Defending His Legacy...At Any Cost When scandal threatens the luxury auction house that bears his family's name, Vance Waverly suspects the media feeding frenzy is an inside job. Could his gorgeous assistant, Charlotte Potter, be plotting Waverly's downfall? There's one way to find out: seduce the truth out of her! Charlie is between a rock and a hard place. She can reveal Waverly's secrets to her unidentified blackmailer or lose custody of her child. Whatever she does, she'll lose the career she loves. But losing the man she's come to love-her big, bad boss-could put her over the edge....
USA Today best selling author Maureen Child is the author of more than ninety romance novels and novellas. Maureen is a five time nominee for the prestigious Rita award from Romance Writers of America. One of her novels, A Pocketful Of Paradise, was made into a CBS-TV movie called The Soul Collector, starring Melissa Gilbert, Bruce Greenwood and Ossie Davis. Over the years, she’s written under lots of different names and she prefers the term ‘pseudonym’ to ‘alias’. As Ann Carberry, she wrote western historical romances. As Kathleen Kane, she wrote not only Americana romances, but western paranormal romances as well. As Sarah Hart, she wrote one really spectacular western paranormal that is still one of her favorites. And once, Ann Carberry even wrote a Victorian historical which she absolutely loved doing.
Under her own name, Maureen writes short contemporary novels for Silhouette Desire—books she loves to write because of their fast pace and condensed story telling. Maureen is also writing funny, contemporary paranormal romances for NAL and darker paranormal stories for Silhouette Nocturne.
Maureen writes paranormal romance novels under the pesudonym of Regan Hastings
This is the start of a 6 part continuity series by different authors, and as the first Gilded Secrets is responsible for laying down the foundations of the series.
Vance Waverly suspects that his closest competitor is trying to discredit and acquire his auction house, and Dalton Rothschild has been known to use underhand methods in the past to achieve his aim. Vance is now concerned that there is a spy working for the company who is feeding information to Rothschild, and to make matters worse a news article has just been released that Waverly’s CEO Ann Richardson had previously had an affair with Rothschild. Despite the Boards concern and office gossip circulating that Ann may still be communicating with Rothschild, Vance believes that she is innocent.
Vance had already suspected his secretary of being a spy as she was fairly new to the job and had been rather jumpy in the last couple of days. On the advice of his brother he sets out to discover if Charlie (Charlotte) is hiding something by seducing her. Charlie has fallen in love with Vance, but she is being blackmailed into supplying information to an unknown person or they threaten to release information about her that would risk her losing her son. After long deliberation she decides to do as the blackmailer asks as the consequences of refusing is too high. About to do as instructed she breaks down and tells Vance what has been happening as she finds she can’t betray the man she loves.
This story started off well, especially as we were being fed with quite a bit of information and characters to set up the series. Ms Child did an excellent job of building up the tension by not revealing to us the information that Charlie was so desperately trying to cover up. My mind was working overtime trying to work out what it could be. After all the blackmailer was threatening that she would be classed as an unfit mother and lose her son if it got out and Charlie was terrified so I was virtually sitting on the edge of my seat trying to work out what it could be. Had she been a stripper (as reference was made to her Barbie appearance), had she been a high class escort or…. Dare I ask it, a murderer? Finally we got our answer, I was left shocked and shouting is that it?.... it that the reason?..... You’re kidding me, right?....To say I was disappointed at this really stupid/laughable and unrealistic reason would be an understatement! I know we do get some really silly things/reasons in Harlequin-land but honestly that had to be the worst I have read for quite some time!
As I said the story started well but it all just seemed to lose steam from the middle right through to the end, which is a shame because ignoring that really stupid reason for blackmail, I do think this had the potential to be good but felt like the story was massively edited and cut/shortened to fit to the amount of designated pages/word count.
My initial reaction was to award it 2 stars as I was so miffed about the reason Charlie had her knickers in a twist over, but because it did have a good start and Ms Child did do a good job laying the foundation for the series I have given it 3 out of 5 stars.
