Review: Cutie and the Beast by E.J. Russell

Cutie and the Beast
(Fae Out of Water #1)
E.J. Russell
Release: July 24, 2017
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Temp worker David Evans has been dreaming of Dr. Alun Kendrick ever since that one transcription job for him, because holy cats, that voice. Swoon. So when his agency offers him a position as Dr. Kendrick’s temporary office manager, David neglects to mention that he’s been permanently banished from offices. Because, forgiveness? Way easier than permission.

Alun Kendrick, former Queen’s Champion of Faerie’s Seelie Court, takes his job as a psychologist for Portland’s supernatural population extremely seriously. Secrecy is paramount: no non-supe can know of their existence. So when a gods-bedamned human shows up to replace his office manager, he intends to send the man packing. It shouldn’t be difficult—in the two hundred years since he was cursed, no human has ever failed to run screaming from his hideous face.

But cheeky David isn’t intimidated, and despite himself, Alun is drawn to David in a way that can only spell disaster: when fae consort with humans, it never ends well. And if the human has secrets of his own? The disaster might be greater than either of them could ever imagine.

Review:
I'd been looking for m/m romance book with Beauty and the Beast elements for a long time when I saw All Things Urban Fantasy post a review of Cutie and the Beast. I was sold and I immediately went to see if it was still on Netgalley. Thank heavens it was! I probably gave my mouse whiplash because I requested it fast after that. And I'm happy to say that it did not disappoint my high expectations! I loved it! It was fun and cute and just plain lovely.

David Evans is a mess. He seems to be a bit unlucky. Wherever he goes, chaos follows. Like riot and drunken fist fight chaos. It gotten to the point where he's been banned from actually working in an office by the temp service he works for even though he's more than qualified to do so. Thanks to an awful flu virus is going around, he gets an assignment he was never meant to have... being the office manager for a psychologist. And not just any psychologist. He's going to go work for Dr. Alun Kendrick, the doctor he's had a crush on since hearing his voice at a medical transcription job.

The thing is Dr. Kendrick is not your normal psychologist. He's a fae lord who treats members of the supernatural community and the occasional supernaturally traumatized human. Alun Kendrick has been dealing with a 200 year curse that has transformed his once perfect face into that of a beast's. Despite being barred from the Seelie Court because of his ugliness, his deformed face works well for him as a therapist. His paranormal patients get to see that everything in his world hasn't been perfect.


I felt for Alun during the whole book. He's one of those characters whose guilty conscience has convinced him that he's not worth being loved. Then in walks David Evans into his life and he turns everything in Alun's life upside down with his caring ways. Poor Alun has no idea what to make of him. David is awkward and he knows it. He has long since accepted it and embraced it. Despite said awkwardness, he is kind and sweet and only wants to help people. He figures as long as he isn't hurting anyone, then it's more than okay to be awkward. It seems to work because he seems to have a natural affinity for making all sorts of supernatural creatures comfortable despite being human.

The book was fun and incredibly creative. It takes place in our world where no humans know that the supernaturals exist. I loved how diverse the supes were in this book! There's the fae both Seelie and Unseelie, vampires, druids, and shifters of all kinds. I also loved the mythology that surrounded this series's version of Faerie and I can't wait to learn more about it.

This book is one I've added to my kindle collection since I've read it and I'm excited to reread it in the future! I loved the heck out of it and I can't wait to get my hands on the next two books that feature Alun's brothers, Mal and Gareth! I need more of the Kendrick brothers in my life!

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley.

    1/2

  4.5 / 5 Stars!