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Sunshine Springs Duo #2
Housekeeper to the Millionaire
housekeeper needed for eligible millionaire!
Sexy Win Garrison wants a new housekeeper to make his life easy, not someone who tries to get a ring on his finger!
When curvy Carlene Daniels arrives on his doorstep, Win isn't fooled by her oversized jumper and hastily pulled-up hair. She's a knockout! So why is she trying to look like a frump? It makes him want to get her out of those clothes —and into his bed! Carlene doesn't seem to want to play…but what this millionaire wants, he gets!
Sexy Win Garrison wants a new housekeeper to make his life easy, not someone who tries to get a ring on his finger!
When curvy Carlene Daniels arrives on his doorstep, Win isn't fooled by her oversized jumper and hastily pulled-up hair. She's a knockout! So why is she trying to look like a frump? It makes him want to get her out of those clothes —and into his bed! Carlene doesn't seem to want to play…but what this millionaire wants, he gets!
184 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
About the author
Lucy Monroe
621 books1,592 followersI write spicy romance books that end in an HEA. Contemporary romance, historical romance, paranormal romance…I write it all. The two things my books all have in common is lots of emotion and spice. Last year, I fell in love with a new subgenre: mafia romance. Since I write what I love to read, I started a new standalone series, Syndicate Rules where you’ll meet over the top alpha heroes in the Italian and Greek mafias as well as the Irish mob. There are arranged marriages, forced marriages, enemies to lovers, stalkers, forced proximity and lots of mafia intrigue. Morally gray is my new favorite color.
Follow me on BookBub for alerts on my next release: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lucy-...
I’ve been published a while and most of my 90+ books have hit the Nielson Bookscan bestseller list, a few ended up on the USA Today bestseller list and some even hit national bestseller lists in the UK and Australia. My books have been translated into numerous languages and are for sale in dozens of countries around the world. I’ve won awards and been published with most of the big houses in New York, but my greatest achievement is touching readers’ hearts. When I hear from a reader who got caught up in one of my books, I know I’m doing what I’m meant to do.
I love writing emotionally deep stories with snappy dialogue and solid plots. I’m more grateful than I’ll ever be able to express that so many readers have taken my stories into their hearts and put my books on their reread and keeper shelves.
Follow me on BookBub for alerts on my next release: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lucy-...
I’ve been published a while and most of my 90+ books have hit the Nielson Bookscan bestseller list, a few ended up on the USA Today bestseller list and some even hit national bestseller lists in the UK and Australia. My books have been translated into numerous languages and are for sale in dozens of countries around the world. I’ve won awards and been published with most of the big houses in New York, but my greatest achievement is touching readers’ hearts. When I hear from a reader who got caught up in one of my books, I know I’m doing what I’m meant to do.
I love writing emotionally deep stories with snappy dialogue and solid plots. I’m more grateful than I’ll ever be able to express that so many readers have taken my stories into their hearts and put my books on their reread and keeper shelves.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
April 21, 2019
So boring. Hero is a commitment-phobe. Heroine is a bombshell beauty who has been sexually harassed her whole life.
But when hero sexually harasses her on the job it must be love?
I honestly don’t get what they saw in each other besides lust. Hero’s “honey” grated. Their arguments were repetitious. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Hero owns a ranch in Oregon, so that was different.
But when hero sexually harasses her on the job it must be love?
I honestly don’t get what they saw in each other besides lust. Hero’s “honey” grated. Their arguments were repetitious. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Hero owns a ranch in Oregon, so that was different.
October 1, 2015
Heroine is a teacher who lost her job because she is too sexy for her own good. She comes to work as a housekeeper to a rancher. Hero is too much of a cynic to see the benefits of marriage. In fact he is divorced and his ex wife was a gold digger so he is kind of bitter towards women. He is attracted to heroine and he wants to bed her but she does not want a relationship with him unless it involves marriage.
It was a great read. I love LM cause her heroines are sweet and warm and she always writes hot and passionate sex scenes. I loved that Win was a jealous and possessive hero. I loved that Carlene was an innocent but strong heroine. Win and Carlene have sizzling chemistry and their love story is beautiful!
