Living with her mother seemed like a good idea at the time. But Elliott Donovan’s living arrangements are not working for her anymore. Desperate to get back on her financial feet after a divorce and out from under her mother’s thumb, Elliott takes a job in the child care center at Weight Expectations, a local gym.It has everything she needs – family friendly hours, more pay than she expected, and … expected, and a super cute trainer who just happens to have part of his house for rent.
Abel DiSoto was living the good life until his wife walked out taking half of the family income with her. The blow to his ego was bad enough, but after a fire at the gym scattered Abel’s clients, and consequently his commissions, he’s stuck figuring out how to make ends meet, too. Renting out the master suite of his house to his new co-worker seems like an easy solution. They’re both mature adults, they both have eight-year-old daughters, and their work schedules coordinate so they can lend each other a helping hand to ease the burden of single parenthood.
The only downside? Living like a blended family when you’re not actually a family can present some challenges.
Welcome back to Weight Expectations, where the unexpected is likely to happen.
‘Cutie and the Beast’ is a full-length contemporary romantic comedy, can be read as a standalone, and is book #3 in the Cipher Office series, Knitting in the City World, Penny Reid Book Universe.
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3.5 stars
The set up for this book was really cute!
Abel, the personal trainer at Weight Expectations, appeared in M.E. Carter’s previous book in the Smartypantsromance Cipher Office series. I really liked him and was excited to see he would be in Cutie and The Beast. He is a single father to Mabel who needs a roommate to help cover the cost of his house.
The story introduces Elliott, a single mom who gets a job in the childcare center at the gym. She needs to move out of her mother’s house, and so she agrees to be Abel’s roommate. Her daughter Ainsley is in the same class as Mabel so it works out well for both of them.
The story was unique as they moved in together before getting to know each other better and developing feelings. Abel and Elliott were so much fun together. I really liked that their daughters played a big part in the story. It would not have felt realistic if they were not because Abel and Elliott care so much about being good parents.
Overall, an enjoyable read that makes me want to check out more of the author’s books. I am hoping there will be more from her in the Smartypantsromance universe too.
Thank you to the author for providing an ARC for an honest review.
Really enjoyed this fun, sexy, laugh out loud and heartwarming romance filled with engaging charters, witty and memorable dialog, heart racing twists and emotionally thrilling turns. Was a great read from beginning to end. Exciting and sweetly thrilling journey!
Overall Grade: 1/2
“Because no matter where this relationship goes, no matter if or how it ends, this is love right here. It’s not the kind that bowls you over so nothing else matters. It’s not the kind that fizzles when the lust is gone. It’s the kind that starts with two people being best friends and grows until they become ‘your person.’ That’s the best kind of love there is.”
There is so much offered up in the romance world. I’ve said this before in other reviews, but it’s always amazing to recognize the depth and breadth of the types of romance a reader can find. There is romance that makes your insides hurt from the depth of his angst. Then, there is romance that titillates readers as it reveals the power structure of the dominant/submissive. There is romance that makes you laugh aloud so vehemently that it causes tears to fall from your eyes. There are genres and sub-genres and tropes galore. And then, there are romances that whisper its truths quietly over the pages. You wait for the big moments that you might have felt in other stories, but that whispering acts as a balm against the romances that scream their emotions at you. M.E. Carter’s newest book in the SmartyPants Romance world, Cutie and the Beast, speaks softly yet profoundly in its truth. This story isn’t a heavily overt romance. Instead, if I take liberties here, the true romance lies in the relationship between parent and child. It isn’t a new perspective, but I think its story has a slant to it that sets it apart from your usual single parents’ romance.
The story follows our favorite trainer from Carter’s Weight Expectations, Abel. Abel’s wife has divorced him, and he’s left to raise their precocious daughter, Mabel. His schedule is difficult, his job can be precarious at times, and he worries. I mean, what parent doesn’t worry? Abel is surviving, but it feels as though any change could unravel his control. Enter Elliott, a single mother. Elliott currently lives with her mother, but their relationship is fraught with tension. Elliott’s mother is well-meaning, but she has always been critical of Elliott. This has created a sometimes tenuous connection between the two of them. Elliott has determined that she will raise her daughter without that stricture, but she recognizes the importance of healthy boundaries. Looking for independence, she finds a job at the gym where Abel trains as the manager of the child care center. Wanting to find a place to live to create some distance from her mother, a co-worker makes the suggestion that Abel and Elliott become roommates since Abel needs some help with his mortgage. As Elliott accepts Abel’s invitation to move in, they must negotiate different parenting styles and a sometimes complicated situation. Intertwined with these situations is their burgeoning interest in each other. Their romance finds its grounding in friendship first. With their attraction growing, Abel and Elliott must contend with the worry over their daughters, different parenting styles, and a potentially messy future.
