The Beauty's Beast By R Phoenix Download
1,818 reviews 216 followers
This is a review for both The Beast's Beauty and The Beauty's Beast since they are two parts of a continuous story. This was a delicious, dark, psychological drama that drew me right in and kept me reading. It's not a romance and it is definitely in the non-con, dub-con, Stockholm Syndrome camp . There is a dual POV, which allows the reader to feel anger and hatred on Ryder's behalf and yet still see bits of Griffin that show he isn't the complete psycho he would otherwise come off as. While there were times I felt the story was a bit repetitive, it did give good insight into both men's thinking and their conflicting feelings about their behaviors. This was my first R. Phoenix experience and I'll be looking forward to reading more.
- other-kinks
813 reviews 15 followers
Overall book rating: 3.8 Well.. it has a lot of deliciously off limit stuff that my sometimes dark-ish grey mind devoured when in the mood. I absolutely LOVE the non-con thing when i'm in the mood. So this didn't disappoint in that way at all. I found it interesting how the "Bad guy" really isn't all that BAD as you would think. I mean, if I understand correctly, Griffin had bought himself a slave off a group op professional human traffickers here? It's not really said in that much detail, which is one thing I would have maybe liked a word or two more about but seeings this is a short read, and that the detail behind "how-did-we-get-him-here" isn't really needed to be spelled out in how it comes together I could overlook that little thing. I think we tend to want to make the bad guys pure evil when we think of things like this. But, Griffin really isn't pure evil. He knows he is doing the wrong thing. He doesn't want to hurt Ryder but he craves company, and in his own messed up way he thinks that this is the only way to reach that goal. I'm not really big on puppy play but I will read it when I enjoy the story around it. This has been light so far, basically 'training' or trying to get Ryder into his role of companion for Griffin. Also a little insight into Griffin's psyche I think. Getting a dog isn't enough. He wants the companionship but he wants MORE than what a dog can give, being obviously the sex part of the fantasy, yet not a "human" companion? He doesn't take Ryder to be a human slave. I think it's going to be interesting in seeing where this goes. I can't wait to get my hands on book two.
Audio Book: N/A
Book Cover: 3.5
- dark short-reads
Author 23 books 378 followers
[Q] Absolutely adored this book! It reminded me a bit of John Fowles' The Collector which is always a good thing. It was dark but at the same time, I personally didn't find it oppressive. It didn't come across as ridiculously over the top for me which some novels like this can do. It didn't get to the point where I felt it was cartoony. It felt real and raw. In the best possible way. A part of that I believe, is that the characters were more realistic, not perfect which I felt gave this story a depth you don't often find anymore. Plus, I really liked Griffin. Despite what he was doing I felt he never came across as just a "monster." It definitely left me wanting more and I am entirely looking forward to the sequel including a new kink "kitty play" ;) Can't wait for this!
2,512 reviews 35 followers
More, Please. "Let me know if you want to see these guys in another book." Well, duh! Can it be ready by tomorrow?
1,234 reviews 2 followers
3 stars To be honest, I don't know how I feel about this story. I almost gave up a few chapters in because it felt way darker than I was prepared for. But I persevered out of curiosity and I'm at the end and I really don't know how to feel about this. Dubious consent has always been a show stopper for me. But this one, hadn't quite reached that point. Griffin has at least some conscience. But the choices he made is also less conscientious than expected. I suppose it's interesting that while Griffin is clearly not a good guy, the way the authors paint him allows one to sympathise with him, and it gets one thinking doesn't it? I'm not saying that he's innocent. Far from it but it's just really interesting to see the human psyche behind the bad decisions.
