A Baby For The Outcast

by Cassie Mint

My new job is with a famous painter in the mountains.

But great art isn’t all he’s about to create.

Rufus Grangemoor limps about the mountainside like a surly lord from another age. He’s grumpy and so talented and twice my age, and most of all, he’s my boss. All good reasons not to crush on him.

But with each passing day… okay, you’ve got me. This man is under my skin. All I want to do is crawl into his lap and beg for a kiss.

He’s warming to me too. Or he stares a lot, anyway. Am I reading this all wrong? Could we really be together?

Then sparks fly during one stormy night, and suddenly there’s more than my heart at stake.

I need to tell my grumpy boss I’m carrying his baby.

Genres: Romance, Novella, Contemporary Romance, Disability, Contemporary, Surprise Pregnancy, Forced Proximity

78 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 8, 2023

About the author

Cassie writes outrageous, OTT insta-love with tons of sugar and steam. She loves cookie dough, summer barbecues, and her gorgeous cat Missy.

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Reviews

[april ♡ probably reading smut - safety reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 🌟 1/5 🔥

Cute novella about a scarred recluse and his muse. I enjoyed it!

SAFETY:
Age: unknown, age gap H is older
Cheating: None!
OM/OW drama: None!
Sex scene with OM/OW: None!
Separation: No physical separation, just emotional separation for months.
Virgin/celibate/manwhore: Virgin heroine, unknown past for hero.
Condoms: None!
Triggers: None!
Kinks: spanking
Tropes: scarred recluse, surprise pregnancy
HEA?: Yes! With an epilogue.

My bookshelves may contain spoilers.

[Elizabeth ☕️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely hate Pregnancy Romance books and will typically never read them. But this is Cassie Mint so I’ll read anything of hers❤️

-Virgin h
-Age gap (unknown H twice h age)
-pregnancy romance
-Grumpy/sunshine
-Boss/employee
-small town
-HEA w kids

[Viv “BookVixen” Gutierrez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cassie mint is magic when it comes to packing in character development, emotional connection, yearning and steam into a novella. What takes others chapters and chapters, she does in a few.

This was a delicious little nugget of romance yumminess, with a grumpy and scarred hero (who has been celibate for a very long time) and a sweet, sunshiny innocent heroine who brings him to his knees (figuratively, of course, because in addition to scars he also has a bad limp from the same injury he got the scars.)

I absolutely adore when the hero knocks the heroine up and this brought the swoon!

Safe. Hero’s past isn’t mentioned but he’s been celibate for a while. Heroine is a virgin and belongs only to her hero. No others, no cheating or sharing. HEA with epilogue

[Lolina ⋆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was so sweet😭.

I didn't love it, but it definitely had to be one of my favorites by CM, in terms of its storyline.

I feel like with every CM book that I've read, the stories only just scratch the surface. There's so much more that could happen with the characters, and situations, that could really make them great because this one in particular, had so much potential, but just kind of stopped before it got good.

I really would love to see more from the characters, and give it the depth that could make these books great, because the writing's actually really nice- it's just very surface-level.

But I mean nevertheless, it was still some quick, fun. That ending was so cute I can't 😭.

[Serena Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Vivir con ella es como que te caiga un rayo decenas de veces al día.
“En el buen sentido”, le digo al bebé, como si pudiera escuchar mis pensamientos.'




•Mi opinión puede contener Spoilers.
•Esta destinada a ser un descargo personal no para que alguien más lea pero si lo haces y te ofende, me disculpo porque sé lo que es que te guste un libro y otros lo critiquen.




Baby For The Outcast de Cassie Mint

Argumento:

Mi nuevo trabajo es con un pintor famoso en las montañas.

Pero el gran arte no es todo lo que está a punto de crear.

Rufus Grangemoor cojea por la ladera de la montaña como un señor hosco de otra época. Es gruñón y muy talentoso y tiene el doble de mi edad, y sobre todo, es mi jefe. Todas buenas razones para no enamorarse de él.