Cutie and the Beast’s romance washes over its readers quietly. There is a sweetness to it that dirties itself at points. However, as I noted at the beginning of this review, the true romance lies in the love between the parents and their children. Abel adores his daughter, Mabel, and his parenting style is informed by his ex-wife’s response to (or lack thereof) their daughter. Similarly, Elliott’s relationship with her daughter is bounded by her experiences with her own mother. These parenting styles intersect and cause problems for Abel and Elliott’s relationship. The profundity of this intersection acts as an umbrella to their ability to find a future. Thankfully, Abel’s character is such that he patiently waits for Elliott to recognize the depth of their love for each other. In fact, beyond this book being a SmartyPants Romance book, I read this book for Abel. His wisdom in Weight Expectations was insightful, and I was enamored with him in that book. His characterization in this book is no different. While Elliott is oftentimes reticent and careful, Abel is the impetus for their eventual pairing. He’s once again insightful and caring and charming. Elliott has no chance against him once he determines his interest in her.
Even more, while Elliott is the more reserved of the two, she has an inner strength that you can’t help but admire. She is sensible, and she loves deeply. She’s just careful. She worries over the impact of actions on situations. She’s also the first to admit when she has made a mistake. Her ability to love and “see” Mabel through her difficulties make her characterization an important one. Carter uses her as a warning against prejudgments.
Not every romance needs to dig to the deepest depths of your soul or tickle your funny bone or make you hot. Sometimes, we need a story such as Cutie and the Beast to sit softly over us, acting as a salve against the depths of other heavier romance stories. M.E. Carter’s book reminds us that love is for everyone. That characters who seem like “real” people living with “real” situations are important as they act as a mirror to our own problems so that we can find our way to love. Abel and Elliott’s relationship has some fire, but its true strength lies in its normalcy. And romancelandia needs that too.
Wow…just wow! M.E. has always impressed me with how she’s able to bring realistic situations into her books without making them dreary or frustrating (I mean I’m reading to escape), and Cutie & the Beast was no exception!
Abel was a character that I’ve been SUPER curious about since Weight Expectations. He seemed too good to be true, so I loved seeing that he was flawed like the rest of us. His love for his daughter & guilt over his ex made him almost blind to his daughter’s behavior.
Elliott was awesome! I want her mom ability to make my nanny kids listen half as well as the kids do at the gym. I loved that she was “older”.
These two together made me swoon (and cry. And bang my head against the wall.)! I loved watching their transitions to friends and beyond. It was so entertaining to see them meld their families together.
Cutie & the Beast was AMAZING! I can’t wait to read it again & again! Plus I loved seeing Rian & Carlos!!!
*** 4 Stars***
I’m a sucker for single parent romances and having TWO single parents had me making all kinds of grabby hands at Cutie and the Beast, also the fact that I really liked Abel in Weight Expectations definitely upped the ante for me and I ended up thoroughly enjoying this slow burn romance. It had me pulling out my hair at times, but it was a fun, cute read filled with real, everyday issues that parents ~ regardless if they are single or not have to deal with.
I really liked Elliott and Abel. Both are truly good people with good hearts who have had their worlds go sideways, but do everything they can to keep things as normal for their daughters. On a personal level, I preferred Elliott’s way of parenting and interacting with kids in general because I grew up with a “It takes a village” mentality, but with that said, I couldn’t truly fault Abel with how he decided to deal with things.
