BEAST by Pepper Pace

Book Title: Beast
Author: Pepper Pace
Genre: Contemporary Romance/Erotica/Multicultural
Date of Publication: November 12, 2013

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Pepper Pace's interracial fairytale is the story of Beast; a marine with a destroyed face and a plus sized beauty who has identity issues. A lesson learned is that beauty is not what is on the outside...

 

In this romance that is taken from the Beauty and the Beasts' fairytale, it will leave you questioning

'who is the beauty and who is the beast?'

We've all heard the phrase, "beauty is only skin deep" and I think in this twisted fairytale we were able to explore beauty in every form it comes in.  This book made me analyze how I view beauty and face some of my own prejudices when interacting with people that society deems "less attractive" for whatever the reason may be.

 

I was already a fan of Pepper's before I read this book, however after reading it Beast became my favorite book of hers.  This novel is so rich with character development, I felt like I knew Ashleigh and Christopher.  I wanted to cry with Ashleigh and I just wanted to hug Christopher.  These were characters that stayed with me long after I finished the book. 

 

Ashleigh Dalton has an amazing set of friends who love and support her.  She's beautiful, smart and successful.  However, she can't see all the things that make her beautiful because she's a full figured woman who can't see past her weight.  She puts up with less than she deserves from men because she feels that's all she deserves.  As wrong as it is for people to view her a certain way because of her weight...she proves to be just as shallow, only interested in model-like men who tend to be out of her reach. 

 

Circumstances bring her to Christopher, who at first glance has all the physical Greek god-like characteristics she's drawn to in a man...

"He was a giant! She could see the muscles rippling along his back as he ran, even through the hoodie."

Christopher Jameson, a marine with a shockingly amazing body every woman would drool over and stare at unabashedly...with a face that is equally as shockingly, but for different reasons.  His face is scarred and disfigured. Christopher goes about life hiding from the world to avoid rejection.  He doesn't believe he will find someone to love him because of his face, eventhough he has a heart of gold.  

 

Until Christopher sees Ashleigh. He's drawn to the overweight woman because he sees beauty in her determination and her unwillingness to give up despite what others may see when they look at her.

"Christopher lingered. She'd dropped down on the mat on her back.  She was breathing hard.  Shit, she was going to seize up doing that.  Her arm was across her face. He leaned in closer. She was crying."

Pepper Pace takes us on an unforgettable journey where these two people fall in love with each other based on the content of their character and not the package it comes in.  Even though, over the course of the story, those outer packages change drastically.  I would like to think they change for THEMSELVES and not to "better looking" in the eyes of society.  

 

The storyline, although loosely based on a fairytale deals with real life situations, biases, and disabilities.  It forces you to face your own prejudices and fears.   To sum it all up I LOVED Beast. It was a sweet, touching, love story about two insecure, imperfect people who were able to love each other inspite of those insecurties and imperfections.  They created a PERFECT love together.

 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Pepper Pace stories span the gamut from humorous to heartfelt, however the common theme is crossing boundaries.

Pepper's unique stories deal with taboo topics such as mental illness and homelessness. Readers find themselves questioning their own sense of right and wrong, attraction and desire.

In addition to writing, the author is also an artist, an introverted recluse, a self proclaimed empath and a foodie.

You may contact the author at pepperpace.author@yahoo.com

  

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