Isabella Beauchamps spends her time managing her father's household, ensuring that everything runs smoothly and that her stepmother and twin stepsisters are comfortable. Her life changes drastically when she is bitten by a werewolf on her way home from Granny's house. Suddenly she is packed up and moved to the local duke's castle, where she discovers that he's the werewolf and she's required to stay for at least three months, until they can be certain that she won't turn as well. No one lives at the castle except the duke -- a sorcerer who spends his time as a human trying to find a way to break his curse -- and the unfriendly Gamekeeper, as well as the invisible servants summoned to keep house. Bella slowly finds ways to stay occupied during her time at the castle, but she starts to realize that unraveling the mysteries of the duke's castle may be more dangerous than any of them expected.
This book is part of the Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms series; it's helpful to read the first book for context, but most of the books (including this one) stand alone fairly well. I will say that this is not one of the best in the series and the ending feels a bit forced, but it was a good read overall and the melding of Little Red Riding Hood with Beauty and the Beast was particularly interesting. I would recommend this to older teens who enjoy retellings of fairy tales or who want something a little bit light with lots of magic.
- If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Rose Daughter, The Prophecy, Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side, or The Two Princesses of Bamarre
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