Reviewed by: Kate Garrabrant
Publisher: Berkley
4 out of 5 stars

Mina, the unholy sea witch, is the product of rape, a forced union between a mermaid and a Dark One. Mina should have been destroyed when she was born; instead she was tortured when she was a young girl resulting in scars covering her face and body. And yet she has many powers at her disposal, from the ability to shape shift into a human and dragon to an abnormal mermaid with two tentacles in place of a tail. And despite her disfigurements and because of her special abilities she is able to overcome, but remains alone, for she can barely keep the darkness inside her under control.

There is one angel who is willing to stand up to this challenge, David. He is the youngest angel in Jonah’s army, but has the biggest heart. David sees something special in Mina and wants to tap into the goodness he knows she has inside. Mina has no choice but to allow David into the safe haven that is her underwater home. All too soon, David sees the many different sides to Mina. He wants her to feel happiness and joy. But what David doesn’t know is that Mina can not feel too much joy, or the darkness that is threatening to consume her will explode. Light must equal the darkness and with that she needs both pleasure and pain. David is willing to give her as much pleasure as she can stand. He shows her the joys of sex. Mina wants to give into David, but she must always have balance and that means she must feel pain.

When a portal to the Dark Ones’ world is found and ready to be opened, Mina and David must work together to stop this from happening. This will require Mina to confront her demons, and for David to stand by her side, to be her hope in a future where the brightness she has always turned away from will now embrace her.

When Mina made her first appearance as a secondary character in A MERMAID’S KISS, she almost took over the story. I was so very intrigued by this character and when I heard Joey wrote a sequel making Mina the lead heroine, I just had to read it. At first I was a bit, shall we say, turned off by the notion of an underwater sea witch with tentacles having a love story. But just as Joey pulled off the mermaid and angel love story in a Mermaid’s Kiss, she has done it here with A WITCH’S BEAUTY. Mina is one tortured character. You can not help but feel deeply for her. Not only does she have scars, both inside and out, but even if she wanted to love and be loved, she may destroy herself in the process because of each half she embodies. Mina has been dealt some really bad cards in her life. But things look up when David enters it.

David is everything a hero should be. He is stoic, kind and understanding. He sees something in Mina no one else has and because of that he is able to break down her defenses. These two are so perfect for one another. David has a bright outlook on life even though the way he lived as a human and died will shock you senseless. He has lived through the most horrible of situations, and understands Mina’s actions and why she lashes out. He won’t back down and turns Mina’s world upside down.

These two have great sexual chemistry and the sensuality between them can be dark at times but also very loving. The way David embraces Mina, from her scars to her surly nature is a lovely thing to read. These two become a great team and that is where each one finally understands what it means to love and sacrifice.

Joey W. Hill stretches the boundaries of romance with her books. Who would have thought angels loving underwater creatures could be such great reading? I was pleasantly surprised, and don’t be surprised if you find yourself in the same situation I was. A WITHC’S BEAUTY is a very beautiful story that shouldn’t be passed by.