Reviewed by Tracy A. Fischer for Readers' Favorite

In Depravity: A Beauty and the Beast Novel, the first book in the Beastly Tale series by author M.J. Haag, we are immersed in an amazing retelling of the classic fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast. Follow the story of the lovely Benella, a young woman born into a poor family. Her main concerns in life are trying to find food to help her family to survive and trying to stay away from the town bullies who have seemingly made it their life's focus to torment her. Her main concerns, that is, until she is hunting for the best wild fruits available in the village, located next to a mysterious estate rumored to be inhabited by a wild beast. The town bullies find her and lock her behind the gates. From that point forward, Benella's life will never be the same.

I very much enjoyed Depravity. Author M.J. Haag has done a fantastic job in retelling a beloved fairy tale that is pretty much known by all in a very unique and intriguing way. That is certainly no small feat, to say the least. Well-written, well-paced, fun, exciting, romantic and suspenseful, Depravity is a book that would appeal to any reader who enjoys fantasy, romance, suspense, fairy tales, or just a plain good work of fiction. I am so happy to highly recommend Depravity, and I am so looking forward to reading the next two installments in the Beastly Tales series. This was the first book that I've read by author M.J. Haag, but it certainly will not be the last!