Christian Hernandez has holed himself in his apartment away from the world after an accident 8 years ago left him not wanting to be seen. And that has worked well for him until his landlord decided that his apartment will be getting a full-scale renovation that will require someone spending days working in his living space. The man assigned to do the work, Josh, has heard the rumors about the reclusive resident who no one ever sees, but he's not worried about working in a space with someone he assumes is more misunderstood than anything else. When, despite Christian's best efforts, the two end up interacting face-to-face, both men find their world opened up in ways they never expected. I was a bit worried this was going to be a "I'm going to rescue you and suddenly your life is perfect" type of story--but it's not. It's written sensitively, and there are elements of growth for both characters as they work to navigate a potential relationship and the world around them. ( )

I'm usually a sucker for the "beauty and the beast" trope, so of course I would have snapped this book right up even if I wasn't a Dreamspun Desires subscription member, because BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.

The "beast" in the story is Christian Hernandez, who is pretty much a recluse in his apartment. He rarely leaves it, and when he does, it's under the cover of darkness with a hoodie drawn up to hide his scarred face. He's lived in this barely existing way for years, and he's content to keep up that lifestyle until the "belle" in the story, Josh, makes an unexpected appearance in his apartment and life.

Josh is beautiful and kind, a Harry Potter nerd, and employed by the company that owns Christian's apartment. He's in charge of updating multiple apartments, and the first one on his list is Christian's. Of course, he's curious about seeing the reclusive tenant face-to-face, especially since there are multiple rumors swirling around him, but once he realizes that Christian is closing him off from everyone and everything, Josh makes it his life's mission to get Christian to open up and realize that not everyone is going to mock him.

I guess the reason that I didn't enjoy this book as much as I was hoping to was because Josh is just TOO good. He's too damned sweet and kind and understanding. I felt like I was getting multiple cavities in every one of my teeth while reading this book; it was really just too over the top for me. I know that the Dreamspun Desires line is all about the happy ending, and that's more than fine with me, but it's okay to put in a little more angst. Almost every BatB retelling has at least a moderate amount of angst, and this version was angst-lite.

Also, Josh's friends felt...weird. I had a hard time imagining a group of mostly-straight young men acting the way they did.

Altogether, it was an okay book, but a little too syrupy sweet for my liking. It was a slow burn romance, which I appreciated. I'd recommend it to those who are looking for a gay, angst-lite BatB retelling, but I can't count it as one of my favorite retellings of the story. ( )

3.5 ( )