to his own species and world which operates harmonically and communally....a wide cultural canyon stretching between humans and Fae is both acknowledged and understood.  To a degree.

The relationships here are built slowly as acceptance is hard won, as it should be, as cultural differences and misunderstandings are exposed and explained..  I really wanted so many parts of this story to be expanded, because they delighted and made me think of more possibilities.  I love the interchanges between Oberon and Angel, especially when it came to music as a bridge and the use of the Podcasts was a brilliant element.

I don't want to reveal more about the story or characters but just to say this cries out for more.  A sequel, a series, just more.  I found the characters astonishing, the world building not enough because it just threw up questions I needed the answers to.  What I got?  Imaginative and thoroughly compelling in its ability to make me start drawing my own outlines and  ideas as to what awaited on the other side of that portal.  I really need to know.

If you love fairy tales combined with a new twist and a wildly different take on Fae, I absolutely recommend The Musician and the Monster by Jenya Keefe.  it's exciting, very well written, with great characters and a fast paced plot.  A must read for all fantasy lovers.

Cover By: Shayne Leighton.  What a beautiful, haunting cover.  Just perfect for this story.  I love it.

Pre order Sales Link:  Riptide Publishing

4.5* Another great read from this new author - her take on Beauty and the Beast.

This is only the second book I've read by this talented author, and it's not going to be the last. It's her version of a famous fairy tale, with some unique twists, and her storytelling had my heart hurting for both leads during separate instances. Despite the blurb, I had no clue what the tale would entail and I was pleasantly surprised time and time again.

It's not a tale that has a ton of 'happenings' in it, so there's not much of a storyline to recount; however, it has a relationship that starts as a kind of forced one for Angel and one where Oberon has pretty much accepted his fate on earth - which was really, really sad - and which turned into a real friendship with the guys bonded by music. I didn't think the title of the tale suited either character and at one point I did wonder who might be classed as the monster and which as the musician, but all in all it was an excellent tale and a slightly different take on fae than is normally seen in PNR novels.

ARC courtesy of Riptide Publishing and NetGalley for my reading pleasure.

This was very interesting and completely different. The way the fae communicated added unique aspects to the story. I would read more in this universe.

This was a lovely and interesting re-telling of “Beauty and the Beast”. Let me be clear, it’s not the same plot… Ángel Cruz is a musician who is coerced by his family to enter into a contractual agreement with a being from the Otherworld… nicknamed Oberon. What Oberon wants is company in exchange for excusing Ángel’s father of a crime. He’s a different species, alone and he’s been sent to our world to learn about humans… music in particular. And let’s face it – unless you’re living under a rock – you can imagine how badly that would work out for someone like Oberon.

In true human fashion, there is a lot of resistance and fear regarding Oberon’s presence. Rather than living freely as he did in his own world, he is often confined to his mansion and his every move is governed by his security team. An attempt on his life means that he spends much of his time alone and this is killing him.

I loved the author’s attention to detail regarding the Fae society. Oberon perceives everything quite differently from humans. His language has more in common with music than speech, he is unaccustomed to the concepts of privacy or shame and his face reveals little of his emotions. To Oberon, emotions are something to be absorbed from the Fae around him, almost as though the emotional highs and lows of multiple people would equalize things for everyone. Alone, Oberon has been growing ill and is likely to die. This was a great concept, very original and allows the reader a glimpse into the Otherworld.

While Ángel is human, as his fear of Oberon lessons, he finds himself more willing to attempt to understand the way Oberon feels things. Touch is something that is of vital importance to Oberon, but an initial misunderstanding with the humans he first encountered has left him reluctant to touch Ángel.

This is a character-driven story. Much of the plot unfolds at Oberon’s mansion, but it’s not at all uneventful. The conversations the two engage in are interesting and genuine and I really enjoyed getting to know them. Keefe hasn’t just created two sensual, vibrant characters, but a new language of touch, scent, and emotion. Bravo!

I’ve only read two of Keefe’s books but I would definitely call myself a fan. The depth of emotion and wonderful dialogue make these books very enjoyable.

I’m gonna be honest, this book is a lot. almost TOO much on my pure, faint-of-heart and kink-free life. does that mean I didn’t enjoy it? of course not. but it’s definitely SO out of my comfort zone that I repeatedly found myself almost putting it down because it was just. too. much. if you know what I mean.

surprisingly, though, it was also so meticulously thought-out and well outlined that it was almost baffling. I know I shouldn’t underestimate romance books, but I was genuinely impressed with the level of detail that the world building in The Musician and the Monster has. the fae lifestyle, Oberon’s small traditions and rituals, the whole thing about the skin and communication between their species, the podcast—I was taken aback by it. I’m not about to condone the invasion of privacy Ángel is forced to go through, or the narrator's use of the word “fatless” to describe Oberon’s athletic body (why you would even use such a term is beyond me, it really irked me out), but what I’m trying to say is that it wasn’t all that bad. Jenya Keefe’s writing style was fine and I was genuinely impressed by the world building.

again, though, I’m simply just not sure that this kinky-as-hell book is my kind of deal, so I’m gonna go for the safe route and rate it a very clean three stars. The Musician and the Monster is a fun read, but far too much for my taste. thanks again to Riptide Publishing for providing a free copy of The Musician and the Monster!!

**ARC kindly provided by Netgalley and publisher**

The Musician and the Monster is a unique take on Beauty and the Beast. Our human protagonist is whisked away from his home to be sequestered with a creature from another world, one that’s barely understood and undeniably terrifying.

While the main setting of the novel is one of romance, there is an underlying measure of racism and hatred the protagonists face, which struck a chord with me in today’s political and social climate.

I enjoyed watching Ángel’s and Oberon’s relationship grow from almost-enemies to lovers steadily over the course of the book. I also liked the author’s take on Oberon’s particular species of creature. Very unique features she included.

All in all, I’m rating this book a 3.5. It’s quick, interesting read that those with a love of romance, music, and fantasy will enjoy.