The Beau & the Belle

3.5 StarsI adore R.S. Grey's books, but for some reason I really had a hard time connecting with the characters in The Beau & The Belle. Maybe it was the setup or the first part of the book, I'm not quite sure. I actually really enjoyed part two of this book, but the first part I think is what knocked off some stars for me.Lauren meets Beau when he moves in to her parents apartment when she's 17 years old, and she has a major crush on him. This begins part one of the story and we get to see her pine over him, and him push off her advances. Of course he's going to not go for her, he's 24 and she's still in high school, but the way it was set up made for a good part two, but Lauren definitely was butt hurt about it, and it kind of made me lose a bit of respect for her, the fact that 10 years later she still couldn't see that he was trying to do the right thing kind of grated on my nerves.Flash forward 10 years later and Lauren is back in New Orleans and of age.. and Beau and her can finally try things out, but she decides to play hard to get, when all Beau wants to do is show her he's a good guy! I adored Beau, he really was a good character, but Lauren, oh Lauren.. she was naive, and she didn't realize what was good and standing in front of her because of what happened so many years ago when she was in high school. I wanted to scream and yell at her so many times during part two, but once she finally realized he was genuine, I was like THANK YOU, but even then she continues to make some mistakes, and Beau sometimes lets it get to him.These two definitely didn't have an easy journey to finding love, and a lot of it could have been easier if Lauren would have just sat back and let the past go, or left it where it should have been. They really are meant for one another, and once they got things straight I really did enjoy them together. This book was good, but it was missing some of that R.S. Grey quirkiness that I'm so used too, that makes a book unable to be put down. This one just fell short for me in the fact that I had a hard time connecting with Lauren's character and that it was missing some of that R.S. Grey charm that I love so much.

2.5 stars.I don't know why I didn't give up.+ The whole "Past" wasn't good. It was a teen crush and felt yucky.+ The "Present" finally happens and the whole ten years were barley told ...+ Lauren was portrayed extremely immature - at 17 and at 27+ Lauren wasn't quirky, she acted like a child. It wasn't very cute 80% of the time.+ Preston wasn't needed in the present. It was kind of a throw away.+ Lauren's new business sounds awesome - I enjoyed so much details BUT IT ENDS BEFORE WE GET TO THE OPENING!!!+ The books ends extremely abrupt. No EpilogueI will say I did like Beau. I liked that he was the "poor" one in the story and made something of himself, and helping others effected by the hurricane.

I was intrigued the blurb of story but the book fell a little flat for me. In my opinion, Lauren acted very immature when she was 17 and later on when she was 27, she wanted something to happen between them that could have had major consequences. Beau could have been a little bit more gentle on his rejection of Lauren, but the man was struggling hard not to touch the determined jailbait.Possible Spoilers below:I expected to see a very interesting reunion, but it was mostly Lauren acting childish and Beau chasing after her, but also being cold towards her (major mixed signals). I guess my big problem is that I didn’t see or feel the connection between them it basically went like this: Beau thinking she was cute and a problem, to 10 years of complete silence, to I’m back you are mine just accept it and stop looking at other men.For me, there was no major conflict or obstacle to overcome only lovey-doves moments between them.

5 stars!R.S. Grey has quickly become one of my must-read, go-to authors. I know I am guaranteed to fall in love with the characters she creates and laugh-out-loud with that signature R.S. Grey comedic style she sprinkles throughout her novels.The Beau & the Belle was no different providing another feel-good escape.We start the novel with teenage Lauren and we get to experience her teenage-crush on Beau first hand.I adored teenage Lauren. I was in fits of laughter at her inner musings, her reactions, and what she got up to. She was hilariously relatable and I felt a lot of nostalgia reading her high school experience with little snippets of 90s/00s pop culture effortlessly mixed in."I sit there wondering what my away message says about me... My alternating-caps letters hopefully convey that I am trendy. Fun. Carefree."Lauren and Beau's story picks up again in the present day, 10 years later, when they're both in New Orleans and Lauren tries to reintroduce herself to the dating world. You'll laugh. You'll swoon. You'll fall in love.I have to say, New Orleans is the third main character in this novel. R.S. Grey could have another career as a travel agent because she SOLD me on a visit to NOLA. The descriptions of the architecture, history and things to see in New Orleans had me falling in love with the city. R.S. Grey's words made me feel like I was there experiencing the city first hand. I will be planning a visit as soon as I can get back to the States!I couldn't get enough of this novel and I couldn't read it fast enough. It is perfectly paced, gripping from the beginning, with captivating characters. It is full of R.S. Grey's charm. The perfect combination of sweet, humour, and slow burn mixed with a little angst. The Beau & the Belle is another reason why R.S. Grey will continue to be an auto-buy author for me.

