3.5 stars

I love the premise of the story, okay? The author knows how to grasp you in this gothic romance with heavy elements of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde + Beauty and the Beast. This book is definitely perfect for spooky season.

There are things that I love about this book and things I was just scratching my head about.

I love the gothic theme this takes place in. A creepy mansion in Hawaii, a butler who gives off Lurch vibes from Addams family but talks more. Gives you warnings and house rules to abide by. Which the FMC doesn't, and he is loyal to his master. You have the grounds keeper who is a hard-ass with no explanation until 70% through? He always ends the sentence with 'girl' when he speaks with the FMC, Amara. Which can be infuriating when he does it out of spite. She has no clue what lies in the shadows. Literally until near the end. Then you have the 2 housemaids. One is bubbly, and the other seems she can't be bothered with. As if she always appears to scorn Amara. She isn't rude or anything. it just seems to me she is there to give the stank face to the FMC.

Amara seems like a dits to me. She is this thriller/suspense writer (well, trying to be), and she wants to solve the secrets that are lurking in the walls of the manor. She doesn't do a very good job of it. She wants to be in the know... But she hesitates too much for my liking. Too much inner monologues that seem to never get her anywhere besides taking a fresh shower every now and then. Hey, nothing wrong with being hygienic. It's too much of it for me to care.

Then you have Tristan Black, aka Mr. Black and his brother Dr. Shadow. (cough cough)

Don't get me wrong, Dr. Shadow is almost every woman's wet dream guy. I wish there were more elements between the two characters.

Things I didn't like
-character connections. There weren't any real connections between the characters. Amara is friendly with her best friend, which we meet for a few pages in the beginning of the book and semi middle. She texts her here and there, but it didn't feel like as if they are bff's. Then Amara became really attached to Gisella, who is the bubbly maid. She took the job because her boyfriend had passed in a tragic way and needed a change in scenery, but then she left the manor. Leaving our FMC behind. It was a short-lived friendship.

-I'm making the assumption that the timeline takes place in the fall. But there isn't a real timeline. It goes into days to weeks. I still don't know if she has been there for three months.

-Then there are the romance elements of this book. I felt like it was just one-sided, Amara chased Mr. Black until he submitted to her persistence. eh, it wasn't for me.

-the ending. WTF was that? I need answers for that ending. It ain't sitting well with me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Steely Co. Publishing for the eARC.

Amara Rose desperately needs a new job and a drastic change. When a position comes up to be a live-in personal assistant to a rich young scientist, she feels like its perfect income and gives her the ability to work on her first novel in the downtime. But the eerie new home/castle is not exactly what it seems, nor is her new boss.

***Beauty and the Beast/Jekyll & Hyde retelling
***Gothic paranormal romance
***Things are not as they seem……
***Strong, older female lead
***Suspenseful

The atmosphere/setting of this novel is top tier - spooky, gothic, enchanting. As the reader I felt like I was right there with Amara. The romance was sizzling and the chemistry was on point! The fairytale vibes mixed in with the gothic edge?! Loved!

Can’t wait to read more from this author. Will definitely be looking forward to the next books!

Thank you to Steely Co Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC of this novel; all opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Shelley Leigh Crane for an ARC of this book!

Tropes/Elements
Beauty & the Beast + Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde
Gothic/Paranormal Romance
Spice

This was my first time reading this author's work, and it's very immersive and visual, which fits the moody, gothic atmosphere very well. I did struggle to get into the book at the start, but it definitely picked up as the story went on. I loved the descriptions of the Black Manor and how alive and eerie it felt. It really helped draw me into the story. Having said that, the FMC grated on my nerves. Even though she's supposed to be in her 30's, she often comes across as immature and naïve, and I found myself wanting to scream at some of poor decision making, which made it hard for me to connect with her as a character. Despite this, the story is a very character driven plot with a decent spice, and if you're a fan of dark fairytale retellings, you'll probably be a fan of this book.