It was a great read. I love LM cause her heroines are sweet and warm and she always writes hot and passionate sex scenes. I loved that Win was a jealous and possessive hero. I loved that Carlene was an innocent but strong heroine. Win and Carlene have sizzling chemistry and their love story is beautiful!
September 23, 2012
This story features Carlene Daniels who we briefly met in the previous book The Rancher's Rules. Having left the bar that she previously worked in she is now housekeeper to Win Garrison. Carlene felt immediate attraction but refused to act upon it unless there was some sort of commitment between them. Win wants Carlene but having been previously 'burnt' by his ex-wife he doesn't want any commitments and certainly doesn't want marriage.
I really like this side of Carlene, her character has completely changed and she is now finally being true to herself instead of acting a part. Carlene is still a virgin at the age of twenty six, it is not something she intentionally set out to be, but all her life she has struggled with the fact that she is big busted, and is fed up with people automatically assuming that she is a 'good time' girl because of it.
I really related to this story and Ms Monroe has hit the nail on the head with the problems involved in having big boobs! Like the heroine I am big busted and I can confirm that the 'good time' girl syndrome is automatically tagged to big breasted women regardless if they have earned it or not. It really isn't nice or comfortable when people automatically have pre-conceptions about you and it certainly isn't comfortable when a person’s gaze is fixed considerably lower than your face when having a conversation with them!
Ms Monroe is one of my favourite Harlequin authors and is an automatic buy for me. She writes a great story which is easy to read and flows really well.....This is a keeper that I would happily recommend to all Harlequin readers and I am sure that I will go ahead and read it again sometime in the future!
I really like this side of Carlene, her character has completely changed and she is now finally being true to herself instead of acting a part. Carlene is still a virgin at the age of twenty six, it is not something she intentionally set out to be, but all her life she has struggled with the fact that she is big busted, and is fed up with people automatically assuming that she is a 'good time' girl because of it.
I really related to this story and Ms Monroe has hit the nail on the head with the problems involved in having big boobs! Like the heroine I am big busted and I can confirm that the 'good time' girl syndrome is automatically tagged to big breasted women regardless if they have earned it or not. It really isn't nice or comfortable when people automatically have pre-conceptions about you and it certainly isn't comfortable when a person’s gaze is fixed considerably lower than your face when having a conversation with them!
Ms Monroe is one of my favourite Harlequin authors and is an automatic buy for me. She writes a great story which is easy to read and flows really well.....This is a keeper that I would happily recommend to all Harlequin readers and I am sure that I will go ahead and read it again sometime in the future!
December 16, 2015
Carlene is tired of her current job wearing skimpy outfits to tend bar at a place called Dry Gulch, so she interviews to be horse rancher Win’s housekeeper.
Win is very handsome and Carlene is immediately attracted to him. He has no more than a vague idea of what a housekeeper does, but that’s ok: Carlene doesn’t know either. Her qualifications are that she has lived in a house for much of her life and therefore kept it. And she has great knockers.
“It sounds like you want to hire a wife,” Carlene says at one stage. I think she’s just making vague conversation at this point, because Win’s hotness is distracting her, and she’s asked all the questions she knows how to ask.
“I will never marry you, or any other woman,” Win says (I’m paraphrasing). Carlene is offended. She still takes the job.
Carlene’s back story is that she used to be a high school teacher, and then she was sexually harassed by the school’s new principal, and then she failed the star football player, and he said she’d sexually harassed him, and after the hearing that exonerated her completely, Carlene’s parents suggested she leave town. She was cramping her mother’s style, and her dad couldn’t play golf with his buddies any more. She gets to be sexually harassed in the workplace in this book, but she handles it pretty well.
Win’s back story is that his mother got married five times, and because of this he had to bring up his little sister Leah, and when his first wife tried to get him to move to the city he divorced her because all women want to change men and if they can’t change men they just go out and get a new one.
I’m not really sure why I stuck it out with this book. Win starts chasing Carlene around for sex, and Carlene says she doesn’t understand what ‘something between a one night stand and marriage’ means, and by the way, she’s a virgin.
