The Bride and the Beast (Once Upon a Time)
The Bride and the Beast (Once Upon a Time) book cover

The Bride and the Beast (Once Upon a Time)

Mass Market Paperback – April 3, 2001

by
Price
$7.99
Publisher
Bantam
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-0553581836
Dimensions
4.2 x 0.74 x 6.73 inches
Weight
6.4 ounces

Description

"A beguiling blend of myth and magic ... sure to win your heart."-- New York Times bestselling author Tami Hoag"A beautiful, enchanting fairy tale ... the ultimate romance reader's fantasy."-- New York Times bestselling author Kristin Hannah Don't miss any of the magic in these bestselling romances by Teresa Medeiros: Charming the Prince Nobody's Darling Touch of Enchantment Breath of Magic Fairest of Them All Thief of Hearts A Whisper of Roses Once an Angel Heather and Velvet Lady of Conquest Shadows and Lace Coming soon in hardcover: A Kiss to Remember From the Inside Flap Dear Reader,I'd been prowling the crumbling ruins of Castle Weyrcraig for so long that I could no longer remember if I was man or beast. Then one stormy night the superstitious Highlanders of Ballybliss decided to leave a helpless virgin bound to a stake in the castle courtyard to satisfy my insatiable appetites. My demands might strike terror in the hearts of men, but this bold beauty dared to defy me. After she informed me that she didn't believe in dragons, I had no choice but to make her my prisonerx97or risk being exposed to those I had sought to deceive with my dangerous masquerade. Soon I found myself stealing into the moonlit tower just to watch her sleep. Little does she know that beneath this beast's gruff exterior beats the passionate heart of a man. Gwendolyn Wilder may not believe in dragons, but I intend to use all my sensual wiles to teach her to believe in something even more magicalx97true love.Eternally yours,The Dragon of Weyrcraig Dear Reader, I'd been prowling the crumbling ruins of Castle Weyrcraig for so long that I could no longer remember if I was man or beast. Then one stormy night the superstitious Highlanders of Ballybliss decided to leave a helpless virgin bound to a stake in the castle courtyard to satisfy my insatiable appetites. My demands might strike terror in the hearts of men, but this bold beauty dared to defy me. After she informed me that she didn't believe in dragons, I had no choice but to make her my prisoner--or risk being exposed to those I had sought to deceive with my dangerous masquerade. Soon I found myself stealing into the moonlit tower just to watch her sleep. Little does she know that beneath this beast's gruff exterior beats the passionate heart of a man. Gwendolyn Wilder may not believe in dragons, but I intend to use all my sensual wiles to teach her to believe in something even more magical--true love. Eternally yours, The Dragon of Weyrcraig USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestselling author Teresa Medieros was recently chosen one of the Top Ten Favorite Romance Authors by Affaire de Coeur magazine and won the Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Historical Love and Laughter. A former Army brat and a registered nurse, she wrote her first novel at the age of twenty-one and has since gone on to win the hearts of critics and readers alike. The author of twelve novels, Teresa makes her home in Kentucky with her husband, Michael. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Prologue Scotland, The Highlands 1746 Gwendolyn was nine years old the day she almost killed the future chieftain of Clan MacCullough. She was hauling herself up a sturdy young oak, carefully testing each branch to make sure it would bear her weight, when his shaggy pony came into view. She settled her backside into a well-worn hollow in the trunk and peered through the minty green veil of leaves, her heart skipping a beat. Aye, it was he. There was no mistaking Bernard MacCullough's regal bearing or the shock of dark hair that tumbled across his brow. He wore a scarlet and black tartan draped over his saffron shirt. A silver badge emblazoned with the MacCullough dragon secured the tartan, drawing her attention to shoulders that seemed to grow broader with