Bellarose is perfectly content with her life as the beloved, curvaceous librarian of Covington. She's wise, empathetic, and unafraid to challenge convention, especially when it comes to rejecting her ex and the town's charming yet narcissistic butcher, Gideon Wilshire. Her quiet, book-filled world shatters when her father, Melvin, fails to deliver a commissioned painting to the secluded and feared Prince Adonis Habsburg.
Known as "The Beast," Adonis is a man consumed by anger and trauma, his handsome face marred by deep scars from a brutal war. When he throws Melvin into the castle dungeon, Bellarose, in a moment of selfless courage, offers the Prince a desperate bargain. She will become his wife in exchange for her father's freedom.
Now isolated, Bellarose must navigate Adonis's temper and the pain behind his scarred exterior. She's drawn to the mysterious man hidden beneath the mask, challenging his self-rejection and fear of vulnerability in the most unexpected ways. As their connection grows, Gideon, fueled by jealousy and entitlement, begins to spread rumors to turn the villagers against the prince.
Will love be enough for them to stand against an entire kingdom?
