Kindle Unlimited
Unlimited reading. Over 4 million titles. Learn more
Read for Free
OR
Kindle Price: $5.99

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Buy for others

Give as a gift or purchase for a team or group.
Learn more

Buying and sending eBooks to others

  1. Select quantity
  2. Buy and send eBooks
  3. Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs

Follow the author

Judi Fennell
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Beauty and The Best: A Light-Paranormal Fantasy Contemporary RomCom (Once-Upon-A-Time Romance Book 2) Kindle Edition

by Judi Fennell (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 49 ratings
See all formats and editions
"There's a n*ked man in my kitchen."
Can she cook up the perfect recipe for love?

Jolie Gardener, personal chef by day, aspiring romance writer by night, likes to talk and does it a lot. She has to because if she stops, all the pain, disillusionment, and abandonment of her AWOL mother, question-mark father, and foster-care childhood will rise up like a chocolate soufflé on steroids, sweeping away the fragile infrastructure of her life.
But she's fine. Really. She is.
Or so she thinks.

Todd Best isn't fine. He knows it. And doesn't care.
After his wife died—the woman who believed in him when he was a struggling artist—he put painting aside, moved from their home, and lost himself in the minutiae of daily life.
Alone. Private. The way he likes it.
The last thing he needs is some chatty cook seeping into the perfectly bland canvas of his life.
Or so he thinks.

So when Jonathan, a guardian-angel-in-training, turns himself into a kitten to help these two lonely souls find a happily ever after together, it ought to be a piece of cake.
Or so he thinks…
Previous page
  1. Book 2 of 3
    Once-Upon-A-Time Romance
  2. Print length
    308 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    April 6, 2012
  6. File size
    754 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
Next page
Add a debit or credit card to save time when you check out
Convenient and secure with 2 clicks. Add your card
Next 2 for you in this series See full series
Total Price: $11.98
By clicking on the above button, you agree to Amazon's Kindle Store Terms of Use

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I had a smile on my face and a sigh of contentment. Beauty and The Best is a happy-go-lucky, sweet, simple romance. The tale is light-hearted but full of emotion. The story stirred in me feelings of falling in love all over again. It was just downright enjoyable to read!" -Jenn, That's What I'm Talking About

"Phenomenally written novel... One of the best stories I have read this year, and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a happy ending!" -Sizzling Hot Books 5 Hearts

"Full of love, emotion and help from "Boots", you will fall in love with BEAUTY AND THE BEST. (Judi) is a fantastic author with the ability to keep you laughing and crying at the same time while glued to every word." -Kay, Quintin, Fresh Fiction

"An engaging and hilarious book." -Mimi Smith, InD'tale Magazine

About the Author

PRISM Award and Golden Leaf Award-winning author, Judi Fennell, has had her nose in a book and her head in some celestial realm all her life, including those early years when her mom would exhort her to "get outside!" instead of watching Bewitched or I Dream of Jeannie on television. So she did-right into Dad's hammock with her Nancy Drew books. These days she's more likely to have her nose in her laptop and her head (and the rest of her body) at her favorite writing spot, but she's still reading, whether it be her latest manuscript or friends' books. Author of "fairy tales with a twist," pun-filled, tongue-in-cheek, contemporary paranormal romances, starting with the Tritone Trilogy about Mermen and the Humans who love them, her Bottled Magic Series about genies and magic and falling in love, and now her Once-Upon-A-Time Romances, those twisted fairy tales that were the inspiration for her tagline, "fairy tales with a twist." Dive into the romance on her website, www.JudiFennell.com, for excerpts, deleted scenes, reviews, contests, and pictures from reader and writer conferences.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B007S5PV4A
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Merjinn Press; 2nd edition (April 6, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 6, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 754 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 308 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 49 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Judi Fennell

Judi Fennell

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Award-winning, best-selling author Judi Fennell loves to laugh and loves love, so it's no surprise there's a little bit of each in every book she writes. Check out her fairy tales with a twist for a taste of her light-hearted tongue-in-cheek paranormal and romantic comedies. From mermen to genies, to men in maid’s uniforms and male strippers, there’s always a laugh and love to be had. www.JudiFennell.com.

