Synopsis: In a world of etiquette and polite masks, no one is who they seem to be.
Antonina Beaulieu is in the glittering city of Loisail for her first Grand Season, where she will attend balls and mingle among high society. Under the tutelage of the beautiful but cold Valérie Beaulieu, she hopes to find a suitable husband. However, the haphazard manifestations of Nina’s telekinetic powers make her the subject of malicious gossip.
Yet dazzling telekinetic performer and outsider Hector Auvray sees Nina’s powers as a gift, and he teaches her how to hone and control them. As they spend more and more time together, Nina falls in love and believes she’s found the great romance that she’s always dreamed of, but Hector’s courtship of Nina is deceptive.
The Beautiful Ones is a sweeping fantasy of manners set in a world inspired by the Belle Époque.
Review: I was very curious to discover this novel when I heard about it but in the first reviews, several said that the story was not what they expected. It is true that if one expects a fantasy story, this is not the case here. I’d rather say it’s a historical romance with some distant paranormal elements and I really loved it!
We discover Nina, a young country girl who returns to town to make her first season in society. Nina is not a girl like the others and she even possesses some small powers of telekinesis that she does not necessarily control. But when she meets with Hector Auvray, a famous man in this field, she knows that she must get to know him. While she falls under his spell, she does not expect this man to have a hidden plan. Nina is chaperoned by Valerie, the wife of her cousin. And Hector and Valerie have a story together … Younger, they were supposed to get married and even though Hector knows that nothing is possible between them, he can not help but to court Nina to see her former dear and tender fiancé.
I really enjoyed this story full of ideas. Nina is really very touching with her innocence and freshness. She is far from the model of a young woman that the society of the time produced and she does not care about that. She does not want to be someone other than the person she is already and Hector seems the perfect man for her. I was quite sad for her … She does everything to please Auvray without realizing that despite his attention, he always seeks Valerie. I sometimes wanted to slap Hector so he could realize his actions but nevertheless he will evolve little by little, realizing all that.
It was a pretty lively romance that carried me through the whole story. Between Valerie and her plots, Nina and her kindness and Hector, this man lost in his past, I was caught up by the story, waiting impatiently for the end to know how everything would end.
blodeuedd
Ohhh it does look interesting
Melliane
yes it was!
kindlemom1
It is nice to have a character that is refreshing and unique. Glad this worked out for you!
Melliane
yes I like that too
Silvia
I saw this book on a WoW post a few weeks ago and I got curious right away, but now I know I’ll have to try it for sure! Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Melliane 😀
Melliane
I hope you’ll enjoy it if you try
Vanessa
Wow. I’m glad you enjoyed it Melliane, it sure sounds interesting. Plus, those cover looks so good!
LilyElement Book Reviews
This sounds perfect for me, thank you for the heads up!
Melliane
my pleasure
Corina
A new author for me, but I love how it sounds. Thank you for a wonderful review!!!
Heidi
I am always on the hunt for unique characters and interesting stories. I will have to check this one out.
Melissa (Books and Things)
Oh nice. This sounds like something I’d really enjoy. I love historical romances with the paranormal thrown in. Thanks for bringing this one to my attention!
Melliane
it was a good one
Carole Rae
telekinesis would be fun…but back then and not having the best control? Lots of disasters for sure!
Melliane
right?
Sophia Rose
I love when a book has a blend of the historical with the paranormal. Hadn’t heard of these. This one sounds great, Melliane!
Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum
Yay, I just finished this too and loved it! Glad we both enjoyed 🙂
Melliane
great!
ShootingStarsMag
Thanks for sharing; I’m glad this was a fun read for you. I kind of like that it’s not a straight up fantasy.
Melliane
it’s really more HR
Jenea's Book Obsession
I really like that this is more of a historical romance with a little paranormal added in it, I think I would like it that way. Great review. The characters sound they would be ones that I would like to read about.
Melliane
yes it was well done
Mary Kirkland
Even though it’s not my usual genre it sounds pretty good.
Carole @ Carole's Random Life in Books
I love the sound of this one. The little bit of paranormal sounds really well done. Great review!
Lily
I actually only heard about this the other day and heard it’s really good and now after your review, me want
Melliane
lol