Beast

May 15, 1997
When young, beautiful Louise Vandermeer hears that the prince her parents have arranged for her to marry is ugly and crippled, she agrees to have a shipboard affair with a mysterious Arab pasha who only meets her in total darkness. Unbeknownest to her, the pasha is really Charles d'Harcourt, who happens to be her fiance. Both she and Charles are consumed with guilt over the affair. The first part of the book is a darkly erotic version of "Beauty and the Beast." Unfortunately, neither the hero nor the heroine is very likable when the story opens. As the author's first title as Judith Ivory, the book is extremely well written; Judy Cuevas's Bliss (Jove, 1995) was a 1996 Rita finalist in the Long Historical category. She lives in Miami, Florida. (SM)