I felt that there was a lot of lady shaming going on in the background. Win’s mother wasn’t a bad mother because she married five different men, and that’s none of his damn business anyway. She could have been married to the same man for forty years and still been a bad mother, and how, exactly, was she so bad? Her kids ate, wore clothes and attended school. The big one looked after the little one. Win and Leah weren’t bullied, they didn’t take up lives of crime. Win’s key piece of evidence of his mother’s horribleness is her multiple marriages. The implication is that she wasn’t emotionally available to her children because she was too busy being with men.
Then Leah arrives, with vague marital troubles, and leaves her children with Win while she goes to sort herself out. Win tells Carlene that she is now also the nanny and will be sleeping over. Carlene is reluctant, but then the whole story moves into demonstrating how Carlene is awesome at being motherly, and while this is sweet I really don’t want to read about toilet training, and kids being naughty cute and then sad cute when they’re missing their mommy.
I started thinking … why can’t Win just ask Carlene out on a date, rather than keep trying to snog and strip her? A date would have been an excellent start to something between a one-night stand and a wedding. A date would also have been two adults getting to know stuff about each other outside the workplace, rather than Win conducting an assessment of Carlene’s domestic and mothering skills to determine whether they were sufficient for him to break his no wife rule.
This book is part of a duo, and I was able to pick up that Carlene had thrown herself at another guy in the first book, and that other guy had married another girl and Carlene was hugely embarrassed about the whole thing. I didn’t like this book enough to want to hunt down the first book.
Win is very handsome and Carlene is immediately attracted to him. He has no more than a vague idea of what a housekeeper does, but that’s ok: Carlene doesn’t know either. Her qualifications are that she has lived in a house for much of her life and therefore kept it. And she has great knockers.
“It sounds like you want to hire a wife,” Carlene says at one stage. I think she’s just making vague conversation at this point, because Win’s hotness is distracting her, and she’s asked all the questions she knows how to ask.
“I will never marry you, or any other woman,” Win says (I’m paraphrasing). Carlene is offended. She still takes the job.
Carlene’s back story is that she used to be a high school teacher, and then she was sexually harassed by the school’s new principal, and then she failed the star football player, and he said she’d sexually harassed him, and after the hearing that exonerated her completely, Carlene’s parents suggested she leave town. She was cramping her mother’s style, and her dad couldn’t play golf with his buddies any more. She gets to be sexually harassed in the workplace in this book, but she handles it pretty well.
Win’s back story is that his mother got married five times, and because of this he had to bring up his little sister Leah, and when his first wife tried to get him to move to the city he divorced her because all women want to change men and if they can’t change men they just go out and get a new one.
I’m not really sure why I stuck it out with this book. Win starts chasing Carlene around for sex, and Carlene says she doesn’t understand what ‘something between a one night stand and marriage’ means, and by the way, she’s a virgin.
I felt that there was a lot of lady shaming going on in the background. Win’s mother wasn’t a bad mother because she married five different men, and that’s none of his damn business anyway. She could have been married to the same man for forty years and still been a bad mother, and how, exactly, was she so bad? Her kids ate, wore clothes and attended school. The big one looked after the little one. Win and Leah weren’t bullied, they didn’t take up lives of crime. Win’s key piece of evidence of his mother’s horribleness is her multiple marriages. The implication is that she wasn’t emotionally available to her children because she was too busy being with men.
Then Leah arrives, with vague marital troubles, and leaves her children with Win while she goes to sort herself out. Win tells Carlene that she is now also the nanny and will be sleeping over. Carlene is reluctant, but then the whole story moves into demonstrating how Carlene is awesome at being motherly, and while this is sweet I really don’t want to read about toilet training, and kids being naughty cute and then sad cute when they’re missing their mommy.
I started thinking … why can’t Win just ask Carlene out on a date, rather than keep trying to snog and strip her? A date would have been an excellent start to something between a one-night stand and a wedding. A date would also have been two adults getting to know stuff about each other outside the workplace, rather than Win conducting an assessment of Carlene’s domestic and mothering skills to determine whether they were sufficient for him to break his no wife rule.
