Lady in Black

by Christina Dodd

THE PERFECT BUTLERReid Donovan was not surprised to find a butler serving his grandfather. At the age of ninety-two, the head of Donovan Corporation deserved a household staff. What shocked Reid was the fact that his grandfather's majordomo was a sexy blond bombshell with big blue eyes and curves in all the right places. Considering the recent kidnapping threats his grandfather had received, Reid didn't think the lady butler was a good idea.A graduate of Ivor Spencer's London School for Butler Administrators, Margaret Guarneri wasn't ruffled by Reid Donovan's critical assessment. In the past year, she'd developed a rapport with the elderly Mr. Donovan, who was amused and delighted by the antics of her daughter Amy And apart from their personal attachment, Margaret was the perfect butler, from her firm demeanor to her black silk tuxedo.The situation had been ideal until Reid Donovan came along. One glimpse of his sherry brown eyes sent waves of heat shimmering through Margaret's cool facade. His tender touch reminded her how it felt to be a woman in love, a woman with needs and passions. But falling in love with the boss's grandson was strictly forbid-den, and Margaret was well schooled in protocol. She had to put duty before the lure of desire.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Romantic Suspense, Historical, Mystery, Fiction

220 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Brand new! TEACH THE TORCHES TO BURN: Daughter of Montague Historical Fiction
Once upon a time a young couple met and fell in love. You probably know that story, and how it ended (hint: badly). Only here’s the thing: That’s not how it ended at all… The Daughter of Romeo and Juliet, the real story
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— A DAUGHTER OF FAIR VERONA Historical Fiction Trade Paperback
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Readers become writers, and Christina has always been a reader. Ultimately she discovered she liked to read romance best because the relationship between a man and a woman is always humorous. A woman wants world peace, a clean house, and a deep and meaningful relationship based on mutual understanding and love. A man wants a Craftsman router, undisputed control of the TV remote, and a red Corvette which will make his bald spot disappear.
When Christina’s first daughter was born, she told her husband she was going to write a book. It was a good time to start a new career, because how much trouble could one little infant be?
Ha! It took ten years, two children and three completed manuscripts before she was published. Now her suspense, paranormal, historical, and mystery novels have been translated into 30 languages and sold more than 15 million copies in print. Praised for her “brilliantly etched characters, polished writing, and unexpected flashes of sharp humor that are pure Dodd” (Booklist), her award-winning books have landed on numerous Best of the Year lists and, much to her mother's delight, Dodd was once a clue in the Los Angeles Times crossword puzzle. She lives with her family in the Pacific Northwest, where her 700 lavender plants share the yard with her husband’s various “Big Projects,” including a treehouse, zipline, and their very own Stonehenge.
Enter Christina’s worlds and join her mailing list for humor, book news and entertainment (yes, she’s the proud author with the infamous three-armed cover) at christinadodd.com. For more information on A DAUGHTER OF FAIR VERONA, visit daughterofmontague.com. Her legions of fans know that when they pick up a Christina Dodd book, they'll find the story, "Wildly entertaining, wickedly witty!"
Christina is married to a man with all his hair and no Corvette, but many Craftsman tools.

(Source: http://www.christinadodd.com )

Reviews

[*CJ* · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Lady in Black" is the story of Margaret and Reid.

S O G O O D.

A pleasantly funny love story between a billionaire and a lady butler. When the hero visits his 90+ year old grandfather whose life is being threatened, he never expects that his personal bodyguard and carer would be a sexy lady butler! Initially cautious yet wildly attracted to her, he questions her intentions, until he starts falling head over heels for her. As he realizes she is a widowed single mother, he starts knitting dreams of having pets and kids 2.0 with her. Ofcourse the humor is provided by the hero, the grandfather and the heroine's daughter- but I could not help *swoon* over how giddy and romantic the he was, and how he totally gave into making the heroine his wife as soon as he realized his love for her. His methods were unconventionally hilarious, and while the heroine was skeptical, he won her heart. Oh and it's SUPER sexy too!

Totally loved it! Mature, well rounded characters.

Safe
4.25/5

[Susan (the other Susan) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't be put off by the vintage cover, which looks as if Nancy Drew is having a moment. This early story by Christina Dodd is quirky, fun and fresh. The heroine who has attended a prestigious London school for butlers. A studly relative of her elderly employer thinks she's not up to the job, since there have been threats to the old guy's life. This leads to a slow-burner conflict driven by well-written banter and nicely developed sexual heat. Just noted on the author's GR page that Lady in Black has been updated and released as an ebook. I liked the old version just fine, but I'm intrigued to see what's new.

[Piper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading this as it was some of her first published books and it was fun to see how much she's grown and progressed as an author. She really is fantastic.

[Penelope · Rating 3 out of 5]

The h’s the personal Butler to an aged wealthy man located in Houston, TX. His adult grandson/H comes into town concerned with the older gentleman’s health & rumors of his mishandled financial affairs.

