Beast Within
by Tyffani Clark Kemp
Publication date: February 25th 2013
Genre: Paranormal
Source: eBook provided by author
in exchange for an honest review
My Rating: 
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Gabriel Slade runs Hollywood with his gorgeous blue eyes and egregious temper. No one knows that underneath it all is a man with a frozen heart, cursed to become a beast at every full moon. For seven days he has no choice but to roam the earth as a vicious animal, until he meets a woman who can change it all.
Luna Grace has a hatred for everything Gabriel Slade stands for, but she doesn’t even know what he looks like. When a chance encounter reveals feelings Luna never knew she harbored, it stands to reason that she would run.
Can Luna overcome her hatred and break the curse? Or will Gabriel’s temper keep her from realizing her true feelings, dooming him to remain the beast forever?
My Thoughts
Luna despises Gabriel, even though she’s never met him. He’s a celebrity and she feels disdain toward all celebrities, as she thinks they share one common distinguishing trait — they are all egotistical asshats. Her roommate Cadie, whom she met through a roommate service a few years prior, drags her to a party and it just so happens to be Gabe’s annual event. Gabe feels an immediate attraction to Luna, of course, and so the whirlwind begins. Gabe isn’t the typical celebrity Luna thought him to be, but is he better or worse than she anticipated? Luna is the one person who can change his course, but will she ever care enough?
Beast Within is a retelling of Beaty and the Beast with contemporary elements. I really wanted to enjoy this book, unfortunately it never captivated me. The premise had a huge amount of potential, and the characters strived to be engaging, but the execution was a bit lacking. From the very beginning the story felt one dimensional, almost mechanical. I really needed that depth of character to get sucked into the sotry and it never quite got there for me. I did find myself chuckling here and there at the interaction between Luna and Gabe, and at times I was tempted to feel more. I just wish there would have been more complexity, more development of the characters.
I normally wouldn’t recommend a book that ranks two “stars” based on my personal opinion, but I happened to notice that several people gave it a shining review, so maybe I’m just the odd one out in this situation?
About the Author
Tyffani Clark Kemp was born in Florida and raised by her grandparents. She started writing at the age of eleven when her english teacher gave them a prompt to write about for fifteen minutes. She took the story home, but never finished it, just like most of her writing attempts during that time. She enjoys writing science fiction and fantasy, but will write anything that she feels excited about. After graduation she moved to South Carolina. She lives there now with her family and her dog. Scorned: A LeKrista Scott, Vampire Hunted novel is her first published book and the first in the series.
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