The Belle and the Beard

They say things come in threes – good things…bad things…strange things…all the things. So it could be said that this saying is true of the Santillian triplets. You may have met the oldest, Ash Santillian, the grumpy accounting guy with a love for all things Zelda (and cookies), or Magnolia Santillian Russo, the landscape designer who is building her business and growing her family with the impending birth of her twin boys, and you may have heard about Linden, the arborist who loves longs walks in the woods, quiet and peaceful mornings, and the solitude his little cottage near the great forest provides to him.Well, that solitude went out the door when Jasper-Anne Cleary showed up in her beat up station wagon, trying to enter the home next door to Linden's home which had been vacant for two years. After a “media event” went sideways in her role as a political strategist, Jasper showed up to the vacated home, tail between her legs and a crowbar in her hands to enter the home she was gifted after her Aunt Midge died. The initial interaction between these two characters is off the chain – Linden reacts in ways he doesn’t expect – seeing through her polished but contrite responses to his questions. Jasper is seconds away from the meltdown she has felt for hours – and refuses to allow this growly, overgrown man-bear to see her as anything other than competent.The chemistry between the two characters is strong, both gravitating toward but not certain about each other, with Jasper refusing to show weakness or demonstrate anything other then competence in front of Linden or anyone else. Linden simply cuts through all that BS to see someone who is overcompensating for something, although he has no idea what, and simply wants to take care of Jasper. The interactions between the two characters as Jasper attempts to bake, complete home maintenance and renovations and simply be in the same room with her neighbor are both funny - nails, crowbars and broken boxes in the driveway and revealing - in power dynamics, traditional gender stereotypes and simple vulnerabilities each character possesses. When Linden’s mother, Diana, shows up one day to his home with Jasper donning a loaned flannel shirt from Linden and wet hair, well let the assumptions and emotions begin.This author has a way with righting angst and witty banter into each book she has delivered to the world, and her 21st book is no exception. Of the three triplets, Linden is likely the most complex, and definitely is a dirty, dirty lumberbear. Jasper is professional, knowledgeable and as her story unfolds, the reader can see how certain events caused her to build walls that were 15-30 feet high around her. Linden does a subtle and gentle demolition of those walls to get to her true self. The book is a strong read and rounds out the Santillian Triplets with HEAs all around. If you have enjoyed this author in the past, you definitely want to pick this book up to hear her next story. I wasn’t expecting to like Linden as much as I did – and am ever so grateful for the sheer genius of the author. Highly recommend!

Jasper has hit rock bottom. Her job has just taken a very public nose dive, her husband has filed for divorce, and the only place she has to go is a dilapidated house in Massachusetts. She is trying to figure out her next steps when out pops her burly new neighbor, arborist Linden. A clash of wills ignites an endearing, cozy, and incredibly spicy new relationship. In addition to the tension and steam, I absolutely loved and identified with Jasper's struggles. What do you do when a chapter in your life is over...when you're not sure what comes next? How do you figure out what you want when your plans are upended and there's no going back?Highlights 😘*Mid 30s pansexual MCs who don't have it all figured out*Working through issues before jumping in bed*Grumpy/sunshine*Linden is calm and collected alpha energy...and huge LOTR fan*Jasper is a charming little hellcat, with a large birthmark on her face*Funny and Heartfelt*Steamy 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️This takes place in Canterbary's Washes world (that series is phenomenal...recommend 💯) but reads as a stand alone. I have so many highlights in this one. It was just a good, cozy read.

If you read a lot like I do, then you come across many good books. Books that you willingly give 5 stars to. Then one comes along that blows all of them out of the water and you wonder how can you give this book more than 5 stars, or even do it justice when writing a reviews. That's this book for me. I knew I'd love this book and these characters, because this author is amazing. I just wasn't prepared to fall this in love with them. Both Linden and Jasper have skyrocketed to land on my very short, elite, all-time favorite characters list. This book is about a grumpy, arborist who likes to spend time alone, and a tenacious political strategist who oozes so much southern charm that you aren't sure if she just praised you or insulted you. As different as these two sound, they couldn’t be more perfect for each other.Linden is a burly, lumberjack type, that is so grumpy and growly that you think there is nothing soft or tender about him. But once Jasper gets under his skin, his sweet, kind soul emerges. It's so true that the hardest shells have the ooey-gooiest centers. Don't let this fool you though…he is still all alpha male. He is also so sexy and swoony, and oh so dirty. I can't get enough of him.I'll be honest, when I know an author is going have a southern character, especially one that's from Georgia, I get a little anxious about how she will be portrayed. I feel this even from authors that I have FULL faith in. I must say that this author got it ALL right with this character. She got all the southern parts right with none of the stereotypes. There were many parts to Jasper's story that I could relate to. Jasper is both a powerhouse and a lost soul. She is strong, smart, and tenacious, but also vulnerable and struggling to put the pieces of her life back together. I want to both be kick ass like her and kick some ass for her.As with any book from this author, this is an intelligent book. You will come out of it feeling much smarter than you did going in. The banter between these two is amazing. There are parts of this story that are funny, as well as parts that will have you in tears. If that wasn't enough the chemistry and sexual tension between these two is off the charts! This book is definitely one of my favorites, not only from this author but overall.I cannot recommend this book or this author enough. Do yourself a favor and read every single Kate Canterbary book. You will not regret it.