This is my first ARC ever, which was super exciting! This is a Beauty and the Beast/Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde retelling. I really enjoyed the Gothic vibes. The mashup of stories worked well while also having its own style, and I sensed hints of Dorian Gray and Cinderella sprinkled into the story as well. Quick and fun read with just a little bit of spice.

Review also posted on my goodreads and fable under oh_misty

2.5 stars rounded up to 3

I really wanted to like this book more since I love the concept. The writing is beautiful, and the author does a wonderful job of bringing life to her words and painting a vivid, easy to picture scene. It felt as if I was in a movie, and I loved that.

Unfortunately, I found this book to be too slow. About 80% of the book is spent in Amara’s internal monologue overanalyzing her current circumstances, going through mundane tasks, and describing the scenery. Though it does pick up towards the end, very little plot happens, which made it challenging for me to stay engaged with the story.

If you’re looking for a vibe-based, descriptive read then I think this book would be a great choice, but if you’re someone who needs more plot and momentum in your story then this likely isn’t the book for you.

Thank you NetGalley and Steely Co. Publishing for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I love the story it was a bit slow but the build up is what makes you crave the story and it was good I love a story I can figure out from the start

Fantastical dark romantic retelling of a Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
The prose and writing of this book is poetic. I caught myself highlighting so many sentences that were constructed so lyrical they were breathtaking.

The scenery and storytelling was vivid as though you were watching it take place instead of reading.

The story follows Amara who is down on her luck, trying to write a book as she gets a new job as a personal assistant to a younger rich man- Mr. Black. Mr.Black is alluring with a quiet warmth. While Amara fins him attractive she is trying to maintain a professional distance. As the story continues, some odd things start happening in the old manor, and Amara finds more questions than answers.

If you enjoy dark romance- give this one a go.

Reading this book was like watching a slasher movie, as I was screaming at the FMC for her horrible life choices for the entirety of the book. Why are you opening the creepy door? Why are you following a possible ghost into the forest? Why are you touching the slightly off mirror? This book is perfect for October if you love the idea of horror movies, but don't actually like being scared.

Amara Rose takes a job at a very creepy mansion as a live-in personal assistant. The longer she is there, the creepier things get, and the other employees of the house are keeping secrets. After meeting her boss, Tristan, 1 time, she becomes utterly obsessed with him. Like, he looks at her and she can't form words obsessed. I'm learning that I'm very much a hypocrite because I love it when the MMC is down bad after 1 meeting, but when it's the FMC? Absolutely not.

Amara is very much a damsel in distress and actively chooses to put herself into bad situations because she is "curious." Like running towards the creepy sounds instead of minding her own business. After breaking curfew several times, she meets Dante, aka Dr. Shadow. She is torn between the intense physical attraction to Dante and the emotional attraction to Tristan. She has been warned to stay away from Dante because he is not safe, but she refuses to let the secrets sway her and continues to seek him out.

Lots of other stuff happens in the book, but the general take away is that if you love a scary movie where the girl has no common sense and just blindly runs into the dark, this is the book for you. The romance doesn't really have much to do with the main plot line, so I personally would call this more of a mystery with a few spicy scenes thrown in.

Thank you to NetGalley and Steely Co. Publishing for the free eARC.

Big thanks to NetGalley for this ARC 🤗

Wicked Beasts is a dark, moody romance with major Beauty and the Beast meets Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde energy, set in this eerie old manor. The atmosphere is definitely the highlight… it’s got proper creepy woods, gothic vibes, and a spooky house that basically feels like its own character.

The writing is really visual. The author clearly knows how to set a scene, and some of the descriptions were genuinely lovely. You can see everything she’s describing, sometimes to the point where it’s a bit much. Like, I didn’t always need a full breakdown of how many times her hair moved in the wind. A bit overdone in places, but it still worked overall.

The main character is meant to be in her thirties, but she often came across like someone way younger. I didn’t always get her choices and some of them felt a bit daft but I stuck with her. She’s brave, I’ll give her that, and curious enough to keep the story moving.

