Eloisa James’ When Beauty Tamed the Beast is a popular re-telling of the classic tale which is a captivating, heart-wrenching, and intimate story about Piers Yelverton, a man who resides on his lonesome within a Welsh castle who has quite the temper.
However, with that being said, everyone knows he is easily charmed by women, especially the beautiful and slightly arrogant Linnet Berry Thrynne who shows up at his castle door one fateful morning.
We follow the growing relationship between the two with a specific focus on how a beautiful and fairly stubborn woman can love a man who is broken, twisted, and who has many dark secrets he would rather leave in his past.
Eloise James takes a very grounded and much more serious approach to the classic Beauty and the Beast fairy tale, making it a lot more believable and relatable for modern audiences. If this more realistic vision of the beloved romance story grabbed your attention, you won’t want to miss out on reading similar books from authors like Julie Anne Long and Allyson Jeleyne.
Themes In When Beauty Tamed The Beast
Being An Outcast
While both characters were once well known and respected at one point in their lives, Linette and Piers in the story may be opposed to each other in several ways, but one similarity they do share is that they are outcasts.
Not only do all the women around Linette envy her for her good looks, but her reputation is also in shreds after she is kissed in the company of a playboy prince, and is then believed to have been pregnant because of her empire-waisted dress.
Piers on the other hand is a miserable, mutilated, and nervous wreck of a man who can never live up to his fathers, and any woman’s expectations of how a man should be.
As the two grow closer throughout the story, this theme of being cast out from society becomes ever more prominent.
Honesty
While Piers is written to be a fairly unlikable character due to how judgmental he can be, Eloisa James does make sure to insert some relatable moments to make us sympathize a little more with Piers and his situation, especially with his physical mutilations which he struggles to open up about.
A theme that drives many of the interactions between Piers and Linnete is being open and honest with each other about their insecurities and fears which adds a good amount of relatability to these characters who otherwise possess fairly negative characteristics.
Societal Expectations
While the original Beauty and the Beast story had very light references to the harsh expectations of the time period, especially in how Gaston and the Beast are portrayed, Eloisa James really hammers home this theme which is a huge draw for history fans as the story describes expectations of heirs, societal norms when it comes to relationships, and the idea of the “fallen woman” who has fallen from grace, even if she has mistakenly been accused of something she didn’t do.
Books Like When Beauty Tamed The Beast
What I Did For A Duke By Julie Anne Long
The troubled Duke in When Beauty Tamed the Beast, with all of his insecurities and his status as an outcast, is the main draw for a lot of people who love the story, and if you’re one of these fans of this troubled character, What I Did for a Duke features a similar story.
It’s about Alexander Moncrieffe, a man who may not be as downtrodden as Piers, but is still feared by everyone who knows him with rumors making him out to be a wicked man.
Genevieve, a beautiful young woman who becomes infatuated with the cool and charismatic Duke, is the only one who gives him the time of day, until she soon becomes totally obsessed with him.
Just like Piers, Alexander is an incredibly complex and fascinating character full of insecurities, but also a tendency to betray those closest to him, making for a messy and suspenseful web of romance full of unexpected plots twists and turns around every page.
Pros
Both love interests are very complex and given time to develop as characters
Plenty of steamy romance
Unexpected plot twists that keep the story interesting
Satisfying ending that wraps up the story nicely
Cons
Pacing can be very slow to begin with
Secondary characters are barely developed or focused on
If you wanted a story with a slightly more unique approach that is similar to When Beauty Tamed the Beast, but that dials back a little on some of the grotesque imagery while still being as mysterious and gripping as a story, To Beguile a Beast is a good choice.
It follows the secluded Sir Alistair Munroe who hides in his castle since returning from the colonies, but after the beautiful Helen Fitzwilliam arrives at his door and starts trying to peel back his layers, Alistair must uncover if there is any way he can love a woman as perfect as Helen when he has so many faults of his own.
To Beguile a Beast is ultimately a story about not feeling good enough for someone you idolize, ramping those themes of insecurity found in Eloisa James’ novel up a notch, making for a very relatable and slightly more tame take on the classic fairytale.
Pros
Plenty of historical references to make the setting seem faithful and compelling
Alistair and Helen are very relatable while still remaining mysterious
Fairly short making for a quick and enjoyable read
Cons
Romance can feel a bit rushed
Themes: Self-confidence, honesty, deceit, idealized love
In The Viscount’s Arms By Allyson Jeleyne
Societal expectations and social norms make up a big part of both the original Beauty and the Beast tale and many of its retellings, specifically in the way that a beauty, such as Linnet in When Beauty Tamed the Beast, should never be starting a romance with any man who isn’t a gentleman, and the duke held up in his castle is certainly seen as a less than suitable partner.
In the Viscount’s Arms focuses on this theme a lot more closely than many other historical romance novels based on the classic fairy tale because it takes more time to build up and describe the Edwardian Era that it is set in.
It also focuses on establishing all the expectations that were put on people such as our main character Simon, a Viscount who longs to return to London and his bachelor ways, that is before he hires the dark-haired beauty Octavia to become a teacher to his niece.
Because of their wildly different positions within society and their respective duties within Caswell Hall, Simon and Octavia should not be the type of people to strike up a romance according to the rigid society that surrounds them.
But when they realize that this relationship is a lot stronger than once thought, they must learn to navigate the opposition around them if they ever want to keep their relationship intact, putting much more emphasis on these themes of societal expectations that are only touched upon in When Beauty Tamed the Beast.
Pros
Very faithful to the historical period
Story maintains a good pace throughout with many unexpected twists to keep things interesting
Side characters are given time to shine
Very easy to follow writing style
Cons
Moments of intimacy and steamy romance are stripped back
While there’s certainly no shortage of retellings of Beauty and the Beast, Eloisa James’ take on the tale we all know and love certainly adds a lot more intensity and steaminess to the story, which for many people, can make it a lot more engaging since it becomes much harder to decipher where exactly the story is headed.
If you’re one of these people who loved When Beauty Tamed the Beast, but maybe you’re looking for a book set in a different period with similar themes.
Or maybe you’re after a slightly different re-telling of the original story which focuses on different concepts and ideas.
Then you won’t want to miss out on these three fantastic books that are all just as enjoyable to read, and so hard to put down once you open them for the first time and get stuck into their thrilling stories.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Popular Is Eloisa James?
While some people may only know Eloisa James for her re-telling of Beauty and the Beast, this is actually one of her least popular books, despite still selling extremely well and being nominated for awards multiple times over.
She is most popular for her multiple romance series of books including The Pleasures Trilogy and The Duchess in Love series which have all sold an astonishing 7 million copies worldwide.
How Many Books Are In The Fairy Tale Series?
Eloise James’ Fairy Tale series is comprised of five books including When Beauty Tamed the Beast, with the most recent being Once Upon a Tower released in 2013.
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