each passing day. Below his short kilt, his long, tanned legs hugged the pony's flanks. Gwendolyn rested her chin on her hand and sighed, content simply to drink in the sight of him as he guided the pony down the rocky path with a grace and mastery beyond his fifteen years. Although he rode through this pass every day, she never tired of watching him. Never tired of dreaming chat one day he would look up and catch a glimpse of her. "Who goes there?" he would call out, reining his pony to a halt. "Could it be an angel fallen from the heavens?" "'Tis only I, m'laird," she would reply, "thine fair Lady Gwendolyn." Then he would flash his white teeth in a tender smile and she would gently float to the ground. (In her dreams, she always had a pretty pair of gossamer wings.) Using only one hand, he would sweep her up before him on the pony and they would ride through the village, basking beneath the proud smiles of her mama and papa, the slack-jawed gazes of the villagers, and the envious stares of her two older sisters. "Look! There's Gwennie at the top of that tree. And they say pigs can't fly!" A burst of raucous laughter jerked Gwendolyn out of her reverie. As she looked down and saw the circle of children gathered around the tree, her skin began to crawl with an all too familiar dread. Perhaps if she ignored their taunts, they would just go away. "I don't know why ye're wastin' yer time up there. All the acorns are down here on the ground." Ross, the burly son of the village blacksmith, slapped his knee, howling with mirth. "Oh, do stop it, Ross," laughed Glynnis, Gwendolyn's twelve-year-old sister. She twined an arm through his and tossed her flowing auburn curls. "If you'll leave the poor creature alone, I'll let you steal a kiss later." Gwendolyn's eleven-year-old sister, Nessa, whose silky straight hair was a shade more gold than red, captured his ocher arm, pouting prettily. "Keep your lips to yourself, wench. He's already promised his kisses to me." "Don't fret, lasses." Ross squeezed them both until they squealed. "I've kisses enough to go 'round. Although 'twould take more kisses than I've got to go 'round that sister of yers." Gwendolyn couldn't stop herself from replying. "Go away, Ross, and leave me alone!" "And what will you do if I don't? Sit on me?" Glynnis and Nessa made a halfhearted attempt to smother their giggles with their hands. The rest of Ross's companions roared with laughter. Then an unfamiliar voice sliced through their merriment. "You heard the lady. Leave her be." Bernard MacCullough's voice was both smoother and deeper than Gwendolyn had imagined. And he'd called her a lady! But her wonder over chat was quickly overtaken by mortification as she realized he must have heard the entire exchange. As she looked through the branches, all she could see of her defender was the top of his head and the polished toes of his boots. Ross turned to face the interloper. "And who the bloody hell are ye to--?" His snarl died on a croak as he went red, then white. "I d-didn't realize 'twas ye, m'laird," he stammered. "F-f-forgive me." He dropped to one knee at the feet of his chieftain's son. Bernard seized the front of his shirt and hauled him to his feet. Ross might have outweighed the boy by at least a stone, but he still had to crane his neck to look Bernard in the eye. "I'm not your laird, yet," Bernard pointed out. "But I will be someday. And I should warn you that I never forget an injustice done to one of my own." Gwendolyn bit her lip to still its trembling, amazed that their taunts couldn't make her cry, but that his kindness could. Ross swallowed hard. "Aye, m'laird. Nor will I forget the warnin'." "See that you don't." Although Ross was subdued as he led his companions from the clearing, Gwendolyn caught the smoldering look he shot the top of the tree. She would pay later for his humiliation. Her ragged nails bit into the bark as she realized they'd done exactly as she'd demanded. They'd left her alone. With him. She pressed her cheek against the trunk of the tree, praying she would disappear right into it like some bashful wood sprite. A matter-of-fact voice dashed her hopes. "They're gone. You can come down now." She closed her eyes, dreading the contempt that would darken his face if she accepted his invitation. "I'm really quite comfortable where I am." He sighed. "Tisn't every day I have the privilege of rescuing a damsel in distress. I should think you'd want to thank me." "Thank you. Now would you please just go away and leave me be?" Defying him was her first mistake. "I'll not do it. 