From the publisher:
A grumpy, rich recluse meets his match in this steamy Beauty and the Beast retelling—with a Succession twist. Fans of fairy tale adaptations, and readers of Julie Murphy and Falon Ballard, will adore Mae Bennett’s debut romance.
https://amzn.to/3WbLfMI
Bellamy Price has just been offered the job of a lifetime: lead contractor on the restoration of the mysterious and sprawling Killington Estate. If she meets the owner’s ridiculous timeline, she’ll finally make a name for herself in this male-dominated industry. But when she rolls up her sleeves, slips on her suspenders, and shows up at the crumbling mansion, Bellamy finds the estate very much occupied.
After a traumatic car accident that left his parents dead and himself injured, Oliver Killington, heir to the Killington empire, took up residence as the grumpy caretaker of his grandfather’s mansion. None too pleased by the presence of the hammer-wielding woman who’s moved into his house, Oliver tries to block her at every turn.
But when Bellamy discovers Oliver’s facing his own ultimatum from his grandfather, the two form a cautious truce, which leads to flying sparks that are definitely not from faulty wiring. As Bellamy restores the gleam to the Killington Estate, she’ll have to decide if the walls she’s built around herself are worth knocking down to make space for someone else.
Perfect for fans of Tessa Bailey, this clever, steamy debut novel will have readers rooting for this Beauty and her Beast until the very last page.
Bellamy has been working for her father in his contracting business for years, and now she finally has a job of her own – and it’s a big one. As lead contractor, she has been hired to restore an old historic home that could make her career. The budget is good, but the timeline is tight, and things get more complicated when she arrives on-site to find the owner is still living in the home and has no plans to leave.
Loosely based on “Beauty and the Beast,” Oliver is definitely the beast, roaring at Bellamy to keep out of his rooms. Determined to get this job done on time and within the budget, Bellamy has no choice but to put up with Oliver and hope for the best. Oliver is the survivor of a tragic accident that took his parents ten years earlier, and he is barely surviving at that. He’s become a recluse, but Bellamy and her crew bring life back to the estate.
The tight timeline ends with a glamorous affair, revealing the restored home so Bellamy is under a lot of pressure. This job can make or break her career, and she is not letting Oliver stand in her way. The longer she works, the more they get to know one another but things don’t start changing for a while. Eventually, Oliver is impressed with the work she is doing and lets her into his rooms. They go from enemies to almost friends with a touch of sexual tension, that really ratchets up towards their happy ending.
This book is being publicized as a debut novel, but I’ve been burned so many times by that assertion I am merely mentioning it here because who knows for sure. It was an enjoyable read, although a bit slow at times as the relationship between Bellamy and Oliver builds. I will definitely look at whatever comes next from Mae Bennett.
8/2024 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
BARELY EVEN FRIENDS by Mae Bennett. Alcove Press (June 4, 2024). ISBN: 978-1639107797. 336p.
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