This is an older contemporary romance novel. I hadn’t read it before but I sometimes enjoy a simple romance read between my other genres. There’s a small mystery wrapped into the plot but not much. It’s pretty basic “guy meets girl” with a few sweet moments and a HEA - It’s not a terrific read, but totally okay. I may actually reread it again at some point. I found it on Amazon at a greatly reduced price.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was adorable. The banter beware Margaret, the butler, and Reid the billionaire, was priceless. Very enjoyable read from one of my favorite authors. Updated version of one of her first books. Still works.

[Andrea Mongold · Rating 3 out of 5]

quick read, not the best I've ever read by her

[Mtve41 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Most likely biased opinion. A great story line and one that I haven’t read before but unfortunately didn’t work for me. The female butler concept was rather strange and took away from the feminity of the h. I also had issues with her helping the elderly man she works for change into his pants and such. But then when she’s a butler, that’s a given.

Strange feels. Not for a reader like me. The H was also very direct. There wasn’t much introduction to their relationship and all of a sudden the H is telling the h that he wants to sleep with her. There wasn’t any pick up of their romance that I saw anywhere in the book.

I was expecting the usual employer/employee bullying/ subjugation/ foreplay chemistry. None of that. Very haphazard writing too. Thumbs down.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an older story that was dusted up for ebook release. The hero of the story is the strong, autocratic male who knows what he wants, but in a fun twist, Dodd has her heroine, a woman with the job of a butler, against the idea of love and marriage.

Margaret's already had her heart broken from her husband getting cancer and dyindg - leaving her with a pile of bills and a daughter to raise.

Reid is a rich man who was raised by grandfather, who is Margaret's current employer. He's never met a woman like Margaret. She fights like a man, loves his curmudgeonly grandfather, she's conversant in topics that interest him, and she's got a body that attracts him like nothing else. Sparks fly from the instant they meet.

The best part of the story for me was the birthday party. That really struck an emotional chord with me. I loved the story and the characters are still fresh in my mind several days later.

[Cruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author: Christina Dodd
First published: 1993 (some re-write for e-publishing in 2013)
Length: 247 pages, 4600 kindle locations
Setting: Contemporary, Houston.
Sex: Explicit. Infrequent.
Hero: Independently wealthy entrepreneur(?). Unclear what his job is.
Heroine: Butler. Widow. Mother of 11yo daughter.
Trigger: Heroine’s husband died from cancer.

That was lots of fun. Some cute twists and a happy ending keep the romance reader happy. The mystery is predictable, the sex hot and the characters interesting. A goodly amount of humour to lighten the angst. With the coolest birthday party ever.

Short and sweet and nicely updated.

References:
Author: http://www.christinadodd.com/book/lad...

(ISBN …)

-CR-

[Mauaqui · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an entertaining book. The butler (Margaret) taking care of the elderly billionaire(Jim) when the grandson appears (Reid) because his grandfather Jim's will has been changed and he went to investigate why and who was inheriting that was not family. While he was investigated his grandfather receives kidnapping threats. The threats turn to reality with a twist.

Margaret and Reid begin to fall and love and join forces to find the kidnapper.

[E_bookpushers · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting to see the seeds of some other things that Dodd has expanded in much later books. The growth in her writing, characterization, and world building was nice to see. A few of the plot points I felt were heavy-handed but overall it was an entertaining read.

[Fedora · Rating 3 out of 5]

Older read by Ms. Dodd--entertaining premise about a female butler and the gorgeous grandson of her elderly employer. Throw in a charming daughter and a kidnapping/extortion plot and hijinks ensue :)

[Sylvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Modern

[Janice Reyes]

I like it. I thought it was very funny.

[Joan Mondragon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short book (only 220 pages). After wading thru the last book that I didn't like I thought I could use some instant gratification.

[Jocelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was just ok. I got it when it was on sale, so I don't feel cheated or anything.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of Dodd's early (her first one I think) and was cute but not on a par with her later writing I thought.

[Yvonne Gom · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable light read

[Cheryl Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so happy to find a book by Christina Dodd that I had not read. You will LOL. True Dodd form~romance, humor, a little mystery.

[charmaine White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoy

Starts with a thrill and keeps you in suspense from beginning to end.Wondering who they bad guy is going to be or is it a bad girl.

[Socrate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Margaret închise cu grijă uşa bibliotecii în urma ei. Nu gustase umorul bătrânului, dar informaţiile eronate pe care Jim i le oferise nepotului aveau să-i aducă mai multe necazuri decât se aşteptase când deschisese larg uşile masive ale intrării principale, ca să-l întâmpine pe Reid James Donovan al treilea.

Sigur, ştia câte ceva despre el. Ba chiar îl văzuse, în tablourile pe care dragul lui bunic le atârnase pe pereţi. Şi la televizor, dezbătând efectele guvernării asupra industriei. Ea făcuse pregătirile, când Jim îl însoţise prin Europa şi Japonia, ştiind că Reid nutrea o recunoştinţă profundă pentru bătrân, încât să-i ceară sfatul în materie de afaceri. Dar nimic n-o pregătise să-l întâlnească.