'Tis my land, and therefore my tree. If you don't come down, I'll come up after you." He planted one boot in the lowest crook of the trunk and reached for a dangling limb. Already imagining how fast he could scale the tree with those long, limber legs of his, Gwendolyn then made her second mistake. She began to scramble higher. But in her haste she forgot to test each bough before she put her weight on it. There was a creak, then a crack, then she went plummeting toward the earth. Her last coherent thought was Please, God, let me land on my head and break my neck. But the fickle branches betrayed her once again by breaking her fall instead. She had only a mercifully brief glimpse of Bernard's shocked face before she slammed into him, knocking him flat. It took Gwendolyn a moment to catch her breath. When she opened her eyes Bernard was stretched out beneath her, his face only an inch from her own. His eyes were closed, his stubby, dark lashes fanned out against the masculine curve of his sun-bronzed cheeks. Gwendolyn was so close she could even make out a hint of the whiskers that would soon shadow his jaw. "M'laird?" she whispered. He neither groaned nor stirred. She moaned. "Oh, God, I've gone and killed him!" If only the fall had killed her as well! Then the villagers could find them here, her body draped protectively across his, united in death as they'd never been in life. Unable to resist the heartbreaking pathos of the image, Gwendolyn buried her face against his breastbone and snuffled back a sob. "Are you hurt, lass?" came a smoky whisper. Gwendolyn slowly lifted her head. Bernard's eyes were open now, but not in the death stare she'd feared. They were a rich green, the color of emeralds spilling across a cache of hidden treasure. As he gently brushed a leaf from her hair, Gwendolyn scrambled off of him. "I've bruised naught but my pride," she said. "And you? Are you hurt?" "I should say not." He climbed to his feet, swiping leaves and dirt from his backside. "'Twould take more than a child landing in my lap to knock the wind from me." A child? Gwendolyn could almost feel her braids begin to bristle. He brushed a twig from his hair, eyeing her from beneath that wayward lock across his brow. "I've seen you at the castle before, haven't I? You live at the manor in the village. You're the daughter of my father's steward." "One of them," she replied tersely, not wanting him to suspect that she lived for those days when her papa would take her to the castle while he conducted his business simply because she might catch a glimpse of Bernard bounding down the stairs or playing chess with the chieftain or sneaking up behind his mother to give her a teasing kiss on the cheek. To Gwendolyn, Castle Weyrcraig had always been a castle of dreams, a place of pure enchantment where even the most unlikely of wishes might come true. "You've a baby sister, haven't you? And another on the way. I've met your two older sisters," he said. "A cheeky pair, aren't they? Always batting their eyelashes and wiggling hips they don't yet have." A bemused smile softened his lips as he took in her rumpled tunic and the faded knee breeches she'd pilfered from her papa's laundry. "You're not like them, are you?" Gwendolyn folded her arms over her chest. "No, I'm not. I'm fat." He looked her up and down in frank assessment. "You've a bit of extra flesh on your bones, but 'tis not unbecoming on a child your age." A child! Somehow it galled her more that he'd called her a child again than that he'd agreed she was fat. How could she have ever thought she loved this arrogant lad? Why, she loathed him! She drew herself up to her full four feet three inches. "I suppose just because you live in a grand castle and ride a pretty pony, you fancy yourself a man full grown." Read more

