Can Beau tame the Beast and find happiness with Dante?
The suspicious death of Dante Bartholomew’s wife changed
him, especially in the eyes of the residents of St. Giles. They no longer see a
successful businessman… only a monster they believe was involved. Dante’s
horrific reputation eclipses the truth to the point that he sees no choice but
to isolate himself and his heart.
The plan backfires when he meets counselor Beau Clarity and
the children he works with. Beau and the kids see beyond the beastly reputation
to the beautiful soul inside Dante, and Dante’s cold heart begins to thaw as
they slip past his defenses. The warmth and hope Beau brings to Dante’s life
helps him see his entire existence—his trials and sorrows—in a brighter light.
But Dante’s secrets could rip happiness from their grasp…
especially since someone isn’t above hurting those Dante has grown to love in
order to bring him down.
Dante lives a lonely, somewhat secluded life. He's a brute of man that probably murdered his wife, a monster. Or is he? That's the thing about rumors and myth, they wind up taking on a life of their own. If this man is such a monster, why would the small, devoted group of people that surround him do anything for him?
Beau lives for the kids at the center he runs. He's kind, generous and gives of himself expecting nothing in return. Scars of the past run deep though, and much like Dante, he has trouble trusting his heart to another. These two men have far more in common than they know, which is both a blessing and a curse.
I absolutely love old school fairy tales and disney movies, my favorite disney move being Beauty and the Beast! I really enjoy when an Author can take one of those classic fairy tales and shape it, mold it and make it their own. Which is exactly what Grey has done with this gem. There's just enough elements of the original story to engage your mind, but then there's the differences, something you thought went here that winds up there. Add to that Grey's own unique spin on the story and you'll be so intrigued you won't be able to put this book down. I, in fact, have now read it twice.
Guest post with Author Andrew Grey...
I love Beauty and the Beast, I really do. There is something incredibly compelling about the person with the kind, generous soul seeing through the person who is closed off and hiding behind their own walls. With this story, I really wanted to write a fairy tale type story, with a twist, but I also wanted it in a contemporary setting. I believe that fairy tales and dreams come true each and every day. I have to, I’m a romance author, my heart demands it. Beau is beauty personified, on the inside. The outside is another matter. He was injured as a child. But the injury doesn’t define Beau, what does is his ability to help others.
Dante is gorgeous, rich, and has everything most people could want. But he’s withdrawn, hiding, and the subject of gossip from the rest of the town. The same town that he provides with work and care seemingly has turned their back on him because of speculation surrounding his late wife. They call him the Beast of St. Giles. But its Beau who sees past that, if Dante will let him.
Excerpt...
Dante sat at his desk, looking up from his work and right at
the framed picture the kids had given him. Every time he took a break, there it
was. When he’d told Roberts to find an appropriate place to hang it, he hadn’t
really meant on his office wall right in front of him, where he saw it every
time he looked up.
For the last two weeks, he’d seen it and even stopped to
gaze at the children’s drawings of themselves, and damn it all if he didn’t
think of Beau and his intense eyes every time. Beau wasn’t handsome, or even
generally good-looking in a conventional way, but he had spirit and fire and
was willing to let them show. Dante had done his best to bury himself in work
and in the preparations for his upcoming trip to Europe. He’d originally
planned to leave in a week, but orders and the work they’d need to do at the
plant to fill them had delayed his trip. So instead of going to London first,
he’d moved that stop to last and kept the rest of his itinerary intact.
Roberts knocked and then entered Dante’s office with a tray.
He set a cup of coffee on the edge of the desk, along with a plate of cookies.
They were the oddest-looking cookies he’d ever seen, more oblong than round and
a little lumpy.
“Did Harriet make these?” If she had, he’d begin to wonder
if she was starting to slip.
“No. These were sent to you from the children.” Roberts
pointed to the drawing on the wall.
“Apparently you were nice to one of them at
the dinner and he wanted to say thank-you. He and his friends baked some
cookies for you, and Mr. Clarity had them sent over.” Roberts left the office,
and Dante picked up a cookie and took a small bite. They were good, if a little
dry, but nice with the coffee.
He looked up once again and saw the picture. “Roberts…,”
Dante called, and his office door opened, Roberts entering once again. “Please
call the Community Center and tell Mr. Clarity that I’d be willing to
volunteer… say, on an afternoon or evening later this week, to help out.” Dante
smiled because he knew that somehow Roberts had a hand in this. “In fact, we’re
all going to volunteer, including Harriet.” Misery loved company, after all.
“Very good, sir. I’ll make the phone calls and schedule it.”
Roberts turned and left the office.
Dante went back to work, strangely excited about seeing Beau
again. He wasn’t sure if this was a good idea or one of the stupidest notions
ever conceived. But it would make Yates happy. Yes, that was it. He was doing
this to help improve his image in the community.
Dante told himself that over and over that afternoon in the
hope that he’d eventually come to believe it, but he wasn’t sure it worked.
Andrew grew up in western Michigan with a father who loved to
tell stories and a mother who loved to read them. Since then he has lived
throughout the country and traveled throughout the world. He has a master’s
degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and works in information
systems for a large corporation.
Andrew’s
hobbies include collecting antiques, gardening, and leaving his dirty dishes
anywhere but in the sink (particularly when writing) He considers himself blessed with an
accepting family, fantastic friends, and the world’s most supportive and loving
partner. Andrew currently lives in beautiful, historic Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
Author Links
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