This book is part of a duo, and I was able to pick up that Carlene had thrown herself at another guy in the first book, and that other guy had married another girl and Carlene was hugely embarrassed about the whole thing. I didn’t like this book enough to want to hunt down the first book.
August 26, 2019
Surprisingly not that bad. The plot was great and love making was extremely hot too. But the reading of the book was very mechanical.
Carlene is a housekeeper hired by Win. She was previously a bar tender and hails from Texas. H runs a ranch/ breeds horses and reminds Carlene enough times that he has enough money. Very tacky.
Carlene has a big rack naturally and that has given people the right to feel that if she looks like a bimbo, she must be one too...
The plot pretty much runs on that. Carlene picking a fight with anyone who lets on that she's a looker (and she assumes that they actually love her boobage and not her heart).
Win is a grumpy, old school alpha. He also has southern etiquette. The way he kept saying "honey" reminded me of Josh Lucas from Sweet Home Alabama.
Carlene's incessant harping of that she wants marriage and not an easy lay got very old. She came a little needy to me even though she seemed like a strong woman.
And all ends well. Carlene also got very needy right when Win proposes and asks her to stall her hormones till after they're married. So much for being an inexperienced virgin.
All ends well with Carlene and her "husband" who's ready to have babies with her.
Carlene is a housekeeper hired by Win. She was previously a bar tender and hails from Texas. H runs a ranch/ breeds horses and reminds Carlene enough times that he has enough money. Very tacky.
Carlene has a big rack naturally and that has given people the right to feel that if she looks like a bimbo, she must be one too...
The plot pretty much runs on that. Carlene picking a fight with anyone who lets on that she's a looker (and she assumes that they actually love her boobage and not her heart).
Win is a grumpy, old school alpha. He also has southern etiquette. The way he kept saying "honey" reminded me of Josh Lucas from Sweet Home Alabama.
Carlene's incessant harping of that she wants marriage and not an easy lay got very old. She came a little needy to me even though she seemed like a strong woman.
And all ends well. Carlene also got very needy right when Win proposes and asks her to stall her hormones till after they're married. So much for being an inexperienced virgin.
All ends well with Carlene and her "husband" who's ready to have babies with her.
October 23, 2019
3.75 stars ⭐️.
Lucy Monroe can write emotional stories like a pro. This wasn’t any different.
Loved the overall setting, plot and characters.
Epilogue was sexy and sweet.
Recommended.
Lucy Monroe can write emotional stories like a pro. This wasn’t any different.
Loved the overall setting, plot and characters.
Epilogue was sexy and sweet.
Recommended.
September 26, 2010
I read this book when it first came out and re-read it again recently. It's such a little gem for so many reasons. It's funny, sexy, and the characters seem a bit more real to me than others I've read, but it takes nothing away from this cute little book.
Even though I WISH I had Carlene's problem, it was nice to see a book where the ups and downs of being a "well-endowed" woman were highlighted. I still don't feel too sorry for them! :-) Is my envy showing? I also liked the fact that she was a virgin and had to dispel the myth, verbally, that just because she was built a certain way didn't automatically make her a "fun time."
Nice job, Ms. Monroe. This was definitely a goodread.
Even though I WISH I had Carlene's problem, it was nice to see a book where the ups and downs of being a "well-endowed" woman were highlighted. I still don't feel too sorry for them! :-) Is my envy showing? I also liked the fact that she was a virgin and had to dispel the myth, verbally, that just because she was built a certain way didn't automatically make her a "fun time."
Nice job, Ms. Monroe. This was definitely a goodread.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 2, 2013
it was actually a very nice 1. but i can't understand how a stunning woman like carlene cud still be a virgin at 26 !! wid her gorgeous figure, no man cud resist her n after working in a bar. she never felt tempted lol !? neway this really changed from plain heroines or ordinary lilies which me myself i can't understand how heroes get instantly attracted 2them or lust after them like mad when they r ugly ducklings. so this was a gud point in the book. she was really gorgeous n had problems keeping men from her. she was a man magnet !!n didn't like it. poor gorgeous girl :P lol
April 21, 2017
Leído el 15/09/2010
August 1, 2025
2☆.
terrible chemistry. i dislike both fmc and mmc attitude and didnt feel their love.
terrible chemistry. i dislike both fmc and mmc attitude and didnt feel their love.
