In this contemporary retelling of “Beauty and the Beast,” 25-year-old Izzy has been biding her time as an editorial assistant at the “Tale As Old As Time” publishing company, waiting for a promotion that isn’t on the horizon. Izzy’s boss is having a tough time of getting bad-boy Hollywood star Beau Towers to deliver on the tell-all memoir he has promised. Izzy sees an opportunity to dazzle and volunteers to visit Beau unannounced and convince him to fulfill his obligations.
Beau is certainly handsome but is as beastly as they come personality-wise, and he certainly does not appreciate Izzy’s arrival or her pep talk. Nevertheless, Beau challenges her to move into his Santa Barbara mansion for a week to see if she can get him writing. Beau soon must admit that Izzy is very good at her job. As Izzy starts to crack Beau’s tough exterior and gets him to put pen to paper, the two discover they have more in common than expected. As their deadline nears, an attraction forms and they each begin to panic about losing their time together.
By the Book by Jasmine Guillory is a sweet and funny, well-paced romance with a cute premise, great chemistry between the characters, and a swoon-worthy final scene. This is the second book in the “Meant to Be” series by Disney Books. Fans of “Beauty and the Beast” will appreciate all of the book’s hidden Easter eggs, including the character “Kettle,” Beau’s assistant and chef. If you are looking for a fairy tale romance this summer, read By the Book, and then pick up the series starter, Julie Murphy’s Cinderella-inspired If the Shoe Fits.
-Carol
Read it or Weep 