Bookworm and the Beast - Eastport Bay Billionaires #1 - by Tru Taylor

ABOUT THE BOOK

I’ve been sent into the lair of the beast....

It should be a dream assignment—leave my boring day-to-day routine and travel to a seaside mansion to interview superstar author Jack R. R. Bestia. Who wouldn’t want that?

Me, that’s who.

He has a reputation for being reclusive and temperamental, but that’s not why I’m leery of the assignment. It’s because the first (and last) time I met Jack… well, let’s just say I didn’t make a good impression.

When I get to the mansion—which is more like a secluded castle—things don’t go much better. I’m sure he’s going to throw me out entirely. The only way I manage to squeak in is by signing a massive non-disclosure agreement. And I soon figure out why.

Jack has a secret—and it’s a big one.

Now that iron-clad contract I signed means I have to stay here until his long-overdue book is finished—and he’s not going to make it easy.

Jack acts every bit as beastly as the tabloids claimed, and I feel like a fairytale princess trapped in his tower. But every once in a while I get a glimpse of the charming (not to mention super sexy) man beneath the growly exterior and I wonder... could this beast be tamed?

Bookworm and the Beast is a full-length hot romantic comedy retelling of Beauty and the Beast. It's a standalone enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, slow burn romance with no cheating or cliffhangers but plenty of humor and heart.

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PURCHASE LINKS

$3.99 for a limited time!

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

Free in Kindle Unlimited

EXCERPT

Jack towered over me—so much taller and larger than I’d realized when I’d seen him sitting down at the book signing.

He was, in a word, intimidating.

“Uh hi,” I blurted, sounding as foolish as I felt. Nervous, I unconsciously rubbed the tapered end of the sleek award.

One of Jack’s brows lifted, and his gaze dropped pointedly to my hands. I glanced down at the distinctly phallic trophy I’d been caressing then turned again and quickly set the award back in its place.

Spinning back to face Jack, I attempted to salvage the awkward caught-in-the-act moment by sticking my hand out.

And babbling.

“It's so nice to meet you. I’ve really been looking forward to this, and I hope you have, too, because I think this is really going to be great. Our readers will be really excited to hear what you have to say about the new book—I mean, no pressure to say anything in particular. I know how you feel about spoilers, and I’d never ask you to divulge any. Oh, I'm Bonnie Hamelin. But I guess you already know that.”

The good news was I’d managed actual speech this time. His arrival had been so sudden I hadn't had time to work up quite as many nerves as the first time I’d seen him. The bad news was his answering expression could have incinerated me on the spot.

He didn't take my offered hand but continue to scowl at me. “Yes, I know who you are, Ms. Hamelin,” he sneered. “You're the interviewer. Which I believe means your purpose here is to interview me, not to invade my home and... fondle my private possessions.”

My nerves, combined with his use of the words “fondle” and “private” together made me giggle, which then made me blush in mortification.

Oh, good Lord. This wasn’t starting well. I was just grateful there was no chai latte nearby this time. The thought caused my gaze to drop involuntarily to the front of Jack’s pants.

I did hope he’d fully recovered from the hot-tea incident. It would be such a shame if such an obviously virile man were permanently—

Jack cleared his throat loudly.

Yanking my gaze away from his crotch and withdrawing my hand, I twisted it with the fingers of my other hand and forced a smile I hoped was both apologetic and charming.

“I'm so sorry about that. I've just never seen one in person. Or one so big. And you have so many. Awards. Not possessions. I mean, you do have some nice possessions. I was just talking about… the… award.”

Jack just kept staring, studying me as if I were a fascinating yet slightly repulsive bug. A dung beetle, perhaps.

Mrs. Potts, whose existence I’d completely forgotten in the last minute and a half, spoke up. “Jack?”

He shot her a heated side-glance then looked at me again. His scowl moderated into a more neutral expression. “Well?”

“Oh—it’s… very beautiful. And heavy.”

The scowl returned. “I wasn't fishing for compliments about my award. Are you by any chance ready to begin the interview?”

“The interview. Yes. Absolutely. I'm ready. Let's do it.”

He shook his head as if giving up on something. “Fine. Let's get this over with.”

COMING SOON

Releasing August 25

$3.99 for a limited time!

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

ABOUT THE  AUTHOR 

Award-winning romance author Tru Taylor writes romantic comedies to make you swoon, smile, and snort with laughter.

She runs on Coke Zero and dark chocolate, lives for lunches with her girlfriends, and drives to the town beach several times a week to watch the sun set over the water.

She loves LOVE and will attempt to turn any show or movie she’s watching into a romance whether it is one or not. Star Wars? A romance. Lord of the Rings? Clearly a romance. The Expendables? Okay, well not even Tru can redeem that one.

When she’s not writing, Tru enjoys watching movies and reading books with happy endings, spending time with her husband and two kids, and sneaking Hershey’s Kisses from the top shelf of the freezer throughout the day. (Top shelf because… two kids. Enough said.)

Tru is the author of the Eastport Bay small town rom com series and loves living in a small New England town where she’s surrounded every day by the beautiful coastal setting you see brought to life in her books.

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NEWSLETTER

AMAZON

 This was my first time reading author and I absolutely adored this really adorable and fun romance. This was a Beauty and the Beast story and you can see it with all the really cute names given to the characters in the story. It also is an at work romance as the two main characters are forced to work together because of their chosen careers.

The beast is Jack and he is an author. His book series sorta reminded me of the Harry Potter series and he needs to write his 7th book but his ex betrayed him in the worst way and so he has to come up with a new book, write it and by the books deadline and he pretty much has nothing. In addition he is told he must be interviewed for a publication to hype his new book that is coming out.

Bonnie is the beauty in this story and she comes to interview Jack for her magazine but he treats her horribly until he meets her and then she enchants him too until....

And because she violated his rules, he forces her to stay at the house while he finishes the book without contact with the outside world. And thats when she starts to enchant his entire household as well as him.

Can Jack write his book? Will the ex betray him again? Can Bonnie be trusted? Can Jack find his heart? I am not spoiling any of it. Read this story, if you love romances with a grumpy hero but one who has a heart filled with love, you will love Jack. And Bonnie was an awesome character who has a bit of an oversharer nervousness but also a kind and wonderful heart.

This was a really fun story. I wish it had more romance though with scenes with Jack and Bonnie. I felt the anger and avoidance Jack did in the story took away some from the romance. But I did love watching his hate turn to lust and fall for Bonnie.