February 14, 2020
Vacancy: housekeeper needed for eligible millionaire!Sexy Win Garrison wants a new housekeeper to make his life easy, not someone who tries to get a ring on his finger!When curvy Carlene Daniels arrives on his doorstep, Win isn't fooled by her oversized jumper and hastily pulled-up hair. She's a knockout! So why is she trying to look like a frump? It makes him want to get her out of those clothes --and into his bed! Carlene doesn't seem to want to play...but what this millionaire wants, he gets
May 25, 2012
didn't care for it.
March 25, 2020
The heroine is an out of work teacher. So she takes up a temp job as a ranchman's housekeeper. Of course the guy is single, incredibly sexy and ticks all the boxes.
When the interview for the job happens, he is quite clear about not being in the marriage market. She finds that rather snobbish, and rightly so. So she keeps her distance, just does her job.
But the whole curves and cleavages thing is hard to resist you see. So the guy is keen to get her to bed. Nope, still not ok with marriage. Just sex.
However, our curvy blond who is not a dumb bimbette at all draws a clear line. No mindless sex. Its either a faithful relationship leading up to marriage or nothing.
So there are some hilarious scenes when both of them are salivating at the thought of passionate sex, but not getting any action. The guy is driven to frustration, but that's quite hilarious !
Some mandatory jealousy scenes are fitted in, with an OW and OM. And then its final showdown time. Who is going to climb down from their position ? Is she going to relent and agree to DO IT first. Or is he going to relent and propose first !!!!
The confessions and HEA are sweet and simple. The guy even gets her a good teaching job as a wedding gift !!! What more can she ask for !
When the interview for the job happens, he is quite clear about not being in the marriage market. She finds that rather snobbish, and rightly so. So she keeps her distance, just does her job.
But the whole curves and cleavages thing is hard to resist you see. So the guy is keen to get her to bed. Nope, still not ok with marriage. Just sex.
However, our curvy blond who is not a dumb bimbette at all draws a clear line. No mindless sex. Its either a faithful relationship leading up to marriage or nothing.
So there are some hilarious scenes when both of them are salivating at the thought of passionate sex, but not getting any action. The guy is driven to frustration, but that's quite hilarious !
Some mandatory jealousy scenes are fitted in, with an OW and OM. And then its final showdown time. Who is going to climb down from their position ? Is she going to relent and agree to DO IT first. Or is he going to relent and propose first !!!!
The confessions and HEA are sweet and simple. The guy even gets her a good teaching job as a wedding gift !!! What more can she ask for !
September 19, 2025
September Readathon
I thought I had one more Munroe, but there must have been a reader of hers who donated to the book sale as I wound up with several. I'm predicting they're all as undemanding as the first two of hers I've read.
imo the heroine had the right of it--she should have quit when the hero, who hired her after saying the condition was she didn't angle to get into hiss bed, badgered her until she let him into hers. Mixed signals, power plays, and maybe a bit of sexual harassment. Good times.
He never seemed to truly listen to her so much as he lusted and had a protective streak about her, somewhat due to the panting lust. She never built castles around the whiff of a promise with him, but she didn't hold any ground, more eventually giving in and not minding it.
Neither lead were terrible but they were bundles of cliches. They were fine, each with something that made me roll my eyes at them, and I suppose a good match. Neither seemed natural to me, something about their dialogue holding so much exposition and pronouncements but also the would-be byplay in the hero's calling her honey and her hands-on-hips "I'm more than my great knockers!" reminders.
I suppose they're a good match, but it's hard to say if they are or not -- they never leave the confines of his ranch house, mostly the kitchen if they're not having almost-sex/sex, and don't discuss much beyond arguing who is ready for what (sex, marriage, commitment either way). And they have the same argument the entire book; no developments, no direction changes, no true revelations.
