A Curse of Beasts and Magic

Bestseller Frost (the Night Huntress series) gives “Beauty and the Beast” a dark contemporary twist in this riveting romantasy, the first in her Beautiful and Beastly series. Lorraine “Raine” Stone, 26, has been searching for answers about the supernatural for over a decade, ever since her family was slaughtered in an attack that left her “infected” by something she calls “the Beast,” a nearly uncontrollable force that feeds on violence. An ER nurse, Raine feeds the Beast on the pain and death inherent to the job and uses its power to heal whenever she can. In her time off, Raine feeds it by playing vigilante. When she saves a confused old man from an attack, she catches the attention of his grandson, Remington “Remy” Byrne, CEO of an investment empire. Remy has the answers Raine has been searching for, and introduces her to the world of magic that lies parallel to the one she knows. He’s the Warden, a kind of magical law enforcement figure responsible for all the magical beings in his territory—but he also has powerful enemies who are gunning for his life. The fast-paced plot skillfully balances magic, action, and sizzling romance. Nods to the original tale will please fans, even as Frost makes the story entirely her own. It’s a promising start. (May)