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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I really enjoyed this book! It was a fast paced good read! I loved the chemistry between Elliott and Abel. I love a good single parent story and this one met my expectations! The kids were very much a major part of the story. I would definitely recommend this book!
Received an arc for an honest review
Favorite Quotes:
“I’m making a hard rule—no glitter. I don’t care what projects the kids have, do not bring glitter in this room.” I laugh at her insistence, mostly because I get where she’s coming from. “Agreed. I am not vacuuming satan’s decorations off this floor.”
I could have probably bounced a quarter off the abs on her. I, on the other hand, have lost actual quarters in my fat roll.
“Cougar guidelines?” “Half your age plus seven is how young you can date without it looking weird… When you’re old, like for real old, he’ll still be young enough to cater to your every whim.” Elliott’s eyebrows shoot up, and I can tell she’s visualizing all the ways her future self could benefit from this. “I’ve always wanted to have a cabana boy fanning me and feeding me grapes.” “There ya go!” Joey exclaims. “He can even wear a speedo!” Elliott’s eyes flash over to mine and she gives me a flirty shrug. “Make sure you keep those abs in shape.”
I really don’t want it to be here. I love my mother, but I prefer loving her from a distance.
My Review:
I am enamored with M.E. Carter’s deft and agile writing style, endearingly flawed yet well-meaning and hard-working characters, and the relevant and relatable issues tucked into her well-crafted and highly engaging storylines. I have relished these cleverly amusing Smartypants Romances, each one has been a snarkalicious smirk-fest and most have been giggle-snort worthy as well. M.E. Carter’s contributions to the series have provided me with both and I had the fleeting thought of amassing an altar of sweatbands and sweets in tribute to her keen wit, snappy banter, and amusing yet insightful observations. However, I was unable to follow-through on this scheme, as the materials seemed to mysteriously disappear as I pondered the design. I am already eagerly awaiting the arrival of her next missive on my beloved Kindle.
A truly lovely story from start to finish! Cutie and the Beast had heart, humor and just the right balance of realism to help you connect with the characters. Abel and Elliott go from strangers to roommates to friends and then lovers, all while balancing single parenthood. The pacing of this story was so spot on and not rushed. While there might have been an insta comfort between the pair, I liked that their connection was more organic. Both are dealing with daughters that are high energy, but thankfully Ainsley and Mabel are quickly bffs in every way. The conflicts the couple encounter were believable, and the way Abel and Elliott worked through things to find their HEA was as well. M.E. Carter knows how to craft a total feel good read! 4.75 Stars
This was such a fun, sweet story! I’m totally in love with Abel and Elliott.
Abel is a single dad just trying to make it through each day with this 8-year-old daughter Mabel. His wife left the two of them to pursue a life as a supermodel – living emotional scars on his daughter and leaving him tight finances. So when he decides to rent a room in his home, the last person he even thought about was renting to another single parent. Especially one who was cute and slowing started to mean more to him than a roommate.
Elliott and her daughter Aisley have been living with her mother since her divorce three years ago. Although she loves her mom, living with her is a totally different story. So when the opportunity comes up to move out – she takes it. Hey living with a super hot trainer at the gym she works at won’t be a problem. There is no way a guy like him would want anything to do with an older woman – who comes with a child. Right?
Cohabitating with your best friend is one thing but when the little lady of the house starts throwing shade at Elliott – it just may be too much to handle. And when parenting styles are different, can the two of them last?
Elliott is a strong heroine who is funny and has such a great sense of humor. Abel is kindhearted and sweet and a man who loves his child the way he does is super sexy. These two together were such a good combination and made it hard to put the book down long enough to feed my own kids.
If you haven’t read ME Carter before, this is a great book to jump in and fall in love with her writing. Loved it!
3.5 Stars!
I’ve been looking forward to picking up more of Ms.Carter’s books! After having read Weight Expectations last year I was glad to pick up another Cipher Office book! I finished reading it in one sitting and I enjoyed this story!
Abel and Elliott’s journey isn’t quite the easy one. I really liked these two, how they were brought into each other’s lives, and getting to see parenthood through their eyes. I felt so many different things throughout reading which I enjoyed.
I just struggled a bit to fully connect with these characters at times.
With Cutie and the Beast, Ms.Carter created a great read!
*I volunteered to read and review a copy of this book from Smartypants Romance / the author*
I’ve enjoyed reading M.E. Carter’s previous books, particularly her Hart and Texas Mutiny series, so I know her writing clicks with me. I honestly don’t know why either of her contributions to the Cipher Office series aren’t faring as well. While I had issues with one of the main characters in Weight Expectations, I quite liked the main characters in Cutie and the Beast, and I loved Carter touching upon blended families and trying to balance the romance with reality. However, Abel and Elliott didn’t really share that love connection, almost as if they were better suited platonically than romantically. I did like how they were as friends and as parents, but as romantic partners, something was lacking. What did work well was the humor and was something that I appreciated. While this wasn’t my favorite read from Carter, I did enjoy Cutie and the Beast more than Weight Expectations. 3.5 stars.