Judi is also the owner/operator of www.formatting4U.com, offering services to indie-published authors from editing to formatting to cover and series logo generation, copyright registration assistance and much more.

*Award-winning author: Starred Publishers Weekly Review, National Excellence in Story Telling 2021,PRISM Award 2010, Golden Leaf 2010, Emerald City Opener 2006, Finally A Bride 2005, #2 Publishers' Weekly Weekly BHB Readers' Choice Best Book 2009, The Sheila 2006, National Readers' Choice Award Best First Book Finalist 2010, Long and Short Reviews Book of the Week 2011, Top 20 Finalist Simon & Schuster First Chapters Contest 2007, American Title III Finalist, 2006, Semi-Finalist Pocket Books First Chapters Romance 2007, Southern Heat Writing Contest 2005, Methacton Writing Contest 2004-2006

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
49 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Renee Nelson
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun, Sweet and Sexy
Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2012
Verified Purchase
There is something special about a Judi Fennell book. It is funny, sweet, and turns a romance novel and fairytale into so much more.

Her characters catch you, and she brings you right into their thoughts, fears, hopes and dreams. Jolie and Todd work so well together in this story.

They feel real, and their growing feelings touch you. Judi sprinkles in just the right amount of sincerity, humor, magic, love, sensuality, and a quality I can only describe as Disney-esque to make a good story fantastic, and she makes pure magic with her writing.

If you were hoping for a summary, this isn't the review for you. Personally, I don't like to read someone telling about specifics in a book because I want to unwrap the story and experience it on my own, so I don't put that in my comments.

If you are looking for a witty, fun and light romance that will restore your faith in happily ever after and put a bounce in your step after reading, pick up any Judi Fennell book. If you are looking for a book that takes you thru a modern day fairytale that leaves you completely satisfied, makes you laugh, makes you cry and overall makes you feel...read "Beauty and the Best".
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
lnp416
4.0 out of 5 stars A grown-up kind of fairytale
Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2012
Verified Purchase
As young girls we are told fairytales. I remember listening to the tale of Sleeping Beauty via record while following along with the companion book. We have all watched, listened to, read or heard some variation of the tale of Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Beauty and the Beast and (of course through the creativity of Disney) countless other princesses. They have graced our lives with their heroing stories of evil step-parents, sea enchants, monsters, poison, inability to speak, curses, and so on. We watched (or listened) as they and their prince/ hero over came the obstacles that were placed before them. It didn't hurt that most of the time they had a fairy godparent/angel/bug (something magical) lending a hand or a wing..heehee!! In the end of all of the stories the princesses were always rescued by the brave prince/hero...and as the times changed so did our princesses...they began to rescue themselves with the help and support of their beloved.

As we (the little girls) grow up, we remember our cherished fairytales fondly but the evil step-parents, poison apples, and wicked witches are no longer the things that we fear most. I mean, sure, we use them as metaphors and as references when trying to explain to friends how bad things seem to be..but they are no longer the worst things life has to offer. Today, we worry about losing our home because we still can't find work...we lose sleep because we are awaiting test results and praying that they are negative for (insert disease here)...we wait up pacing waiting for our kids to arrive home safely because they are late for curfew... we are waiting with baited breath for our husbands, wives, sons, and daughters to come home from battle over seas...we are praying that we can continue on with our lives after our spouse has died and left us living and hurting. These are the real life stories...and anyone going through any of these things, or worse, would most likely pray for a fairytale of their own.

