The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

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Readers, I´m not going to lie, I was in the mood to read exactly like this when I discovered this gorgeous book in my inbox. I am a huge fan of Silvia Moreno-Garcia and each book I have read is better than the last. I fell in love with her writing in Mexican Gothic and immediately checked out Certain Dark Things from the Library. Fun fact! Certain Dark Things is going to be re-released this fall and it has a gorgeous cover.

In The Beautiful Ones, we are transported to Loisail and the glamorous homes of the wealthy who reside there. In a world where magic is considered ¨common” and for mere performers, a young socialite´s debut in the Grand Season is threatened when her uncontrolled powers jeopardize her ability to catch the eye of a wealthy gentleman. Antonina ¨Nina¨ Bealieu is overwhelmed by the enormity of the crowds and expectations of the Grand Season. She would much rather spend her days researching and cataloging her extensive insect collection. When she happens upon the great magical performer Hector Auvray in the Library during a ball, she is immediately smitten with his fame and charm. When Nina accepts his offer of a dance, she is completely unaware that she is now a pawn in Hector´s grand plan to win back her cousin´s wife, Valérie, a woman who was once engaged to Hector and still holds his heart.

As Hector maneuvers his way in to Nina´s life to gain access to Valéire, Nina develops feelings that grow from friendship to true love. As the two begin a genuine a courtship, Hectors quest to win back his love exposes dark and lurid secrets that have the ability to put everyone in danger.

This book is amazing! It´s a gorgeous combination of magical fantasy, historical romance, and intense drama. It´s perfect for fans of historical romance who want to branch out from the traditional story and discover a fresh and insightful take on the genre. The magical system is wonderfully developed and adds another layer of complexity to the societal expectations of the characters in this world. I loved how magic was used in this story. Nina is currently living with her adoring and wonderful cousin Gaétan Beaulieu and his critical and harsh wife Valérie during her debut. She is indebted to both of them and needs their contacts to find a suitable husband. Luckily for Nina, Gaétan is more progressive in his thinking and wants love and happiness for his younger cousin. Valérie, on the other hand, wants her married and out of the house. She has no desire to waste any of her time on someone else´s needs and actively despises her husband. When Hector comes back into her life, Valérie seems to genuinely enjoy toying with him and wants nothing more than to bring torment to everyone around her. She is a truly diabolical character and is written perfectly as the foil to Nina´s genuine kindness and curiosity of life and science.

This is the definition of a slow burn romance and watching the three main characters circle around and around each other had me on the edge of my seat the entire book. Over and over again Hector had the opportunity to realize how his love was really obsession and he yet he just kept stumbling in the wrong direction. Nina in all of her naivete, uses romance novels as her guide to courtship and is constantly confused when Hector doesn´t act as the novel´s heroes do and you just want to pat her on the head and have ¨The Talk¨ with her.

I absolutely loved this book and cannot recommend it highly enough. Moreno-Garcia weaves together an intricate and gorgeous story of love, betrayal, and the complexities of societal and familial expectations.

If you want to add this gorgeous book to your shelf, you can find ordering information here:

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own. This post also contains affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases.