(Do you have a Goodreads account? 'Cause this whole comment would make a good review.)

I do. And thanks! But I need to wait until I finish reading the book. ;-)

But you've sparked my curiousity for Beast by Judith Ivory. Which is a wee bit controversial on Good Reads. But then so too was Beguiling the Beauty.
Nuance is, I've found, lost on a lot of Good Reads reviewers. And Thomas is a subtle, clever writer.