Cutie and the Beast is the perfect blended family RomCom! This new addition to the Cipher Office series is charming, funny and romantic. I enjoyed this story so much. If you enjoy a good romantic comedy with hilarious family moments, this is the perfect read for you! I can definitely see myself picking this book back up anytime I need a feel-good escape from reality.
I thought this was a good, entertaining and at times hilarious story. Both Abel and Elliot find themselves single parents, each having a second-grade daughter, as well as being co-workers at the same fitness facility. I enjoyed seeing their friendship develop and strengthen even more once they became roommates. I liked how the blending of the families was handled, especially for the girls’ sake.
Another cute, funny romance from M.E. Carter. I enjoyed this addition to the series and how relatable the characters and their problems are. Elliott and Abel are single parents that are just trying to raise their girls and survive. I enjoyed Elliott and her let’s get this done attitude. Abel was a nice surprise with how funny and patient he is. Excited to read Joey’s story.
This was a super cute read and a good addition to the Cipher Office series – interconnected standalones within the Penny Reid universe.
Elliott and Abel are both single parents who are just doing their best to get by. Abel is a trainer at Weight Expectations, and he has had a string of bad luck between his wife leaving, the gym burning down, and difficulty building back up his client list. To ensure he doesn’t lose his home, he opts to take on a housemate. He is funny and charming, and an all-round good guy.
Elliott is in need of a job so she can move herself and her daughter out of her mother’s home. She is determined, hard working, and sweet.
These two have a lot in common, and they easily make the transition from housemates and coworkers to lovers. However, I don’t know how much I believed in their relationship. Maybe it was how easy or convenient it was? The way they fit into each other lives seemed a little too effortless at times.
And though the chemistry is there and their relationship seems to work, these two have a number of issues they choose to ignore or overlook, specifically dealing with their children and their very different parenting styles.
There were a number of moments that made me smile and laugh out loud. Overall, an enjoyable read in a series I am loving!
I read the first book in this series, Weight Expectations, by this same author, and loved it. So it’s no surprise that I adored this story as well! The relationship in this story was just so real. There wasn’t anything that was crazy out there just for drama’s sake. The way the two dealt with things also was just so realistic. Family, friends, all of it was so funny and sweet and I know I keep saying it, but so real!
Elliott’s name did mess me up at first, because I’ve really only known boys with that name, but I guess after Rian in the first book I shouldn’t have been so surprised. She totally had down how to raise her own child, obviously from her background, and that was so helpful in how she dealt with the things that came up with Abel’s daughter as well. But she learned things about her relationship with her own mother towards the end, and that was a great moment of growth as well. Even with her knowledge, you could see her getting frustrated with the kids and that made her human too.
Then Abel, the Beast, was just perfect. Yeah he was younger than her, but he was mature, probably because of being a single dad. Honestly, the way he told her he didn’t care about it, I can’t remember it exactly, but it was the way I’ve always thought I’d like a younger guy to feel about me in a similar situation. And the way the two of them became good friends, with only the little inklings of attraction in the beginning made it perfect for how a good relationship goes from friends to more. The kids were great too. Again you had the one that was bratty because she didn’t want Elliott to take her mom’s place, although how that all panned out brought tears to my eyes in the end as well.
Such a sweet, funny, wonderful story. So many times I was laughing out loud, loudly! Once again I am grateful I guess for this quarantine time and being able to read a book in a day. I can’t wait to read more by this author, in this series, or others!
Really enjoyed the latest in the Cipher Office series.
On paper, Elliot and Abel are just friends. They’re both divorced, single parents trying to raise their daughters, keep their careers going and make ends meet.
We met Abel in Weight Expectations, where Able is a personal trainer and Elliot works in the daycare. Abel is looking for a roommate to help makes send meet, and Elliot is looking to get out of her mom’s house, so they decide to make a go at being roommates, along with their respective daughters.
Their friendship was so enjoyable to read. They really were a believable pair – you could feel their connection. And they didn’t dance around the impact of introducing children to a new love interest and potentially forming a new family. It was dealt with very well, with sensitive writing and great dialog.
I loved this single dad love story with all the ups and downs that comes along for a second chance at true love between Abel and Elliot.
Another great story in the Pennyuniverse that I love so much.
This was a cute story, but I felt like the characters were disconnected from each other, I felt like their spark was missing, I wanted more from this story.
This was a sweet, funny story between two lovely people who go from housemates to friends to lovers.
“You’re hot. I’m hot. We came here with our kids. Who wouldn’t think we’re together?”
Both Abel and Elliott are single parents. Abel is looking to rent a room out to make his mortgage payments, and Elliott is looking to move out of her overbearing mother’s house. So, they go from brand new co-workers to housemates to the best of friends, as their lives start to mesh together into a makeshift-family pattern. They are also really attracted to each other but Elliott has reservations about rocking the status quo, especially when things are not quite as smooth-sailing as she’d like them to be.
