WINNER! Ciar Recommends: Beauty Tempts the Beast by Leslie Dicken WIN THIS BOOK

Congrats to Leslie, who wins this book!

To win this book, just leave a comment and I’ll draw a name at random on Friday.

I’m terrible at plot summaries, so I’m letting Leslie Dicken describe her book in her own words:
Is the enemy of her enemy a friend…or a beast?

Lord Ashworth is scarred by a night of terror years ago that left his face in ruins and his life in shreds. He hides in Silverstone Manor, using rumors that paint him as a horrible, murdering monster to keep visitors at bay. Yet he can’t shake the feeling that the rumors might be true. He tells himself it’s better this way. If his memories ever resurface, at least he will be the only one hurt by them.

The woman on his doorstep, however, simply refuses to fear him. That’s not only an oddity, it’s a threat to his secret…and his heart.

Vivian Suttley has seen the face of evil more than once in her young life. She’s on the run from the latest, a cruel man determined to force her to marry him. Whatever the whispers about the reclusive Ashworth, surely it’s nothing compared to the bleak, violent future she leaves behind.

Ashworth saved her once before, and he’s her last hope for refuge. Yet she wonders if she’s truly safer at Silverstone—or if she has just made the biggest mistake of her life.

I bet Ms. Dicken (aka Jordanna Kay) spent many a youthful hour reading the same post-Victorian gothic romances I did, notably Mary Stewart and Victoria Holt. A dash of Heathcliffe, a sprinkling of more modern eroticism (the book is graphic, but not overly so–hmnn, that’s not so descriptive), a villian, a (someone or something) hidden behind closed doors, and you have a modern Gothic. This was a fun read that moved quickly for me. Dicken’s hero is delicious, of course, with the requisite scar on his face and on his soul. The heroine is plucky yet melts in the hero’s embrace. The villain is heinous, and the ending is happy.

I thought this book was written with great care, lots of feeling, lots of longing, and good description. At times it became a trifle repetitious (maybe a few less “I’m a monster” moments), but all in all, I think any fan of classic gothic romances who wants a bit more heat will love Beauty Tempts the Beast. Want to win a copy? Just comment below!