At seventeen Lauren is the quirky southern belle who falls in love with the lodger in her parent’s guest house. At 24 Beau is driven and worldly and nothing like the boys at school. As much as he appears to try to keep her at arm’s length, they always seem to find themselves in situations lead to Lauren falling for him more. Annoyingly for her Beau is the perfect gentleman. He’s patient and respectful, and no matter how much she hopes, he won’t step out of the boundaries of friendship.Ten years later and Lauren is back with her ego semi intact. She’s not the lovesick girl she was back then. She’s a career woman and an honorary New Yorker and won’t be shaken by the likes of still-fine-as-hell, Beau Fortier.Ambitious Beau has made a success of himself as he had strived to do all those years ago. He has never forgotten sweet Lauren. At seventeen she was off limits, but now she’s back and grown up, Beau won’t hold back in winning her affections.This latest novel is another string to R.S. Greys’ talented bow (see what I did there?) I can’t seem to get enough of her books lately, and I’m putting it down to their addictive unputdowanableness (it’s a word). THE BEAU & THE BELLE is a hilariously-adorable second chance romance that was a pleasure and a delight to read.

Ok. R.S. Grey is always a one-click buy for me. I've read all her books and I've loved every one of them. They're funny in parts and this book was no different. I loved some of Lauren's on-liners. She was honest in every she said apart from the one time. But to be honest, I think she was trying to protect Beau and her shop.At 17 she is your typical dorky, self conscious self. She falls in love with Beau but he's too old for her. (his opinion) So when something terrible comes their way she shows him her true feelings but he pushes her away.10 years later they are reunited and Lauren still has the same feelings. She tries to hide it then thinks better of it and tries to seduce him but old insecurities come raging back.I liked Beau's determination to win Lauren over. I liked that he worked hard to put his family name back in tact. I loved the manners he had but he was little too perfect. He needed a flaw of some sort.I wanted a little more drama to happen between them though. The drama that did actually occur was boring and resolved pretty quickly. I love second chance romances and this was perfect example of one. Their mother's thought the belonged together. Even when they were young.

This is one of the dullest RS Grey books I have read.Where was the witty back and forth banter that her characters usually spew to each other? Where were the characters that I love. Neither Beau nor Lauren brought any spice to this book. They were both two of the most boring characters I have read. I also felt that they lacked chemistry. Surely, Beau wasn't that much older than Lauren. 7 yrs maybe? Yet when they meet again he seems decades older.Definitely isn't one of my favourites by this author.

This author gives me life. I want to wax lyrical about how you need to read this book, about how INCREDIBLE this author is but the words in my vocab arsenal just aren’t good enough. Just believe me and buy it. The witty banter between the characters and the inner dialogue is what I live for. This is writing gold, and I am here for it ALL. DAY. LONG.

I LOVED this book! The characters are brilliant! Looking forward to what R.S Grey releases next!

