Review THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE CURSED by PAGE MORGAN @RandomBuzzers @PageMorganBooks

Book Description

Release date: May 14, 2013 | Series: The Dispossessed

Fans of Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series and Lauren Kate's FALLEN novels will devour The Beautiful and the Cursed, a wholly original interpretation of gargoyle lore.
It was bizarre and inexplicable, but after it happened no one spoke of it and Ingrid Waverly was forced to leave her life in London behind. She had to trade a world full of fancy dresses and society events for Paris with her mother and younger sister, Gabby.
In Paris there are no grand balls or glittering parties, and, disturbingly, the house her twin brother Grayson found for them isn't a house at all. It's an abbey. A creepy, old abbey with a roof lined in stone gargoyles that one could almost mistake for living, breathing creatures.
And Grayson is missing.
Yet no one seems to be concerned about Grayson's whereabouts save for Luc, a devastatingly handsome servant who has some secrets of his own.
There's one secret about the city that he can't keep hidden, though. There's a murderer on the loose. And every day Grayson is missing means that there's less of a chance he's alive.
Ingrid is sure her twin isn't dead--she can feel it deep in her soul--but she knows he's in grave danger, and that it's up to her and Gabby to find him before all hope is lost.
Only the path to him is more than she could ever imagine.


About the Author
PAGE MORGAN has been fascinated with les grotesques ever since she came across an old, black-and-white photograph of a Notre Dame gargoyle keeping watch over the city of Paris. The gargoyle mythologies she went on to research fed her imagination, and she became inspired to piece together her own story and mythology for these remarkably complex stone figures. Page lives in New Hampshire with her husband and their three children.

SOURCE:  AMAZON VINE

MY THOUGHTS

LOVED IT

Ingrid Waverly has embarrassed herself and her family when the boy she expects to propose asks her best friend instead at a large party.  When her friend's house catches on fire, she thinks it is because she knocks over a candelabra.  At the same time, her brother has been banished from London by their father and by luck, her mother decides now is the opportune time to open an art house in Paris.  So, with her younger sister, Gabby, the family leaves England for France to the former site of an Abbey that her brother thinks would be an excellent location for the gallery.  Then things start to get really strange when her brother is missing and girls start disappearing as well.  As Ingrid starts to unravel exactly what happened to her brother, she stumbles on angels, demons and a few creatures in between.  Her younger sister, Gabby is a breath of fresh air and being the younger won't stand for being pushed into the background.  Ingrid and her sister are no damsels in distress, they won't back down.  

As they get closer to finding their brother, they find themselves in danger. Ingrid soon discovers, the Rectory they have moved to is surrounded by gargoyles which provide more protection than the myth would have you believe.  When Ingrid realizes that she has her own personal guardian gargoyle in the form of a hot guy named Luc ,the sparks really fly.  There is of course a human side of good that are fighting the demons, the Alliance, which tolerates the gargoyles, but believes them less than humans. The first hundred pages are mostly set up for the stories to come.   The last part of the book is really a page turner and non stop action.  

I adore Gothic tales and this one  is especially a treat since it has a really hot hero mixed with a young woman that doesn't take no for an answer. If you enjoy historical paranormal mystery with some really wonderful characters this has all the set up for a wonderful series.   I haven't read a decent story with gargoyles since Shanna Swendson put one in her Enchantments, Inc. series. Now, I suppose I will have to wait another year for the next installment.  Parents:  this is best suited for teens since there is some violence, but probably safe for most horror fans.  There are also a ton of wonderful themes about feminism, racism and I am sure everyone will be asking for there own personal gargoyle.

Here is my Luc, well this one has never been named, but I got him after a trip to Paris and knew I needed a gargoyle of my own and this one had the face of a dog!