Book Review: In Bed With the Beast (Naughty Princess Club) by Tara Sivec

In Bed With the Beast is the second book in the Naughty Princess Club series by Tara Sivec. I have not read the previous book, but found that it only left my curious about the earlier, and next, book in the series. I was still able to fully enjoy the read.

Living in her overprotective dad’s basement, shy Belle lives her life through books. Being a part of the Naughty Princess Club is the first adventure she’s ever had, plus she desperately needs the money to save one of her favorite places - the local library. But when her new friends and new business gets her kicked out of her dad’s house, Belle is rescued by the surly Vincent “Beast” Adams who invites her to be his house guest until she gets back on her feet. Despite his attitude problem and long list of rules, Belle finds herself warming to the muscled man with a penchant for growling and starts seeing a gentle side to him that wasn’t there before. Yet there’s a room that Beast keeps locked and Belle keeps getting hints that Beast is hiding something. Can a nerdy librarian tame the beast or will their romance be over before it has a chance to blossom?

In Bed With the Beast is a romance about a sweet and fairly innocent woman coming into her own. Belle needs to stand up for herself and get her independence and come to terms with her sexuality. I enjoyed seeing her stand up to Vincent, and his quiet but determined kindness. I think the combination of slightly over sweet Belle and grumpy 'Beast" was overplayed on occasion, but I still enjoyed the story.  I thought Belle went along with everyone else's plans for her far too long, and wanted her to step it up much earlier than she did, but the pacing did work itself out for the most part. One thing I would have really loved, is to see some of the story through Beast/Vincent's eyes. I think his inner monologue as he watched Belle, or listened to her spout interesting facts, or was irritated and pinching the bridge of his nose would have been highly entertaining. Every time I did not get a chapter in his voice I was a little disappointed, but I can always hope for a short story or novella to fill that gap.

In Bed With the Beast is a fun fairy tale with a twist. While not the best I have read, it peaked my interest enough that I will read the other books in the series when I run across them.