She’s my sun and moon.My stars, my air, my sunshine.She’s every heartbeat.There are two kinds of women in the world – those I can bang, and those I can’t.My teammate’s sister?She’s a can’t.I moved in with her to protect her from a nasty ex, not to be the next guy in line.She’s the brains.I’m the brawn.She’s the fruit.I’m the sausage.She talks too much.I don’t talk at all, if I don’t have to.… the fruit.
I’m the sausage.
She talks too much.
I don’t talk at all, if I don’t have to.
Should be easy to resist her.
But every minute I spend with Felicity is another minute she gets under my skin. She makes me feel like something more than a dumb puckhead with a big Zamboni pony. And it’s getting harder to remember why I need to keep my hands to myself.
Beauty and the Beefcake is a vegan-friendly standalone romantic comedy featuring a hockey player whose vocabulary is the only thing smaller than a hockey puck, a book smart but aimless ventriloquist with too many voices in her head, a dilapidated old house that may or may not be haunted, and no cheating or cliffhangers.
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You wouldn’t think a grunting hockey player could be hot and sexy, but Ares Berger proves a man with few words makes every action count instead. Seriously loved this book!
I found my book boyfriend, no girlfriend, no pet…no this is my favorite book of all times. This is a book that I will read and re-read. I think this book and the book before in this series Royally Pucked are two books that have stolen a place in my heart forever. Ares, Felicity and Loki (yes a monkey) are now my la familia. Author Pippa Grant has found a way to take a huge gentle giant of a hockey player, who rarely speaks out loud; but speaks thru his actions on and off the ice. She molds him into a person that I and almost everyone I have spoken to has fallen in love with. Felicity, oh my stars is a quite a character or two or three. You will understand when you read this book. I have to think she if this were a paranormal book she would be Ares life mate. As a person she had me rollin on the floor in tears. Our author is amazing in her descriptions to the point at times I felt like I was right there in the room with them. I could see her and her friends at the comedy club. Yep that real indeed. Then we have Loki the monkey. He is not Ares’s pet but his friend who but he has adopted Ares. Loki has a life all his own and he knows how to communicate with all around him including those who have passed beyond…Grammy. This book has it all… from dickcookies to talking on a cell phone in gifs, a ghost that knows how to knit from the beyond and a monkey who opens doors that really should be left closed. If you have not had the privilege of meeting this author through her books. I invite you to pick one up… now I would highly suggest starting at Mr McHottie the book that started it all and move on from there. And if you have kindle unlimited yep she has them in the KU library… It won’t hurt to read them out of order but if you decide to read just a few then read Ares’s twin too. Zeus has his own book which came out first. Can’t have one without the other. So if The Pilot & The Puck Up (Zeus’s book) and Beauty and the Beefcake (Areas ) and don’t worry I heard thru the Pipsquad there are more books coming soon for us to read too. For a RomCom this book is one of the best out there. For the record in MY BOOK this BOOK is one of theod. best books Period.
I’ve been on a Pippa Grant kick lately. Her novels are hilarious but also addictively romantic, and fan favorite Beauty and the Beefcake really knocked the puck into the goal for me (yeah, it’s a hockey romance). Read a few of the other books to get background on hero Ares for maximum pleasure reading this one, as we finally get inside of the head of the man of VERY few words as he falls for a nerdy genius ventriloquist of, arguably, too many words. They’re delightful together, and when they finally get rid of the monkey (of course there’s a monkey) and consummate their attraction – let’s just say that’s the steamiest scene I’ve read in a long time. This is confection with a core of real emotion.
Everyone Wants to be Seen
Sexy, slow burn, teammate’s sister rom-com with lots of laughs, plenty of pranks, some monkey antics, and an opinionated ghost. It’s also the first of Grant’s work to bring me to tears (due to sentiment, not tragedy).
Wasn’t sure how Ares could be the romantic hero, but he came through in a big way. Guess I hadn’t truly *seen* him either. Reading his POV was enlightening, especially since it seemed to fit him so well — powerful, with no wasted words.
Felicity is lost. She feels like she shouldn’t be — that she should have all the answers — but she has yet to latch on to her purpose, her passion. What she does seem to latch onto is crappy suitors. So how can she trust herself when she starts getting close to Ares?
Loved Ares & Felicity – they are perfect for each other. Ares has little to say and Felicity talks for everyone. Loki is hysterical too. It was great catching up with all of the others too. This series has been so much fun and can’t wait for more.
Pippa Grant had the ability to create the strongest, most lovable characters I’ve read in a while. Felicity was as quirky as they come and beefcake Ares was … so damn swoony without even meaning to be. The guy didn’t say much but when he did he made it count. The Beauty and the Beefcake was chuckle-out-loud funny and not to mention so totally sexy! I want more from Grant and I need more of her Thruster Hockey players … stat!