- 2019-mm-read kindle-unlimited mm-romance
I just finished The Beast's Beauty and I loved it. R Phoenix you are a genius cause no matter how much my brain said I should hate Griffin for what he was doing with Ryder/Toby my heart would not let me hate him.There is beauty in this beast and I need him to see it The Title so belongs with this book. Such a well written story . It had it The mind games in this for both Griffin and Ryder were brilliant. I for one really want to see the next book. While I'm still not sure if I want to see Ryder turned in to Toby I am very very sure that I want to see where you take this next. So That is a big FAT YES to another book with these two. Cant wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
683 reviews 69 followers
Not a romance and the "kink" in this is not my cuppa but I'm curious enough to see how the story ends in book 2.
599 reviews 135 followers
I'm reviewing book 1 and 2 together. I wouldn't exactly say I enjoyed this duet, due to the humiliation that this story was focusing on, but it definitely kept me interested. On one hand seeing how the MC would deal with wanting a specific arrangement, but getting something different held my attention, but I feel like it was rushed. I hoped the author would go even deeper with the emotions and would linger on certain issues Ryder and Griffin were facing. Also details were missing, that of course were not important to the story, but to me it would have made all the difference. For example there wasn't much revealed about Ryder's abduction: where he was at the time, how the whole auction went down...was there even an auction? hmm... His girlfriend was nonexistent, relegated to one word. I found that annoying. Overall I found it a little superficial. And for that matter there was the whole 'look' thing. Griffin arranged this thing so he would get a companion. He was lonely, he had no one because of how he looked, everyone abandoned him. But it was barely made an issue in the book. Ryder made a few snide comments, but I think Griffin made a bigger deal out of it than it should have been. What I mean to say is there was a contrast between what was said about Griffin's look, and how it actually played into the events... does that make sense? The reader was told that Griffin is ugly and no one wanted him because of that, but I feel like it wasn't an issue. The topic barely came up. Both MCs background is kind of a mystery, we only got to know the bare minimum. Ryder is a frat boy, got himself somehow abducted. Griffin is a musician, or was at least, and he was still working in the industry but we don't know much about that. I liked that Griffin was a bad guy, who, even though had every step carefully planned out, was wavering. He questioned everything he was doing. In a dark book the main character is usually someone who knows what he's doing, you know being dominant and all that. So it was refreshing to see someone not fully in control. I guess that's in part thanks to Ryder's defiance, which was also a nice touch to their dynamic, I liked that he was mouthing back to Griffin every chance he got. Overall I liked it.
This is a gay for you story and I'm not sure how I feel about it. It's different than other gfy books I read before, because it's usually about a guy who had some kind of experience with other boys when he was a kid, or at least had some inclinations towards men, but denied it. Here however Ryder claimed he was not gay. Not gay! So it was really about Griffin trying to change him. And hmm.. I dunno.
- captivity gay-for-you
1,415 reviews
Wow...This has to be one of the best books I've read this year along with book 2.....Ryder/Toby is in for a really tough time with Griffin....The author kind of makes you love/hate Griff...How he treats Ryder is appalling but you also know why he's doing it and you feel sorry for him..But poor Ryder just wants to go home..He really doesn't seem to fit with being Griff's pup....An amazing read and one I know i'll be re-reading x
- comfort-reads hardcore heart-wrenching
8 reviews
(4.25 stars) Note: I have a hard time reviewing this duology as two separate books, since they are really two halves of a whole story, so I'm reviewing them together. This was a SUPER interesting duology that I'm still thinking about two days later (and grappling with, in a way, but more on that later). The Beast's Beauty and The Beauty's Beast are the two parts of R. Phoenix's "Beauty and the Beast" retelling, and as soon as I read the blurbs for both books, I was excited to read them because I LOVE "Beauty and the Beast" retellings/reimaginings (when done well, i.e. Robin McKinley's Rose Daughter and Beauty), and This is a contemporary reimagining of "Beauty and the Beast," where the Beast is Griffin (a former rock star who was horribly burned in a fire and who, as a result, lives an isolated and lonely life) and Beauty is Ryder (a college kid). Before the story begins, Griffin basically pays (what sounds like) human traffickers to kidnap a pretty boy for him, and that pretty boy ends up being Ryder. Griffin wants a companion who will be completely loyal to him, and he essentially plans to make this happen by making Ryder into his puppy. He