*ARC REVIEW* ~ Death and Beauty, by Samantha MacLeod

#norse #mythology #erotic #romance

Blurb

Desperate to get back to his privileged role as Óðinn’s favorite son, Baldr strikes a bargain with Hel, the terrifying half living and half skeletal queen of the realm of the dead. He offers her the only thing he’s got: knowledge from the living world. Hel gives him three days. If he can teach her something new, she will return him to the realms of the living.

But the icy Hel seems completely impervious to Baldr’s charms. What’s worse, she already knows everything. By the end of the third day, Baldr realizes he’s only got one chance left to impress her.

Returning to his former life looks like it’s going to depend on Baldr the Beautiful seducing the most formidable woman in the Nine Realms.

My Review ~ 5 stars

Seductive and Spellbinding

Do yourself a favour and grab hold of this new release from Samantha MacLeod now! It’s a beautifully written erotic novella which presents the reader with a highly original twist on one of my favourite tropes – Beauty and the Beast, this time delving deep into Norse mythology.

Baldr the Beautiful awakes to find himself in the realm of the dead and is desperate to return to his life to help keep the peace. He sets out to petition Queen Hel with this in mind. However, the queen is not so easily persuaded and sets him the task of teaching her something new about the living word before she will grant him his wish.

Hel has a terrifying appearance, half flesh and half skeletal and this contrasts with Baldr the Beautiful’s own good looks, good looks that he has used to charm his way out of many a situation, yet which appear to of little use in his current predicament. As Hel and Baldr are thrown together we are treated to a series of enlightening scenes as we learn more about their characters. I loved the verbal sparing and the growing sexual tension between them as Baldr strives to meet Queen Hel’s task.

Hel is more knowledgeable and accomplished than Baldr could ever have imagined and bests him at every turn. Indeed, she is like no other woman he has met before and he quickly realises that it is not just her appearance that sets her apart – there is a lot more to this complex woman that he ever envisaged. When it is obvious that he has no knowledge to impart that she cannot already know about he embarks on the one thing that may just work – the seduction of Hel, which has unforeseen consequences for them both…

This original tale is one hot erotic read (there are plenty of scorching scenes) and Hel and Baldr are just perfect for each other.

Recommended for lovers of erotic romance, especially those who enjoy stories which involve inventive twists on mythology.

Reviewed by Tina Williams

Please note that an ARC of this book was given to me by the author for the purpose of a fair and honest review.

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