Features & Highlights

  • Dear Reader,I'd been prowling the crumbling ruins of Castle Weyrcraig for so long that I could no longer remember if I was man or beast. Then one stormy night the superstitious Highlanders of Ballybliss decided to leave a helpless virgin bound to a stake in the castle courtyard to satisfy my insatiable appetites. My demands might strike terror in the hearts of men, but this bold beauty dared to defy me. After she informed me that she didn't believe in dragons, I had no choice but to make her my prisoner—or risk being exposed to those I had sought to deceive with my dangerous masquerade. Soon I found myself stealing into the moonlit tower just to watch her sleep. Little does she know that beneath this beast's gruff exterior beats the passionate heart of a man. Gwendolyn Wilder may not believe in dragons, but I intend to use all my sensual wiles to teach her to believe in something even more magical—true love.Eternally yours,The Dragon of Weyrcraig

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
30%
(144)
★★★★
25%
(120)
★★★
15%
(72)
★★
7%
(34)
★
23%
(109)

Most Helpful Reviews

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Unimaginative and tedious.

... This book is not one of this author's best. It had a promising beginning but it just deteriorated as they story wore on. Frankly I found it a little boring and the separation of the characters towards the end did not make any sense. The happily ever after was abrupt and incredibly unimaginative.
This is the story of a girl named Gwendolyn who just happens to be the only virgin left in her village. This is not a good thing because the village has been terrorized by a "dragon" who lives up in the ruins of a castle that once belonged to their laird and his family. Anyway,through some convoluted thinking on the part of the villagers, it is decided a virgin sacrifice is the only thing that will appease this dragon and make him leave them alone. So poor Gwen is sacrificed for the good of the villagers. The so called Dragon is, of course, a flesh and blood man who is intent on terrorizing the villagers for personal reasons. He's really the son of the late laird who was thought to have been killed along with his family. One problem I had with the story was the whole revenge plot. It seemed excessively silly to me that a grown, well to do,intelligent man's idea of revenge was to pretend to be a "dragon" and terrorize ignorant villagers. The dragon doesn't allow Gwen to see his face because she'll recognize him and then she'll unmask him in front of the villagers but then Gwen is being held prisoner by him and has no contact with the villagers whatsoever so what is the point of the anonimity? Gwendolyn falls for him anyway even though she thinks he doesn't allow her to see him because he's malformed in some way. When she does find out who he is and that he's not some malformed monster she is inexplicably angry at him. This was the biggest problem I had with this book. Gwen was supposedly in love with him when they were children and grieved when she thought him dead and then when she finds out he's alive and well and,best of all, interested in her then she leaves him.The reasons for Gwen's anger were just plain silly. She was basically mad at him for being alive and not being malformed. Whatever.
I didn't enjoy this book at all. The story line was not interesting, the secondary characters were one-dimensional and cartoonish, except for maybe Tupper who was like a sidekick to the Dragon, and the villagers were too ignorant and stupid to be believed. There wasn't a single endearing or likeable character. I found the romance to be lacking, the love scenes felt hurried and there was a definite lack of chemistry between the characters that made the love scenes feel forced. I find that this author's writing is excellent and the dialogue in her books is well-written but I've found she's just not very consistent and some her stories can be dissapointing. I had just finished reading A Kiss to Remember by this author and I found it delightful that's why I decided to pick up this dud. She's not an autobuy for me but I will keep reading her books. Not recommended :)
24 people found this helpful
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Annoying, boring and weak male characterization

My second Teresa Medeiros novel THE BRIDE AND THE BEAST follows a thoroughly entertaining find, CHARMING THE PRINCE. Unlike CHARMING THE PRINCE however, I didn't enjoy THE BRIDE AND THE BEAST at all; in fact, I hated it, and its admirable attempts at humor and vivid settings missed the mark by a wide margin. I found THE BRIDE AND THE BEAST a rather annoying look at outward appearances, highlighting a woman's insecurities about her plump, chubby bearing, something the townsfolk view as fat, and yet predictably, something our well-muscled, handsome hero views as generously curved.

When I wasn't annoyed by the novel, I was bored by the rest of it. The bulk of the middle portions, a good 150-200 pages, was insanely boring, especially after the town folk offer the heroine to the Dragon. There's nothing going on there. Nothing at all.

The ending crosses its t's and dots its i's in an out-and-out heroine-taming-the-tortured-soul routine. Fifteen years of biding his time for revenge dissipates like it never existed, watching his parents murdered, now an entirely forgettable experience in the face of the heroine's uncompromising wishes. The taming in question involves more of an emasculation than anything else. When an old woman (Izzy) holds an ax to him towards the end threatening he marry the heroine before taking her, like a gentleman he happily consents. In all matters, there's no real male character here, he bequeathes everything about him, and I mean everything to the wishes and whims of others. Among books I've read, BRIDE AND THE BEAST's hero Bernard now ties PRICE OF PLEASURE's Grant in the dubious honor as the weakest and most annoying feminine "hero" I've ever read.

Although we can't see our hero's face in the beginning, it's clear he's muscled, and I found his lusting over our heroine's ample and plump assets very annoying. Whether it's town folk ridiculing her corpulence or her own self-deprecating referrals to her portliness, we're reminded again and again of the insecurities of our heroine's appearance.

These reminders about our heroine's insecurities I don't have so much of a problem with.

