Champion MMA fighter Adam Littrell is preparing for the biggest fight of his career. If he wins, he’ll add another proverbial notch to his record-breaking title reign. If he loses, he’s on the fast track for retirement. But when he opens the door to a distraction in the form of the nerdy and awkward Bo Wilkins, staying focused becomes a struggle. Aware of his new employer’s surly reputation, Bo … Bo expects to earn the generous salary his position as Adam’s live-in personal assistant offers. However, as chemistry sizzles beneath the guise of an unexpected friendship, Bo discovers the Beast hardly lives up to his name. And when a shared love of books leads them to study for their GEDs together, the possibilities for their future take on a much rosier hue. But just as their relationship finally finds its footing, an emergency with his sister pulls Bo away and he drops everything. Including Adam. Until now, Adam believed the most significant fight of his life would be a physical one. But with the defense of his title hanging in the balance and Bo no longer by his side, he makes a grim realization. His greatest prize can’t be won in the octagon.
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This twist on Beauty and the Beast was very enjoyable. Adam, an MMA Champion, can be quite difficult, rightly and proudly owning his Beast attributes! But when his new personal assistant, Beauregard “Bo” Wilkins, comes on board, ignoring his growly reputation, seeing and accepting the man inside Adam, things begin to really change. They enjoy each other and the friendship and respect that goes along with it. And Bo falls for this man who is likewise falling for him. Each of them made the other a better and stronger person. It was wonderful to watch how their love sneaked up on both of them, happening so naturally that it didn’t feel like something momentous and different taking over. It just was. I melted when they studied for their GED exams together. It was such a really good perfect acceptance and joy. What will happen when Bo’s sister needs him and he has to go to her? Will he then not be able to be there for Adam in his last important match?
This story line was so good. You know there are going to be bumps along the way, but the reader can’t help but pull for them to find that HEA! Adam puts those he cares about first, and you’ll see the same thing in Bo. The characters are amazing. Grab your copy and share their story. Will they find something that lasts? Or will diverting to help family pull them apart?
This book is amazing and I LOVED IT!!! A wonderful story full of love, laughs, hardships and triumphs, it was a pleasure to read. Adam and Bo meet when Bo is hired to be Adam’s new PA. The attraction is immediate but they both try to resist the pull. In time, they stop fighting and find love but are too stubborn to admit it. An incident with Bo’s sister, Lulu, will send Bo running to California and away from Adam. In the end, though, Lulu’s persistance and true love will take Bo back to Vegas and the arms of the man he loves.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving an honest review. As I’ve said before, I always give honest reviews whether people appreciate them or not.
This is the first story of the Once Upon a Vegas Night series by Author Evie Drae. It’s a Sunday afternoon and Adam Littrell is innocently watching football in his boxers when the doorbell rings. You have to love a book that begins like this. Anyway, it’s his manager Kyle Bryant at the door along with a cute, young guy. Kyle immediately pushes in as he’s yelling at Adam for forgetting he was coming while leaving the guy at the door with a duffel and a suitcase. He finally wakes up enough to remember that Kyle was hiring a new Personal Assistant for him, so duh! This must be him. Since Kyle has disappeared into his kitchen, he introduces himself to his new PA. The young man drops his luggage and tells him his name is Beauregard, or Bo, Wilkins.
Bo is everything Adam likes in a man: young, thin, glasses and courageous despite being nervous. Even though he is SO attracted to Bo, Adam knows he can’t follow through with his first desires since Bo is now his employee. Adam is an MMA (mixed martial arts) fighter in Las Vegas. He has a fight coming up in a few months to defend his middleweight title. He needs a PA to keep him on his schedule, feed him, drive him and generally be there for him. Oh, it not only pays very well, the job comes with room and board. Kyle has made him come across as a vicious fighter when he’s in the ring or in public to scare his opponents. Bo did some homework on his new boss and learned what a ‘Beast’ the man is. So he’s a bit nervous. He really wants this job. When he was eighteen he had to drop out of high school because his father died so he could raise his younger sister Lulu. Bo would do anything for her, and now that Lulu has graduated from high school herself, she wants nothing more than to attend U.C. Berkeley in California. Though they don’t have the money for her to attend that school, Bo will do anything to make it happen for her.
I don’t know what I thought I would be reading when I chose this story to read and review, but this wasn’t it! I guess I thought there would be more fights, more blood and violence or something, but that’s just a sliver of this book. Yes, Bo helps keep Adam’s personal life together, he also manages to get through the Beast’s walls to his heart. Adam, for his part, isn’t used to having a lover, boyfriend or personal interest living in his home. Especially one he shouldn’t have any kind of relations with. Their relationship starts awkwardly and it definitely takes them some time to get to know one another. But I have to say that they are so squishy cute! Even Adam meeting Lulu was adorable! This is an excellent story and very well written. I was so happy and excited when I finished reading that I went on to Amazon to see what else Ms. Drae had written for me to read. I found He Owns My Heart (Owned Heart, Body, & Soul Book 1) but it isn’t being released until August 11th! This is a story worth reading.