Pero con cada día que pasa... está bien, me tiene a mí. Este hombre está bajo mi piel. Todo lo que quiero hacer es subirme a su regazo y rogar por un beso.

Él se está calentando conmigo también. O mira mucho, de todos modos. ¿Estoy leyendo todo esto mal? ¿Podríamos realmente estar juntos?

Entonces saltan chispas durante una noche tormentosa, y de repente hay más en juego que mi corazón.

Necesito decirle a mi jefe gruñón que estoy esperando a su bebé.



Mi humilde opinión:

Romance con diferencia de edad/ embarazo sorpresa.

Me encantó esta historia con un artista recluso malhumorado y la asistente encantadora que habla hasta por los codos. Tremenda pareja hacían! Los dos suspiran por el otro y piensan que nunca tendrán una chance con el otro. Rufus con su cojera y cicatrices, Helen con sus pensamientos de que un hombre creativo y maduro como él se pueda fijar en ella. Ahora... Después de esa noche juntos, cómo Rufus piensa que lo soñó todo? Mucha angustia en toda esa parte, lo sufrí mucho y quería que Helen diga algo o haga algo rápido! Quería que Rufus se diera por vencido y confesara sus sentimientos!

Con drama y todo, disfruté leyendo esta historia de amor y me creí el amor instantáneo que surgió entre Rufus y Helen. Me pareció dulce y solo hubo una escena con algo de calor, final feliz y epilogo perfectos.

[❁ lilyreadsromance ❁ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ms Mint did it again. With just less than 100 pages, she painted such a sweet and yet steamy romance story. I really love the female lead and how considerate she was no matter how miserable the misunderstandings (would you even count it that?) were.

The part where they were arguing and the guy reminded her that he can't run after her and she immediately stopped just won me over.

[The Love Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a cute and quick read! The heroine gets hired as an artist’s assistant to a recluse up in the mountains. He’s a grump who is attracted to her but doesn’t know how to voice it. One day, during a bad storm, she goes into his room, and while he thinks it’s a dream….the things they did were very much real.

But what happens when she ends up pregnant and he can’t even remember they had sex?

As short as it was, I believed in the couple’s connection. It was a great palate cleanser read for me!

TROPES: novella; age gap; recluse hero; boss/employee; forced proximity; artist hero/heroine; surprise pregnancy; scarred hero; disability rep (hero injured in hiking accident, he walks with a limp and the assistance of his cane)

[fulano · Rating 4 out of 5]

rep: disabled hero (walks with cane and experiences pain in his leg)

cw: grief, depression, mention of climbing accident


Swoony, adorable, and steamy! I adored this hero so much. He was just everything. I loved the epilogue as well because he definitely deserved the world and I loved seeing him get it!

[Averie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This heroine gets hired to be the live-in assistant to a reclusive artist. The hero constantly dreams about the heroine, so when she comes into his room one night during a storm he thinks their night together was just a dream. But as you can guess from the title, things get a little complicated between these two!!

I am a total sucker for this romance! I loved it!!

TROPES: artistic character (both), boss-employee, forced proximity, kindle unlimited, mobility aids (hero with his cane), recluse (hero), pregnancy, disability rep (hero was injured and now walks with a limp and experiences chronic pain), scarred characters, novella

[atomickitten · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars!

There is this joy in my heart that I started 2024 with a read this good, you know?

And the hero, Rufus?
A giant loner artist with a limp and a cane who has eyes only for the heroine?



I looooved him, the heroine and everything in between.
The only thing I didn't like was that it's a novelette. I so wish it were a full-length.
But I loved it nevertheless.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Definitely not my favorite. There is no feeling that they’re getting to know each other. And he thinks he’s dreaming when they have sex and then ignores her for months. So, ya. This one didn’t make me happy.

[clara · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5🌟
It has one of my favorite tropes and the epilogue was cute as hell.