The hero's niece and nephew having to come stay broadened their world a bit, but it stayed at home. At least the heroine, a between jobs disappointed in life schoolteacher, showed her skills there. And the kitchen. She wasn't a pushover, and he wasn't a letch, but they weren't either admirable to me for that.
I thought I had one more Munroe, but there must have been a reader of hers who donated to the book sale as I wound up with several. I'm predicting they're all as undemanding as the first two of hers I've read.
imo the heroine had the right of it--she should have quit when the hero, who hired her after saying the condition was she didn't angle to get into hiss bed, badgered her until she let him into hers. Mixed signals, power plays, and maybe a bit of sexual harassment. Good times.
He never seemed to truly listen to her so much as he lusted and had a protective streak about her, somewhat due to the panting lust. She never built castles around the whiff of a promise with him, but she didn't hold any ground, more eventually giving in and not minding it.
Neither lead were terrible but they were bundles of cliches. They were fine, each with something that made me roll my eyes at them, and I suppose a good match. Neither seemed natural to me, something about their dialogue holding so much exposition and pronouncements but also the would-be byplay in the hero's calling her honey and her hands-on-hips "I'm more than my great knockers!" reminders.
I suppose they're a good match, but it's hard to say if they are or not -- they never leave the confines of his ranch house, mostly the kitchen if they're not having almost-sex/sex, and don't discuss much beyond arguing who is ready for what (sex, marriage, commitment either way). And they have the same argument the entire book; no developments, no direction changes, no true revelations.
The hero's niece and nephew having to come stay broadened their world a bit, but it stayed at home. At least the heroine, a between jobs disappointed in life schoolteacher, showed her skills there. And the kitchen. She wasn't a pushover, and he wasn't a letch, but they weren't either admirable to me for that.
June 30, 2020
I got this book in a bundle and wanted to review it here. Win is a millionaire rancher who doesn't want to marry. Carlene is running from a past that she doesn't want to talk about. So she hides her beauty in baggy clothing. He hires her to be his housekeeper only. But soon is wanting her in his bed. But she is jumpy and skittish as a foal. His words. So he has his work cut out. Can he get what he wants, just a body in bed with him? Or will he end up wanting more after he finds out all her secrets?
December 16, 2020
4 stars
So apparently I didn't know that I've read the previous book in this series, not until I reached the part where it mention names and scenes that jumbled my memories. Didn't remember much about the h here in that book but I liked both MCs in here. The h was stubborn in a good way, for me. She wasn't a typical doormat although in the end she relented but I was okay with that. Just wished for kids for the ending but overall an enjoyable read.
So apparently I didn't know that I've read the previous book in this series, not until I reached the part where it mention names and scenes that jumbled my memories. Didn't remember much about the h here in that book but I liked both MCs in here. The h was stubborn in a good way, for me. She wasn't a typical doormat although in the end she relented but I was okay with that. Just wished for kids for the ending but overall an enjoyable read.
April 7, 2018
Me gustó mucho más que el primero
July 15, 2019
Eh, not a lot of conflict, just fluffy fake conflict. Not too memorable overall but nothing bad enough to make you not want to read it. I say read it.
October 5, 2019
Lecciones de compromiso
La historia no está mal y es linda .sencilla y facilita sin ningún gran conflicto ni dramón .una lectura liviana que a veces es necesaria😌
La historia no está mal y es linda .sencilla y facilita sin ningún gran conflicto ni dramón .una lectura liviana que a veces es necesaria😌
July 2, 2023
Boring and dirty, what a combo. DNF
January 31, 2022
This was enjoyable but sometimes the hero didn't feel true. The first thing he did that was unlikable to me was hiring the heroine for a housekeeper job when he had only one intention. He didn't care if she could cook or clean. He only hired her because he wanted to keep her there and sleep with her.
When I read those thoughts I was so disgusted because she made it clear to him that she had no interest in that sort of thing. She just wanted a job.
Then he starts making blatant passes at her and when she tries to leave he picks her up and carries her to his study and kisses her. He's moving so fast that she starts crying and telling him to get off of her.
I mean what was he thinking?
If a woman says she's not interested in having an affair you don't then start making out with her. It didn't feel right to me.