strategizes how to break Ryder down piece by piece until he truly becomes a pet (Toby) that loves Griffin unconditionally, rather than a human being that hates Griffin for the awful things Griffin does to him. The book takes place over the course of about two months (I think), and we see Griffin struggle to break and remake Ryder while Ryder struggles to hold onto himself and not become what Griffin desires. In order to take back some of the control and maintain some semblance of himself, Ryder eventually asks Griffin to reshape his vision of their relationship (such as it is) as not master/puppy but master/kitten. When Griffin agrees and the tenor of their relationship changes, Ryder starts to truly lose himself in Toby, and Griffin starts to question whether he should let Ryder go. Both books are told from alternating viewpoints, so we have a chance to see inside the heads of both Ryder and Griffin. Let me say, this would have been a VERY DIFFERENT STORY if we had only be privy to Ryder's perspective. Griffin is full of self-doubt and constantly questions whether he has done the right thing in kidnapping Ryder (hint: kidnapping is NEVER THE RIGHT THING JFC GRIFFIN). His internal narrative tends to run in circles much like this: "should I really be doing this?/ooooh, this is a bad thing I'm doing/but I WANT HIM/so I guess I'm doing it/even though I shouldn't." But he is conflicted about the choices he has made, and if we only had Ryder's perspective, that conflict wouldn't have been evident, and Griffin would have come across as more of a one-dimensional villain than he does otherwise. The sex in this book is surprisingly light (if you discount the number of time Griffin thinks about how much he wants to fuck Ryder or imagines it in detail), and much of it is extremely dubcon, possibly noncon. Ryder identifies a straight, and… it seems pretty clear that he is straight based on his own internal monologue. When he responds to Griffin sexually, it's because he's desperate for some kind of human touch after being isolated for so long, not because he's attracted to Griffin. (That's one of things I really appreciated about this book -- a lot of times, it feels protagonists in books similar to this are frightened by but also UNWILLINGLY ATTRACTED TO their captors, and that definitely isn't happening here. Ryder VERY MUCH does not want to have sex with Griffin when he is held captive.) It's not until the end, after Griffin releases Ryder, and Ryder chooses to return, that he initiates and enjoys sexual contact with Griffin. I would have liked Ryder's and Griffin's backstories to be a little more developed, particularly Ryder's. More concrete information about his family, his girlfriend, his life (I don't think we ever learn how old he is, let alone what he's passionate about or studying in school…) would have made him feel more grounded in the world outside of Griffin's house. I wondered if this was a deliberate choice on the author's part, though. Griffin makes clear at the beginning that he didn't choose Ryder specifically; he asked for generic pretty boy, and that's basically we as readers get as well. What we know about Ryder is what we learn through how he reacts to his captivity and to Griffin. Maybe this was the point. The lack of detail about his family particularly makes his choice at the end (to abandon his life and return to Griffin) easier to swallow. If we had a better sense of his relationships before he was kidnapped, it would have been a lot harder to accept his choice. But this was still a bit of a weak spot for me; because we have no sense of Ryder's relationships with his family and friends (we only meet his mother, and their interaction shows that she clearly loves him and is worried about him), I overlay my own relationships with his and cannot imagine a world where I would just disappear from their lives for whatever reason, let alone to live in isolation with the guy who kidnapped me. This is the heart of why I'd love to talk to someone else about these books -- I'm not sure whether the end is meant to be an HEA (the couple ends up together, yay!) or more ambiguous (Griffin did what he set out to do and broke/remade Ryder into what he wanted!). I lean toward the latter for many reasons: because the Ryder who longed for his family, his girlfriend, his regular life throughout his captivity would not choose to cut all of those ties and return to his captor; because pre-captivity Ryder was not into sex with another man, but he willingly begins a sexual relationship with Griffin upon his return; because Ryder returns as "Toby," showing that he doesn't even consider himself Ryder any longer. It's entirely possible that I'm reading too much into this and that the release-return at the end of the second book is purely meant to mirror the end of "Beauty and the Beast." I'd like to think it's meant to be a dark twist on the traditional HEA, though. In conclusion, I really enjoyed both books, and I'm glad that I was able to read them back-to-back (instead of having to wait for the second to come out). I have lingering questions, mostly about the author's choices and whether they were deliberate or I'm just reading way too much into the story.
