Gracie Ruth Mitchell

Get ready for the swooniest, combusting with chemistry, sizzling but sweet summer romcom! Beauty and the Beach is the next book in the Falling for Summer series and wow did it deliver. The combo of enemies to lovers & marriage of convenience was absolutely amazing. It’s my first book by Gracie Ruth Mitchell & now I need to read all her books! The close proximity, verbal sparring, undercurrent of attraction, & scorching kisses made this impossible to put down.

Phoenix Park is the incredibly show more attractive, uber rich heir presumptive to his grandmother’s company. On her deathbed, she rewrites her will demanding the next CEO be married. Scrambling to find a wife before his cutthroat relatives oust him out of his position, he proposes marriage to the last woman he wants to marry. Though he promised her brother he’d care for her, Holland Blakey disturbs him to no end.

Holland made a disastrous mistake that’s put her in financial straits. Her brother’s best friend who’s made it his mission to protect her despite the underlying, sizzling animosity between them offers her the craziest proposal ever. He wants to marry her, in name only. She’ll get the money she needs to care for her sister & grandma & he’ll save his position as his grandmother’s heir. But, what happens when all that seething emotion turns from hate to love?

I loved this book so much! There’s so much heart here. While there’re funny pranks, hilarious nicknames, & delicious witty banter, there’s grieving & a need to heal. The history between them is slowly revealed as their close proximity forces the past front & center. It’s a terrific balance between the sizzling sparks & deep connection brought about through a tragic shared experience.

Phoenix gave me such Bruce Wayne vibes with a little bit of Mr. & Mrs. Smith. I loved his serious, a bit grumpy persona & his never by halves personality. Holland’s every bit his match. She’s passionate, feisty, but also in need of his comfort & strength. Their explosive first kiss, the wedding photos scene, all the close proximity, grandma’s wedding gift, “mine,” & the river scene are all living rent free in my head. Definitely one not to miss!

Highest of recommendations for this new favorite along with the whole series! I received an advanced complimentary copy from the author. All opinions are my own and voluntarily provided.

CW: minor manhandling show less

I was given this book as an e-ARC and was very excited to read it. I loved the cover and loved the blurb and loved everything even more when I read it, so I will probably gush about it a LOT! So here it goes:

We jump right into the story in the middle of the night when Clementine discovers a strange - albeit being very handsome and well dressed - man standing in the little antique shop she and her sort of aunt / adoptive mum run.

There are books that grow on you slowly and you need time show more getting into the story, but in the end you love it. And there are books that start great and disappoint you in the end.
‘Wish You Weren’t Here’ is neither.
I was already loving it and smiling broadly, chuckling quietly (I try not to laugh out loud since most of the time I’m reading next to my sleeping kids) on the first page and was totally in love with the story and the characters in the end. So I got hooked immediately by this strange encounter and the way Clementine handled it.

Clementine is by far one of my favorite heroines of late. She is sweet, funny, fiercely loyal to and protective of her friends and most of all Flossie. She is relatable in every way, insecure and outspoken at the same time and I love that about her.

It’s stupid to feel embarrassed about what you like or don’t like - but I do. Despite seeming exotic and cool, traveling has never appealed to me; I’ve always extrapolated that to mean that I am simply not an exotic or cool person.

“Where are the stories about women who prefer to thrive from the comfort of their own homes? Shouldn’t there be books like that”
And finally, the crowning achievement of my realization: “I” - I stomp my foot - “am allowed” - another stomp, because I can’t help it - “ to be boring!”

I felt so seen by these words and I love Clementine so much for being a very special person without having achieved anything of notice. It’s not the big adventure, the big bank account or the fancy career that makes a person valuable (even though you can have all that and be equally great as Clementine). And I think Clementine demonstrates that being kind and selfless is so much more important than having all the appreciation and approval of the world.

Clementine deals with anxiety and sometimes panic attacks which were presented in a very believable way. We feel the panic rising when she does and we see what helps her as an individual without there being a big discussion about it.

The male main character is much less relatable, since the strange man turns out to be a nameless Genie not out of a lamp but out of a teapot, which is of course very fitting with him being very British. He doesn’t stay nameless for long and we get to know him as Alaric - a name that grew on me the same way he did - or Tangerine, as Clementine sometimes calls him.

Alaric spent the most part of the last round about 2000 years in his teapot in a sort of conscious state, but not really living. This thought is absolutely abhorring to Clementine and she is determined to use one of the three wishes to make Alaric human again, which she can, if he learns HOW to be a human again first.

“Plus he’s so tall. He has to be completely squashed.”

I loved how Clementine thought about Alaric in his teapot in a sort of childlike way. It was touching, sweet, funny - just like her.

I really loved that part of the story because Clementine thinks a lot about what makes us human and I think she has some very obvious thoughts, but also some insights that are very important when we deal with our feelings and the way we see and treat others.

Since the book is written in a dual POV we experience first hand how Alaric’s view of things changes, how he experiences emotions which are so normal for most of us and how uncomfortable some of them make him. This also helps to move the quietly forming romance between him and Clementine forward and the way she grows on him is subtle and deep at the same time.

“It’s true he is a bit older, but he’s very immature, too, so it does even out a bit.”

I think Alaric is a very lovable character. For me the best part about him was his total honesty which often lacked tact. In real life I’m all for being honest AND tactful but as a reader I loved Alaric being totally deadpan without wanting - or even knowing - to be funny.

