Review: The Beautiful and the Cursed by Page Morgan … and there’s a MEGA Giveaway
Author: Page Morgan
Title: The Beautiful and the Cursed
Release: May 14, 2013
Series: The Dispossessed #1
Reviewer: Mona Leigh
Source: Publisher/RT ConventionPurchase: | Book Depository
After a bizarre accident, Ingrid Waverly is forced to leave London with her mother and younger sister, Gabby, trading a world full of fancy dresses and society events for the unfamiliar city of Paris.
In Paris there are no grand balls or glittering parties, and, disturbingly, the house Ingrid’s twin brother, Grayson, found for them isn’t a house at all. It’s an abandoned abbey, its roof lined with stone gargoyles that could almost be mistaken for living, breathing creatures.
And Grayson has gone missing.
No one seems to know of his whereabouts but Luc, a devastatingly handsome servant at their new home.
Ingrid is sure her twin isn’t dead—she can feel it deep in her soul—but she knows he’s in grave danger. It will be up to her and Gabby to navigate the twisted path to Grayson, a path that will lead Ingrid on a discovery of dark secrets and otherworldly truths. And she’ll learn that once they are uncovered, they can never again be buried.
There’s something about the late Victorian era of 1899 that effortlessly lends itself to the paranormal. Maybe it’s the sense that anything’s possible. Or perhaps it’s simply being on the brink of a new century that imparts a feeling of something new and wonderful hovering just out of sight. Whatever it is, it’s enough to give this story a certain magical quality that’s as intriguing as it is engrossing.
After causing a bizarre accident, it’s decided that Ingrid Waverly is better off somewhere besides London, so her twin brother, Grayson, (who’s in hot water with their father) is sent ahead to Paris. He’s charged with finding a suitable location for the family to live and their mother to open an art gallery.
When Ingrid, her mother, and sister, Gabrielle arrive at the abandoned abbey he’s secured for them, Grayson is missing and hasn’t been seen for several days. Because of their ‘twin link,’ Ingrid knows something’s wrong, but the authorities try to convince her that he’s simply sowing wild oats. She’s not buying it.
Luc is one of the Dispossessed. For over three hundred years, he’s stood sentry as a gargoyle on the abandoned abbey as punishment for killing a cleric. When anyone moves into the rectory, he becomes human long enough to serve as their protector. And as long as someone lives on his territory, they are his responsibility.
After Grayson disappeared into the Underneath, Luc was punished by the angel he serves, and the lash mark that now scars his scales serves as a mark of shame. When the three females arrive, he’s determined to do a better job of protecting them. What he didn’t plan on was falling in love.
Ingrid and Gabby begin to snoop around Paris hoping to find clues that will lead them to Grayson. Instead, they learn that girls have been disappearing at an alarming rate, demons roam the streets at night, a small group of humans have banded together to fight them, and the gargoyles that populate the area’s buildings actually come to life.
Ingrid is drawn to Luc, and Luc to her. Even though he knows falling in love with a human is forbidden, the sparks still fly between them. When her life is endangered, he willingly risks his own to save her. And when he learns that her blood is tainted, he’s torn between killing her, as is his duty, and protecting her.
The world building comes together piece by piece, and by mid-book I found myself reading faster and faster to find out what happened, who was what (yeah, that’s right), and who would win. I love Luc and Ingrid together and hope they can find a way to get around the rules.
Because Ingrid’s life is still in danger, another gargoyle is being sent to assist Luc, and I’m curious to find out who it will be. I also want to know who Gabby will end up with. Will she fall for a gargoyle, too? Or maybe a member of the Alliance? Or will her fate be much darker?
I see great things ahead for this series, and I can hardly stand the wait until the next book comes out. In fact, I love this book so much I’ve decided to give away fifteen copies of it so some of our lucky readers can enjoy it along with me. Here’s what you can do to win a copy…
Victorian era, supernatural, & romance….a perfect trifecta!
I do love historical reads, but just lately it’s the WWII era I’m drawn to.
I like all era, as long as the story is compelling enough. But lately,.it’s the modern world that caught my attention. That’s why i read lots of contemporary nowadays
I’ve never really thought about a favorite setting I have loved books set in Paris but also loved New York. I don’t think I am picky as long as they give a balance to the story.
I think the ‘perfect’ era would most definitely depend on the plot of the book. But personally, I am drawn to books with the whole historical – fictional era. A completely fictitious book based in a historical time / event, is a perfect setting in my eyes :)
honestly, I don’t have a favorite “setting” or era. I just go where the story takes me :)
I like books set in the early 1900s. It depends on the story but with this era I’m always intrigued.
Love the Victorian era, esp. England but also love Victorian era San Francisco
mmmmm i love the oriental like setting …place .. and the era mmmm could be 500 ac in egyptio
the 1800s
OMG! I love the cover! Book sounds really good too!
Probably something like Rome, Russia or Paris(:
Thanks for the review!
Holy frioles, gargoyles!!! I actually prefer stories set in small, isolated towns and not cities…but GARGOYLES!!!! Must have…