I've recently been plowing through all the dark romances I can find (am I the only one who has romance subgenre cravings every now and then?).
- 2019-reads
37.7k reviews 4 followers
Want to Read
August 4, 2021🎁 FREE on Amazon today (8/4/2021)! 🎁
- freebie
666 reviews 1 follower
This is totally working for me in all it's wrongness.
- mind-f-er puppy-kitty-play
1,082 reviews 23 followers
Although I had high hopes for this it went downhill very quickly for me. I found parts upsetting, gross, and disturbing. The premise was good but the abuse, imprisonment, and downright cruelty was not to my taste. Maybe it got better, as some people spoke of Stockholm Syndrome, but I didn't want to try, just not my thing.
Beautifully done. Griffin is a character you truly want to hate, yet there was something there, that meant I just couldn't truly hate him. His wants, and desires make him so incredibly real. Ryder is beautiful, the way he bends and all his emotions are truly breathtaking. I genuinely cannot wait for more.
973 reviews 10 followers
WOW!!! This is a very unique story, based in a unusual set of circumstances. Griffin is scarred in more ways than physical. Seeing himself as a monster has damaged his perspective. The scars on his skin make him feel unwanted, undesirable, unlovable, unapproachable. He has lost all of the life he knew before. He lives in a world now of before the fire and after the fire. In a life that was completely destroyed in the blink of an eye. He lives in the destruction of the aftermath. His desperation for human interaction drives him into a decision, he may live to regret. Ryder is a young man trying to make it in the world. An innocent bystander, he is shifted into a life that he'll never understand. This story is unlike anything I've ever read before. Captivating, outrageous and unimaginable. I can't wait to see where these two are headed. Yes, Raissa I'm definitely interested in a BOOK #2, PLEASE!!!
2,283 reviews 5 followers
3.5 stars I wanted to like this more than I did, and maybe Toby and Griffin will get more interesting and engaging in future installments. I'm not sure if I can explain exactly what I didn't like, other than I didn't really connect with either character. I felt that Toby's submission was too easy, and too smooth with the light hand that Griffin has used so far. And Griffin is too emotional to effectively pull this off.
775 reviews 1 follower
Surrender This book is a psychological twister. I've never really read a book like this before but I know I want more!
Toby/Rider is kidnapped and his kidnapper is a damaged man. He wants to bend Rider to his will.
Will Rider ultimately surrender to him? I really want to know.
132 reviews
263 reviews 12 followers
What can I say, I'm just as twisted I'm not even going to try and defend why I loved this book. There's no point. It's dark af but then again what do you expect. It's R Phoenix. This is her specialty. And if you don't like dark, twisted stories, stay away. However, if you are open to twisted tales with complicated characters, then allow me to try and explain why this works. So most kidnapped/ captive stories tend to go the way of either Stockholm syndrome or pure stupidity. This one does neither because it doesn't shy away from the cruelty and depravity that comes with kidnapping someone and forcing them into puppy play. Not once does this book try to romanticize the situation. Griffin knows he doesn't deserve sympathy, Ryder is painfully aware every single second of the horrors of his situation, and above all rape is called rape thank f*cking God. I can put up with a lot but romanticize rape is kind of my biggest pet peeve. Now all of that being said I can't help what I feel for both of these characters. Griffin is a severely damaged man who is still hurting. Ryder is classic spoiled rich kid but he's had his world turned upside down and he's exhausted. Them coming together at the very end of this (because oh boy is it a slow burn) was not stockholm syndrome or even reluctant acceptance, but more the two of them seeking comfort in a situation and isn't ideal. Yes it all happened because of Griffin and the book knows that, but there's so much more to be said about him then just psychopath. These characters are complicated and I love being able to see that with the dule perspectives. It's really well done. Also for a book that's pretty dark, not once is straight up cruelty ever displayed. I think it there were, we wouldn't be able to sympathize with Griffin as much as we need to for this to work. All the darkness is in the situation. It's at the foreground. But expertly woven in is humanity and empathy and kindness. Especially on Griffin's and which again is needed. There's no real smut in this but for once I'm not complaining. It's a slow burn and it needs to be a slow burn. Smut put just cheap in the whole thing I feel. It's really a beautiful piece. And I already have the next one downloaded. 5 solid stars.