I do have a problem with a chiseled, handsome guy =instantly= and incessantly lusting after a rather plump woman, while bearing the brunt of her rather "witty" and condemning expletives, and enjoying it. There's no natural progression to this unfathomable lust on the hero's part at all, it's instant. And he gaily accepts her barbs all the while! I understand the book reads more as a fairy tale than anything else, but I just couldn't get past this intense and immediate lusting on the hero's part. It required too much of a suspension of disbelief.

As much we like to deny it, appearance forms the foundation of an attraction and cements it, but you'd never know from this novel. There's a reason why a vast majority of romance heroes are tall, dark and handsome, right? Our hero certainly fits the requisite appearance stereotype in romance novels: tall, broad-shouldered, chiseled, dark and handsome. Appearances matter!

When our plump heroine mistakes our hero's friend Theodore Tuppingham (Tupper) as the Dragon, she scoffs at Tupper's wide girth, heavy belly and balding hairline, finding him unworthy. So it's disparaging and insulting when the heroine is viewed as such, but perfectly okay when the heroine views another guy as such? Nothing better than the pot calling the kettle black.

After our hero's friend Theodore Tuppingham chances on the disheveled dishabille of our heroine's younger sister Kitty, Tupper instantly lusts after Kitty as well. Again, this secondary and meaningless pairing represents another play on appearances, just switch the genders. I should have known only a secondary pairing would allow a plump man paired with a beautiful woman. In this case, our under-average looking Tupper finds Kitty irresistible, even though Kitty's disheveled clothes clearly betrays a recent tryst. Any normal guy -- even one ample-girthed - would find such an compromising condition on a woman a huge turn-off considering another man's scent and marks in obvious display on the woman. Not Tupper though, he's flattered Kitty mistakes him as the Dragon as well, and he delicately kisses Kitty's hand. Yuck, don't want to know where that hand has just been! At least let her wash first ha!

As much I enjoyed Medeiros' twist on a classic fairy tale in CHARMING THE PRINCE, I'm loathe to try her other two books I've blindly checked out from the library. Especially after reading this horrible novel. Certainly, CHARMING THE PRINCE's hero was altogether forgettable, but at least he wasn't so bad, so annoying, so emasculated.. as BRIDE AND THE BEAST's Bernard.

The Story, SPOILERS.

Town folk offer portly but virginal Gwendolyn Wilder to a dragon beast preying on them in hopes of appeasing him and lifting a curse which alludes to innocence offered in blood. The town folk, infinitely too smart for their own good, presume the virginal blood of our plump heroine Gwendolyn will satisfy the curse. The Dragon Bernard MacCullough didn't ask for a human sacrifice though, he was looking for someone to come forward with the gold they earned as repayment for betraying the MacCullough laird 15 years ago and causing the deaths of his mother and father. He wanted revenge.

Our tall, dark and handsome Bernard is instantly smitten with lust for Gwendolyn's plump body. How? Why? Huh? Whatever, you got me. The book devolves at this point into a series of boring encounters between our leading pair as Bernard holds Gwendolyn as his prisoner in his decrepit castle. Bernard is very noble for a beastly dragon though, never taking advantage of her and then just letting her be, giving her the opportunity to escape.

After the town folk discover that the dragon preying on them isn't really a true dragon, they arrive with torches and weapons ready to kill. Then they discover the true identity of the mysterious Dragon, and Gwendolyn deeply resents Bernard for it. She acts like a spoiled brat just because he didn't tell her who he really was from the beginning and pouts for 3 months over it, gaining some more weight in the process. I didn't understand the behavior and the explanation for it seemed nonsensical.

But such is the story focused on taming the hero. When will authors realize that revenge plots are much more interesting than the weak saving-the-hero's-tortured-soul routine? I'd like to see a romance novel heroine actually help a hero's revenge plot for once. Just once. Would make for an interesting twist in and of itself, and would be so nice to see the leading pair working with each other for a change.

The end quickly turns into a desiccation of the hero's will and personality. He submits, cowers (against Izzy), and hops, skips and jumps into the arms of our heroine. Nothing is left of the hero even remotely worth mentioning or admiring. And I mean nothing. This isn't saving a soul so much as it is stripping the soul from our hero.
9 people found this helpful
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Suspend any thoughts of reality and just enjoy it.

