Review of Beauty Dates the Beast by Jessica Sims

There are many things that will inspire us to pick up a particular book and read it. It can be an amazing cover and/or title; a recommendation from a trusted source; the fact that it is one of your favorite authors; or just simply a great teaser of a back cover or flyleaf. Beauty Dates the Beast was a combination of several of these things. The cover art is appealing and the title a nice twist on a beloved fairytale. Then I turned it over and read this:

WANTED
Single human female to join charming, wealthy, single male were-cougar for a night of romantic fun—and maybe more.

Me: The tall, sensuous, open-minded leader of my clan.

You: A deliciously curvy virgin who’s intimately familiar with what goes bump in the night. Must not be afraid of a little tail. Prefer a woman who’s open to exploring her animal nature. Interest in nighttime walks through the woods a plus.

My turn-ons include protecting you from the worst the supernatural world has to offer.

Ready for an adventure? Give me a call.

Vampires and doppelgangers need not apply.

Ok call me intrigued! I mean seriously who can resist a hot paranormal shifter romance with fun and laughter included?!

My Review:

If you are looking for a fun, light, fast read this one is pretty good. I just wish that the promise of the back cover was realized throughout the book. Towards the end of the book, some of the heroine's choices don't make sense with the way her character is presented at the beginning of the book. Also, a few dark things happen at the end of the book that seem like they should matter more to the characters than is portrayed by the author, and the ending seems a bit abrupt.

Personally I feel some editing assistance might have been helpful here. I realize this is the first of a series and my hope is that these issues will be addressed and cleaned up in the subsequent novels. That being said, this is a promising first effort and I will read the next installment.