I could have never imagined I'd be fascinated by a retelling of the Beauty and the Beast, but I was. This book took my breath away. It is sweet and carefully written, not overdone but with nothing taken for granted. Beauty is a captivating heroine, with her love of books and her ugly-duckling beginnings. Her (also likeable) sisters and their father are forced to leave the wealth of the city for a simpler life near an enchanted forest, and her father unwittingly enters the Beast's spellbound castle. Later on, it is Beauty who goes to the castle as Beast's prisoner-guest and the relationship between the two softens and improves through a common love of roses, horses and literature... Maybe it's the combination of these elements that make this an unforgettable book, and a must-read for everyone with an innocent, beauty-loving soul who still believes in the power of true love.