Romance-wise, it’s very much focused on her pining after one bloke (who was emotionally unavailable 90% of the time), while the other one, Dr Shadow, actually brought more chemistry and spice to the table. I weirdly liked him more, to be honest. There’s a bit of a love triangle thing going on, and while I usually don’t love those, this one kept me interested.

Some of the side characters didn’t really make sense like her best mate just kind of disappears and a few others pop up without much impact. The timeline’s also a bit fuzzy throughout as it’s just mentions of “days and weeks” here and there, but the story’s still easy enough to follow.

It did drag in the middle a bit. There’s a whole chunk where not much happens except the FMC overthinking and doing a whole lot of not much else. But once you hit around 70%, it picks up again and finishes strong. There was a couple of twists that caught me by surprise which was good!

Final thoughts: It’s not perfect, but I still enjoyed it. The vibes are spot-on, the concept is cool, and the setting really sticks with you. If you’re into gothic romances with a bit of spice, you’ll probably have a good time.

Rating: 3.5 - 4 stars. Definitely keen to see what the author does next.

Give me a retelling of Beauty and the Beast any day of the week! "Wicked Beasts" by Shelley Leigh Crane was a great, quick read and give me more, please!

My rating is basically based on vibes alone.

I don't normally read books where the character is a writer, because it usually a self-insert by the author and I feel bad when I don't like the character. And yeah, this FMC was bad.

It would make more sense if she was a 16-18 year old in the regency era... but a 30+ year old woman in the modern era? There's no reason for this character to be so dickmatized.

And the MMCs? One has the personality of a damp paper towel and the other has none but is supposed to be attractive because the FMC has literally negative self control.

My other qualm is the writing was a bit superfluous and it takes some time to get used to. It was definitely over-descriptive at times and eye-roll inducing (I don't care that her soup was sloshing around in the bowl while she walked down the hallway... the picture has been painted, now let's find our way to the point already).

Now... all that said. The story was simple to follow and it was a quick read with spooky vibes. So that gets it 4 stars (maybe 3.5 rounded up)

With Beauty and the Beast + Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde being some of my favorite works, I immediately dove into this and I think author did a pretty decent job at meshing the two opposites together overall.

I’ll start by saying that this author has an incredible ability of painting a picture in your mind when you read their words. I’d love to see art prints made from this story!

Amara is braver than me, that’s for sure. I think the first interaction with Mrs. Wong and Mortimer would’ve sent me running for the hills lol. Also, Mortimer’s loyalty was much more heartfelt than I anticipated. 🥹


A few things I noticed:

- some of the characters don’t make sense. Her bff that she completely abandons. The guy from town. Even Gisella to a point.

- while the author is incredible at painting a scene, sometimes it was too much and there was a lot of repetitive descriptions that felt unnecessary. I lost count on how many times her brown hair was mentioned or Mortimer’s hollow eyes.

- there’s no real timeline. ‘Days and weeks’ is what we have to work with.

- the romance aspect was mostly Amara pining after Tristian while he was doing everything possible to avoid her because of his “illness”, so I wish we had more moments of him actually showing affection. We did, however, get plenty of spicy moments with Dr. Shadow who I think I actually like more lmao.

- there’s a part of the book where the pacing comes to almost a halt and it drags on until almost 75% ish. Nothing seems to happen, Amara is repetitively rambling and taking multiple showers?

I’m looking forward to reading more from this author as they stated they’d be writing a collection!

Thank you NetGalley, Shelley Leigh Crane and Steely Co. Publishing for the eArc!

As a fan of love triangles and "why choose" romance tropes, the synopsis of Wicked Beasts immediately caught my attention, and the eerie title paired with the stunning cover only sealed the deal. A gothic paranormal romance set in a remote Hawaiian estate? Count me in.

The story delivers beautifully on atmosphere. The moody gothic setting, paired with the lush, haunting landscape of Hawaii, creates a unique and immersive backdrop. Black Manor felt isolated yet alive, and the skeletal woods added an eerie edge that I loved. The gothic vibes are definitely one of the strongest aspects of the book.

