Belle: An Amish Retelling of Beauty and the Beast (An Amish Fairytale)

I have never read an Amish Christian romance novel before. I’ve read a few Christian romance novels before (some a hit and miss) but never anything Amish. Compared to most other novels of the romantic genre, this was a fresh and delightful read. Soothing even. No foul language. No explicit sex scenes. No ungodly amount focus on body parts (chest, eyes, breasts - we’ve all read those novels). It dealt with day to day things that you would find in any small town. Pettiness, resent, gossip, shunning, etc. It’s the same no matter where we go. Belle is a strong, brace, almost fierce heroine. She does what needs to be done. Her family is near ruin - debt, loss of transportation, no faith or support from the community. The house is bought by a recluse. Belle makes an agreement to marry him, knowing this sacrifice will save her family from having to move to a new town. Some reviewers viewed her as a brat. I disagree with them. She is not a brat. She does what she sets her mind to and she is always with God in all of her decisions. At first Adam is harsh. He’s mean, quick to anger, and shutoff from his emotions; emotions that will bring him any more trauma or pain. Yet, we get glimpses of the true type of man he is. He’s kind, sweet, thoughtful and has the biggest heart of any man I’ve read in a book. Together, these two make a wonderful pair. They take strength in each other and they learn to grow together from two complete strangers to a proper husband and wife. My one complaint with this book is that if felt a bit rushed at the end. We get to see the moment that Adam and Belle fall in love but not how they grow in their love. This had me a bit miffed. I would’ve liked to see a little more of their relationship growing before the book ended. Before I forget, this was also my first book by Mrs, Price. This is also the first book in a new series of fairytale retellings that deal with the Amish. I will be buying and reading the rest of this series

I loved, loved, LOVED this book! I read it in one day….and I am ready to read it again:). This sweet, Christian retelling of Beauty and the Beast was such a tender, moving story. It captured my attention so much so when I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it. Adam (hero) touched my heart deeply, and Belle (heroine) was a strong, courageous woman. I recommend this book very highly! A feel good read that also teaches valuable lessons in kindness and not judging a book by its cover. So, so good !

This was a good book. The reason I did not give it 5 stars was for one thing, I thought it ended rather abruptly. I do not want to spoil if for anybody so I will not tell you why. In the beginning, I thought Belle was a bossy,spoiled ,brat. Yes, she did not judge, but I thought she could have been nicer to her husband I thought he was a little short tempered himself but I could understand why. But Belle just thought of herself and what she could gain from the marriage. I thought she wanted to change Adam. I did see a change in her only when Adam changed and opened up to her. Then I started see a better side of her. If Belle was like this from the beginning, I would have given it 5 stars. It was easy reading I found it hard to put down at times. I would love to read the next book, Ella.

4.5 out of 5 stars A book inspired by Beauty and the Beast and a marriage of convenience story? This is the easiest way to ensnare this reader! I am a sucker for fairy tales, romance, and the simple life. Belle delivers! In all my years as a bookworm, I've never stayed up till 4:30 AM and if I'm listening to an audiobook, in all honesty, they put me to sleep if I listen late at night. It doesn't matter how into the story I am. It just happens! That wasn't the case here. In spite of the fact that I didn't enjoy the narrator, the plot of the story was just too good for me to put on pause! Slow burn romances will be the death of me. Epitaph: Here lies Renee. Dead from reading too much. I was a little put off by the attitudes of both Adam and Belle, Adam being just plain mean and Belle too perfect, but as the story progressed things changed. It was easy to understand why Adam was so gruff and short with everyone, he had been treated that way for most of his life. It was a defense. That said, Belle never really lost that goody goody vibe, but it became less annoying. I have never read a book by this author and I don't read as many Amish books as I used to, but this book was lovely. The romance reminded me a lot of one of my all-time favorite reads, another Amish fiction, Autumn's Promise by Shelley Shepard Gray. Belle is most definitely a book firmly on my keeper shelf! *I purchased this book. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.*

This is my first book by Sarah Price, and it won’t be my last ! Amish stories have been a favorite of mine for many years,and Belle: an Amish Retelling of Beauty and the Beast did not disappoint. I had to hang in there to get through the first chapter because the author had to set up the Amish ways, which I’m familiar with and the reader needs to get a glimpse into their ways and traditions. The story was intriguing. What impressed me the most was Belle herself. Her responses to Adam,the beast, showed so much maturity. It was actually inspiring to me. The growth of Belle ,Adam ,and the community showed great depth and character development. I’m looking forward to the next book “Ella”

What an amazing read. Bringing out patience, love, kindness and humility from Belle to a husband whose life had surely been put on hold because of specks of dust in people's eyes. God is love.

v

I love "Beauty and the Beast" stories - and this is a good one. Most of the familiar tropes are present, with many moments and characters drawn (clearly) from Disney's animated BATB film. Heroine's father a head-in-the-clouds inventor? Check. The "Beast" is called Adam? Check. Belle loves books? Check. Etc... Ms Price is a proficient writer and she doesn't shy away from uncomfortable moments. Adam (while still in "Beast Mode") quotes Scripture to Belle - about women's submission to their husbands - and that moment felt real - and scary. So many Amish-set novels gloss over the BIG differences between Amish and "English" marriages. But not this one. The resolution of the story was a bit quick for me (I could have happily read another hundred pages) but other than that I had no complaints. Off to find book two in the series!

Good.