Then he keeps hinting at wanting her but as soon as he's angry he says she's just an employee. So if he's aware of this he should stop harassing her. Or is it a sex worker he's looking for?
There just were some scenes that didn't feel true to character or genuine but on a whole, it was a quick and easy read.
When I read those thoughts I was so disgusted because she made it clear to him that she had no interest in that sort of thing. She just wanted a job.
Then he starts making blatant passes at her and when she tries to leave he picks her up and carries her to his study and kisses her. He's moving so fast that she starts crying and telling him to get off of her.
I mean what was he thinking?
If a woman says she's not interested in having an affair you don't then start making out with her. It didn't feel right to me.
Then he keeps hinting at wanting her but as soon as he's angry he says she's just an employee. So if he's aware of this he should stop harassing her. Or is it a sex worker he's looking for?
There just were some scenes that didn't feel true to character or genuine but on a whole, it was a quick and easy read.
November 14, 2008
Lucy Monroe absolutely charmed me with this book. It was one of those love stories ....sweet yet steamy and the main character Charlene Daniels we briefly met in The Rancher Rules. In both books, Charlene’s good looks and sexy figure give both men and women the wrong impression. No one realizes that she graduated at the top of her class in English literature, and for most of her teen to adult life, she was misjudged based on her looks and her recent occupation as cocktail waitress at the Dry Gulch,
Charlene’s morals are impeccable, she has never been intimate with a man. She did try to seduce a rancher and it backfired’ a few people were privileged with that information, she is extremely nervous that her chances of being hired for a teaching position might be compromised. Her goal is to live her dream…..to teach and to be loved for who she is not how she looks!
When Charlene arrives at Win Garrison’s ranch to apply for a temporary housekeeping position, all she cares about is doing a good job, and earning some extra money before turning in her teaching application. What Charlene does not count on is that Win Garrison is a stunning cowboy with shocking good looks, an incredible body, sexy, charming and absolutely makes it clear he is off limits for marriage. He had been there, done that and it failed miserably. However, Win is determined to bed Charlene at any cost!
Their entire journey is a romantic dance of tension, foreplay, sass and a real battle of strong wills. Win wants Charlene at any cost and to keep her there in the evenings, so he begs her to stay when his sister literally “dumps” her two small children on his doorstep. Win’s determination and Charlene’s distress are something you will not want to miss! Their love story is beautiful; it is passionate, sizzling, and definitely sweet. I loved this book and it sincerely touched my heart, as I am sure it will touch yours!
Charlene’s morals are impeccable, she has never been intimate with a man. She did try to seduce a rancher and it backfired’ a few people were privileged with that information, she is extremely nervous that her chances of being hired for a teaching position might be compromised. Her goal is to live her dream…..to teach and to be loved for who she is not how she looks!
When Charlene arrives at Win Garrison’s ranch to apply for a temporary housekeeping position, all she cares about is doing a good job, and earning some extra money before turning in her teaching application. What Charlene does not count on is that Win Garrison is a stunning cowboy with shocking good looks, an incredible body, sexy, charming and absolutely makes it clear he is off limits for marriage. He had been there, done that and it failed miserably. However, Win is determined to bed Charlene at any cost!
Their entire journey is a romantic dance of tension, foreplay, sass and a real battle of strong wills. Win wants Charlene at any cost and to keep her there in the evenings, so he begs her to stay when his sister literally “dumps” her two small children on his doorstep. Win’s determination and Charlene’s distress are something you will not want to miss! Their love story is beautiful; it is passionate, sizzling, and definitely sweet. I loved this book and it sincerely touched my heart, as I am sure it will touch yours!
March 4, 2017
Having read the first one in the series, when I figured out who Carlene was I thought, "Wait, wasn't this the girl that was going to have sex with Grant after the first date? And we're supposed to believe she's this hesitant to have sex with this guy?" Sure there are excuses made for it, but that was forever coloring my thoughts of her during this story.