Reid arăta minunat. Era cu un cap mai înalt decât ea, o calitate importantă. Avea părul roşcovan, chiar castaniu cu reflexe roşiatice, drept şi tuns scurt. Un păr mai lung ar fi îndulcit linia feţei, atenuând forma abruptă a pomeţilor şi bănuia că nu voia asta. Era renumit pentru duritatea lui, pentru spiritul caustic şi energia înfrigurată, asemeni baracudei. Era bogat, puternic, frumos şi ştia asta.

Dar, ca orice om, nu ţinuse cont de farmecul lui. Oare era chiar aşa de neobişnuit? Oare era ea pregătită? Era sigură până-n pânzele albe că, atunci când l-a văzut stând chiar în faţa ochilor ei şi a remarcat părul şi ochii castanii roşcat şi robusteţea ce-i definea trupul, cu siguranţă n-ar fi trebuit să simtă, pentru prima dată în trei ani, acea neliniştitoare senzaţie de dor.

Era tipul de bărbat care îi reamintea că reprezintă şi altceva decât un motiv de supărare; era genul care îi trezea o spaimă de moarte, altfel decât mai simţise vreodată.

Fusese atrasă de postul de valet în casele celor înstăriţi, pentru că excludea exteriorizarea sentimentelor. Rolul de valet blazat îi convenea, binecuvântând-o cu un regulament rigid care prevedea orice situaţie, inclusiv pe aceasta. Şi totuşi, de ce devenise foarte atent când i-a auzit numele?

Când ajunse jos opri semnalul persistent al staţiei fixate de centură. Paznicul de la intrarea principală îi transmise mesajul cu vocea întreruptă de pierderea legăturii radio.

― Doamnă Guarneri, domnul Martin urcă pentru raportul zilnic.

― Mulţumesc, răspunse ea, şi, după ce închise staţia, adăugă: minunat!

Deschise uşa şi păşi în veranda uriaşă. Îşi simţi, pe sub ciorapi, picioarele acoperite de transpiraţie iar bluza de mătase albă stătea lipită pe sub betelia fustei. Părul, prins în coc, atârna greu pe gât. Căută, cu degetele, să slăbească nasturele de sub nodul cravatei negre şi îşi dădu jos vesta neagră.

[Ludmila Gomoja · Rating 5 out of 5]

O poveste destul de amuzanta . Reid , obisnuit ca toate femeile sa-i cada la picioare nu ii place ca Margaret il refuza. Dar treptat se indragosteste si incearca sa faca tot posibilul ca ea sa il accepte.

[Deirdre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found this book a bit dated and it was not what I expected. The lead male was a rather bossy man who pushed the female lead around a bit. Wanted her to have a bit more backbone. It was ok but not one that I would re-read. Ms. Dodd has done much more enjoyable books than this one.

[Sue Gosland]

It took me a while to really get into this book, but by the time I got to the end, I saw all the things I love about Christina Dodd's books. The humor, the sass, and the romance. Messy but fun.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kindle

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the earliest of Christina Dodd books. She has done a good job on both plot and character development.

Margaret is a butler for a very wealthy older man in Houston Texas. She has been trained to be very proper in her relationship with her employer. But with elderly Mr Donovan, she also has become a friend.

Reid is the grandson of Margaret's employer. He has heard rumblings that his grandfather has had advantage taken. He arrives in order to protect his beloved grandfather and to make the person pay for taking advantage.

This is a romance. There is definite attraction developing between Margaret and Reid. In fact, for me it was almost too instant. Both of them have surprises in their character and their lives.

But, there is also a mystery. Wealthy and elderly people have been threatened with kidnapping in order to extort great amounts of money. Now Mr Donovan has been the most recent victim who is being threatened. Security is heightened on the estate, but still there is the ongoing danger.

Christina Dodd is a very talented writer and this early book shows her talent and creativity. The plot is unusual and interesting as the reader moves along.

Both Margaret and Reid are interesting main characters and the secondary characters are well rounded and all are assets to the story.

This is a quick and easy read - and well worth the short time it takes to read the book. I think you will like this book as much as I did.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a short and sweet book that I really enjoyed. It took me a little bit to fully understand exactly what was going on throughout the novel but once I did I found it very charming. I think the end was drawn out a little bit longer than it needs to be which is why I got three stars instead of four. But in all I really enjoyed The book. I especially liked Jim. He was a feisty smart old man who knew what he wanted.

[Lesli · Rating 3 out of 5]

WOW, another romance with a woman as butler. Must be more fantasies about this that I thought! Good story, but maybe I was just tired when I read it because the emotions and characters were flat. Also, the mystery device isn’t used effectively. I was never pulled into the puzzle AND knew almost immediately who was behind the whole mystery.

[Shea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the 2013 rewritten and updated version of this story. Margaret and Reid made an interesting couple and their relationship grew over a believable amount of time. The additional storyline of an extortion and kidnapping plot surrounding Reid's grandfather kept me guessing. I would have liked to see more of Margaret's daughter Amy and her relationship with Reid and Sir Gramps.

[LJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lady in Black - NR
Dodd, Christina - standalone

I usually like Dodd, but I was disappointed in this book.