I am always pleasantly caught off guard by E. J. Russell because she is a lovely, humble woman. Always expecting sweetness and light, I am delightfully surprised when her books have a fairly large bite. In ‘Cutie and the Beast: Fae Out of Water Book 1’, we meet temp worker David Evans that manages to start a riot everywhere he goes so he’s restricted to transcription work. But his agency offers him a temporary position in Dr. Alun Kendrick’s office and there was NO way David was going to mention his permanent banishment from offices. Thrilled by Dr. Kendrick’s beautiful voice, David is in no way turned off by his beastly appearance and he sets off to be the best temp ever. In doing so he manages to win the admiration, adoration, and respect of the Alun. David comes to realize that Dr. Kendrick and his patients are all supernatural beings! The wonderful doctor is the former Queen’s Champion of Faerie’s Seelie Court, having served the position before he was cursed after the death of his lover Owain. Alun has held himself responsible for Owain’s death and the massacre of the last know enclave of achubyddion–being capable of healing. It just so happens David is achubydd and his druid aunt’s illness results from her using her power to mask his distinctness, keeping him safe from the fae. But the fae finds out David’s secret and it’s all Alun can do to prevent him from suffering the same fate as Owain. We encounter some hard-hearted fae in this story but it’s beautifully moderated by the power of love and David’s ability to avoid judgment due to appearances. His tenacity and bravery were an integral part of the novel and were in no way mitigated by his snark and sarcasm. They were many cheerful spots in the book. A description of David’s dancing being among the funniest ever. David’s character was beautifully rendered due to the superb narration by Joel Leslie Froomkin. Due to his wonderful performance, the story and especially David came to life magically.