6. Mercedes Lackey - The Fire Rose

In the first of the Elemental Masters series, Rose Hawkins is a strong and intelligent woman in a time when those traits are looked down upon. After her father's death, all of her possessions are taken away by his creditors and without money, she can no longer continue her studies at the university. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Rose's mentor tells her of a job offer in San Francisco where a wealthy rail baron is looking for a private tutor for his two children. Since she has no where else to turn, she takes the position. However, when she gets there, she finds that there are no children and that the master of the house is a magician who accidentally turned himself into a werewolf and hoped to use Rose's scholarly abilities to reverse his condition.

This is a well done remake of the classic Beauty and The Beast storyline. In typical Lackey fashion, the reader becomes fully entwined in the characters and the story. It took a while for me to find this book but I was glad I did because I thoroughly enjoyed it.