Obviously Teresa Medeiros really wanted to do a story with a "dragon" as a central theme so she just plowed on ahead with it. All we have to do is suspend any thoughts of reality regarding the historical time period and the pathetic credulity of all the village people and enjoy ourselves. And that is just what I did. Could it have happened like this? No. Did it even come close to being believable? No. Did I thoroughly enjoy it? Yes, yes, yes. How's that for logic?

This was a wonderful, charming, light read. I loved the humor shown by both the hero and heroine. He had just enough dark history to make him a sympathetic character. She was level headed and had her feet firmly planted on the ground but never to the point of me wanting to see her fall in the mud just to bring her down to the level of mortal human beings. (I must say though, I did not like her sisters. Kitty was sort of O.K., but just barely. Would conduct like theirs have been tolerated by the villagers? Now that I think about it, I didn't like any of the villagers either so that probably answers that question.) As another reviewer said, I got tired of her father very quickly. Even with his physical and mental problems he was definitely not a sympathetic character. Ms Medeiros made me chuckle at so many of the quips and comments made by the lead characters but they never descended into the realm of the ridiculous. For this I am truly grateful.

I would recommend this book. It is easy to see through the very mild mystery but I really liked Gwendolyn and Bernard.
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A Not So Beautiful Maiden Meets A Not So Normal Beast

When I first read the back of this book, I knew I had to have it. What other people acclaimed to be a masterpiece intrigued me to find out for myself, and I was not disappointed. This girl dreams of Bernard, her clan's leader. She dreams that he'll sweep her off her feet and take her away from her disbelieving, superstitious village, her flirtatious sisters, and her crazy father. Her dreams are ruined when the clan's castle is attacked and someone betrays the clan leader...and his son.
Gwennie, as her sister's call her, is the voice of sense in a town of chaos fifteen years after the event. She nurses her father and tries to protect her sisters , reducing herself to a slightly overweight, average woman who is still a virgin.
Of course in this town, no one is virginal past the age of twelve, so when the mysterious Dragon, whom the villagers pay to protect them, asks for innocent blood, they deduce that he wants a virgin sacrifice, and who but Gwendolyn will do?
The Dragon didn't want a sacrifice, all he asks for is to know who betrayed his father and his trust so many years ago. So obviously, when he finds poor Gwendolyn tied to a stake in the middle of the castle courtyard, he decides to take her in. The only catch is that she cannot look upon his face or all would be lost.
Gwendolyn is a prized character who lives, loves, and makes mistakes. I loved her humane qualities that kept the story alive. The Dragon is a character trapped by his own past, and his own fear to learn to trust. My advice is to read this book. I can promise you that there is never a dull moment. I had to read pages twice so I wouldn't miss the action.
Another piece of advice is if you don't have several hours to read the whole book through, you'll find yourself putting off things to finish it. It truly is the classis tale of boy meets girl; boy falls in love; girl falls in love. It's remarkable!
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Very, very thin

I wish that Medeiros had not based this book on my favorite fairy tale, "East o' the Sun, West o' the Moon" a variation of the "Cupid and Psyche" myth. This might have been easier to take if, like the title suggests, it was based off the trite "Beauty and the Beast" tale.
After the lovely Gwen is sarcrificed to the Beast, she falls in love with him. This part of the story was fine. Gwen is interesting, and her problems are funny and endearing. The Beast, too is a great character. I was enjoying the whole tale imensely up until the point where the Beast reavels who he was. Then it all fell apart.
Gwen makes an insuffeciently motivated decision on which hinges the whole rest of the plot. Then she makes another incomprehensible choice back in the opposite direction. It's like watching a tennis match where all of the balls go flying wildly into the crowd. If the author had given the poor girl a decent reason, and enough back-up for any of the choices she makes, the plot wouldn't have turned so weak only halfway into the book. As it was, everything hangs by a very thin thread.
I'd have to agree with the other reviewer. Medeiros should stick to books like A TOUCH OF MAGIC, which I loved! Even her spin of Cinderella, CHARMING THE PRINCE was great. This, however is a dud, made worse by it's destruction of one of the best stories ever.
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A Great Historical Romance!

