REVIEW: Beauty and the Beard by RM Neill (Maple Mountain Lodge #1)

BEAUTY & THE BEARD

Maple Mountain Lodge - Book One

by RM Neill

Release Date: February 22, 2024

Review

Lovely, lovely, lovely.

First of all, I love mountain/lumberjack/wilderness settings. They also always involve small towns, which is also a fav of mine. So we already knew we were going to be off to a great start. With bonus points for this being set in Canada (it makes my maple syrup-loving heart happy).

Leaf is our ruggedly handsome lodge owner, who was tragically widowed seven years earlier. Since then he’s just been trudging along, keeping the lodge running, but not doing much else.

Enter Sasha. A city boy through and through, in need of an escape and a reset. He may have been a highly successful model, but it came at a cost, and he needs to figure out what’s next and take back control of his life.

A month off the beaten path seems like an excellent idea. As long as he doesn’t get eaten by a bear.

The attraction between them is sweet, and Sasha’s kind but also slightly naive nature opens Leaf up to want to help him and spend time with him.

It’s a wonderful story of learning to love and trust again, full of wonderful moments and shared experiences. Simple pleasures and heartfelt connections. There are also some really fantastic side characters that I’m really looking forward to seeing more of.

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Synopsis

Leaf

Grief is a complex thing to experience. Since losing my husband, I’ve let it call the shots. It’s been in control so long that I’ve almost forgotten what it feels like to have someone hold me tight at night or share a secret smile with.

But a beautiful young model shows up at my lodge. He’s eager to learn about the outdoors and experience life outside the city. The more we laugh and share secrets under the stars, the more he makes me want things that I’ve kept buried for too long.

He’s more than my first impression; he’s intelligent, kind, eager, and fiercely protective. He’s only supposed to be here for a month, but he’s chipping at the walls around my heart.

Now that I’m falling for him, I need to convince him to stay, but we’re from two different worlds.

Could a beauty like him be happy in the mountains with a bearded widower like me?

Sasha

Being a model assumes you’re all looks and no brains. Well, I’m done playing the part of the pretty boy. The flirt. The easy target. No more cowing to the demands of others. It’s time to figure out who I am and what I want from life.

I’m heading to the mountains for a month to discover the kinder side of life—if there is such a thing. I want to heal my wounds and use the wilderness to search my soul for where I should go next.

When I arrive at the lodge, the sexy lumberjack with the sad eyes immediately captures my attention. He’s incredibly thoughtful, and he emboldens me to be me. With his encouragement, I’m doing things I never thought possible, like learning to fish... and catching feelings instead.

We lead different lives, but even though I didn’t come here looking for love, would he want a beautiful mess like me to stay?

CW: mention of spousal death, past abuse