By the Book

A timeless story for a fresh generation

Isabelle is very disoriented. She didn't anticipate that, at the age of 25, she would still be an editing assistant, live at home, work as the only Black employee at her publishing business, and have started her career in publishing straight out of college. Feeling underpaid and overworked, Izzy struggles to decide whether to speak out or keep quiet, and she believes there must be more to life in publishing. Isabelle thus perceives a chance to finally get the promotion she deserves when she overhears her employer griping about a formidable, well-known author who has neglected to submit his much anticipated work.

She just needs to visit the author at his Santa Barbara estate and offer him a few encouraging words. How difficult may it be?

Izzy, however, immediately realizes she is overstepping her bounds. Beau Towers is not your average celebrity pen pal penning a self-serving book. He is distant and cynical, and it seems that he is as lost as Izzy. Izzy wants Beau to deliver, however, and in spite of his aloofness, he starts to tell his narrative with her support. As their deadline approaches, Izzy and Beau start to realize there could be something there that wasn't there before, and they quickly find they have more in common than either of them had anticipated.

The retelling of a well-loved fairy tale by best-selling author Jasmine Guillory is a romantic triumph of love and acceptance and the realization that sometimes it's necessary to read between the lines in order to fully know someone.