2,474 reviews 37 followers
Uh - No! You seriously can not leave me hanging like that!
And why? Not telling you have to read it!
Toby, IMO is a bit weak emotionally - I think this may be one of the reasons he was targeted - After approaching his current situation with various responses he is now weighing his options a bit more realistically? Trying to make decisions the will result in an outcome with the least humiliation while still allowing him to keep some sense of Ryder- But as he states it is a bit like SAW - damned if you do and damned if you don't. One of his last attempts at freedom gave him a glimpse at the true monster Griffin keeps buried inside - That small glimpse even worried me -somehow I think his hesitation and fear of what could be are well founded
I found this a very emotional read - Griffin is broken in a way that I can not see him finding his way back - to have all that adoration and power that came with being a star ripped from him and worse it was as a secondary result of him selfishly sacrificing himself to save another - I believe that would definitely put a crack in even the strongest of human psyches - does not mean I in anyway agree with how he chose to acquire an emotional support pet
I really want to know who knocked!! And I want book two now because I have to know where this goes
I would recommend for any lover of true angsty MM romance very heavy on pet play and Stockholm syndrome
539 reviews 39 followers
This was a mixed bag for me, partially from expectations and partially just from execution. I liked how the Stockholm feels were handled in Ryder's POV - lot of back and forth, questioning himself, etc. I think this was the better half of the book, working through what he was experiencing. It's also definitely one of the best stockholm books I've found. On the other hand, I didn't like having Griffins POV. I felt like it took away from the horror vibe, and away from the Stockholm-psychological process that Ryder was going through. I can see why/what the purpose of Griffins POV was (I assume), to show that he himself is getting changed by his own captive, but it just didn't work quite right for me. It felt like it could have been accomplished all through single POV, and I didn't get a whole lot from being in Griffins head. It felt like most of his chapters were daydreams rather than furthering their relationship. Acknowledging that this is half a duology - I liked the pacing, the build, and where it ended. Overall....I liked half of it. The half that was in Ryders POV. I won't be continuing this set of books, but I will be checking out other books by this author.
- dark fairytale forced-proximity
139 reviews
Loved both of these books. Spent a little over four hours just reading. It strikes a great balance between erotica and romance. Also, a lot of m/m books I review are available with Amazon Unlimited, (these two included) so if you haven't gotten it, and you find yourself reading a lot of m/m fiction, it's definitely worth the buy. I'll probably make a tag for books available on Amazon Unlimited if you want to check it out.
Griffin is a monster, but he learns to become human with Ryder's/Toby's help. The first book is pure kink material, (Personally I'm not big into the pet play, but it almost worked for me in this instance) while the second book really starts to get into the emotional aspect of their relationship.
I spent a lot of time unbearably hot, and unbearably sad at the terrible situation these characters find themselves in. If you are a fan of themes of restricted freedom, obsessive/possessive love, damaged love interest, puppy/kitty play, humiliation, and sap; then definitely give these books a shot.
