~Recommend Me!~

Recommend Me is a weekly event (hosted at The Neverending Shelf) in which participants will pick one of their all time favorite reads to share. This could be a book that your read yesterday or years ago. To play along, grab a favorite read and tell us about it. You can include your thoughts about the novel, its summary, your favorite memory related to the novel... the possibilities are limitless. If you are up for a challenge, you can also include:

* Your review of the novel
* Links to others' reviews of the novel
* Recommending to a general group of readers or if you want to be extra daring, to specific reader friends

This is my first time participating in this meme! It's exciting to me to be able to share my favorite reads with others.

My pick for this week's Recommend Me is:

Beauty by Susan Wilson

What if the fairy tale came true In this moving, and utterly convincing contemporary retelling of the beloved Beauty and the Beast tale, Susan Wilson brings to life a thorougly modern woman who learns to look beyond a man's physical appearance to the beauty in his soul.

When Alexandra Miller takes off for a remote spot in New Hampshire to paint Leland Crompton's portrait, nothing has prepared her for what's in store. The house is almost a castle, with its massive chimney, mullioned windows, and iron-work gate with wrought-iron roses. The housekeeper is unnerving. And Lee himself is hideously disfigured by a rare genetic disease. But in their long hours of work together deep in the wintry woods, Alix discovers that beneath Lee's disturbing exterior lies a true prince. Gradually, she realizes that she loves him. And he absolutely refuses to believe her.

Beauty is a book that I found while browsing in the library about 10 years ago. I grabbed it off of the shelf, loved the cover, and put it in my bag. I'm glad that I did. I am not big into fairy tales, and I knew the story of Beauty and The Beast, but nothing prepared me for this modern version of the fairy tale....complete with the castle and the "Beast". This is a love story that tugs at your heart. You yearn for Leland to believe Alix's love for him is true, while Alix herself is so in love with the person that Leland is on the inside, you know that her love for him is true.

While reading this book, I suggest you find the most comfortable reading spot in your home, pour yourself a cool drink (or if the weather is cold, a hot cup of cocoa) and open a box of your favorite chocolates, and enjoy........