Beauty and The Best

“Once upon a time… a long time ago, there lived a beast of a man, locked within a castle with no one to love him…”

Jolie Gardener is a chef and an aspiring writer. She’s also a survivor, a woman who’s gone through hell and came out of it with determination. The determination to succeed and not repeat her mother’s mistakes. So, when she gets hired to be a chef to Todd Best, a famous artist and widower, an idea appears.  Todd would make a great tragic fictional hero… And she could help him recover. But Jolie’s determined all the romance will remain in the novel. Her guardian angel may have something to say about that, however…

“…This is not his story. This is the story of another man, locked within himself, and the Beauty who sets him free.”

Todd has no desire to paint. Or live, for that matter, not since his wife died two years past. But, fate and a guardian/kitty have other plans for him. Which he sees soon, after vibrant, beautiful, alive Jolie comes into his life…

Judy Fennell has succeeded in writing an engaging and hilarious book.  The first half was a bit slow, but it picked up later. Also, Jolie was a bit annoying at times, with her “secret”, which she didn’t see as an invasion of privacy, her monosyllables at emotional moments and talking of body parts as separate entities. But, overall, this is a funny, sweet book about two broken people falling in love.  The best part?

 They lived happily ever after…

Mimi Smith