[Brittany (Brit.tea.reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy Cassie Mint's novellas and this one was no different it was short and sweet.

Helen moves to the mountains to be a famous artist's assistant, but she soon learns that he is rough around the edges and a grump at times, but eventually she ends up falling for him.

I can't wait to read the others in this series.

[Mars ☼ · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I have just finished this series and this was my best rated book, I thought I owed it the decency of coming back and reviewing. Especially considering this series was my first (and likely last) dive into the 'accidental pregnancy' trope.

A lot of my five star books get immediately added to my "top-books-of-2023", but there's always a small margin of difference between 'really good, five star worthy' and worth adding to my 'top' list. This book exists in that in-between realm, given that while I liked it overall, points were deducted because... fuck, I just hate 'accidental pregnancy'.

As mentioned in previous reviews, I'm always a slut for 'grumpy x sunshine'. I think it's because I relate to both characters so much, and have interchangeably been the 'grumpy' or the 'sunshine' in previous relationships. It's the same appeal as a lot of insta-love stories for me. The allusion of "the one"; 'the only person for me', or in this trope's case, 'the only person I can tolerate on the godforsaken planet'.

Now, as previously emphasised, I hate pregnancy tropes. It feels like relationship entrapment and forced romance. However... in the case of this book, it was done pretty well.

The heroine comes to stay at the hero's abandoned hotel home as an artist's assistant. It's giving 'voluntary seclusion', 'one bed', and 'close proximity' tropes. All good ones in my book.

The hero dislikes most people and has decided to spend his life as an outcast while still contributing to the art world through pieces made in his seclusion. The heroine is fleeing something. I don't know if it's a bad life, a bad family, etc. If it's stated, I don't remember it. It could be incredibly relevant to the story line, but let's be honest, it's probably not.

The heroine has just the right amount of perky, optimistic nature, and the hero has just the right amount of intolerable grump. And 1 + 1 = 2, now she's pregnant.

What I liked about this novella compared to the majority of the genre, is there wasn't actually too much drama. Could the whole thing have been solved quickly if they just communicated ONCE? Oh, for sure, but you signed up for that when you started reading romance novellas. You gotta get the tension in there somehow.

However, to give the hero some credit, he actually had no idea a sexual encounter had occurred. Does that feel a bit iffy consent-wise? Yeah, kinda, but this dude was bonkers horny, and there's no doubt he would have consented had he been aware of his surroundings (thank you, first-person narratives). The hero genuinely believed the romantic encounter was a dream, as many of his nights prior to this had also been XXX pornos starring his new assistant.

Because of these circumstances, the trope didn't feel as much like it was forcing romance with the heroine's incidental pregnancy. Honestly, the two wild kids probably wouldn't have gotten together, despite their fiery, mutual attraction, if this pregnancy had occurred. It brought together a family, instead of forcing it on them.

Therefore, I deem this an exception to the rule of 'accidental pregnancies'. I'm even willing to admit there may be other exceptions out there. But that would require reading more of this miserable, loathsome trope, and I would rather scratch out my eyes.

Anyway, this was long, but I had a lot of thoughts.

[Anna M_82 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another amazing book from Cassie Mint! Everything she writes is romance gold and I can’t get enough! For a read that takes less than an hour, she’s done an amazing job showing growth in the relationship and feelings of her main characters, Rufus and Helen.

Rufus is the scarred and damaged reclusive artist. Helen is the sweet younger woman who’s moved to the mountain to be his assistant. He dreams of her and craves her but never imagines she could feel the same. One night during a storm she comes to him and he believes it to be another realistic dream, he is an artist after all with quite the creative imagination. Not realizing it is real he accidentally breaks her heart and hurts her feelings. These two together were beyond fantastic and the only thing better than experiencing their love is reading their beautiful and very fitting ending. I could have read about these two forever but was also incredibly happy with what this book offered.