“You can only fall in love with someone if you’re looking to find it. I’m hoping to find it you.”
This story was a pretty gentle ride. Abel and Elliott have fantastic banter and fall into such an easy, natural rhythm together. I loved the organic progression of their relationship. Abel is a sexy beast who is kindhearted, caring, has an amiable demeanour, and is just trying to do his best by his daughter. Elliott is practical, straightforward, has a great sense of humour, and is a fantastic mother. These two were made for each other! Great story that was funny, sexy, heartwarming, and deals with the trials and tribulations of parenting.
Cutie and the Beast is a fun, sweet and entertaining romance with plenty of banter.
Trainer and single dad Abel (aka The Beast) is doing his best to make ends meet and raise his eight year old daughter.
Cute single mom Elliott and new manager of the gym’s daycare needs to move out of her mom’s house if she hopes to preserve their good relationship and not get on each other’s last nerve.
Abel and Elliott decide to combine resources. On paper it seems a perfect arrangement but real life can throw some curve balls at you.
“When they moved in, I didn’t anticipate they would become this part of my life that just fit, but that’s exactly what happened. They slid into this empty spot I didn’t know was there.“
I really enjoyed this story. Two smart and precocious eight year olds, two divorced parents, one workplace, and one home combine with a real life feel and true to life situations for a very believable tale.
-4.5 Stars!-
Cutie and the Beast is taking us back to Weight Expectations Gym and the story of Elliot and Abel. They are each navigating life as a single parent while trying to meet all the needs of their family. It is a sweet story that puts together people that go from strangers, to co-workers, to roommates to maybe finding romance . Elliott and Able give you a realistic glimpse of the daily struggles into the life of the world of a single parent life. They each are trying to balance work, take care of their daughters, keep themselves sane, be the role of two parents and hopefully find love on that journey. They are cute, sweet, realistic and making it work!
~~Michele McMullen ~~
Reading an ME Carter book is like reading a well written journal. It feels as though I am prying into someone’s everyday life and get to hear about the good and bad things that happen along the way. It is a very unique style of writing that is always very intriguing, but it also seems to fall flat for me when the drama and intensity is lacking.
I am the kind of reader that can get bored very easily. I love drama and angst. I get giddy when the author has me at the edge of my seat, my heart pounding with sadness or anger. And if the author doesn’t string me along with mystery and tension, then I usually find myself lacking an emotional connection to the characters. And unfortunately that it what seemed to happen with Cutie and the Beast.
I can appreciate a single parent romance. Being in my early 30’s, I no longer find it hard to relate to women in their 40’s, or to people with children in elementary school (since I have a 3rd grader of my own). But for me, the book focused a little too much on the children. It left me feeling like Abel and Elliott had nothing in common other than having daughters the same age. The romance just wasn’t intense enough for me. It was a sweet friendship, but felt somewhat forced when it came to actually falling in love. Maybe they were just meant to be, and it made being together easy. But I just needed a little more excitement and lust from both of them.
But overall the book wasn’t bad. It was well written and had some good life lessons thrown into it. It was romantic in a sweet sense, putting friendship above everything else, and learning to grow together as parents when your parenting styles are so much different. It’s the kind of book that gives you hope that maybe not all relationships have to have drama and chaos. So even though it might not be the kind of thing that I enjoy reading about, in the end it really does feel true to real life.
Such incredible work! M. E. Carter has, once again, written a fantastic Smartypants romance story!
I was in the mood for a good single parent(s) romance, so this showed up on my kindle at the perfect time! Let me tell you, M. E. Carter did not disappoint!
I couldn’t get enough of Abel and Elliott! Elliott’s slightly more serious/matured demeanour complemented Abel’s laid-back but efficienf approach to things. Although they encounter problems “meshing” their two parenting styles, by the end of the story you can see how perfect they are when they work together.
I don’t want to let any spoilers slip so I won’t elaborate too much… I will just finsh by saying this: If you are in the mood for a really great “roommate-ish” romance read with a cute, swoon-worthy, single Dad, a sweet and mature single mom, and two adorable little girls, then you’ve hit the jackpot with this book!
Seriously though, you need this book in your life! Go get it, read it and fall in love! Will absolutely be rereading this book!
Download your copy today: https://smartypantsromance.com/books/cutie-and-the-beast/u2063
u2063
Single parent romance books are one of my go-to tropes in this genre. Throw in double single parents and you have nowhere to go but up. Right? …. YES, RIGHT, AND UP WE WENT!! You guys, I just finished this read last night and it was the best evening read I’ve had in a while. It made me happy from beginning to end and I slept like a baby after I finished 🙂
These two were ridiculously perfect together. Totally different yet so complementary! The author did an excellent job with characterization and story development. Elliot and Abel did an awesome job of balancing each other out in all aspects of their lives. It was a pleasure reading this story!
There’s a lot more to this book than just a romance. It’s a story of growth and development and acceptance and dreams and hope and love and family … *happy sigh*