I do however agree that having big boobs does rather make you a target for guys who think you're easy. And I'm not a fan of the hero that constantly pressures the heroine to have sex with him, especially when he's not thinking of settling down and has repeatedly made it clear that he doesn't want marriage. And she has made it crystal clear that she doesn't want an affair. He's just thinking with his little head and doesn't really care for the reasons the heroine has for saying no, he just wants to wear her down until she says yes. That's not very honorable behavior in my book. And of course when she finally capitulates it doesn't feel like a happy coming together - it feels like the heroine has just lost. If he had given her anything, a promise of a respectable relationship, a declaration of love, anything...it wouldn't have felt like the hero had just won the game at the heroine's expense.
Also, if the woman was worried about her reputation and wanting to teach again, then sleeping with Win isn't going to make much of a difference. This is the woman who was working at the local watering hole and dressing in skin tight clothes and short skirts. Her reputation is already shot.
It wasn't an awful story. I didn't hate any of the characters (although Win was irritating) and I read straight through without needing to take a break, so it was average.
I do however agree that having big boobs does rather make you a target for guys who think you're easy. And I'm not a fan of the hero that constantly pressures the heroine to have sex with him, especially when he's not thinking of settling down and has repeatedly made it clear that he doesn't want marriage. And she has made it crystal clear that she doesn't want an affair. He's just thinking with his little head and doesn't really care for the reasons the heroine has for saying no, he just wants to wear her down until she says yes. That's not very honorable behavior in my book. And of course when she finally capitulates it doesn't feel like a happy coming together - it feels like the heroine has just lost. If he had given her anything, a promise of a respectable relationship, a declaration of love, anything...it wouldn't have felt like the hero had just won the game at the heroine's expense.
Also, if the woman was worried about her reputation and wanting to teach again, then sleeping with Win isn't going to make much of a difference. This is the woman who was working at the local watering hole and dressing in skin tight clothes and short skirts. Her reputation is already shot.
It wasn't an awful story. I didn't hate any of the characters (although Win was irritating) and I read straight through without needing to take a break, so it was average.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 6, 2011
I rarely give a harlequin presents 5 stars its always 4 and under but this book gets 5 from me i really really like the story and both characters were enjoyable to read. I think you will like this story. The only thing is Win's sister i don"t want to give anything away but the reason she gave for what she did was not good enough for goodness sake the kids are only 4 and 2 why would you feel that way, but if she hadn,t done what she did maybe Win wouldn't have realize sooner than later what he wanted a family and Carlene. BUT anyway you would like this story. KEEPER great for a collection won't be forgettable.
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June 12, 2008This was a quick harlequin read that I picked up because I like Lucy Monroe's writing style. This is about a woman who comes to work as a housekeeper to a millionaire rancher. He has issues with women trying to trap into marriage and she does not want a relationship with him unless it involves marriage.
October 16, 2012
It was a good read, not that much emotional drama, which is what I like but it wasn't very impressive. I would've liked to read more of the hero's vulnerability though, it just seemed a tad bit flat to me.
Another thing that bugged me a little was Grant and Zoe...aren't they supposed to be Cortez? I don't quite understand how they became Stricklands...but whatever.
Another thing that bugged me a little was Grant and Zoe...aren't they supposed to be Cortez? I don't quite understand how they became Stricklands...but whatever.
January 24, 2014
When Carlene decides to join job as housekeeper,she didn't count on her boss-Win- to be sexy,hot and irresistible..but she's not one for one-night stand/Affair and Win is not ready for a marriage.So how can Win and Carlene deny their attraction and ..love for each other.
The story is sweet,hot and passionate.Carlene's character is really nice and so is Win's!
Rating - 3!
The story is sweet,hot and passionate.Carlene's character is really nice and so is Win's!
Rating - 3!
January 14, 2016
If you want to have a better idea about this book, you might want to try reading The Rancher Rules. Although it's fine to read as a standalone. Both the Carlene and Win characters are well developed. If you're worried about having to read doormat heroine, then you shouldn't be. This lady here is not doormat at all. In fact, she's feisty.
April 6, 2008
3.5 stars...Not one of her best, but still a cut above her peers.
May 12, 2019
More like 2.5 stars
From Carlene's wanton behavior in a previous book to a virgin frump?
From Carlene's wanton behavior in a previous book to a virgin frump?
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