This is my first book by Evie Drae and I am so glad that I found this book. I loved the instant attraction/connection between Bo and Adam. These two try for a while to keep their relationship professional but finally they both give to each other. Adam goes into this relationship wholeheartedly while Bo just believes everything to casual and fights his feeling for Adam. I really loved reading this book and I can’t wait for more! I highly recommend this book and this author!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I love romance. I love the angst and I love the pining. Evie Drae’s Beauregard and the Beast has them all. I really enjoyed the main characters, Adam and Bo (nickname for Beauregard) and the journey of their relationship. I love how Adam’s nature belies his nickname, The Beast. And Bo’s stature belies his confidence and assertiveness. Together, their love just made me swoon. Sigh!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
What an adorable, sexy, squeal-worthy book. Their chemistry was so perfect, and Adam was such a lovable goofball at his core, even though he had the “Beast” persona to contend with.
Ms. Drae has such a fun, relatable way of writing, too, that just sucks you right in and keeps you in the story.
I loved the growth both characters went through as well, and Lulu is such a crack-up!
All-in-all I’m just thrilled I got to read it, and can’t wait to read more!!
Of all the book reviews I’ve ever written, today is the most meaningful to me. First because I had the privilege of seeing Beauregard and the Beast from concept to execution to reality. But also because the creator of this particular gem happens to be one of the top three most important people in my life.
Before I get into the actual review, you may wonder why you should even bother since I am clearly biased toward the author. Here’s why: Evie Drae is not only my best friend, but also an invaluable critique partner. Our personal relationship carries an unheard of level of honesty that carries over into our writing. We absolutely tell each other with painful levels of truth when things aren’t working.
Folks, you need to understand… everything here works!
In addition to being the unrepentant founder and number one member of the Evie Drae fan club, Beauty and the Beast happens to be my absolute favorite Disney cartoon of all time. So when my beloved bestie proposed a gender bending retelling of my favorite animated film, I was all in. And you should be too!
In an updated (and much needed) change from the original story, our adorkably precious Beauregard “Bo” Wilkins is not kidnapped by The Beast. Instead he is hired to be the PA for the hulking MMA fighter who, from all appearances, earned such a fear inducing moniker honestly. So sweet, kinda innocent Bo feels like he might be traipsing into the lion’s den by taking the job.
But you know what they say about assumptions.
Adam “Beast” Littrell is anything but the intimidating creature the media hypes him to be. That is, not outside the ring. When Adam steps into the octagon he is focused and intent. In his everyday life he is an aging MMA superstar looking for something more substantial than a championship title: love and family.
Two things Bo offers wrapped in a small, serious package.
Bo seemingly has tunnel vision, fixated on being the best PA he possibly can. However, all too soon both men are overcome with near palpable attraction for the other. One that extends far beyond lusty need (we’ll come back to that) to a deep mental and emotional connection that challenges both men to become better versions of themselves and draws them increasingly closer.
As things move from shy admiration to pantingly hot desire, a bit of real life slams into their burgeoning relationship in the spunky, sassy form of Bo’s little sister, and the reason he needed the intimidating position as Adam’s PA to begin with, Lulu. She is a typical eighteen year old with one notable exception: she is the apple of her big brother’s eye. Both a special position to hold… and a slightly overwhelming one. Her own drama manages to thread its way into Bo and Adam’s tenuous connection, putting their future in question.
Let’s just circle back to the lust I mentioned earlier. Evie Drae is an absolute master of sexual attraction between her characters that culminates in the steamiest intimate scenes I’ve ever read. Her natural poetic way with words carries into her character’s sexy times and manages to amplify the heat to unbearable levels. Pro tip: keep your partner or favorite battery operated boyfriend nearby. They won’t go to waste.
If you love fairytale retellings, you need to grab Beauregard and the Beast.
If you love gender bending takes on classics, you need to grab Beauregard and the Beast.
If you love gay romance, you need to grab Beauregard and the Beast.
If you love romance with a guaranteed HEA that is super deserved, you need to grab Beauregard and the Beast.
If you love beautifully crafted stories, you need to grab Beauregard and the Beast.
Basically if you have more than two brain cells bopping around in your cranium, you really need to grab your own copy of Beauregard and the Beast RIGHT THIS SECOND. And to help you out, I am including the links so you can one click ASAP.