That said, the writing took some time to grow on me. In the beginning, it felt a bit childish, but it gradually improved. While the author clearly has a knack for building atmosphere and emotional tension, the prose suffered from repetition, especially in descriptions and the FMC’s internal monologues, which often felt long-winded and redundant.

The main character, Amara Rose, is in her thirties, but her behavior often came across as immature, which made it harder for me to connect with her. Her choice to remain at the manor, despite being frightened and confused, lacked a convincing motivation and made her seem naïve rather than curious or brave.

Despite these issues, the romance is front and center. It's a character-driven story with a good dose of spice, and while I could see the twist about Dr. Shadow coming, I was genuinely surprised by Cordelia's arc. It kept the intrigue alive until the end.

Wicked Beasts is a fairly quick read with solid potential. With a bit more editing and tighter writing, Shelley Leigh Crane could truly elevate her storytelling.

I was hooked from the idea of Beauty and the Beast with Jekyll and Hyde and was so glad I was able to read this book. It had that overall concept that I was hoping for and thought worked with the genre. Shelley Leigh Crane was able to create something that I was looking forward to finishing and enjoyed how the characters were used in this world. I was glad I got to read this and get to know the characters, I hope there is more from Shelley Leigh Crane like this as I really enjoyed this.

When Amara Rose takes a job at Black Manor she thought she knew what she was getting herself into and what to expect, even though the Manor itself was an estate up north on the island of O'ahu. But, there was nothing that could have ever prepared her for the charm of the intelligent and cryptic Mr. Black or that of his older brother, Dr. Shadow whom she found to be alluring and rather seductive. But, then she finds that strange occurrences and unsettling truths start to swirl around her. Suddenly Miss Rose starts to fear that both of the brothers' rather captivating presence is hiding a far darker reality than she had realized at first. And then she starts to hear the whispers of skeletal woods that begin to terrorize her mind.

Will Amara find that she is to be consumed by them forever?

Wicked Beasts is a gothic paranormal romance that is inspired by Beauty & the Beast and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde.

YOU'RE MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS!!! Please read and pay attention to the content and trigger warnings at the beginning of this book. There are some scenes and content in this book that may be unsuitable for some readers and triggering for other readers. Please remember that your mental health comes first at all times.

Tropes: Gothic Paranormal Romance, Suspenseful, Dual Personality, Why Choose, But Not, Haunted House, and Forced Proximity.

Wicked Beasts by Skelley Leigh Crane is a gothic paranormal romance that has been inspired by not only Beauty & the Beast but also The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. And I found this combination to be a very interesting blend that at first I didn't quite think was going to work together to tell a clear and concise story. And yet, upon reading Wicked Beauty, I found that these two inspirations blended beautifully together to tell a unique and intertwined story that just blended together to flow perfectly.

I was enthralled by this book from the very first page and I never wanted it to end. Shelley has this beautiful magnetic way with words that flow seamlessly and elegantly on the page that you feel like you are being drawn into the story yourself.

This book is told from the POV of Amara our FMC and we get to discover with her the lush shadowy mansion that is Black Manor. Through her eyes, we get to discover all the secrets that the manor holds. The manor that is tucked away in the lush greenery of Hawaii we see that contrasted against the somewhat neglected mansion – that alone is a rather large contrast – and the mansion itself is full of velvet curtains, these deep mahogany treatments that catch your eye, and full of dusty secrets waiting to be found.

Tristan is this enigmatic, handsome, somewhat shy, very awkward young student who believes in science. He's like a circle wrapped in a box we a trying to figure out how to free without destroying the box. And I wanted to know so badly what pieces he was trying to fit together and just why he was doing it. Honestly, I found him to be more of a paradox than anything and I could tell that there was a lot more under the surface than we could see at first, but his amber eyes held the secrets.