3 Stars ~ Waverly's is a world renown auction house, established over 150 years ago. Vance is one of the last remaining Waverlys, so he takes his senior position on the board very seriously. When the press begins to hint of scandal and possible hostile takeover of Waverly by the rival Rothchild, Vance starts to look at his own staff for a possible spy. Charlie is Vance's new PA, and she's eager to prove her worth. She's a single mother and she knows that only hard work and initiative will see her advance so she can provide a good life for her infant son. The last thing she needs is the growing attraction she has for her boss. Vance can't help noticing all of Charlie's assets -- "blond hair, big blue eyes and boobs any Barbie doll would be proud of" -- and finds himself distracted every time she's near. When Charlie receives email threatening to see she'll lose her son unless she provide some confidential files, she's terrified. The only person who knows her past before coming to New York, is her son's father and he disappeared before baby Jake was born. Vance wonders why Charlie seems so nervous so he decides it's time to over rule her as a spy by getting to know her better. When Charlie shows him the emails and the threat that the blackmailer knows where she lives, he insists that she and Jake move in to his condo. But when she does, of course, they can't keep their hands off each other.
This is the launching book of a six book continuity about the Waverly auction house. While Ms. Child does a great job of introducing the characters we'll meet in the later books, I didn't really feel connected to Vance and Charlie. I loved them as characters, but somehow they didn't come to life for me as the characters of other books I've read by Ms. Child. I like the theme for this continuity and look forward to reading the other books.
Good book. The book starts with a news story printed about Waverly's CEO that threatens the business. Vance is determined that nothing will bring it down. He is concerned that his new assistant may be the one leaking information to the press. He decides that getting close to her would be a good idea - no hardship as he is very attracted to her. Charlie doesn't know what to do. She has been receiving blackmail emails, threatening her son if she doesn't comply. When Vance asks her out, and is good to her and her son, she keeps trying to delay the blackmailer. Finally, she can't stand it any more and tells Vance everything. As they work together to find the blackmailer, they continue to grow closer. I really liked both Vance and Charlie. I love the way that Charlie wants only the best for her son, and works hard to make that happen. She loves the auction business and is trying to learn everything she can about it. I also liked the way that she refused to give in to the blackmailer and went to Vance. Vance was a little harder to like at the beginning, with his decision to try to romance Charlie for information. I did like the fact that that didn't last past the first time they went out together. I loved seeing him in the kid-friendly restaurant, so completely out of his comfort zone. I also liked how quickly he came to care for both Charlie and Jake, even though he didn't recognize it as love. It took their falling out at the end for him to realize just why he felt so right when he was with them. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.
Vance es uno de los dueños de una casa de remate newyorkina. Charlotte es su nueva secretaria, pero está siendo extorsionada para que robe archivos de la empresa. Vance sospecha, entonces decide investigarla "profundamente". Todo se aclara. Un par de escenas hot. Bien, pero es un harlequin. Ah, ella tiene un bebe de 14 meses. Eso le da un toque distinto.
*I was provided with a free copy of this book in exchange for a review*
Gilded secrets us one of those books that was easy to read and generally enjoyable but I found I just didn’t care about it all that much. I thought it was a little over dramatic and really, really cheesy. Normally I don’t mind a little drama or cheese but this was a bit too much for my taste.
Also, I thought the threat to Charlotte should have been bigger. People are threatening to have her child taken away from her because of some big secret from her past. I was extremely disappointed when everything was revealed. The threat was not really a threat at all and Charlotte over reacted just a little bit.
I couldn’t really connect to the romance either. I felt nothing between them, the chemistry just didn’t come through for me.
Gilded Secrets is readable, it isn’t a bad book but it just wasn’t enough to really interest me.
I wonder why some romance's authors, specially contemporary one, do not to try to be a little more believable, this plot was, in a way, absolutely lacking. Anyway an easy fast read.
Although this book follows the format of all Harlequin/Silhouette romance books this one had a little bit more that I liked. The main male character Vance came to the rescue of his new assistant Charlie when he finds out she is being blackmailed for his company's secrets. I guess I am a bit of sucker for the whole knight on a white horse scenario.
Ok read but the ending, for the two main characters was to hurried and incomplete. The last few pages were fustrating because now I have find the other story.