Cassie’s writing is exquisite with touching details and with an excellent flow in narration. Every time I read one of her books, I’m ready to read another one or reread one of the many I already have. She’s a must read author for me and I recommend she become one for you too.

I received a copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not usually into these sort of books especially with the pregnancy trope. Kids are not it for me 🙅‍♀️😂

But honestly this was so sweet, definitely gave beauty and the beast vibes. A scarred recluse man and a sunshine woman. I adored these two so much…was Rufus a grump absolutely but Helen never gave up but he sure pushed her buttons at times🤣

The only thing I was a bit of the fence about was how long the miscommunication lasted but at the same time I love a bit of drama. It wasn’t that bad it just lasted a little too long pregnancy wise as for reading it wasn’t too bad…that probably makes no sense but it does to me 😂

Some of my fav quotes

“I’ve painted more in the last few weeks than I have in months. Years, even. It’s all Helen. My little muse.”

“Mine. Mine. This woman is mine. She’s been mine all along. And I’ve been hers. Fuck.”

Tropes
Age gap
Scarred Hero
GrumpyxSunshine
Hates everyone but her
Slight miscommunication
Pregnancy

[Sherri Leisure · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found Baby For The Outcast to be a charming little story. This is one of my favorite types of books where I was reminded beauty lies in the eye of beholder. It was a quick easy read for me that kept me reading until I finished the book. It took just a little over an hour to complete and it was time well spent. Cassie Mint created a very original story with enduring characters. Rufus and Helen captured my heart from the beginning and were relatable. The issues they had were things I have gone through myself making me feel close to them. Cassie had me cheering for them to see past their misunderstandings and lack of confidence in who they are individually as people to find their happily ever after. I think most readers would enjoy this book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Leah Eugenia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rufus is all but broken; shying away from the world.

Over the years he's become bitter, gruff and silent. Like a recluse, living high on a mountain, silent and withdrawn.

Every waking hour, he churns with art. Oils, sketches; his work is famous and very little is actually known about him, the artist. Dealing with the results of traumatizing injuries, he resigns himself to hiring an assistant, doubting anyone will even respond. The people in the nearby town are afraid of him.

Within minutes, his world changes, his art focus more defined. Helen is his ray of sunshine, his muse. Not daring to reach out, his dreams tantalize him at night, and tease him during his days...

Interesting story; different and intriguing. About a man afraid to hope, and a girl who quietly idolized him, exactly the way he is.

[Shawna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved A Baby For The Outcast. Helen has take a job as an assistant for a grumpy recluse. She’s hoping this is a real job and not some sort of trap. Rufus is a grump artist and his new assistant is in his dreams every night. He can’t get enough of her in his dreams. But she wouldn’t want his scared and broken body would she? They grow closer but suddenly Helen pulls back and it’s killing Rufus. Why? He needs to get it straight because he can’t not have Helen in his life. He in fie a shocker when the truth is finally out. This was a great story and I loved the characters. It’s a quick read. I would definitely recommend this book and the series.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me just start this by saying that I've read a bunch of Cassie Mint's books, and all of them are amazing.
This story was so good. Rufus and Helen are so cute together. They both have some miscommunication issues. However, their feelings cannot stay hidden for long. Helen works for Rufus, and she thinks he's off-limits and that he hates her. Rufus thinks that someone as perfect as Helen won't give a chance to someone as scarred as Rufus. And, boy, oh boy, are they both wrong.
This is a short and steamy novella. I couldn't book it down once I started reading it.
Can't wait for the next book from this author :).

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[RomanceIsMyJam · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was alright. I was expecting a dramatic story or the recluses injuries, but it wasn’t. I’m also trying to remember why he was in this remote mountainous place in the first place. The description of the travels to this village/town and what was there made it sound like it was the Himalayas. Confusing.

The dream like intercourse was weird for me and a tad cringe. It’s not like the guy was on sleeping pills or heavy sedatives, how does he not realize reality versus dream? There was a flipping massive storm outside, heck, a bolt of lightning struck outside their dwelling leaving a burn scar and the guy still couldn’t tell dream from reality. I’m not buying that at all.

