Title: Beloved Beast
Author: Lois Greiman
In: The Mammoth Book of Scottish Romance (Trisha Telep)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Romance
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: She turned her head slightly.

Swift is a pickpocket, but a chance meeting with a man of the clergy could change her fate forever.

This short story really made me think of Oliver Twist. There’s a somewhat innocent pick pocket. A not so nice man in charge, and a protector who ends up saving the day. Alright, I don’t think that a protector actually saved the day in Oliver Twist… I remember a vaguely sad and disturbed ending (although it has been a long time since I’ve visited the story).

Although this is a romance story in a collection of Scottish romance, I didn’t find it to be that… well, Scottish. Sure it’s based in Scotland and the man wears a kilt. But unlike some of the other stories in this collection, it just felt a lot more modern and less about the highlands. Which I thought was great. You need a break in the repetitive settings and themes every now and again.

<- The Curse of Wolf Crag Review

His Magick Touch Review ->

Image source: Hachette Australia