A man of few words. But when he does speak, holy heck. I swooned. Felicity was defenseless against the giant teddy bear of a man who would defend her honor and love her the way Ares does. Never disappointed with Pippa, another great read.
So this was not what I was expecting when I read the title originally. This was way better. So we get to read about Ares the other Berger twin. Now we find out a bit more about Ares, I mean we know he is tall, muscley and a man of few words. Why is that? I will say that it was a sad little story. Just because he does not talk does not mean he is not smart. I am not going to lie though, his thoughts are a bit funny. He is also good with pets. Then we have Felicity, who happens to be a sister to one of Ares team mates. She is really freaking smart with several degrees but still has no idea who she is or what she wants to do. Except to work for the Thrusters. Well both Felicity and Ares are in a but of a pickle and are put together. It seems as though these two need each other and didn’t even realize it. I mean Ares seems to think he is content by himself and Felicity she just thinks she attracts weirdos. So Felicity definitely talks a lot but she still manages to see Ares for who he is and vice versa. I love Gammy’s ghost though. That is a bit funny. So what happens with these two? I will tell you that we do get a happily ever after.
Oh Ares. I am in tears over his story and who he is. He’s sweet, sensitive, observant, protective, quiet, and smart. I loved him in all of the parts he was in any previous books and now he finally got his story.
Felicity is absolutely adorable. Super smart but also unsure of herself. Three degrees and she still doesn’t know what she wants to be when she grows up. I can absolutely relate to that. I loved that she is a ventriloquist and all of the puppets had me cracking up. Loki the Monkey definitely tried to steal the show and he might just be my soul animal.
This story had me laughing, crying, and swooning. I could read all day about the life of Ares and Felicity.
read 1 plus chapters, totally lost interest
When I learned that Beauty and the Beefcake would be Ares’s story, I was intrigued. I had been wanting to read more about him since The Pilot and the Puck-Up. So I was anticipating this book.
The first half of this book was aggravating for me.
Felicity drove me bonkers, and Ares wasn’t much better.
I was finding myself frustrated, and contemplated DNF’ing the book. I pushed on though, and am somewhat glad I did. I will say the last 25% of the book was what I wanted. It showed the relationship between Ares and Felicity, but it also showed the sibling issues between Felicity and Nick. Honestly, that last 25% of the book, is what I wanted the entire time. Yet I had to go through the slow burn, and deal with the character voices to get there.
After the first two books in the series, I was verry anxious for Ares’s story. I was wondering what kind of woman would sweep him off his feet. And Felicity didn’t disappoint me. The two main characters couldn’t be more different, but there is a strong chemistry between them and in the end of the story we see how perfectly they complement each other on all basis. Because Ares is of a quieter nature, I was primarily amused by Felicity with her ‘different personalities’ throughout this novel. That doesn’t mean that Ares is boring, far from it. He has a lot going on beneath his facade. They are so perfect for each other. So far, this is my favorite book in the series.
This book is for all the women (and men) who do not fit the mold and struggle to find their purpose in our linear world. It shows us we are all worthy of finding what makes our heart happy. The story has a little bit of everything – engaging characters, witticisms, and storylines plus sweet moments, fan your face steamy, side splitting hilarity, tearful scenes, and heart squeezing love. Ares and Felicity’s love story has all the feels – expect to laugh and cry – but more importantly, expect to be able to see yourself as sexy and beautiful even in the moments when you’ve felt lost and different. On the surface, Ares and Felicity appear to be complete opposites. Felicity is a vegan and a genius with 4 college degrees who graduated high school at 13 but cannot seem to find her life path. She also is a talented ventriloquist, has an overly protective older brother and seems to attract/date weirdo stalkers. Ares is a 6’9” mountain of a man who’s a professional hockey player. Most everyone believes Ares is so stupid that he can barely speak and probably cannot tie his own shoes. Ares believes he will never have a spouse or kids because of who he is but he is content that hockey is his life. Felicity just wants to work for the Thrusters, the local hockey team and all her degrees are about trying to get hired by them. The story starts with Felicity’s brother Nick (also a hockey player) asking Felicity to help Ares with his high ankle sprain (her latest degree is a PTA) while simultaneously asking Ares to move in with and watch Felicity because of her crazy ex. On their way to their HEA, Ares and Felicity have to both learn a lot about love, trust, letting go of fear, and learning to embrace who you are. Ares in his quiet loving generous way helps Felicity find her path. While Felicity in her loud, venting in so many voices shows Ares that he is so much more than just hockey. Sprinkled liberally throughout this beautifully paced story of Ares and Felicity’s HEA, there are also some other characters from the Pippa Universe. It is okay if you have not yet read the love stories of these characters though. They are woven seamlessly into this story so rather than being overwhelming or detracting from the main love story, these characters are beautiful additions to the unfurling of Ares and Felicity’s dance of love, passion and hilarity. With Beauty and the Beefcake, Pippa Grant once again proves she’s the queen of rom-coms and Ares is the best book boyfriend that will ever be.
