Chef for hire and aspiring writer, Jolie Gardener meets and greets her new employer in the kitchen in his birthday suit! Totally awesome in his nakedness and admiring his six-pack abs and very delectable other parts, he appears totally at ease in his own skin. Jolie's arriving a week earlier than expected from Domestic Gods & Goddesses has Todd Best, a famous landscape artist and recent widower caught off guard. After his wife's death 2 years ago Todd packed up and left his business to his brother, lost the inspiration to paint and moved.
Unbeknownst to Jolie and Todd, they receive interference from the Archangel Rachael since he has sent Jonathan Griff to get his charges together, thus finally earning him his wings. He never seems to "get it right" though, so this time he is determined! Jolie, growing up in less than acceptable foster homes has learned to hide her disappointments and pain and move forth with determination and vigor. The upbeat and somewhat talkative chef ultimately wraps Todd around her little finger while at the same time he leaves her with quivering thighs. Jolie's little "naughty girl" persona peeps her head up occasionally leaving her hot and naughty. Rounding a corner and smacking into an older gentleman (Jonathan) begins her dream of the "happily-ever- after".
Ensconcing himself as a lost little white kitten which Jolie names Boots, unusual little things happen to hurry the process along, sometimes with an adverse reaction. Needing his privacy, Todd will not tolerate anyone gaining their own notoriety from stories or news of his personal life. Shortly after drawn into using Jolie as his model and realizing he is beginning to love again and finding inspiration in portrait painting, the book Jolie is writing, fashioned after her life with Todd, is discovered (again because of the kitten) he is crushed. Just when love and super mind blowing sex is a reality for both, this ends the affair. To think Jolie would use him for her own gain causes him again to withdraw from life. Being coerced into finishing Jolie's portraits to sell as a fundraiser for homeless children and reading the published book which Jolie DID NOT PUBLISH, (again our little kitten?) he regrets his irrational behavior sending her in hiding. All attempts at locating Jolie have failed. The two of them always had the knack to "get" each other but now how will he ever have that again.
I loved, loved BEAUTY AND THE BEST! Such a fulfillment of the emotional and physical dreams of a woman who has fought to make her a better life than what she has been dealt with. Desiring above all, Jolie wants her own family filled with love. BEAUTY AND THE BEST is a cute quirky tale full of Jolie's little "naughty girl" mind conversations that make this story amusing and keeps the reader chuckling all the way through. Full of love, emotion and help from "Boots", you will fall in love with BEAUTY AND THE BEST. This is just the beginning of Judi Fennell's "Once-Upon-A-Time" series and definitely a series I will complete. She is a fantastic author with the ability to keep you laughing and crying at the same time while glued to every word.
Todd Best isn't fine. He knows it. And doesn't
care.
After his wife diedβthe woman who believed in him
when he was a struggling artistβhe put painting aside,
moved from their home, and lost himself in the minutiae of
daily life.
Alone. Private. The way he likes it.
The
last thing he needs is some chatty cook seeping into the
perfectly bland canvas of his life.
Or so he thinks.
So
when Jonathan, a guardian-angel-in-training, turns himself
into a kitten to help these two lonely souls find a happily
ever after together, it ought to be a piece of cake.
Or
so he thinksβ¦
EXCERPT
Thereβs a naked man in my kitchen.
The thought registered
just as the terse, βWho the hell are you?β had Jolie
Gardener spinning around faster than a figure skater on
speed.
He had the nerve to ask this? He of the broad
shoulders, six-pack abs, and other, nice, um, parts...
Really. A naked man. In her kitchen.
Well,
technically, she was in a naked manβs kitchen. Even more
technically, she was in a naked Todd Bestβs kitchenβand
there wasnβt one hint of self-consciousness or
embarrassment on his part.
Of course with that body,
there shouldnβt be. The guy should flaunt his nudity for
the world to see. Which, at present, consisted of one
single, solitary person: Jolie Gardener, aspiring writer
and personal chef extraordinaire.
βWell?β His hands
slammed to his hips.
βYouβre naked,β she squeaked, which,
really, was the only way to state that kind of
obvious.
βIβm what?β Mr. Six-Pack Abs glanced
down.
Jolie tried not toβso unsuccessfully it was
pitiful.
βShit,β he muttered. βI am. I, uh, fell asleep
last nightβ¦β
As butter sizzled in the new super-slick
omelet pan on the top-of-the-line range, Jolieβs gaze
alternated between some rock-hard abs and a scruffy eight
a.m. shadow while her fingers danced along the speckled
granite countertop in search of a napkin, placemat, oven
mitt⦠something.
Mercifully, they scooped up a thick
dishtowel that, in her world, would constitute a very
plush, very luxurious hand towel from The Ritz or The Four
Seasons, but which, here, apparently, was used to soak up
water from designer flatware. She dangled it in the
direction of Mr. Au Naturel. βHere.β
He placed an empty
bottle of Jim Beam on the island countertop with a clink,
then took the towel with a grunt. βSo, who are you, what
are you doing in my kitchen, and would you mind turning
around?β
She turned. βIβm the new girl the agency sent
over.β
βHell. There better be some aspirin left,β he
muttered beside her, his bare (of course) feet making no
sound on the limestone floor.
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