Amara is supposed to be Tristan's assistant but it's actually Dr. Shadow who gets her second-guessing the new visitor's intentions not only toward her but also the connection that he has with Tristan.

The way that Shelley tells the story is more like she is painting you a picture or showing you a movie in your mind. Each word she chooses is perfect to create this vivid and evocative image in your mind of what is happening in each scene. It's masterfully well done and it's a talent that not all authors have.

Character development, growth, and arcs were again so incredibly strong. Every character had the depth to them that you wanted and yet you could see them grow and develop further as you progressed through the book. You never felt like any one character was stagnating and holding back the book from moving forward. There was always growth and movement from each character that was just amazing to see.

Even with the steamy scenes that we got, they were expertly written with care, with each reader in mind and you never felt the need to skim past them just to get to the next part in the story. Each steamy scene that was included was there for a purpose and was there to help move the story forward and keep the story from stagnating and getting to lax.

This book requires you to have patience in your reading in order to revel in how this very deliberately paced mystery unfolds. And believe me, if you take the time to read this book, have the patience, and wait for all to be revealed, the reward will be well worth the wait.

The seductive imagery, the world that is seethed in mist, a smell of ancient texts and metallic iron, and the chill creeping up your spine with the tense thriller. I loved the way that Shelly took a fairy tale that we all loved growing up and mixed it with everything in a gothic lover's dream added in all the twists and turns and then used such a dedicated hand that gave us this compelling and stunning narrative that in my opinion is a must read.

This book is a masterclass in writing and a chef's kiss in taking two opposite genres and putting them together into one intoxicating book that in my opinion is a must-read for everyone who loves gothic romance, forced proximity, Why choose but not why choose (gotta read to find that out.) I just highly recommend.

And I can't wait to read more from Shelley Leigh Crane. This is the first book by her that I have ever read but it is not going to be the last. I love her writing style, her literary voice, her character development, honestly, I don't think there is one bad thing that I can say about this book or Shelley's writing.

🥀Beauty and the Beast Meets Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde Re-telling
🌹Spice
🥀Gothic Manner
🌹Magical Elements
🥀 Eerie Tension & Suspense

I really enjoyed reading this story! I thought the author's writing was very immersive and at times poetic. It fit the atmospheric Gothic setting extremely well.

I struggled a bit with the beginning of this book, at times it felt repetitive and slow moving but by the time I was around 25% of the way through my interest was thoroughly peaked. I ended reading this book in less than 24 hours.

I thought the overall storyline and characters were really well done. Each character brought out strong emotions as the plot thickened and began unraveling.

If you're a fan of Dark Fairytale Re-tellings I would check this one out. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

Thank you Shelley Leigh Crane, Net Galley and Steely Co. Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

This one gave me dark fairy tale energy in all the best ways. The world felt super rich and eerie, with just enough danger to keep me hooked. The main character was fierce and stubborn, and the love interest had that broody, dangerous vibe I can never resist. Their chemistry was intense, and the whole enemies-to-lovers tension had me flipping pages like crazy. Some of the pacing felt a little uneven, especially in the middle, but the vibes and romance made up for it. If you’re into magical creatures, forbidden love, and a story that’s a little wild and a little romantic, you’ll eat this one up.

I just wasn't impressed at all with this. A lot of it seemed that she pulled from [book:To Break A Curse: Jewels of Asteria|221128800]. Also, most of the chapters could have been combined. It was 4 or 5 chapters before the author gets passed describing the house.

Wicked Beasts is a gothic paranormal romance inspired by Beauty & the Beast and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde.

This book is a captivating dark romance that draws you into a mysterious and haunting world. The author creates a compelling narrative that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The story follows Amara Rose as she takes a job at the remote Black Manor, where she is drawn to the charming Mr. Black and his alluring brother. The book has a unique blend of classic gothic themes with modern romance, featuring a strong plot, well-developed characters, and an ever-present sense of suspense. With its mysterious atmosphere and intriguing plot twists, it's an excellent read for anyone who enjoys dark romance and fantasy, just bare in mind it's steamy