Teresa Medeiros spins a classic `Beauty and the Beast' fairytale that any aspiring princess would love. With mystery, humor and romance, The Bride and the Beast is a beautifully enchanting and well written tale.

The Highlanders of Ballybliss are being held captive in their own village. They have been terrorized by a dragon because of a horrible deed one of the villagers committed years ago. The dragon that lives in the Castle Weyrcraig makes demands and the villagers have no other choice but to comply or else great tragedy will occur. One night, the price the dragon asks them to pay is to high, so they see no other choice but to sacrifice a virgin to their horrible tyrant.

Gwendolyn Wilder is that virgin.

Poor Gwendolyn is tied to a stake in the courtyard of the castle when the dragon comes out to collect her. Gwendolyn does not believe the dragon really exists, and discovers what she has always believed, that the dragon is nothing more than a man. A flesh and blood man bullying the poor villagers. Still, he never once shows his face to her and never reveals his identity. Gwendolyn wants nothing more to flee this place and return to her family but the longer she stays with the dragon and the more she learns about him the less unsure she is about where she really wants to be. And the terrifying dragon? Well, he's not sure he has the strength to let Gwendolyn walk out of his life anymore either.

This story was witty, charming and a delight to read. Teresa Medeiros creates a strong heroine who is brilliant and intelligent. Still, despite all that she doesn't know her own worth, so her insecurities allows many people to take advantage of her. When matching wits against the dragon, she is sassy and full of life, but she is unprepared for his kindness towards her. They develop this connection and this kinship that is comforting to both of them, but they don't understand why. Not knowing his identity or seeing his face is disconcerting to Gwen, but it also fascinates and intrigues her. Their attraction is something she can't seem to escape from and something she cannot explain. If they were not learning more about each other, they shared a playful banter that will have you laughing out loud many times throughout the book.

The hero, or the dragon as he is so lovingly referred, has a few thorns but that makes him all the more interesting. His past is haunting him, making him less reluctant to trust Gwen, but the solace he finds in her presence makes it impossible to stay away. She is the fiery spirit that he wants to spend his every moment with. He tries to be harsh and coarse with her, but he simply cannot. For a man who has revenge and justice on his mind he now has a bigger issue to face. Will he give up on his search for vengeance because of events in the past when he has a chance for a future with Gwendolyn?

The story has secrets and surprises near the end. Some of them predictable and some not. The Bride and the Beast has a secondary story that was quiet charming as well. If you are looking for a light enjoyable read Medeiors' story will delight you and let you believe again that the princess in the fairy tale always gets her happily ever after. Even if the hero is a beast.

Overall Rating: 5/5
Heat Level: 3/5

Lisa @ Once Upon A Chapter
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Realistic heroine

Heroine: plump, dimpled all over
    Sturdy, no-nonsense spinster Gwendolyn Wilder has her hands full trying to manage her unruly flirtatious sisters and senile father. She has very little time or patience for flights of fancy, so when the inhabitants of the cursed village of Ballybliss start blaming strange occurrences in the region on the Dragon of Castle Weyrcraig, Gwendolyn tries to make them see reason. But her attempts at applying logic to the situation only wins her an appointment with the mysterious dragon, bound to a stake and left to her fate in a torrential downpour.  
What worked for me:
      I love historicals that take place in Celtic lands, so the setting of the Scottish Highlands was a bonus. :^)  
I enjoyed watching Gwendolyn work her way through the puzzle that the Dragon presented her. I can't really explain the love story without giving away too much of the plot, but suffice it to say that the man in her life was sexy, roguish, and vulnerable to Gwen's abundant charms. There was also a sweet secondary romance, plus an intriguing mystery to unravel.
What didn't work for me:
It's the merest of nit-picks, but the hero's name just seemed so . . . unromantic for so dashing a figure! :^)
Overall:
A really fun read. I stayed up all night with this book, which I'd been wanting to get my hands on this book since it was first recommended to me for the Dangerously Curvy Novels database months ago. :^) It wasn't a Medieval Fantasy romance as the title might lead one to believe, but anyone with a penchant for European Historicals will enjoy this story.
If you liked "The Bride and the Beast" you might also enjoy "The Accidental Bride", "The Fire-Flower", or "Suddenly You".
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A Definite Must Read

***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS***
Another hilarious read from Teresa Medeiros. I'm lucky that Medeiros has intriguing cover images because if she didn't I probably wouldn't have ever picked it out of the large box of books I got it from. If I hadn't I would have missed out on a delightful read.