I’ve just finished the first three books in Pippa Grant’s The Thrusters Hockey Series. Yup, addictively read them one after another (plus the freebie extra epilogues kindly provided via links at the end of each book), laughing (and nearly peeing at times) all the way through. These books are not only perfect romantic comedies they’re perfect romance tales. Period. I don’t know who I’d rather be, super tough pilot Joey, better than a princess Gracie or super brainy ventriloquist (and so much more) Felicity. They are all super heroines. If I can’t be them I wish I had them as close friends, and really love the super-hunks they ended up with (and not just because hockey is my favorite sport). All three books are highly recommended – and I can’t wait to read through book 4 which I’m about to start.
Have admit, I have a soft spot for the Berger twins, Ares being my favorite. This book has Pippa Grant’s signature humor, but much more, because Ares Berger has a depth undiscovered until this story. Grab this one it is one of my favorites.
Beauty and the Beefcake is a great Romantic Comedy. Ares and Felicity’s slow burn story is hilarious, original, sweet, and sexy. Ares is a gentle giant, injured hockey player, reserved, handsome, and protective. Felicity is a ventriloquist, very talkative, sassy and so hilarious! These opposite characters are great together, and their chemistry is hot! I love them both! I like to have dual POV. The secondary characters are great and they have an important part in this story. Virginia Rose and Wen Ross did an amazing job with the narration. I enjoyed it.
Audio Review
Ares Berger has so much more to him than his size and his grunts. Beneath his grumpy exterior lies a heart as big as the moon and a smart man that loves having people underestimate him. When he is forced to be off the ice from an injury though and is ask to protect a teammates sister from her ex he gets more than he bargained for. Felicity is off limits but he sure is having a hard time following those rules.
Felicity and all her quirky puppets and their voices are constantly talking. She uses the voices as a shield to protect her but when Area moves in to Gammy’s house things happen and she finally lets her guard down for the big guy.
This book is so funny as all of this authors books are but there is so much going on too. From the animal puppets to the monkey who is real to the haunted house that they are sure Gammy is playing tricks on them in to the supporting characters to Ares and Felicity who are both broken in some ways and need each other to heal what’s inside. Great story and I loved it.
Wen Ross and Virginia Rose were perfect for Ares and Felicity. Wen with his deep voice did Ares and his grunts justice and Virginia gave Felicity and all her voices just what they needed. They were perfect and I loved listening to them.
I love it and highly recommend it. It is a stand alone so you don’t have to have read/listened to the others in this series but they are great also and I loved them too.
Felicity Murphy is the beauty and Ares Berger is the beast. Felicity is brilliant and she several degrees to prove it. What she doesn’t have is a career with the Thrusters organization, or good taste in men. She’s had at least two exes become stalkers. She also can’t stop talking and has several dummies who help her with that in her ventriloquist act, and unfortunately, not just on stage.
Ares is one of the famous Berger Twins, hockey heroes who are, quite literally larger than life. He’s the quiet twin which most people assume means the unintelligent one. On the injured list, he ends up staying with his teammate’s sister, Felicity. And he finds that she is the only person other than his twin that actually sees him and past th
This forbidden romance was so sweet, hilarious, and steamy! Felicity is living in her late grandmother’s house when her brother shows up and asks if his teammate Ares, and his service monkey, can stay there while Ares recuperates his injured ankle. Felicity is directionless, being extremely intelligent, having 4 college degrees, but doesn’t have a clue about life or her purpose. She expresses her thoughts and frustrations through her ventriloquism and her multiple hilarious characters, especially at the most awkward situations. Ares was born to play hockey. He loves it and is lost when he can’t be out on the ice. He doesn’t need to talk because he shows what he is thinking with his expressions and through his actions. They are total opposites in so many ways, but they have an instant connection, understand each other intrinsically, and their fiery attraction is palpable. Their love story is sweet, heartfelt and sizzling! I loved the way Felicity understood Ares’ everylook and action, not needing more than his hilarious grunts. She faught for him when others overlooked his intelligence, and he protected her and helped her understand her worth.
Wen Ross, and Virginia Rose did a great job narrating this delightful romcom and bringing it to life. I love both their voices, along with their flawless comedic timing and dynamic voice changes. Ross was so perfect as the gentle giant with the deep grunts and Rose was amazing as she performed all the different ventriloquist character voices. They really put themselves out there, being just as outrageous in their deliveries making this fast paced, hilarious, heartfelt, and sweet & steamy romance so much fun!
If you like a big strong alpha, a strong quirky woman and a large side of laughs, this is your book. Also featuring a monkey, a ghost, an excellent cast of friends and several dummies, I can only recommend you download it asap. You’re welcome.