Bjerner and the Beast — Miranda Grant

A sweet, dark, tragic retelling of Beauty and the Beast.He’s sworn to protect the emperor at all costsWhen he was a child, Bjerner sacrificed his eyes to the Goddess of Death. Raised as a warrior, he’s now a trusted member of the Varangian guard. As he struggles to keep the emperor alive, Bjerner is forced to take a mission that will either see him killed or see him hailed as a hero.She’s tired of heroesAll they ever want to do is try to kill her. Ever since she was born, Ophidia has been hunted like an animal and all because of what she is: a beast that has the power to turn people into stone.Forced to hide in a cave her entire life with only the dead heroes for company, Ophidia desperately wants her next visitor to be a little less stabby.And less inclined to look at her face.And would it really kill them to just talk to her first?But as the centuries pass, she’s starting to lose hope that such a man exists…