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In exchange for her father’s life, Amarantha agrees to marry the dreadful Beast and be his wife for seven days. Though the Beast cannot take Amarantha’s virginity unless she begs him to, he can and does take her in every other way. From the moment they are alone together, the Beast relentlessly strips Amarantha of all her resistance. If Amarantha can resist her cloaked and terrifying husband, she gains his entire fortune and will be allowed to return to her family and a normal life. But the Beast seduces her at every turn, exposing, binding, tormenting, and pleasuring Amarantha until she no longer knows her own deepest desires. Increasingly desperate to break the curse that chains his humanity, the Beast drives Amarantha past every boundary. But her desire for a normal life may jeopardize the love that will save them both.  buy the book Click here for a full-size, high-resolution cover             Reviews Katiebabs at Babbling about Books and More already gave me a little nod - many thanks to her! And here's her review! The fabulous Allison Pang gave me a plug on her blog! The lovely Elizabeth Ryan reviews Petals & Thorns here on her blog. And the fabulous, funny and irreverent Sparklybearsy gave it four sparkles here! Love 2 Read for Fun gave Petals & Thorns four flutters here. Sensual Reads gave Petals and Thorns a Sizzling four stars here. Deviant Divas called it Fucking Fabulous here. (You have to scroll down to find it - I couldn't seem to bookmark the location, alas.) The Romance Studio gives Petals & Thorns Five Stars! And a really thoughtful write-up, too. Five Cherries from Whipped Cream Reviews - and a "one of the best novellas I've read so far this year." Thanks! Also, one of my favorite book bloggers, Smokin' Hot Book gave Petals & Thorns Four Smokin' Smooches - and I had no idea she'd received it for review!   Why Beauty and the Beast? I didn’t really set out to make Beauty and the Beast into a modern erotica story. Instead, I wanted to explore the fantasy of it all. This is what makes these ancient tales resonate with us still: the horror and desire, intertwined. From the first time I saw the original movie and read the stories (Caveat: no, I’ve never seen the Disney version) – I wondered what really happened to the young, vulnerable and lovely Beauty on those long, lonely nights. Don’t we all? There she is: trapped with a BEAST in a castle. Just the two of them. He can do anything at all to her. His nature is base and she is innocent. Ah, the field is ripe. I suspect most stories start with this kind of daydream, with this kind of illicit fantasy. We take our childhood questions and feed them into adult desires and imaginings. Love and power – BDSM grows from the balance of the two. Desire and control is another face to put on it. If I modernized it, it’s because I’m a liberated woman, who understands the boundaries of independence and surrender. If I fantasized it, it’s because I understand the longing for the tight corset, the frills and lace, the magical man who’s a Beast, but can be transformed into a Prince.  Don’t we all? So, how does one transform a fairy tale into a modern erotic story? Take one large dollop of childhood belief in magic, love and happy endings. Mix thoroughly with adult desire, longings and struggles for control. Add a bit of spice, the dark fantasies of midnight. And there you are.