The Musician and the Monster: A gothic Beauty and the Beast retelling (Ever After) by Megan Van Dyke

In a city haunted by a monster, a grieving musician makes a deal with a broody and reclusive nobleman that may either heal or doom them both. A gothic fantasy romance where a dark and whimsical retelling of Beauty and the Beast meets haunting romance and musical themes of The Phantom of the Opera in a Regency-esque setting like Bridgerton but with magic. Music is Ceridwen Kinsley’s only escape from grief after the death of her mother. Each night she plays from the rooftop of their crumbling home—unaware her haunting songs reach the ears of the city’s most reclusive noble. Drystan Winterbourne, disgraced noble and reluctant Lord Protector, is supposed to hunt the monster stalking the city. He’s failing. But the music that drifts across the rooftops soothes the darkness clawing inside him. When the musician herself is attacked, he makes a reckless offer: become his live-in musician. She’ll be safe. And she’ll be his. For Ceridwen, moving into the eerie manor of a brooding recluse is scandalous enough. Yet the promise of coin for her family—and medicine for her ailing father—is too tempting to refuse. What begins as a simple arrangement soon deepens into dangerous intimacy. Desire grows where neither expected it, and every moment together blurs the lines of duty, class, and restraint. But within the manor’s walls lie haunting secrets, and if they come to light, they will shatter more than just their fragile hearts. Read more