As we lead up to the release of I Pucking Love You, I thought it would be fun to read the previous books in the Copper Valley Thrusters series. I've already read The Pilot and the Puck Up, as well as Royally Pucked. In each of those books I found myself curious about Ares, as there was just something about him that drew me in.
When I learned that Beauty and the Beefcake would be his story, I was intrigued. My hope, going into the book, was that there would be an explanation behind Ares's selective mutism. Would Ares have conversations with his friends and family within this book? Would he communicate (verbally) with Felicity? Or would he just skate through life with no communication other than throwing out the occasional one word answer (that made no sense with the question asked)?
If you read Royally Pucked, then you know the large cookie order that Nick Murphy had placed. You also know that it was going to Felicity's ex-boyfriend. In the beginning of Beauty and the Beefcake, we learned that Felicity had been living with the ex, and was now living at the house she inherited from her Grandma. Anyways, the ex wasn't too fond of the cookies, and he delivered them to the front lawn of Grandma's house.
For reasons I cannot remember, Nick shows up at the house and brings Ares with him. Nick then tells Felicity that Ares needs a new place to crash, as he can't live with Manning and Gracie any longer. Plus Ares was just placed on the injured reserve list, and he needs to stay off his ankle to let it heal. There could be no better place than with someone who is currently training to be a physical therapy assistant! Or so thinks Nick.
Ares moves in. He is still giving grunts as answers, or using a lot of facial expressions. Occasionally he will mutter a few words, but that's really it. The explanation given, as to why he doesn't talk, is for the first six years of his life he couldn't hear. Then once he had tubes put in his ears, things improved but he still chose not to say much of anything. Ares is simply a man of few words.
Then there is Felicity. She is a ventriloquist, and her characters come out to talk frequently. Felicity just can't help herself, she easily slips into those voices/personalities. Felicity is more than just a ventriloquist though. She is extremely intelligent, and has numerous college degrees. Yet for some reason she struggles to find (and keep) a job.
Let's get down to it. The first half of this book was aggravating. Felicity drove me bonkers, and Ares wasn't much better. I was finding myself frustrated, and contemplated DNF'ing the book. I pushed on though, and am somewhat glad I did. I will say the last 25% of the book was what I wanted. It showed the relationship between Ares and Felicity, but it also showed the sibling issues between Felicity and Nick. Honestly, that last 25% of the book, is what I wanted the entire time. Yet I had to go through the slow burn, and deal with the character voices first.
Overall I marked Beauty and the Beefcake as 3 stars on Goodreads. The last quarter of the book is what helped to garner this rating. What I've been learning through reading the Copper Valley Thrusters series, is that not all of Pippa Grant's books are for me. Out of the three Copper Valley books I've read so far, I've only truly enjoyed one. Let's keep an open mind, and see what happens when I read Charming As Puck.
Overall I marked Beauty and the Beefcake as 3 stars on Goodreads. The last quarter of the book is what helped to garner this rating. What I've been learning through reading the Copper Valley Thrusters series, is that not all of Pippa Grant's books are for me. Out of the three Copper Valley books I've read so far, I've only truly enjoyed one. Let's keep an open mind, and see what happens when I read Charming As Puck.
Have you read any books by Pippa Grant?
Happy Reading,
Keep scrolling to read the teaser for Beauty and the Beefcake! I've also included the link to add it to your Goodreads, as well as a link if you want to grab it on Amazon. If you're a Kindle Unlimited subscriber, it's FREE for you!
My teammate's sister?
She's a can't.
I moved in with her to protect her from a nasty ex, not to be the next guy in line.
She's the brains.
I'm the brawn.
She's the fruit.
I'm the sausage.
She talks too much.
I don't talk at all, if I don't have to.
Should be easy to resist her.
But every minute I spend with Felicity is another minute she gets under my skin. She makes me feel like something more than a dumb puckhead with a big Zamboni pony. And it's getting harder to remember why I need to keep my hands to myself.
Beauty and the Beefcake is a vegan-friendly standalone romantic comedy featuring a hockey player whose vocabulary is the only thing smaller than a hockey puck, a book smart but aimless ventriloquist with too many voices in her head, a dilapidated old house that may or may not be haunted, and no cheating or cliffhangers.
Add to Goodreads: Beauty and the Beefcake