Kate Canterbary doesn’t write romance novels that you breeze through. She writes novels were you have to go back and re-read more than once the same passage because she is able to add two or three layers to each sentence. She writes heroines that are strong, intelligent, kick-ass fire-breathers and yet are also incredibly vulnerable and damn relatable. You don’t read a Kate Canterbary’s book without finding yourself in every other page. (The first time it happened for me was with BAM in Far Cry.)Jasper is 35 (hello, it’s me), in the middle of a life-crisis that was a long time in the making considering she made her work her only priority and turns out she hated it (hello, it’s me). Plus she hates relying on people because so many failed her and left her or instilled self-doubt (hello, it’s me). And other stuff that justify why this hard-headed she-kraken is hanging by a thread. Long story short, she crushes against Linden who was very content to be by his lumber-bear self up until then (but was he really?).I LOVED how he was capable of getting Jasper to answer questions she refused to address by herself. I LOVED how Kate made these two pansexual. I LOVED how she explored Jasper’s need to belong in her own way not only to a man but to her own community. I LOVED how beautifully she explained from multiple perspectives that not only we are all allowed but also have a right to reinvent us as many times as we want. I LOVED seeing so much more of Maggie and Rob and Zelda and Ash - it is so great when authors woven old friends into new stories so seamlessly and when it makes sense. And I LOVED how filthy and perfect her sex scenes are.<b> The only things I dislike about this book are the title and the advertised “retelling of beauty and the beast”. I truly see no comparison whatsoever and my feeling is that this might be a botched marketing angle. </b>Kate is a complex romance novel author and one I will never recommend enough.

What would you do if, like Jasper, you’d royally screw yourself up in public and consequently lose the job you’ve been working for years? Probably, you’ll go hide somewhere until everyone would forget about it. Just like her, you would need to wallow for a long time and then find a way to get out of this situation by yourself. What would you do if you had a grumpy neighbor constantly saving you?Even though this is fiction and cannot be further from my own life, there was just something about these characters that made me feel familiar. I could find a little bit of me in both of them. Don’t get me wrong, it is a rom-com but also an introspective read to me. The dialogs are grand; they pull you into the story and touch you in the deepest part of your soul. But if you’re looking for a perky new adult comedy, just pass your way; this is a grown-ass relationship.The characters look like real people, but in the end, there are exceptional fictional people. I usually do not swoon for burly bearded men, but Linden is so much more than that, just like Jasper is not only a beautiful, strong woman.

It was supposed to be a modern take on beauty and the beast but I’m so glad it actually wasn’t. This was a highly anticipated read in my Kindle orders and it was worth the wait. I found it captivating, enchanting and quite informative for example now I know what a jack o lantern mushroom is and that we call a fiddle end fern something completely different here. There were more than a few surprises along the way and things that made the characters relevant, relatable and loveable. This one is just the right amount of depraved, steamy, raunchy, happy.

I am often disappointed with how one dimensional main characters can be, either by being too perfect or flawed for seemingly no reason. This book was the opposite. Both main characters felt so authentic that I couldn't put the book down until it ended.

CW : brief mention of off page suicide. Grief.Firstly, I enjoyed this book.Lin is a gruff, lumberjack-like tree surgeon who is bossy, grumpy, over-protective and completely lovely. When he meets his new neighbour, who is there to clear the property after inheriting it after her aunt died, he has Insta-lust.Jasper is there picking herself up after her life imploded publicly. She’s very attracted to the hot, burly man next door but it’s not convenient timing for anything other than a hot, kinky fling.Pesky feelings get in the way though.I loved Jasper. I loved her strength and her will. I loved Lin and his all-in attitude. I loved that he put a hot, a hot uncomfortable spotlight on her unhealthy behaviours and attitudes (like not taking the last coffee so not to be a bother) and basically told her to stop. I loved the side characters and the found family vibe - honestly, this was the perfect blend of heat and heart (the angst was very minimal).PS - domineering, sexy times against a tree. And a cabinet. In a shower…. Basically everywhere.A great read - fabulous bi representation with both characters BTW.