So now that I can finally post this review:
I was so beyond excited for this book. It was the first time since switching Darling Words up that I have done a cover reveal for R.S. Grey as well as being selected to read and review an ARC copy. Don’t get me wrong, I love Rachel’s writing enough to purchase this book without being given a copy in exchange for my honest review. But boy, am I happy that I got to read it ahead of time!
For anyone who knows me personally, my birthday was on Wednesday, January 24th. I received the ARC version of The Beau the Sunday and “rang in” my birthday by starting (who am I kidding, and finishing) The Beau & The Belle. I was up until 3am reading and was a walking zombie at work, but I figured they could deal with a few blonde moments because birthday girl gets a pass! In fact, I was halfway to work when I realized I hadn't put any makeup on whatsoever...
What I really love about Rachel’s writing is how relatable her characters, or at least her female characters, are. I cannot speak wholly for the male characters as I still don’t have MY male counterpart despite being a mixture of a couple of her female leads. With relatable characters comes falling in love with them a little bit more with each page, and being genuinely sad when the book ended. I definitely felt that with this book, especially since there was no epilogue! I turned the page and BAM it was over. Sad day! (Rachel, if you’re reading this: I WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO BEAU AND LAUREN, DANG IT!)
Lauren is as Southern Belle as it comes. Part of old-money New Orleans, Lauren spent her childhood as part of the elite society and enjoying the status that comes with generations of families living in the same home and town for generations. Beau on the other hand, comes from a fallen family that had once boasted the same status but had sold and lost their fortune and place in society. Growing up in a trailer park and determined to make something of himself so he can give his mom everything she wanted in life, Beau sets out to achieve the best grades and education he could get on his own, and meets Lauren when he rents a room from her parents to finish out the last year of law school. There is a significant age difference with Lauren just being a junior in high school. Other than some pining (more so on Lauren’s part) there is nothing -ahem- untoward that happens between the two. In fact, Lauren really played up the lovesick teenager. So disgustingly so, that I really hope that that is not what I was like as a teenage girl…
I gotta say, I really loved that Rachel drug out the hanky panky parts in this book. She really pented up the sexual tension by dragging it out as long as possible, in fact Beau received awkward hand shakes for about two weeks without ever saying a word or pushing Lauren. I got a good laugh out of that because it is something I would do, as I am a pretty awkward person myself.
After finishing this novel, I want to go and experience New Orleans and Mardi Gras for myself even more now. You can tell Rachel really did her research for this novel, adding in local cuisine and locations in detail. You gotta love an author that immerses themselves in the location and culture prior to writing about it!
I would definitely recommend this book, and in fact have told a few people to one click the pre-order button now that it’s up! I cannot wait to see what Rachel comes up with next.
Excerpt:
“For a while I put up a good fight, dabbling in literature, but in the end I couldn’t read another fucking sonnet. At what point can we all stop sucking Shakespeare's dick? (Strike me down, thespians.)” (R.S. Grey, 34%) ->No page numbers due to eARC.
Get your hands on THE BEAU & THE BELLE now:
About R.S. Grey:
R.S. Grey is the USA Today bestselling author of thirteen novels, including THE FOXE & THE HOUND. She lives in Texas with her husband and two dogs, and can be found reading, binge-watching reality TV, or practicing yoga! Visit her at rsgrey.com
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