My letter “B” pick for this year’s A To Z Challenge was BOOKISH AND THE BEAST by Ashley Poston.

Continuing her Once Upon A Con series, Ashley Poston once again creates a charming, heartfelt, and often hilarious fairy tale knock-off set in the realm of fandom for the Starfield universe of TV shows, movies, and this time – books.

Rosie Thorne is still reeling after the loss of her beloved mother – who once had a spectacular collection of books based on the Starfield TV show, and her favorite of them all featured the villain of the Starfield universe, Ambrose Sond, (currently portrayed in the Starfield movies by seventeen year-old Hollywood bad boy, Vance Reigns). Due to some bad behavior – a pattern for Vance – he’s been exiled to a castle of a house owned by his publicist in a small town in North Carolina under the watchful eye of a family friend.

Due to a mishap, local girl Rosie ends up being drafted to catalog the enormous collection of classic Starfield books in the library of the castle house. Rosie recognizes the books immediately as her late mother’s collection, which was sold to pay off medical debt after her death (ain’t America grand, folks?). Vance ends up being forced into helping her in an effort to rehabilitate him. He starts out churlish, disheveled, and annoying, but over time, Rosie and her love of the library begin to thaw his beastly exterior, and the two begin to connect. Special mention goes to Rosie’s BFF’s, Quinn and Annie, who provide unwavering support and lots of comic relief throughout the book. Vance is a self-loathing hottie who learns to love himself as he falls for Rosie, and Rosie is plucky, and adorable. Just as in GEEKARELLA, which I read last year, this story was pure nerdy snuggles and charm. Four and a half stars for this one, plus a smile and a contented sigh.