The Belle and the Beard by Kate Canterbary is live!

 

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Blurb

If you find yourself publicly humiliated, out of work, and unemployable at 35—not to mention newly single—here’s how to salvage your life:

1. Run away. Seriously, there’s no shame in disappearing. Go to that rustic old cottage your aunt left you. Look out for the colony of bats and the leaky roof. Oh, and the barrel-chested neighbor with shoulders like the broad side of a barn. Definitely look out for him.
2. Stop wallowing and stay busy. It doesn’t matter whether you know how to bake or fix things around the house. Do it anyway. Dust off your southern hospitality and feed that burly, bearded neighbor some pecan pie.
3. Meet new people. Chat up the growly man-bear, pretend to be his girlfriend when his mother puts you two on the spot, agree to go as his date to a big family party. Don’t worry—it’s only temporary.
4. Cry it out. Screwing up your life entitles you to wine, broody-moody music, and uninterrupted sobbing. 
5. Get over it all by getting under someone. Count on your fake boyfriend to deliver some very real action between the sheets. 
6. Move on. The disappearing act, the cottage, the faux beau–none of it can last forever. 

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If a hell-in-heels campaign strategist moves in next door to you, here’s how to survive the invasion:

1. Do not engage. There is no good reason you should chop her wood, haul her boxes, or pick her apples. 
2. Do not accept gifts, especially not the homemade ones. Disconnect the doorbell, toss your phone over a bridge, hide in the basement if you must, but do not eat her pie. 
3. Do not introduce her to your friends and family. They’ll favor her over you and never let you forget it.
4. Do not intervene when she’s crying on the back porch. Ignore every desire to fix the entire world for her. By no means should you take her into your arms and memorize her peach-sweet curves. 
5. Do not take her to bed, even if it’s just to get her out of your system.
6. Do not, under any circumstances, fall in love with her.

Warning: This story includes a meet-burglary, an immortal cat, a biohazard of a banana bread, a meddling mother, fancy toast, and a temporary fling that starts feeling a little too permanent.

 

 

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Review

3.5 stars

A fun and sexy new read from Kate Canterbary, this is an opposites-attract romance with a fun set-up, fantastic banter and chemistry, lots of laughs and a sexy and heartfelt love story.

This book is technically a standalone, but is the story of Linden Santillian – the third Santillian triplet to have his story told (after Magnolia in The Magnolia Chronicles: Adventures In Dating and Ash in Boss in the Bedsheets, and I loved being back with these characters!

Linden has been a bit of an unknown until now, and I loved getting to know him better. He is a grumpy, solitary guy living on the edge of the woods, with a lot of love for his family and all things nature, but that’s pretty much it. He’s the kind of character that Kate Canterbary writes so well, and I really enjoyed him!

Jasper-Anne career in politics has just blown up on national television. She’s looking for somewhere to hide while the storm blows over, and ends up moving in to the house next door to Jaspers, left to her by an aunt, but that has been sitting untouched for years.

Their first encounter is explosive, and things kinda go downhill from there. Linda and Jasper are complete opposites, and though he’s a grumpy bastard, he’s a protective alpha with a big heart and tries to help her as she begins renovations. But confident and independent Jasper wants none of it – though that doesn’t stop her from interfering in his life in her efforts to pay him back for his attempts at help. It’s a fun dynamic that leads to spirited encounters full of snark and bickering, and it’s so freaking entertaining.

I liked chill, uninhibited people who understood I wasn’t looking for anything serious.
Jasper was serious like dynamite. Every moment with her was explosive and there was a very good chance one of us would die.

Slowly (and unsurprisingly), those chemistry-filled arguments turn into something more. Their attraction grows, and they find themselves opening up and letting the other in. A flirtatious friendship develops that quickly turns physical, and oh holy God, the hotness! These two are on freaking fire, and the sex is hot, frequent, and a little bit filthy. And underpinning all of that passion are true feelings which grow more and more intense as they settle into a new kind of ‘normal’ together.

Even though it moves pretty quickly, this book has the feeling of a slow-burn romance. The attraction is strong, the feelings are there, it just takes them a while to act on it. Linden is a solitary creature who isn’t interested in relationships, and Jasper is dealing with a life crisis and, having been hurt badly in the past, insists on doing it alone. They both have issues they need to deal with, and then there’s the fact that Jasper has plans to return to her career-driven life in the city. It looks like they are destined for a short-lived affair. But as they continue opening up to each other and start to figure out what they want and where they want to be, will they be able to let go?

“I wish you were mine to keep.”

I enjoyed this book, but didn’t love it as much as I was hoping. I think that’s because I wasn’t a huge fan of Jasper. I couldn’t relate to her, I got tired of her almost fanatical need for independence, and I found myself zoning out every time she started talking about her political work. Linden totally owned my heart though, he’s such a gorgeous character, I understood him, I could empathise with him, and I felt so much for him. I also loved getting to see his family – not only Magnolia and Ash (their bond as siblings is so special!), but his parents are freaking hilarious, and the group all together with partners included, is so much fun. That dinner scene is a highlight of this book for me.

I did enjoy the love story, the snarky banter is really entertaining, and the emotion is really well written. So, for me, not as epic as other books by this author, but still a fun and enjoyable read.

3.5 stars.

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

 

The Santillian Triplets

 

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About the Author

USA Today Bestseller Kate Canterbary writes smart, steamy contemporary romances loaded with heat, heart, and happy ever afters. Kate lives on the New England coast with her husband and daughter.

 

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