Beauty and the Black Sheep

Who would have thought that Jessica Bird (aka the incomparable J. R. Ward) could write a book less than half the length of her Black Dagger Brotherhood books that is still a lovely and satisfying story? Well, that's exactly what she accomplished in Beauty and the Black Sheep. The heroine runs a Bed & Breakfast out of her family's old Victorian home on Saranac Lake in the Adirondack Mountains. I certainly couldn't have asked for a more beautiful setting, and it's there, over a summer, that love blooms between her and her unexpected new chef. I was very pleasantly surprised – although perhaps not too much so – to find this book was an engaging read that was every bit as enjoyable as Ms. Bird's longer books that I've read.

Frankie is an show more incredibly responsible woman who has shouldered the burden of taking care of her family ever since her parents both drowned in a vicious storm on the lake. At the time, her younger sister, Joy was still in high school, so Frankie not only became a parent to her, but also a caretaker to her elderly grandmother who has dementia, as well as taking up the running of the family's B & B. Despite her lack of formal training, she's very competent at her job, but the old house is literally falling down around her ears, then her chef quits out of the blue on Fourth of July weekend. She's pretty much up a creek without a paddle until Nate shows up at her door. Initially, Frankie is somewhat miffed at having her space invaded by a stranger even if he is undeniably handsome and did save her bacon. Frankie is used to being in control and giving all the orders, so when Nate swoops in and takes over, it makes her a little prickly toward him at first. At the same time though, she's very vulnerable and can't deny how good it would feel to have someone help share her burden. I love Frankie for her plain Jane looks. She wears glasses and baggy clothes and has ordinary brown hair that is a bit mussed up. She thinks of Joy as being the beauty in the family, while she's just plain old Frankie, so it's a little hard for her to fathom why Nate is interested in her. After being badly hurt by a former flame and with so much on her plate, she institutes a hand-off policy with Nate, but soon finds it hard to resist his charm and persistence. Occasionally she jumps to the wrong conclusions about him, but she's always quick to apologize if she's wrong. Frankie is a well-rounded heroine who loves her family and is dedicated to her business, and even though it scares her to death, she makes room in heart for Nate as well.

Nate came from a wealthy family, but was disinherited when he chose to become a chef instead of doing what his father wanted and going into law or politics. He's made a name for himself in the culinary world, but what he really wants is to start a restaurant of his own, where he can be the boss in the kitchen. He and his friend have been looking for a place to buy, but haven't found anything in their price range yet. He's headed to Montreal to check out a potential prospect, when his car breaks down in a rural area of upstate New York. He ends up at White Caps, Frankie's B & B, where it's obvious that they're having a kitchen emergency. I love Nate's take charge attitude in the kitchen. He has a talent for giving rapid-fire orders, while still making everyone feel needed and appreciated. He just instinctively knows how to handle each person in Frankie's life in exactly the right way. Physically, Nate is pretty much like the men of the BDB, very tall and muscular, with dark good looks. I adore him for falling for the plain girl over her gorgeous sister and making her feel like a princess. He has a strong personality that makes him want to take charge, but he understands Frankie's reluctance at first, and is patient enough to humor her. In addition to his culinary skills, he's pretty handy with household tools. A chef and a handyman? Where can I sign up for a Nate of my own?;-) What I liked most about Nate is that he truly wants to share Frankie's load and lets her lean on him when things get really rough. Nate thought he didn't want a wife and kids, but the right woman coming into his life, really made him change his tune.

For such a short book, I was surprised to see that Ms. Bird managed to fit in a few short POV scenes for other characters. This was great, because it really whetted my appetite for their upcoming stories. Joy has a sweet air of innocence about her. She's great with her grandmother, having a wonderfully calming influence on her when she's particularly agitated. She's had a crush on Grayson Bennett for years and lives for the times when he comes to visit the area each year. Little does she know that Gray has noticed her too and been having some naughty thoughts about her. These two become the hero and heroine of the next book, His Comfort and Joy aka The Player. We also get a few glimpses of Frankie and Joy's brother, Alex, who comes home to recuperate after a horrific boating accident that killed his sailing partner, and it appears he has a lot more than broken bones to mend. He'll become the hero of the third book, From the First. Nate also has a few phone conversations with his best friend and business partner, Spike, who becomes the hero of the fourth book, A Man in a Million.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Beauty and the Black Sheep. I just love how Jessica Bird can create exquisite sexual tension between her couples with smoldering looks and the barest of touches. I was also impressed with how well she was able to build her characterizations in such a short space. I always felt like I fully understood them and their motivations. Honestly there's really nothing I would have changed about the book, so the only reason I knocked off a half-star is because a few of the earlier chapters seemed to lag a little. During those times, I wasn't quite as stoked to get back to it as I normally would be with a five-star read, but otherwise, it was a perfect and sweet, little story.