In Judi Fennell's, "Beauty and the Best", we are treated to a fairytale...adult style. In this lighthearted but emotional romance, we meet Jolie (our heroine) who has lived a hard life full of disappointment. Although, one would never know it by meeting her because the perpetually up-beat and happy Jolie keeps her pain behind an invisible wall that only she can see. Our hero, Todd, has been living in a self-imposed purgatory for two years since the death of his wife. He is heart broken, angry, and his mere existence is painful. For Todd, his life had always been about two things, his art and his wife. When his wife died, so did his desire to paint..so he has been colorless for two years...that is until he meets Jolie...

Ms. Fennell creates a story, a fairytale, for us (the big girls) to want believe in. It comes with the fairy-godparents and a little bit of magic. The characters, both main and supporting, are real and lovable. The story is believable (maybe not the fairy-godparent part..but a girl can dream can't she?!). Ms. Fennell's characters (Jolie and Todd) have an amazing chemistry between them that is almost palpable yet at no point does the story become raunchy or crude. As I said before, this really is a Fairytale..and totally worth the read. Visit Lisa's Reads for more reviews.
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
mountain mama57
4.0 out of 5 stars A feel-good Rom-Con
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2020
Verified Purchase
Looking for a quick, easy, fun book to read while quarantined? Then Judi Fennell's Beauty and the Best just might fit the bill. Both Jolie and Todd enter the story quite damaged, but this isn't a tale about who's wounds are deeper. It's about letting go and believing in happily-ever-afters. Ms. Fennell writes with wit and care, so if you're a lover of Rom-Cons, I recommend Beauty and the Best.
Helpful
 Report
dogmom
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book about learning to move on with your life
Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2019
Verified Purchase
I loved this book. The characters were great and their interactions believable. The struggles of trying to live your life after tragedy and learning to start to allow yourself to enjoy your life were realistic. The relationship between the H and h was great. Highly recommended.
Helpful
 Report
Virginia Farmer
5.0 out of 5 stars Funny and touching another great read from Judi Fennell
Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2012
Verified Purchase
This was one of those books I found hard to put down and the characters hard to stop thinking about once I finished the book. Jolie and Todd's relationship starts off a bit rocky, but they grow, both as individuals and as a couple. Ms Fennell is an auto buy for me. I love her humor and the strength of her characters. If you haven't read Beauty and the Best, you're missing a wonderful story. Beauty and The Best (Once-Upon-A-Time Romance)
4 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Tazzy
4.0 out of 5 stars Good book! I really like the female lead but ...
Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2015
Verified Purchase
Good book! I really like the female lead but she had a lot of trust issues.
Helpful
 Report
Grace Baldi
5.0 out of 5 stars Beauty and The Best
Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2015
Verified Purchase
Great love story. Just as the author says on the book there are happily ever afters if you just stop long enough let them find you.
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Dina Orban
5.0 out of 5 stars Love it!
Reviewed in Italy on September 24, 2019
Verified Purchase
As all fairy tale retellings or reimaginings, etc. This story captured my interest, then all my free time, almost all the sleeping hours last night, and last, but not least, my reader heart. I usually love all the books I read, but this one has all the things a wonderful book should have. People in need of love, heartache, loss... All those things that need The One, love and forever in order to heal a shattered heart. Add a band of misfits aka. Jonathan Griff, guardian angel in wait of his wings, with a slight incline to disaster (see building in flames, broken legs...) Mrs. Jasmine Gray, matchmaker extraordinare and hopeless,nosy mother hen; and her husband, Earl Gray... Yeah, with a family name like that, which parents in their right mind would name their son Earl? 😂
Hilarious with tummy hurting consequences... You absolutely have to read this book. Discover The Best and the Beauty who brought him back to life.
And there's more of the fairy tales coming up. So just hurry up and read this so you can discover, like me, " If the shoe fits" 😍
Report
meg russ
4.0 out of 5 stars Smart, witty, and light hearted
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 24, 2014
Verified Purchase
I loved this book, i found that the storyline worked well especially with a touch of magic and hope, and i found that the heros skill for drawing was written well and you could tell Judi Fennell researched well on painting and the passion behind it. x
Report
Report an issue

Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report