I was super excited to start with The Beau & the Belle, though. The setting of the book which is New Orleans and the story itself made me pick up this book. The “forbidden” love story of Lauren and Beau seemed to be right up my alley.In typical R. S. Grey style, this novel is romantic comedy through and through. It was filled with hilarious situations, monologues, and banter.The heroine, Lauren, is sarcastic, clumsy, but a really lovable woman – just like most of R. S. Grey’s female characters. I’m not sure if it’s only me or if I’ve read too many R. S. Grey books in a row but it seems that most of the female characters in her books act the same. Of course they are all in different situations, have different friends and family, and have different jobs, but when you look closely, they seem to be all the same: they are all sarcastic, they have a hang to be clumsy and awkward toward their love interest, they are all mostly inexperienced, but they are still kick-ass women. Now tell me, is it just me who thinks that or are they really not all that different?I love her books and her stories but for the future I wish that they are going to be more distinguishable from one another. I want more personality.I enjoyed the dual first person POV in this rom-com, however I wished there would have been more chapters from Beau’s side. There were a few situations in the story in which I had preferred Beau’s thoughts instead of Lauren’s. I think that his side would have been slightly more interesting than hers.The Beau & the Belle was divided into two parts: ‘the past’ and ‘the present’. My favorite part of the story was ‘the past’. I loved the chapters so much! There was something about Lauren and Beau and their odd but lovely relationship which gave me all the feels. It was a mix of slow-burn, that forbidden aspect, and first love.The present chapters were great too. They were fun and contained more than a few laughing out loud moments. Still, I was missing the feels I had while reading “the past” chapters.All in all, this romantic comedy was a fun and entertaining read. It’s perfect for R. S. Grey fans as well as for a rainy weekend spent at home.

Maybe there was too much hype for me that I purchased this. Iwasnt disappointed but sometimes what you expect falls a little flat. I did like Lauren, perhaps bit a ditzy yet lovable, but it wasn't a comedy for me some very minor laughs here & there but no real lol moments for me.Beau for some reason put me off. Older but I don't know if any wiser. They were a great match but they way they got there didn't really do it for me.

The story of Beau aka Beauregard Fortier and the beautiful Lauren LeBlanc is set in New Orleans and throughout the story, you'll find quite a few interesting facts about the history and looks of the famous French Quarter and Garden District of the city.In the story, the two meet when Beau moves into the small apartment on the back of LeBlancs' property. He's 24 and in his last year of law school while Lauren is 17 and in Junior high. Teenage Lauren soon starts falling for her mysterious new neighbor and Beau does his best to keep his distance from the innocent sweet girl in order to "do the right thing" and concentrate on his studies, even when it's hard because as he says:"It's been said that eyes are little windows to the soul, but hers seem to offer a floor-to-ceiling view into every damn thought in her head."Life tears them apart soon after but ten years later, they are both back in New Orleans and the age difference does not seem as inappropriate anymore as it had the last time they saw each other. But guarding her heart, Lauren did. So there begins a beautiful, witty love story with hilarious metaphors and references to the 2000s. I love the chemistry Grey has so wonderfully built and I can't wait for her future work - as always.

I absolutely love R.S. Grey and constantly check her social media pages to see when she's releasing a new novel. I was blown away reading this novel, I LOVED it! Definitely worth buying!

Super cute book by the one and only Romcom queen R.S. Grey! This book was so refreshing and as always, I was not disappointed! I'm so excited to read her next book :)

Je suis une grande fan de Rachel Grey et je trouve que ses livres sont de mieux en mieux ! J'ai beaucoup aimé celui-ci. Le fait que l'action se passe à la nouvelle Orléans change un peu des traditionnels New-York, Los Angeles etc... L'auteure arrive vraiment à nous plonger dans l'ambiance particulière de la ville. J'ai bien aimé que L'ouragan fasse partie de l'histoire.Beau est à croquer et j'ai bien aimé suivre l'évolution de Rachel dans le temps. Un bon moment de lecture

This age-gap romance is very well put together. Beau and Lauren are great characters. And the setting, New Orleans, gives the story some fun extras.

I would have loved a more solid ending but this book had me hooked from the get go. I just kept wanting more.

I really enjoyed Lauren and Beau's story. It was really sweet! I loved the New Orleans atmosphere too!! Of course, I wanted more!

My first read ever of this Indie author and It's been a great road. Will re-read sooner than later