Beauty and the Black Sheep was originally published as part of the Silhouette Special Edition line, but was recently republished as a stand-alone book that was retitled, The Rebel. No matter what title it goes by, this is the first book in The Moorehouse Legacy. This series basically dovetails right off of Ms. Bird's An Irresistible Bachelor, in which both Nate and Gray played prominent roles. It's an excellent start to this new-to-me series, and I can't wait to read Gray and Joy's story soon. show less

Cute little love story. Frankie is a strong heroine, jumps to a lot of conclusions but otherwise likable.
Nate, the hero, has his car break down in the Adirondacks, and winds up on Frankie's doorstep. Seeing she is in need of help with her Bed and Breakfast, he offers his services as a chef until the end of the season.
Can they keep the heat in the kitchen, or is that pot going to boil over?

Frances "Frankie" Moorehouse is struggling to keep her B&B above water. Her chef took off, her office ceiling caved in, she's up to her eyes in debt, and guests are lacking due to the bad economy. She runs the place with an iron will and fist. On top of all that, she takes care of her grandmother who has Alzheimers and her sister Joy. Her brother Alex is a professional sailor and off on some big adventure. It seems that the fate of her family (estate) rests solely on her shoulders.

While on his way to check out a prospective site for his restaurant, Nate Walker's car breaks down. Guess where he ends up? When he shows up at the back door, he's welcomed by the sight of the lovely owner fretting over burnt dinner and the prospect of show more getting chewed out once again by her picky guests. Nate steps in and saves the day by taking charge and salvaging what's left of the burnt chicken. While Frankie is grateful for the save, she's irritated that someone had to bail her out in the first place. Seeing as Nate needs to save money for his restaurant, and the B&B is in dire need of a chef, he talks Frankie into hiring him for the summer. When he starts to show a personal interest in her, her walls immediately go up. He doesn't let that stop him though, even if his ego is in for a good bruising.

I didn't warm up to Frankie at all. I simply didn't like her. Not in the beginning, definitely not in the middle, and at the end, I simply didn't care what she did or said. Her parents death in a boating accident on the lake when she was a little girl still haunts her. The breakup with her fiance a decade ago has left her jaded towards all men of the upper class. Social standings seem too wide an obstacle to overcome. When Nate shows up, she has no idea who he is except that he's a master chef, he doesn't have nice things to say about his family save for his brother Jack, and every heated look he throws her way has her wanting to hightail it out of the room or start an argument with him in an effort to dissuade his interest.

I loved Nate throughout this story. Despite his pedigree, he's a humble man who knows what he wants and goes after it with everything he has. He's captivated by Frankie's tough as nails attitude and smart mouth. While he tries to woo her, he endures his ego taking a major beat down when she pushes him away time and time again.

The story as a whole left me a little underwhelmed, especially after the more exciting story of his brother Jack and Callie in An Irresistible Bachelor. While this story was sweet, I got really frustrated with Frankie's attitude. Quick to jump the gun and make assumptions about Nate almost all the way up until the very end demonstrated a lack of growth on her part. She didn't seem to learn anything from past mistakes. And seriously, who hasn't had a failed relationship before? She takes that one event cloud her judgment to the extreme. As for Nate, his own tragedy was more believable, but he dealt with it when he confided in Frankie. I thought the ending was a little rushed. Though I expected that particular outcome, I won't deny I was hoping for Frankie to be the one to make a sacrifice. I also would have liked a little more background on Nate and what he went through.

I see two more books, one telling Alex's story, and other tells Spike's (WTH?!). We barely even meet Spike in this book except for snippets of phone conversations he has with Nate. I'd rather read about Joy and Gray. show less

Meh. Probably more like 2.5. It was pretty bland, predictable, and full of contrivances. I can't really work up a lot of steam to go in depth about this. Other than Frankie, the Heroine, who was pretty awful. She was dreadful to Nate, the Hero, out of the gate for no reason whatsoever. She couldn't even find it within herself to say "thank you" after he swooped in out of nowhere to save her business that first night. She was constantly nasty to him and thinking the worst of him, again, for no reason. If it weren't for Nate's patience and forgiving nature this wouldn't have much of a romance novel as anyone else would have bailed or stopped trying period.

I could have done without the random secondary character POVs as well. They didn't show more add anything to the story and books two and three of this series belongs to them anyway.

At this point I'm not all that interested in reading the other books. show less

A very ordinary story. The writing was serviceable but nothing special. The plot did not have a strong hook. I couldn't get very excited about a girl running a failing B&B who falls in love with a chef whose car just happens to break down in front of her place when she needs a chef. I'm going on with the series because I have them all and I've heard that they get better.

I so love this story. It is very emotional yet at times cute. I would recommend this book.

It is what it is...if you expect a great deal from this book because you appreciate the author's other works, I will remind you this is a pure and simple romance novel. Do not expect great literature from Harlequin.
That said, I have read worse. It is a simple book, with a basic plot. I often find the loose ends in books distracting and this one has a whopper. How does a house belong to 5 generations - in the family for over 100 years - and they haven't paid off the mortgage?! Overall, it was clear the heroine had a problem and the sexy hunk would save the day - no great mystery.

Overall, its a fast, easy summer read that requires few brain cells.