Beauty, Inc.

Yes, I know, the market is quite saturated as of late with modern day retellings of well known and loved fairy tales. But, when I heard that Tara Lain was going to do a modern take on Beauty and the Beast, I knew I’d be in for a treat. And, Holy Hannah, I was so right!

Robert “Belle” Belleterre is a gentle, stunningly beautiful, off the charts brilliant chemist who recently developed a revolutionary face cream that is sure to propel his father’s cosmetic company straight to the top of the proverbial heap. The problem is that his dad is a drunk and gambling addict, and his brothers are entitled coattail riders who think of Belle as something to exploit rather than an actual person and family member. And, on a trip to Las Vegas, to attend a cosmetics convention, Belle’s life ends up being changed drastically when he is gambled away by his own father in a high stakes game of poker.

Queue Magnus Strong, the man Belle’s father lost to. Permanently disfigured in an accident several years ago, the ugly yet extremely vital and powerful CEO of Beauty Inc is mesmerized and captivated by Belle’s beauty. And, Belle’s brilliant mind. After winning Belle, he sets the young chemist up in a stunning tropical apartment complex, and essentially lets him have carte blanche within Beauty Inc. Unfortunately, the massive upheaval in Belle’s life causes him to feel lonely and like an outsider at his new job.

Can Belle see past Magnus’ scarred surface to the passionate, extremely beautiful man inside? Will he ever stop feeling like an outsider? What about Belle’s father and brothers? Can they live without Belle at their company to oversee the completion of the face cream development? Or, will their machinations cause even more devastation on Belle’s life?

Tara Lain’s modern day take on the well loved fairy tale that is Beauty and the Beast is wonderful! Well written, well executed, and the audiobook is absolutely wonderfully acted by the fantastic Kale Williams. This is book three in Tara’s Pennymaker Tales series but can definitely be read (or listened to) as a standalone without missing any important parts from previous books. I highly recommend getting Beauty Inc. It is absolutely brilliant!

This was a cute story with a kind of magical feel to it. I haven't read any of the other books in this series, so I don't know if I missed something in the others that tied into this one in anyway. However I still really enjoyed this book. I was very sweet with minimal angst, at least minimal for me. Belle was a fun character. I felt so bad for him. I wanted to positively murder his dad and brothers. It was nice to see him grow and become happier throughout the book. Magnus was a very emotional character for me. He had so much pain in him my heart broke a little. Sometimes he was a little hard to take, he was very domineering. However, with all that he did I always had the feeling that he was trying to take care of Belle.

I cannot say enough how much I loved reading this book! The heir of a small beauty company who is the brains behind the operation and the beauty tycoon who is their biggest competitor - makes for an amazing plot line.

This book was one that I read through in one-go - it was so well written and a great addition to the Pennymaker series. The characters are loveable, even with their flaws - and the drama didn't feel sensationalized.

I highly recommend this book, and the others in the series - this one is a great read, loveable characters and well-written... it made me want more! The only negative is that I wish it were a longer read (or that there will be a follow-up!).