I like a Cassie Mint story, but I didn’t care all that much for this one. Honestly this baby series is a dud anyway.

[Barbara Atkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rufus is an older recluse artist. He lives in an old motel. He is scarred, big, burly and a grump. The town folks are scared of him and thinks he is cursed.
Helen is young, vibrant, chatty and full of sunshine. She answers the add for the assistant position.
They both start pining for each other but don’t think the other could possibly be interested. When a storm rages outside intense sparks heat inside.
The only problem is Rufus doesn’t remember, his mind has tricked him and when Helen ends up pregnant what happens next?
The author does a great job with the story, we can see the longing each of the main characters have and how backing away hurts each of them.
This is a face paced, age-gap instalove romance.

[Merry Jelks-Emmanuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Helen accepts the job up in the mountains, she has no idea what awaits her. Rufus is a gifted artist but because of his scars he stays to himself. When he collects Helen, he is drawn to her instantly. She is a bright light to his darkness and as their time spent together grows so does their feelings. Rufus is under the impression that he is dreaming everything but when Helen confronts him about her pregnancy will it change the man he has become? This story drew me i and had me in their corner right from the beginning.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[BurgundyKitten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good world building. I liked the descriptions of the mountains and the interior of the old hotel; it was easy to see why Rufus was lonely. Helen was a ball of sunshine, just the right woman to chip away at Rufus’s grouchiness and get to his soft center. And I loved the play on Rufus’s wet dreams and how they resulted in his missing the obvious with Helen. It was conflict that didn’t feel forced and was made even better by Rufus’s desire for Helen’s baby.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Flavia Karina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heart-warming.

Heart-warming.
If you are looking for a new boyfriend book this is an excellent place to find it. Rufus is a grump with a lot of pain in his heart, so much so that it is impossible for him not to crush Helen's dreams, without wanting to. This is the kind of reading you get into and don't want to get out of. And it has a warmth, a heat and a sweetness throughout all the pages, even when the protagonists do not even look into each other's eyes.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[T Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

HEA
Standalone, series collaboration by different authors
Disabled Grump/ innocent sunshine, age-gap
*over 18 readers only*

She took a job as an assistant to a recluse artist. He's older, she's innocent. She sat for him one day as his model. He has vivid dreams about her every night. The night after she modeled, the dream came but it wasn't a dream. He didn't know why she suddenly stopped being herself until she models for him again and sees that she's pregnant. How will she convince him it's his baby when he thought it was all a dream?

[Precious · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this romance between Rufus who is an recluse living on a mountain and hires an assistant to
help with his painting. Rufus is quiet, scarred, walks with a cane. He sees the heroine and is attracted to her. Rufus has bad dreams sometimes, and during one of his dreams he becomes physically engaged with the heroine.
I really liked Rufus and the heroine was strong and pining after the Rufus silently. Rufus and the heroine were both artist inclined. Good romance, age, grumpy, and breeding.

[Trixie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it. The MMC was all grumpy at first but soon he was all sunshine. It's all thanks to his muse, the FMC.

There is something different here that I haven't read before. It was a romance that started in a dream and becomes a reality. And I loved the ending and they're happily ever. I am remembering this story with a smile.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Lisa Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helen has landed a job as an assistant to a famous painter. He lives in a mountain town in an old hotel up the mountain. He is a grumpy older man, but that does not deter Helen from finding interesting and wanting so much more from him.

On night with a violent storm sparks ignite the bed, but the next day he is back to his usual self. When she finds out she is carrying his baby what will she do?.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 - 4 stars.

This story was sad in places, what had happened in the past, what people said and how they acted, but light shone in the dark and hope started to grow. I thought the characters were good and I believed in their connection, chemistry and struggles. I would have liked to have seen what life was like outside of the hotel afterwards personally, I enjoyed their HEA.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.