A review by emmelnie
Beauty and the Beast by Grace Goodwin
5.0
This book is such lighthearted fun. It plays with the trope of dating shows and those on-air proposals that pop up on social media that we all love watching. In this case, the proposal involves weatherperson Quinn, who turns out to be the mate of the alien Atlan Bahre. Once he scents her from where he and other potential Beast bachelors are set up for their TV show a couple of floors below her news studio, he claims her as his mate—on air. That makes lots of people watching happy, but it also alerts enemies of both Quinn and Bahre….
I really enjoyed both leads in this book, and how refreshing it was to have a heroine who really didn’t want to leave Earth! Bahre is the Atlan equivalent of special ops, and his enhancements explain how he stands out from the other Atlans sent to be contestants on this “Bachelor” type of show in his ability to find his mate so quickly.
There’s still a bit of convenience in that all of these mates happen to work around this show’s filming location, and I loved that Goodwin addressed how frustrated TV producers would be that this Bachelor-contest concept isn’t working well at all with aliens who instantly recognize their fated mates. I also liked that a potential threat to Quinn remained just that, avoiding the dread 11th-hour appearance just to create artificial tension.
But it’s the gentle joy that imbues this series that is a hallmark for Goodwin. Previous Bride series have been suspenseful, or action-filled, or dark. But this series is having such fun with the TV show concepts it plays with—in this case, the on-air proposal—and that lack of a grim threat made me turn the pages with delight.
I really enjoyed both leads in this book, and how refreshing it was to have a heroine who really didn’t want to leave Earth! Bahre is the Atlan equivalent of special ops, and his enhancements explain how he stands out from the other Atlans sent to be contestants on this “Bachelor” type of show in his ability to find his mate so quickly.
There’s still a bit of convenience in that all of these mates happen to work around this show’s filming location, and I loved that Goodwin addressed how frustrated TV producers would be that this Bachelor-contest concept isn’t working well at all with aliens who instantly recognize their fated mates. I also liked that a potential threat to Quinn remained just that, avoiding the dread 11th-hour appearance just to create artificial tension.
But it’s the gentle joy that imbues this series that is a hallmark for Goodwin. Previous Bride series have been suspenseful, or action-filled, or dark. But this series is having such fun with the TV show concepts it plays with—in this case, the on-air proposal—and that lack of a grim threat made me turn the pages with delight.