When Izzy accepted a two-week assignment as a personal assistant to a children's author, she never expected the man to look like Derek. Nor does she expect him to be such a grump. But she needs the extra cash this assignment will bring. She can't let him dismiss her without even giving her a chance. But how can she convince him that he really does need her?

Derek is none too pleased when he discovers Izzy standing on his doorstep. He does not need a personal assistant.. he needs peace and quiet if he's ever going to meet his deadline. But when his stepmother calls, determined to set him up yet again, he lies and tells her he's already dating someone... and it's serious. Now all he has to do is convince Izzy to be his live in girlfriend.

Izzy can't believe her ears. One moment Derek is trying to throw her out of his house. And now he wants her to be his live in girlfriend? If she didn't need the money so bad she would tell him no. But this will definitely help her get ahead. She has no other choice but to agree to this fake relationship.

But the more time Izzy and Derek spend together, the closer they become, and the more the walls both of them have built around their hearts slowly start to fall. Can they really let go of past hurts and move forward together? Or will one choice made out of love on Izzy's part ruin any chance they have at a happily ever after?

I am a sucker for a beauty and the beast retelling. They have always been on of my favorites. The Bookworm and the Beast was a cute read. I really enjoyed watching Izzy and Derek's relationship grow from friendship into something more. If anyone deserves a HEA it's these two!

Content: Sketchy clean. Semi detailed fade to black scenes. Mild swearing. Moderate innuendo.

*I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are solely my own.*

I received an ARC from Netgalley. This book is simply charming and I connected with the characters from the beginning. Izzy and Derek had chemistry together right from the beginning. The storyline about a beast and beauty always gets me. To see the love grow between the porcupine and the bookworm was extra special. I was glad there was an epilogue that showed us their future. This book definitely won’t disappoint you.

Izzy gets hired as Derek’s temporary personal assistant by his employees, without his knowledge. But soon Derek goes from not wanting an assistant to convincing her to pretend to be his girlfriend.
The bookworm and the beast is a sweet, charming and fun read full of the magic of Christmas.

This was a retelling of beauty and the beast. I read this in one sitting. I thought the speed of falling in love was unrealistic and did not like the physical intimacy in this book. I liked how both characters wanted family connections.

This is a sweet and predictable quick read. I easily read this in one evening. I would have preferred more to this story since the premise of it sounded promising based on the details of the book. Would I read it again? No. However, it was worth reading once. It just felt like nothing was very original to this story.
This is the first book I have read by this author. It does not appear to be a part of a series and can be read as a standalone.

What a lovely book. The story is so captivating it pulls in the reader and tugs at your heart then breaks you into a million pieces. The writing and story line are so original and the characters are just fascinating to read about. I love Grandma and that she will throw back a few shots of whiskey, so sweet. I loved that Izzy was able to see past Derek's calloused exterior to see how sweet his heart was. When Derek blows up at Izzy each time it just broke my heart, especially in the end. Atticus stole the show, he is just the sweetest dog and his instant love of Izzy. Lovely book and wonderful characters!

Sometimes we don’t realise what we are missing until they arrive. That’s what I realise after reading Charlee James the bookworm and the beast book. Find out what I mean by grabbing this book. Really one of the best books I’ve read in 2017 and couldn’t recommend a warm and hearty a book.

I'm a huge fan of Beauty and the Beast, so this was a fantastic read for me. I liked how Izzy and Derek were together. I could feel Izzy's pain and heartache from the beginning. Derek was the perfect blend of hero for me. I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline and fell for all the characters. The feels throughout were all I could have asked for. Don't take my word for it, read it yourself. I myself will definitely be trying more of this author.

This is my first book by Charlee James.

What I liked:
The writing style
The characters
"Beauty and the Beast"
Standalone
HEA

I look forward to reading more from this author.

A sugary sweet retelling of Beauty and the Beast with an insecure librarian, a grouchy recluse, a castle with a forbidden room, and even a wolf attack. However, this version threw in a cute St. Bernard, nosy relatives and a host of abandonment and mommy issues.

I was in the mood for a good holiday romance when this came my way from Netgalley. I'm also a goner for stories with a bookworm character or grouchy guy. For the most part, this was a very sweet, Disney-esque tale of two lonely people who fall in love despite their personal painful histories because of the magical holiday.

Derek is a bit of a rude jerk, but is of course tamed by Izzy's starry-eyed innocence. I didn't really enjoy either abandoned by mom subplot but focused more on how Izzy melted Derek's icy heart.

Note: I received an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

The Bookworm and The Beast by Charlee James is a feel good read that warms the heart, and brings smiles with its smattering of comical dialogue. This is the first book I have read by author Charlee James and I was not disappointed in the read.
Review copy received from Entangled Publishing via Netgalley

This was such a great retelling of Beauty and the Beast. It's sweet, witty, and heart-wrenching all at the same time. I read it in one sitting. :)

A Downright PERFECT modern day retelling of Beauty and the Beast! Beauty and the Beast is my FAVORITE fairy tale and when I seen this I just HAD to read it. And I was NOT the least bit disappointed! IT was soft, sexy, sweet, smoldering and had me sighing ever so happily. I loved that instead of a great beauty we get a more...simple girl. Oh don't get me wrong, she is pretty but not a great beauty. Her soul and brightness is what really shines. And the beast...oh he has some attitude but is just gorgeous. He tries to push her away but instead fall for her, as well as his dog. There are some incredibly tender moments and some that made me sniffle a bit. But all in all this romance is a MUST READ! Sweet, kind, charming and endearing, this story had me totally enchanted!

I give this stunning story a HAPPILY EVER AFTER FIVE SHOOTING STARS!

Izzy shows up on Derek's doorstep, ready to be his assistant for two weeks leading up to Christmas. He is not happy about it, and wants her to leave. When his stepmother tries to push another woman at him for the holidays, he quickly stops Izzy from leaving, and convinces her to be his fake girlfriend. Needing the money to pay for her grandmother's nursing home, she agrees. Overall a fun story, but there were times more details would have been useful. A few side stories that are not developed much, for example her mother, or the guy in college who embarrassed her, are shown, and importance are given, but not described enough to show the reader why they are so important. Maybe just me, but didn't feel they were as impactful as implied. Would still highly recommend this book though, as it was still a fun read.

What a wonderful holiday romance. Izzy is at odds as to how she is going to afford to help her grandmother. Then Derek gives her a way to get ahead a little. But the question is, will her heart be able to make it through too. Derek isn't able to trust people very easily. But Izzy has a way of breaking walls down. Not too many characters made this an easy to follow book.

A sweet fairytale retelling that is perfect for the holiday season!

Izzy has taken on an extra job at the holidays as a personal assistant. She gets hired to help Derek by his staff, but he has no idea that she's coming to work for him. He's about to send her away, but suddenly finds himself in need of her help.

I loved the parallels between the plot and Beauty and the Beast. It did well with enough similar moments to connect the two, but not so many that it felt like a total retread of the original story.

Izzy hasn't had a lot of love or kindness in her life, but she is still full of joy and can find happiness in the small moments. I enjoyed seeing the effect she has on Derek as they get to know each other better.

This is the first book I've read by the author, but hope she has more to come soon!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.