Welcome back to Weight Expectations, where the unexpected is likely to happen.
Cutie and the Beast, an all-new roommates-to-lovers romantic comedy from M.E. Carter, is now available in Kindle Unlimited!
Living with her mother seemed like a good idea at the time. But Elliott Donovan’s living arrangements are not working for her anymore. Desperate to get back on her financial feet after a divorce and out from under her mother’s thumb, Elliott takes a job in the child care center at Weight Expectations, a local gym.
It has everything she needs – family friendly hours, more pay than she expected, and a super cute trainer who just happens to have part of his house for rent.
Abel DiSoto was living the good life until his wife walked out taking half of the family income with her. The blow to his ego was bad enough, but after a fire at the gym scattered Abel’s clients, and consequently his commissions, he’s stuck figuring out how to make ends meet, too. Renting out the master suite of his house to his new co-worker seems like an easy solution. They’re both mature adults, they both have eight-year-old daughters, and their work schedules coordinate so they can lend each other a helping hand to ease the burden of single parenthood.
The only downside? Living like a blended family when you’re not actually a family can present some challenges.
Welcome back to Weight Expectations, where the unexpected is likely to happen.
‘Cutie and the Beast’ is a full-length contemporary romantic comedy, can be read as a standalone, and is book #3 in the Cipher Office series, Knitting in the City World, Penny Reid Book Universe.
Download your copy TODAY or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2RnGgqQ
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2tt0Az5
Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/38oFcda
Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/2NI0xqc
Add to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2NLdj76
My Review
Cutie and the Beast is the third in the Cipher Office /
SmartyPants series, and when I read the title, I have to remember that the “office”
is really the gym (Weight Expectations) where this series started. Elliott is a single mom, and has to move in
with her parents after her divorce. She’s desperate to move out and get her own
place, but only if she can find something she can afford, and is safe for her
daughter.
The “Beast” is Abel, a single father trying to make ends
meet and care for his daughter. When he meets Elliott at the gym and learns
about her situation, he finds a way to solve both their problems by renting her
part of his house.
This roommates-to-lovers, blended family is one that really makes
you laugh, tugs at your heart strings, and deals with the reality of children
when their parents have new partners. The situation is fine until parenting
styles clash, one of the girls revolts, and Elliott is pushed to her limit. This
isn’t a typical romance, and the storyline focused a bit more on the dynamics
of the family – which for me was perfectly fine.
Excerpt
In my haste to not be late, I barrel right into a woman coming through
the front door.
Grabbing her arms to steady her from falling, I apologize profusely.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t see you. Are you all right?”
Smiling tightly, the blonde isn’t thrilled a random stranger
practically ran her over. But she’s polite anyway. “I’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure? You aren’t hurt?” I don’t think she is, but sometimes I
don’t know my own strength.
This time her smile is a little more genuine. “I’m sure. You sure are
in a rush.”
Letting go of her arms, I feel like she needs an explanation other than
me racing around like an idiot. “I’m the one parent who has a tendency to be
late for school pickup. The lady at the front desk gives me a nasty evil glare
if she has to call me.”
This woman, whose name I still haven’t bothered to ask, laughs and I’m
struck by how cute she is. She’s definitely a few years older than I am, but
not by much. There’s nothing about her that necessarily stands out in a crowd,
but her smile is genuine. This is a woman who likes to laugh and have fun. I
always gravitate toward those people, which gives me a fleeting thought: I
should have noticed my ex-wife hardly ever smiled for real. Laughing was even
rarer unless it was at someone else’s expense. Those should have been easy
indicators she wasn’t the one for me.
“Parker Elementary?” the blonde asks.
“Yeah.” I give her a quizzical look. “How did you know?”
“Do not mess with Ms.
Alexander’s routine. She will cut a bitch.”
My laugh comes easily, and I find myself hoping this woman is a new
member. She’s funny. I love it when clients have a sense of humor. Offering her
my hand, I introduce myself. “I’m Abel. Trainer here at Weight Expectations and
father of Mabel in second grade.”
She places her cold hand in mine. “Elliott. Interviewee for the
childcare position and mother of Ainsley, also in second grade.”
“Ah! Well it’s nice to meet you. Fingers crossed I’ll see you here
later as a fellow employee. And if not here, at Parker Elementary as a fellow
parent. Hopefully not in Ms. Alexander’s line of sight.”
Elliott holds up her gloved hands and crosses her fingers around each
other. “Wish me luck. Now run fast.”
About M.E. Carter
My name is M.E. Carter and I have no idea how I ended up writing books. I’m more of a story teller (the more exaggerated the better) and I happen to know people who helped me get those stories on paper. I love reading (read almost 200 books last year), hate working out (but I do it anyway because my trainer makes me), love food (but hate what it does to my butt) and love traveling to non-touristy places most people never see. I live in Houston with my four kids, Mary, Elizabeth, Carter and Bug, who was just a twinkle in my eye when I came up with my pen name. Yeah, I’ll probably have to pay for his therapy someday for being left out.Find M.E. Carter online
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Website: https://www.authormecarter.com/
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