4 STARS The Highest Bidder is a continuity with six different authors. Gilded Secrets is the first book. It is a Harlequin Desire so thier are love scenes. The story was good and I look forward to next in the series to see where it goes. Gilded Secrets takes place in the auction house Waverly's. On the day news about the CEO Ann Richardson hits the paper that she had an affair with their competer Dalton Rothschild. Vance Waverly the senior board member and one of the last Waverly still at the auction house, secatary is being blackmailed. Charlotte Potter had only been Vance's assistant for a week now. She has been at Waverly's since she came to New York. She wants to move up and provide for her baby boy. She loves how they have daycare in the building. She feels that Vance is waiting to fire her. She knows that he gave her this position when the board member she was working for retired. She gets an email that says he wants her to get him files from the company or he will tell all about her history before she came to New York and get her son taken away from her. Charlotte has no family left. She does not want to steal from the company but feels if her past comes to light she will be fired. How can she pay for a lawyer to protect her son. She does not even know who the father is. He lied to her even his name is a lie. She tries to stall as long as she can till she can figure out what to do. Vance regrets hiring Charlotte because she is beautiful and young and she draws his attention away from work. With all of the media attention he wonders if some one is spying on them. He notices Charlotte is acting guilty always jumping when he comes into her office. His half brother suggests he romances her to find out quickly if she is spying on them. It does not take him long to go along with the idea. It does not answer all the questions the book asks we will have to read the others to know them. I was given this ebook to read in exchange of honest review from Netgalley. 06/26/2012 PUB Harlequin Desire
"So what are you doing here?" "I work here," Vence said, one corner of his mouth lifting. Brilliant, Charlie. Just brilliant. "Yes, but you usually don't come to the auctions." He shrugged. "I want to see you." "You see me every day." Nerves plucked at her insides and Charlie fought to keep from showing them. "Yeah, but this way's different," he said. "We're not in the office. We're more like.... friends." She laughed and take a sip of her water. "Friends?" "Something wrong with that?""I guess not." "Good. Because I'd like to take my 'friend' out to dinner tonight." "What?" This conversation was put on the first page, before the title, and it really captived my attention, made me eager to turn the page to know what happened between the two main characters. That's a good point to start a book.
I got this ebook from NetGalley, read it in the middle of my office hours, that's the opportunity if you've no tasks or idle. Hahahahah..
What can I say, I LIKE Maureen Child's (MC) works. This one included. Charlie and Vance were similar to MC's others characters. Vance was strong, powerful, demanding, and late to know that he fell in love with the woman. While Charlie's character was delicate, sweet, tried to solve her own problem though it made her scared to death, and definitely made the man fell into her.
But what I love the most is the way how MC built the plot, from a simple one (trying to find out who betrayed the Waverly's) to misunderstanding between the characters and my mind can't keep stop asking who's betrayed the auction house. MC got my brain occupied to find out who's the blackmailer yet still get my heart clenched and thump due to how Vance romancing Charlie...
Overall, this one is a nice story, can't wait for the rest of the series ^^
Gilded Secrets is a quick read that started off great but lost some steam towards the end. Charlotte is Vance's new assistant. She's anxious to prove herself because she really needs her job. Vance isn't so sure that Charlotte is assistant material and thinks that she's too young, perky and good looking. When a rival auction house starts making waves and implying that an executive at Waverly's is selling out, Vance must get to the bottom of it. He's not beyond using his new assistant to find out who's behind the leaks.
For the most part, I enjoyed Gilded Secrets. It's your typical Harlequin trope. Super rich guy falls in love with a girl who he doesn't normally go for - the unsophisticated kind who doesn't know anything about playing in his league. What bothered me was the blackmail plot. I found it an unnecessary way to make Charlotte look potentially guilty. The information being used to blackmail her wasn't anything scandalous and though she feared losing her son, I found it ridiculous that she believed that she could lose her child over something so minor. And the story behind her pregnancy was SO over-the-top I just rolled my eyes when I read it.
Other than those few issues, I thought Gilded Secrets was an okay read. It's a Harlequin so it follows the typical trope. Nothing about Vance stood out though I didn't expect it to. It was a nice way to spend a couple of hours knowing that you will get the HEA in the end.
Vance Waverly is the last living Waverly on the board of Waverly’s auction house, and he is fighting off people trying to take down his family company. He thinks he may have a spy in his company. He will do what ever it takes to find out who it is, even if he has to seduce his own sexy new assistant to get those answers. But will he get more than he bargained for from her?
