Muscles & Monsters (Leviathan Fitness, 1) - Softcover

Bennett, Ashley

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0593956974 ISBN 13: 9780593956977

Verlag: Penguin Publishing Group, 2026

Inhaltsangabe

REVISED AND EXPANDED PAPERBACK EDITION

A gym-owning wolven and a headstrong baker discover howl real their connection is in the first book of the beloved Leviathan Fitness series.

After a wedding cake catastrophe on the street, local baker Tegan lands in the most unexpected place—a solid wall of fur and fangs named Atlas. She’s never met anyone like him and finds herself enamored by his wolfish charm. After their sweet encounter, Atlas invites her to his gym anytime she needs his cake-lifting services.

However, Tegan is through with being a damsel in distress. She signs up for a membership with Leviathan Fitness, determined to build her strength…and if she sees the handsome wolven again, it’s a win-win scenario.

Atlas can’t believe his eyes when Tegan walks through the doors of his gym, and nearly goes snout-over-paw to offer her personal training. Shared glances over the barbell and accidental touches at the water fountain set Atlas’s heart racing in a way he swore it couldn’t again.

Primal desires emerge as Atlas and Tegan test just how much their new love can lift. Could Tegan be the unexpected mate of Atlas’s dreams?

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Ashley Bennett is a small-town paranormal and monster romance author from Baltimore, Maryland. She writes stories that are equal parts spice and swoon. When she's not writing, you can find her reading webtoons, playing cozy video games, and taking care of her houseful of rescue animals.

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"Always the baker and never the bride." I sighed to myself, stepping back from the three circular cake tiers lining the counter. They gradually increased in size, the biggest about the size of a tire.

Per the bride's request, it was going to be a massive three-tiered red velvet cake slathered in textured cream cheese icing, large enough to feed the entire town of Briar Glenn. Because of the size, I'd assemble it on-site at the wedding venue tomorrow morning.

This particular wedding cake was for the mayor's daughter, Jessica, who just so happened to have graduated high school with me. She was marrying a satyr who worked in finance, and in the spirit of supporting local businesses, they'd hired me to bake the wedding cake. It was an honor, really-but I couldn't help the stinging jealousy I felt every time I thought about their upcoming nuptials.

Here she was getting married while I spent every waking moment of my life working at the bakery. So much, in fact, that my last relationship ended because of it. My girlfriend of two years just couldn't handle my dedication to the family business. She gave me an ultimatum-her or the bakery. Of course I chose the bakery. At this point, I had pretty much resigned myself to being a childless cat lady. Not that there was anything wrong with that-it just wasn't the white picket fence, two-point-five kids, and ridiculously attractive partner that I had dreamed of since I was a little girl.

Selene, my bakery assistant and one of my closest friends, joined me in admiring my work. "They came out perfect, Tegs. Just like they do every time. I don't know how you do it."

And they were perfect. Nice and even with no cracks, the icing smooth and level.

"Pastry school and years of practice under the most hard-ass baker I know," I said, wiping my sugar-coated hands on my apron.

She laughed, warm and raspy. "Don't talk about Mama Rollins like that."

"It's true! In the kitchen, she's not the sweet lady you know her to be, I can tell you from experience."

After my father's death a year ago, my mother retired, and I inherited the Briar Glenn Bakery. Before that, my grandmother ran the bakery. A legacy of women business owners here in the tiny town of Briar Glenn, one I was happy to continue. Even if it meant I had no work-life balance.

"I am beat," Selene said, leaning against the counter and wiping her forehead.

She'd been quieter today, none of her playful teasing or upbeat singing. Just silently working on the backup sheet cake for the wedding on the off chance there was a catastrophe. In all the years I'd worked at the bakery, that had yet to happen, but my mother always drilled it into my head that we needed to have some sort of backup plan-just in case. For the mayor's daughter's wedding, the biggest social event of the year, I wasn't taking any chances.

"Are you okay?" I asked, taking in Selene's flushed cheeks and dewy skin.

I kept the bakery cold to keep the icing from melting, and it had been hours since I ran the oven . . .

"I'm just not feeling great."

"Why didn't you say something earlier? I could have finished this on my own."