“Your face is very red.”
“Yeah,” I say. “Because I’m flattered and insulted. And embarrassed. And pleased, and
annoyed. I’m someone who has a lot of feelings, Tangerine. Sometimes that results in
excessive blushing.”
“Duly noted.”

Since Flossie used the first wish - which couldn’t be undone - for her matchmaking plans, Clementine has to fight of two very unsuitable pursuers and ends up with Alaric as her pretend boyfriend, because the wish magic doesn’t really allow the two men to take no for an answer.

I have to admit I love a good fake dating plot, but I hate it when it’s done poorly. This is - you guessed it - not the case here. Clementine has a very strong reason for this scheme and because Alaric is so inexperienced with human interaction it makes total sense that Clementine teaches him the basics.

I saw some reviews all over the kissing lesson and sure, the kissing lesson scene was great, but the hugging lesson was sooo good and I especially loved the handholding scenes.

In the corner of my vision, I see him leaning closer.
“I want to hold your hand,” he breathes.

I mean really, who needs a steamy romance when these words make you swoon like nobody’s business??? When you read ‘til this point you will know what I mean. I cannot say how much I loved this scene! show less

Well, well, well, Gracie Ruth Mitchell, you have delivered again and I couldn't be more pleased! From the very first sentence, I was completely hooked and could not put this book down. I hope you keep writing murder mystery romcoms because this is a genre I need more of in my life. You deliver every time, and I devour it. Like a lifeline, I am tied to your words. I fear I would expire, cease to be, without finishing the next part. Dramatic? Perhaps. But I fail to see how else I could explain show more my love for these books.
Soren is my favorite. No offense to Aiden, but I need more Sorens in my life and in my books and the world needs Sorens. I even feel like he needs the man bun. I have never before liked the look, but Soren gets a pass (for more reasons than his swooniness, but that's a IYKYK situation). I was absolutely in love with how much he loved Heidi. Like he now has all my loyalty. All of it, every single bit. He's the sweetest cinnamon roll of a guy, and I adore him.
Heidi Lucy is such a firecracker. I loved her drive, her need to get answers, her willingness to ask tough questions and do the hard things. And her slow admittance to loving Soren just got me. The meet-cute scene between her and Soren had me laughing out loud and wiping all the tears away. The dynamic between the two is hilarious and fun and delightful.
Other things I loved:
- Bookshop
- Baked goods
- Dog walking
- Baths
- The man bun nickname
- Authors in books
- The roomba
- Lists
- Heidi's brother
- The hot springs scene
- Idaho setting
- Tetons
- Cameo appearances from Juniper and Aiden

This is another book that will for sure be on my rereads list, because I absolutely need more of these two in my life.

Audiobook Review: Narrated by Ellen Quay and Eric Fox -- I've said it before, but these two are both fantastic narrators! Absolutely love their narration style and voices. show less

Dear Mrs. Mitchell,
I LOVED THIS BOOK! Loved it so much. I read it, dreamed about it, thought about it, ate and word vomited this book for weeks. And then I reread it. And here's the thing--I went into this book fully thinking it would be a little wacky. A murdery mystery that was also a romcom, that was suspenseful yet also funny and charming and written with beautiful prose, with asides that tickled my insides and stunned me with their profundity? Is all of this in one book even possible? show more Why yes, yes it is, and you have mastered it. Because this book delivers on every single point.
I do not think I can suitably express my love for Juniper Bean. She is quirky and hilarious, from her inside out Halloween sweater and headband with pumpkins on springs, to her ability to jump from one thing to the next in no semblance of order, to her no personal space and how she simply says what she needs to say. I loved her with the very first sentence she ever uttered, and my love only deepened as the book progressed.
Aiden was the most delicious grump ever. Thanks so much for writing a grump who is actually grumpy, a lot introverted, but still the soft squishy type underneath. Thank you for making Juniper his perfectly complementary match, the one who knows just what to say to jolt him from his hermit ways of thinking, and push him to consider what life he is missing.
The backstory between these two is incredibly good. I loved that you weaved bits from Juniper's past into the present storyline and gave us a broader picture of her. I loved that you delivered on the swoon and the hilarity and the mystery all at once.
Other things I loved?
- Juniper's pajamas when she was a child
- All of Juniper's "experiments" to help the heroine in her book
- The food fight aftermath with Aiden
- The drugged on sleeping pills Juniper. Hilarious!
- Pretentious
- Aiden's family
- The beauty pageant ruse
- Shakespeare bust
- High school library
- Swoony kisses - whew!
- Potato mascot
- Tweed jacket
- Elbow patches
- The song Juniper plays at the cemetery
- Keeping the dead alive by remembering them
- How Aiden slowly comes to adore Juniper
- Juniper's prediction of Aiden

I could keep going. I just loved all of it. Every single thing. It is an incredible, beautiful, amazing, wonderful book! I've read it twice now and there will most definitely be a reread in my future, because my brain needs to be filled with this goodness. Fabulous book, Gracie. Absolutely stunning.
With love,
Jessica

Audiobook Review: Narrated by Ellen Quay and Eric Fox -- These narrators are so perfect. They bring the story and characters alive and you cannot go wrong with them. They deliver at slower speeds and faster speeds. Deliciously good. Highly recommend giving a listen! show less