Eloisa James has long been one of my favorite historical romance authors. She is the master of mixing humor, drama, and romance with the perfect amount of spice. In When Beauty Tamed the Beast the beauty, Miss Thrynne, is looking for a way to escape a reputation-ruining scandal by rushing off to marry someone the world thinks is unmarriageable. The Earl of Marchant has escaped from the world by establishing a teaching hospital in the country. Although an earl and a brilliant doctor, he has managed to avoid the marriage mart by being as beastly as possible, with a debilitating limp and an absolutely wretched personality. He is not enthused when Miss Thrynne appears at his door, brought by his long estranged father, but he is intrigued by her bravery and unwillingness to cower in the face of his bad manners. She recognizes that the Earl is her last hope and she suspects that his bark is worse than his bite. You know the rest: they spar wittily and fall in love. But with fascinating characters and the intriguing setting, this retelling of the classic tale is enjoyable from beginning to end.