Gwendolyn Wilder has lived with a lifelong crush, since before the age of nine she has wanted no one other than Bernard MacCullough when she believed him dead the year she turned nine, she was devastated and never really moved on. She hid her nose inside books, covered her body in drab clothes and let the world criticize her weight. She even believed they were right and that she in some way deserved their insults while her beautiful, thin, promiscuous sisters deserved their attention. She was the smart reliable sister, who took care of their addled and aging father and did what needed to be done.

When the town becomes plagued by what the residents believe is a real life fire breathing dragon making demands upon their village it is Gwendolyn they turn to read his demand notes. And it is Gwendolyn they decide to offer as a virgin sacrifice when they are unable to meet his hefty demands.

Bernard MacCullough had his life stolen from him at the age of fifteen when his clan betrayed their laird, his father for one thousand pounds in gold. Since that day when he saw his parents slaughtered by the English before his eyes for offering sanctuary to the Bonnie Prince, while the clan they led cowered in fear, locked away safe in their homes he has wanted naught but revenge. Taken prisoner and forced into service for the Royal Navy he's made his own lot in the world without even his name to guard him.

Fifteen years after that fateful day when his dreams burned before him, Bernard is back and he will have his revenge on the town who betrayed his family. He will learn who traded his parents lives for a mere thousand pounds in gold. What he didn't plan on was the beautiful virgin sacrifice that was left on his doorstep as an offering when the traitor in their midst wouldn't give up his gold to save his town. She had the power to ruin everything for only she knew he was not a beast, but a man and only she had the power to unlock his heart.

The interplay of these two stubborn characters is not one to be missed as you join them on their journey of letting go of the past to embrace the future, and opening their hearts to fall in love. He gives her the confidence to see the beauty she's hidden away and she gives him the light he's hidden from for fifteen years. She gives him a person he can trust which is something he's not had for fifteen years. They argue and thwart each other at every turn, keeping a reader turning the pages and laughing at their antics.

It's a definite must read.
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I love Teresa Medeiros books, but.........

Teresa Medeiros is one of my favorite writers, but this book is so far my least favorite. The heroine was too focused on her weight issue. The story line was mediocre.
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Quite an enchanting story

In the sleepy village of Ballybliss, somewhere in the Highlands in Scotland, the people live in fear of the dragon that prowled the ruins of Castle Weyrcraig. Then one stormy night, the villagers have decided to sacrifice the only remaining virgin to appease the dragon's hunger.

Her name is Gwendolyn Wilder, a smart, outspoken and insolent twenty-four-year-old. Unfortunately for her, she's the only innocent woman left in their village. Despite her furious refusal to be the sacrificial lamb, she finds herself bound to a stake in the castle courtyard. She never believed in dragons, but neither did she expect to fall in love with the so-called Dragon of Castle Weyrcraig.

Never having read any of Teresa Medeiros' novels, I am so glad I started off with this book. I admit that it was the title that caught my attention, not to mention the back cover. I loved the idea of the whole fairy tale background. Gwendolyn is quite an enchanting heroine. She's intelligent, levelheaded and witty, with a dose of sarcasm. The hero proves to be charming despite hiding beneath the dragon's gruff exterior. I enjoyed the verbal sparring between the two, and humors abound in this novel. Comments by the hero like "It's just as I've always said. This chamber surely has the most exquisite view in all the castle", made after he catches Gwendolyn trying to escape through the window with her feet flailing in midair and her bottom sticking upward provide much entertainment.

I do agree with the reviewer who commented on the setting. It would have been more believable if the setting were centuries earlier than the 1700,s however, this was such a nicely-written and delightful novel that I really couldn't care less about this aspect.

THE BRIDE AND THE BEAST is a wonderful introduction to Teresa Medeiros' world. I look forward to reading her other novels.
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