Charlotte “Charlie” Potter is happy with her new position as assistant to the boss Mr. Waverly, but she doesn’t trust that it will last. Someone tries to play on her biggest fears by threatening her young son. The blackmailer wants her to get all the information on the company from the last five years. Should she go to Vance with this, and will he believe her?
Gilded Secrets is a wonderful heartwarming story!! I enjoyed it from the beginning to the end. It is one of those quick reads that grab you and don’t let go till you are finished. The chemistry between these two is undeniable, but neither of them believes in forever. I absolutely adore the way Vance opened up his heart to Jake, Charlie’s little boy. This powerful business man stole my heart when sits on the floor and plays ball with a thirteen month old. I hope y’all love this one as much as I have!
Maureen Child always writes exquisite books with breath taking characters that always seem to speak to me.And this time around I was expecting no less only sadly I was a little disappointed.
Like all books by this author it started out really well and I was enjoying and getting into the thrill thereof and I thoroughly loved the chemistry between the yummy Vance and his feisty assistant Charlie (Charlotte) but at one stage the book lost a little something that is hard for me to pin down. It was as if the author lost her connection to the characters and suddenly the depth and emotion was no longer there as strong as it should have been.
Over all a good read yes but I would have liked to see the author keep the feeling going. And it is for that reason and that reason only that this one gets a 3 on the scale . I would also say the author should have added a little more of a punch or mystery to the blackmailing scheme just to give the book that certain something and also to take the focus of the emotional depth that it lacked in the end. Aside from that the book was heart warming enough and the overall plot was well written.
When scandal threatens the luxury auction house that bears his family's name, Vance Waverly suspects the media feeding frenzy is an inside job. Could his gorgeous assistant, Charlotte Potter, be plotting Waverly's downfall? There's one way to find out: seduce the truth out of her!
Charlie is between a rock and a hard place. She can reveal Waverly's secrets to her unidentified blackmailer or lose custody of her child. Whatever she does, she'll lose the career she loves. But losing the man she's come to love—her big, bad boss—could put her over the edge….
The weakness in this tale is that it sets up the others in Harlequin's The Highest Bidder series. When I have read the others in the group, this one made so much more sense. However, the "mystery" of the Gold Heart and of those who are trying to sabotage the auction house interrupt the main story's development.
This book tell the story of Charlie who is a single mother to Jake, find that working with her boss, is a challenge.When she was being blackmailed to surrender records that will would jeopardising Vance's company, she have to make a decision to comply or Jake's life is in danger. Vance, who suspected someone working close with him may be the culprit starting to take notice of Charlie. What started of as a intention to get more information from his assistant has become an issue when he begin to enjoy the time spent with both of them and the attraction between them has become an hindrance for both Charlie who is not ready for another relationship and Vance who never believe in love.
Overall, i like the story plot and enjoyed reading the story very much
Charlotte Potter lives a life with a secret past. She is determined to do right by her young son, but a blackmailer puts everything at risk. But she does not know if she can betray the man she has fallen for, her boss, Vance Waverly.
Vance has a family history to protect. The auction house his Uncle had started, is the most important thing in his life. He will do anything to protect it. But his new secretary stirs him to want to protect her too. Her and her little boy. He just isn't sure what from.
Overall, I thought it was OK. Alittle too cliche. Her father and the father of her son were basically cut from the same cloth and met the same ends. Too contrived for me.
This was actually pretty enjoyable. I cringed when I read the back blurb and wasn't sure I even wanted to read this, but liked it once I got started. I thought the intrigue part of the story was completely implausible so I couldn't love it, but I did find both Vance and Charlie delightful and did love their romance!!
GILDED SECRETS by author Maureen Child is a Harlequin Desire series release.
Vance Waverly pretended to be infatuated with Charlotte just so he could uncover the threat to his company. But when Charlie finds out, what would she do?
GILDED SECRETS is an emotional romance story with a bit of mystery. It is highly enjoyable.
Another great book by Maureen Child. Great character development and story. You get caught up in the dealings of an auction house as well as a romance in progress. Don't want to spoil anything for readers.