Their journey was slow burn ~ which I really enjoyed because they both are dealing with trust issues, abandonment issues and their own kids hearts as they also deal with their parents. The big sinkhole in their journey wasn’t a surprise, it was building up from the start and while I did lean towards one side a tinsy bit more than the other, it was one of those things where no one was any more or less at fault. It happened and while I would have liked a little more in the effort to get back together portion of things, I’m still happy with how everything worked for them
Cutie and the Beast was a fun read. I loved Ainsley and Mabel and how they definitely brought a vibrancy to the story. I thought that everything they Elliott, Abel and their daughters were working through/dealing with, were well thought out and executed. As for the secondary characters, I loved getting back to the gym (especially since that’s not an option right now) and seeing how things played out after the fire and I’m definitely look forward Joey’s book, I may want to Gibbs smack him more often than not, but I still really liked the guy regardless.
~ Copy provided by SBPR & voluntarily reviewed ~
No one plans to ‘start over’ in their life. Sometimes it just can’t be avoided. For Abel – the reality of being a single dad is constantly weighing on his shoulders. After his wife walked out of their marriage, Abel found himself trying to balance being a father, holding down a full-time job, and paying the bills. With trying to balance so much, Abel finds himself overlooking many of his daughter’s discipline problems. The main thing Abel concentrates on is being present in his daughter’s daily life.
When dealing with divorce, no one expects to move back home to live with their parents. That is exactly the way life turned out for Elliott after the demise of her marriage. Determined to make a better life for her daughter, Elliott knows that insurance and a paycheck need to reside hand in hand. Sometimes living in her childhood home is more than Elliott can shoulder, but it is definitely a way to make sure that Elliott’s daughter has the things she needs in life.
When Abel and Elliott figure out that they have a lot in common, a friendship is formed. The two are both employed at Weight Expectations and have a mutual respect for the other. As they find themselves trading off responsibilities for their children, Abel and Elliott quickly realize that there is more to their friendship than meets the eye. As their mutual interests continue to intertwine, the duo is faced with the reality that there is more to this partnership than either planned. How will they move forward while maintaining their work and home lives?
Cutie and the Beast is the latest addition to the Cipher Office Series in the Penny Reid Universe. Let me start by saying I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Abel’s story. After all – we learned a little about him in previous books and he was so mysterious. First impressions of the book kept me glued to my reader. Uncovering the layers to Abel’s life held a lot of anticipation for me as a reader.
Elliott is a true example of the sacrifice that we see from single moms everywhere. However – once Elliott and Abel begin their friendship, things began to move in a downhill direction. The second half of the book did not hold the same intriguing quality that I felt in the beginning of the novel. The interactions between Abel and Elliott didn’t quite ring true. Their relationship felt forced and wasn’t completely believable. The Abel we met earlier in the series just didn’t match the man that had his life laid out in Cutie and the Beast.
There were humorous moments that made me sway on how to rate this book. Moments where I thought ‘this is great’, but the lack of connection for the entire second half of the book ruled out in the end.
Oh how I enjoy Ms. Carter’s stories! They are full of laughs and swoons!
This is the story of the struggles of single parenthood, mixed families and finding love!
Elliott is a single mom, looking to start her life over after a divorce. She wants to find her independence again. She is a great mom and a brave woman. She may be an older gal, but she is vintage in the best ways!
Abel is a newly single dad, he is struggling with single parenting, his finances and is looking for a roommate to help share the costs. Voila! Enter Elliott and both of their problems are solved!
The flow of this story is phenomenal! The dialogue is full of wit and realism. The struggles of living together, both with young daughters and finding their groove was epic. Abel and Elliott’s feelings for each other grow from friends to more was organic and so lovely to read. I also applaud the younger man, older woman basis of this story! I could empathize with Elliott’s vulnerabilities and her “traditional” way of thinking. It was so swoony to see Abel break down the walls around her heart and thinking.
This is definitely a book I would highly recommend!
I loved this book and it was a beautiful story. I definitely recommend this book, this series, and this author.
Elliott has got to find a job and a place of her own for her and her daughter. Her interview at Weight Expectations went better than planned. Now she can starting looking for her own space.
Able is trying to do the best for his daughter Mabel but with his financial situation realizes he needs a roommate.
I loved how these two always put their daughters first but also never let go of each other. Loved it!!
OMG!! This was one of the sweetest and fun loving books I read!! Elliott and Able single parents living together but never planned on falling in love!! Like everyone they have their ups and downs but end all that matters is their compassion!!
Will Elliot and Able get their happily ever after or will their children pull them apart before even get a chance to start?