The Masked Baron (Enchanted Regency Romance, #1) Kindle Edition

Oh what a lovely full packed wonderful story this book is!! Beauty is weaved through the intricate details of this story!! Full of every emotion and quite an adventure!! Well-done!!

The story starts out strong with an interesting young woman living in a small town. You’ll immediately understand that this is a Beauty and the Beast story. The female lead is likable and after a little while, the male lead is as well. The lead in to the main conflict is well done, however, the climax is rushed and the conflict resolution is nonsensical. The characters who cause the conflict had absolutely no good excuse for their behavior and yet it is explained as though it were the simple misjudgment of a child (though it had been 7 years or more, so being a child no longer applies if it did in the first place). The secondary conflict also has its climax and the resolution is again rushed and easily overcome. The romantic conflict is then resolved but with some very childish dialogue that doesn’t seem to fit the character. And finally the ending scene reintroduces a character from the beginning — but since there was no reason for his absence other than a plot device and apparently to leave the female lead entirely in the care of the male lead, it is a little hard to swallow that this is somehow supposed to be the cherry on top of a perfect happy ending. That’s all I can say without giving the story away. If you have a free hour and a half with nothing better to do, this isn’t a bad story. It had a lot of potential but failed to live up, leaving the ending feeling weak and unsatisfying.

I love fairy tale retellings. This one worked well, I will say it slowed down quite a bit after the first meeting. But it picked up again about 50% of the way through and had a satisfying ending.

This is my first book by this fairly new author but if all of her books capture and hold my attention like this one did, it won't be my last. I didn't want to put it down. There's so much to love about this story. First, there's the Dark Rider--is he a highwayman to be feared as the stories in the surrounding towns say he is? There's Andalin, whose father brings her to the home of the Dark Rider to live, but why does he do it? And there's a Beauty and the Beast feel to the story for all of us who still love fairy tales.Andalin/Annie is a far braver girl than I would ever hope to be. She willingly goes with her father to the home of a man who she discovers is the infamous Dark Rider. At first she doesn't know why Ellison/Ellis wants her there so she makes things a little harder on him (and herself) until she realizes she's been acting like a child, then she starts changing her attitude. There's no way I would've followed anyone into the dark forest at night; just reading about it was enough for me.Ellison/Ellis was so mysterious. From the beginning I doubted that the stories about the Dark Rider were true. That's the only thing I got right in this story. The reason why Ellison wears a mask isn't what you'd think. One of my favorite scenes is when Andalin sees him without the mask. He's a wonderful character and I fell in love with him before the end of the book.I was surprised at the twist towards the end of the book. I call it a twist because it wasn't what I thought was going to happen and it took me completely by surprise. One of the best parts is there's a happily ever after for more than one character. *sigh* I look forward to more wonderful stories by this author.I received a complimentary copy. All thoughts expressed in my review are my own. I enjoyed this book so much I bought a copy for my personal collection.

An interesting Beauty and the Beast retelling. Lots of surprises. Good characters.I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. It started out slow, but got better as it went. Some parts were a little hard to believe, (but it’s a fairytale, I guess that goes with the territory.). The mystery kept me going.The resolution at the end had some unexpected elements, which I liked, but I still didn’t feel like everything was explained. Most was, but I would have liked a little more detail on the reasons why things happened as they did.Overall it was book that was enjoyable and kept my interest. I do love this author and look forward to reading more from her.

Regency meets Beauty and the Beast. Yes, please! With intriguing characters, an interesting mystery and great romance, I couldn't put it down!

This was a beautiful, enchanting regency retelling! It had many of the elements I love from Beauty and the Beast, but it was so unique and unpredictable in many ways!I really enjoyed getting to read Ellis and Annie’s story, and now I am especially excited to read The Dreaming Beauty next!

I really enjoyed this story a lot because it explored a lot of the tropes I love so much. One of my favorite niche genres is gaslit fantasy, which is just a lighter-hearted version of gothic romance and steampunk. I feel like it is really hard to find gaslit fantasy because most writers like to embrace the dark aspect of steampunk and gothic romance a tad too much for my taste. So I loved that The Masked Baron tiptoes along the edge of the darkness cliff but doesn’t fall over the edge. It’s got some tense scary moments but never becomes terrifying. Many readers are describing it as a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, which I think is fair because the book has that atmospheric fairy-tale feel. However, I’d describe it as more inspired by than a strict retelling of the Beauty and the Beast. It has a plot distinct from Beauty and the Beast and pulls the fantastic parts of the fairy-tale out and grounds them in the realistic world. Anyway, I found the blend of the genre elements extremely satisfying and just plain fun. It really is the greatest strength of the book in my opinion. Sometimes the main characters annoyed me a bit but I was always willing to keep reading to explore their world and experiences.

Regency, romance and mystery make for a wonderful story! An amazing debut book, I can't wait to read whatever else Anneka R. Walker decides to release!