- abducted-kidnapped enemies-to-lovers into-the-fire
1,278 reviews 1 follower
Griffin lost the life he was used to when he was burned and scarred. In desperation, he decides that the only way for him to have the perfect companion was to find and take one by force. Ryder – he's young, beautiful, and scared – kidnapped because he's attractive, Ryder must figure out how to navigate this new world where Griffin calls all the shots. I was instantly attracted to this book due to it's dark theme and kinky premise. This story is not for the light of heart, but it's also not as dark as I thought it would be. There's also surprising little sex and pet play for a book with such a strong BDSM and kink theme. Overall Rating: 2.75 Stars. The writing is fine, and there's a lot of character development, but I wished there was much more sex and pet play. When the story finished it felt more incomplete instead of a cliff hanger. I think this book would have been stronger if it was a bit more developed or if this book and second book were combined into one book.
47 reviews 23 followers
This book was just freaking AMAZING *^* It had all my favorite things I want to find in a dark book like this one. I know it's not for everyone, I mean, you will probably love it or it would be too much for you, but if like me you love psychological stories, with fucked up characters ready to do almost everything to have what they want, you will for sure love Griffin and Ryder's story. Puppy play and humiliation kink are some of my fave subjects on dark romance, and the author wrote both of them magnificently. And now I can't wait for the next book to come out, because I NEED to know how things will go for Ryder, will he be strong enough to rebel to Griffin, or eventually he will give up and become the cute puppy Griffin desire so much?!
16 reviews
Great series It starts out kinda dark and after the first one your almost not sure how you feel about their progress. You start debating with yourself, how the author is gonna pull this off. Then she does. This author is really good about getting into the Chara gets mindsets and letting us experience the weird transformation and odd compromises they're forced into, to have what they want. Loved it.
If you haven't read this author before, it has kidnapping and a warning a dubcon but the whole story is about rebuilding Ryder so one day he will love him. So Griffin resists doing anything Rider doesn't want sexually because he doesn't wanna push too far. He wants a partner whether he realizes it or not.
105 reviews 17 followers
This book was an interesting albeit dark take on the classic story of beauty and the beast. There was a lot of puppy play, which isn't really my thing and I felt the story could have been written in a way that included different types of humiliation that would have yielded better results than making Ryder into a pet. A beast taming a beast was a bit ironic and I would have enjoyed this book more if Ryder's character was more soft hearted and innocent and Griffin's methods of making the boy want to stay with him didn't include treating him like a sexed up dog. All in all this book was okay but it didn't blow me away or anything.
Author 13 books 121 followers
I need more I knew I was going to love this book just by the premise. It was interesting and while not necessarily new, it sounded different.
Griffin and Ryder are two characters who are different sides of the same coin. Neither of them really know what's going to happen from one day to the next and that keeps everything exciting and the reader engaged.
I need more because watching Ryder break and learn to be Toby was just the beginning. There's so much more to explore with these two characters.
258 reviews 22 followers
Toby who? Rating Review Rollout: Total Rating: 3.1 out of 5 😕
(1) Attention Keeper: 3
(2) Digging deep in Character Development: 2
(3) Edit to Perfection!: 4
(4) Feeling the Words: 3
(5) Give me more please factor: 3
(6) Going with the Flow of the Story: 3
(7) Grammar Police: 4
(8) It's all about the Chemistry, baby: 3
(9) Love connection: N/A
(10) Plot Worthy: 2
(11) Show me Entertainment: 3
(12) The Writing speaks for itself: 4
261 reviews 1 follower
Looking forward to book 2 Very nicely written, Keeps your interest through out the book. Though you sit wondering when the real resistance will begin and fade into something else. And than
It's over. The one real chance to get out of the situation Ryder finds himself in ,he lays down at the captors feet. You sit back and go .......what? Can't wait to see what
else is in store for both men.\ One puppy.
1,701 reviews 11 followers
This is one hell of a fantastic, fascinating, wicked, engrossing, compelling, dark, kinky, gripping, gritty, keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat-biting-your-nails, and totally awesome thriller. Filled with mind games, humiliation, and more shades of grey than you can shake a stick at, I can guarantee you won't know which way is up by the time you reach the end of this book.
Source: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/43607784
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