Product Description

When full-figured barber Tyler Carver enters GD Fitness for a personal training session, she immediately butts heads with her trainer Gunnar Daniels. Refusing to allow Mr. Just-Walked-off-an-Abercrombie-&-Fitch-Billboard’s rudeness, she gives him a piece of her mind and storms off. Too bad she can't stop thinking about the gorgeous gray-eyed grump. Former fashion model–turned–gym owner Gunnar Daniels, having a day sent express from hell, thinks it can’t get any worse until Tyler Carver, in all her curvy, chocolate glory, takes his breath away the moment he locks eyes with her. Knowing he acted out of character, he apologizes to her. Yet, he wants so much more. Can Tyler and Gunnar help each other discover that beauty is more than skin deep . . . that the beauty within is what truly decides the beauty without?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #80506 in Books
• Published on: 2008-08-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 222 pages

Customer Reviews

Very Satisfying! Well Done!
This was a very well written book, and the characters were excellently drawn. The book was dramatic at times, funny at times, and downright sexy, sensuous and, yes, HOT at times. I think all of the ingredients that make for a really good read were present in this book.

Initially, Gunnar (WM) came off as being an angry, shallow person; however, as the story progresses, you find out more about him and what makes him tick. You also see a gradual transformation in him as he builds a friendship with Tyler, and as his feeling grow for her. I really fell in love with this guy.

At the beginning, Tyler (BW) exhibited a lot of spunk which I cheered. I was warmed by her sense of family and tradition. I liked and could relate to her quirkiness during football and basketball games. As more and more of her character is revealed, you see her begin to unravel and understand clearly her inner pain and struggles. There are many women, black, white, Asian, Hispanic, who suffer from self-esteem issues based on what others think or based on what print and media venues portray and emphasize as ideal beauty in our society. The author handled this issue well and quite dramatically--well done!

Six years previously, Tyler's first true love, the man she was to marry, dumped her unceremoniously over the phone, while she was planning her father's funeral. Added to that insult was the very reason she was given for the break-up, which trampled on Tyler's already fragile self-esteem. Other subsequent bad experiences exacerbated the inner demons plaguing Tyler. I kept screaming, "It's been SIX YEARS, time to move on!!" But then came the epiphany--how long is too long for a true healing to occur? Who's to say? Healing is a bit analogous to forgiveness, I guess. Sometimes, it takes a lifetime and forgiveness never happens. So it is with the healing process--it depends on the person, the circumstances, and the person's inner confidence, strength and constitution. So, I tamped down my impatience with Tyler, put myself in her shoes, and gladly read on.

Near the end of the book, I was a bit puzzled by the 3 weeks Gunnar disappeared, his whereabouts unknown to anyone, including Tyler. I don't want to give anything away concerning this part, but this was a time when Tyler was at her most vulnerable, in my estimation. I really wanted to know a lot more of Gunner's thinking during this period and, what, if anything, he suffered mentally and emotionally during this 3 week absence. It was briefly explained and excused, but it could have been more substantially drawn out for me. Similarly, the ending was a little too brief, and I would have liked to have glimpsed more of the beginning of Tyler's journey to healing. Notwithstanding, the ending was very gratifying.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book--it was one of a few truly character-driven BW/WM interracial romances. I applaud this book and highly recommend it.

P.S. (I've read "Being Plumville" which I highly recommend as well).

A RomanceInColor.com Review
Tyler Carver is the youngest of two daughters and the one to follow in her father's footsteps by becoming a barber. Gunnar Daniels is the owner of GD Fitness who just happens to look like a "Greek-god" who just stepped out of the pages of a Health and Fitness magazine. Tyler and Gunnar immediately butt heads when she visits his gym after her doctor recommends she shed a few pounds to help resolve her lower-back problem. Unbeknownst to Tyler, she is on the receiving end of a Gunnar tirade that was not meant for her. However, when Gunnar shows up in her shop with an apology, and a request for her to cut his hair, the sparks begin to fly.

Tyler is an educated and successful business owner, who is living with unresolved self-esteem issues caused by her weight, being dumped five years earlier by the love of her life and her mother's abandonment when she was a child. Gunnar is hiding his fears of intimacy after his previous girlfriend overdosed while trying to stay thin in order to maintain a successful modeling career. I love the inter-action between the two characters as the get to know each other, and learn to love and trust again. The way that Gunnar supports Tyler in her efforts to lose weight, while letting her know that being full-figured and having curves is not a sin is heart-warming.

In THE BEAUTY WITHIN, Ms. Frierson has created real characters whose reactions to life, stress and trauma is reminiscent of real-life struggles. This is a story that many will be able to relate too as you run the gamut of emotions through the progression of this story.
THE BEAUTY WITHIN is a quick and enjoyable read. I would recommend giving a copy to the women you know who are having self-esteem issues, especially if they are weight related.

Reviewed by Marguerite for www.RomanceInColor.com

I really didn't love it
The plot was not about the couple's racial & cultural differences, but about Tyler's poor self-image and her inability to believe someone could love her due to her weight. She's also still dealing with a breakup that happened 6 years ago, which makes her constantly compare Gunnar to her ex. I was exhausted by Tyler's lack of self-esteem and constant crying, but I suppose that's how a person behaves when she has no sense of how wonderful, important, and pretty she is, despite being told repeatedly by every single person around her. There's no clear description of her size, so in my mind I put her in a 12 and I felt like she should get over herself!

I'm not sorry I read The Beauty Within because I like to support authors I like. I hope Savannah Frierson's next book is better edited because this had quite a few typos and the writing just wasn't as tight as her previous works. Transitions weren't always clear - I had to re-read a few lines because at times it felt like something was left out. Finally, the use of foreign languages without always giving the translation got old really quick. The reader has to use context clues to take a guess at what is being said. If you haven't read Being Plumville, please do. It's 1000% better in terms of the plot, conflicts, and writing style and in my opinion it's already a classic.