"Well, I need the hours and you have enough on your plate as it is."

Selene had only been working with me for a few months, but she'd picked things up quickly. I could rely on her to work on smaller orders like premade birthday cakes, while I worked on large orders like wedding cakes and special-order baked goods. She really had a knack for baking.

Much to the dismay of her parents, Selene was taking some time off from college. At the ripe age of twenty-two, she had plenty of time to go back and finish her engineering degree, and I was thankful for the help.

Even with the eight-year age difference between us, we'd become close. And working with Selene was a hell of a lot better than asking my mom to help out part-time. Pam Rollins had just passed me the reins. I wasn't about to let her micromanage the way I was running my business.

"Did you still want to go to the diner for dinner?" I asked, hoping Selene would join me. Outside of Sunday dinners at my mom's house, I'd been having one too many meals alone lately.

"Rain check on that one. I want to make sure I rest up for tomorrow. There's no way you can handle that behemoth on your own."

"Just let me know. I think I can manage it just fine."

"I'll be there. Besides, I wouldn't want you to be late for the wedding."

"Fuck," I huffed. "Are you sure you don't want to come with me?" Stupidly, I'd put myself down for a plus-one, thinking I could use the fact that the wedding was open bar to coerce Selene into going with me. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. Apparently, she'd won tickets to see her favorite band and the concert was the same night as the wedding.

"Isn't Declan going?"

I snorted. "Not a chance. He hooked up with Jessica's brother, Brendan, a few years ago; and while it was just a fling for Dec, Brendan took it really hard. Moved to Cincinnati, and this is his first time back in town since."

Selene grimaced. "Sounds about right for Dec. Guess you're flying solo, then."

"Couldn't I just"-I shrugged, making a face-"not go?"

She pinned me with a stare, arching a perfectly sculpted brow. She might not have been feeling well, but her makeup was still on point. "Your mom is going to give you serious shit if you don't go."

I groaned. "Fine. Fine." There was already tension between me and my older brother; I didn't need it with my mother, too.

Selene gathered the icing-crusted tools and tossed them in the sink.

"I've got those," I said, already reaching for the dish soap.

"But-"

I cut her off. "Go home. Boss's orders."

She tugged off the bandana covering her hair, letting her bouncy brown curls free. "If you insist."

Honestly, I expected more of an argument. She really wasn't feeling well.

"What time should I be here tomorrow to load up the cake?"

"The venue is letting me in at nine, so probably eight thirty? I want to get it out of the way so I'm not rushing to get ready for the wedding."

"You mean you're not going to assemble the cake in your dress?" she teased.

"I don't think it would shock anyone if I did, but no, I'm going to go home and get ready after."

"What are you going to wear?"

"I was thinking maybe that emerald green dress you forced me to buy when it was on sale around Christmas." I said forced, but in reality I'd been obsessed with the dress since the moment I tried it on. Selene just gave me the push I needed to actually drop that kind of money on a piece of clothing-even if it was on sale. "I haven't had a chance to wear it yet." And I was dying to.

She clapped her hands together, brightening up a little bit. "Oh, the pinup one! That'll be perfect for the wedding. Your ass looks so good in that dress."

It really did.

"If I have to go, I might as well look hot while doing it."

"Love that mindset for you." She hugged my shoulders, giving them a little squeeze. "I'll see you in the morning. Tell Dec I said hi."

"Will do. Try not to be late," I shouted after her.

She slipped out the back door, leaving me in the absolute worst place to be: alone with my thoughts.

As the warm water turned my hands red and the icing swirled around the drain, I couldn't help but feel like it was a metaphor for my love life.

I'd spent so much time devoting myself to the bakery, making sure it had continued success now that it had switched hands, that I felt like I was falling behind in the other aspects of my life.

I wanted to have someone to go home to. A reason to hurry out of the bakery in the evenings. I wanted to have someone to rely on other than myself, someone to take control every once in...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Penguin Publishing Group
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2026
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0593956974
• ISBN 13: 9780593956977
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 305
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: preigu GmbH & Co. KG; mail@preigu.de; ; Lengericher Landstr. 19; Osnabrück; Niedersachsen; 49078; Deutschland