حلم المساء الأخير

by Helen Brooks, هيلين بروكس

رجل الأعمال هاري بريدون ثري جدا ووسيم بشكل خيالي، لكنه لم يظهر أي اهتمام خارج عن إطار العمل بجينا ليتون السكرتيرة الكفوءة التي يمكن الاعتماد عليها دائما.لم تراه يفعل، فنظرا لبساطة مظهرها و امتلاء جسدها ، تعرف جينا أنها لا تمثل صورة الحبيبة المرغوب فيها.

لكن ما لا تعرفه جينا هو أن هاري مهتم بها فعلا .و الآن حصلت جينا على وظيفة رائعة في لندن و قريبا سوف ترحل، لذا بات عليه أن يتحرك بسرعة.هذا المليونير الوسيم مصمم على اغوائها لكي تبقى بقربه حتى لو اضطره ذلك إلى فعل أي شيء!

Genres: Harlequin, Romance, Harlequin Presents, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Fiction

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Rita Bradshaw was born on 1949 in Northampton, England, where she was educated as a good Christian. She met Clive, her husband, at the age of 16 andnow the magic is still there. They have three lovely children, Cara, Faye, and Benjamin, and have always had a menagerie of animals in the house, which at the present is confined to two endearing and very comical dogs who would make a great double act on TV! The children, friends, and pets all keep the house buzzing and the food cupboards empty but Helen wouldn't have it any other way. She still lives today in Northampton with her family. Although having enjoyed some wonderful holidays abroad she has never been tempted to live anywhere else, although she rather likes the idea of a holiday home close to the sea one day.

Being a committed Christian and fervent animal lover she finds spare time is always at a premium, but long walks in the countryside with her husband and dogs, meals out followed by the cinema or theatre, reading, swimming, and having friends over for dinner are all fitted in somehow. She also enjoys sitting in her wonderfully therapeutic, rambling old garden in the sun with a glass of red wine, (under the guise of resting while thinking of course!)

For years, she was a secretary. She began writing in 1990 as she approached that milestone of a birthday 40! She realized her two teenage ambitions (writing a novel and learning to drive) had been lost amid babies and hectic family life, so set about resurrecting them.

Her first novel was for Mills and Boon and was accepted after one rewrite in 1992 as Helen Brooks, and she passed her driving test (the former was a joy and the latter an unmitigated nightmare!) She has written 50 novels as well as several sagas as Rita Bradshaw.

Since becoming a full-time writer she has found her occupation one of pure joy and often surprised when her characters develop a mind of their own but she loves exploring what makes people tick and finds the old adage "truth is stranger than fiction" to be absolutely true. She would love to hear from any readers care of Mills & Boon.

Reviews

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thirty-two-year-old heroine Gina Leighton decides to leave her job of eleven years (as a secretary) in a small Yorkshire town and plans to move to London after she falls for her boss’s son (thirty-three-year-old hero Harry Breedon) who is now working with his father at their company, Breedon and Son. Gina realizes that Harry will never see her as anything but a friend. So, a change of scenery is what she thinks she needs. But will everything work out as she plans it?

This was a very sweet romance. I liked both the hero and the heroine. I particularly enjoyed the part when Gina and Harry find four abandoned puppies in a box at night by the roadside and decide to take care of them. Harry eventually decides to keep them. I also liked Harry’s jealous moments concerning Gina’s supposed boyfriend, especially, unknown to him, the man he is jealous of is himself!

A lovely read by Helen Brooks.

[Azet · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I don`t think i love him",she said so softly he could barely hear her."I know i do.I always will.And, however good sex might be with someone else, it couldn`t begin to compare with the briefest of kisses from him.I can`t change that, Harry.I don`t want to change it.And i don`t want any other man touching or kissing me.Only him.That`s the way i am made." - Gina

***
"The Billionaire Boss's Secretary Bride " totally brought tears to my eyes near the end,before the great misunderstanding/separation. Helen Brooks made the emotional scenes so much bittersweet and hopelessly romantic from both Gina`s and Harry`s POV.Gina Leighton is the secretary to the womanizing tycoon Harry Breedon`s father and decides to leave the town when her unrequited love for Harry becomes too much for her to bear.

Helen Brooks knows her genre in romance and she JUST NAILS IT EVERYTIME!She made Gina and Harry such relatable characters i wanted to root for despite their faults.As many reviews points out, the jealousy Harry felt over himself was hilarious!He didn`t know that the man Gina was mooning over was himself....ahhhh men!

[Leona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again, I really enjoyed this book by Helen Brooks. She weaves a great story and gives you a wonderful heroine.

My only negative...is the title. The HP's have got to fix these ridiculous titles. They all sound alike....and you can't keep them straight.

It's sad, because those written in the late 70's, 80's and even early 90's..have such great titles. What happened?

[Vintage · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very sweet story. This is my third Helen Brooks, and her plots and characters are on the slow burn: no OTT behavior, cruelty, or gross stupidity. Her heroes are alpha without being cruel ass-hats, and her heroines know what they want out of a man and life and aren't afraid to take a stand. All this good behavior has one downside, a seriously diminished angst level. The romance is more of intense and soulful rather than explicit. Nice little starter romance.

Here we have the h leaving for big, bad London as she realizes that her crush on the uber attractive, uber alpha son of the boss will go nowhere. He has a rep with the tall, blonde stick figures, and like an invalid starving a cold, she feels she needs to starve her love. Her emotions are much more than a crush as she has worked closely with the H over the past year, and has a friendly relation with him. She is quite proud that no one suspects her feelings.

The H is rather disgruntled that the h is leaving especially when she tells him she's leaving to get over a man. He abuses the stupidity of any man that wouldn't snatch her up. Oh, the irony! The h keeps up the pretense perhaps a little too long, but it is nice seeing a heroine that actually understands the concept of self-respect and standards. Despite a few passionate kisses and his suggestion that they possibly starting something up, the h is smart enough to know she's an all or nothing kind of girl. She plays with the possibility of letting herself be another notch on the bedpost, but knows in the long run it would break her. Along the way, they find four abandoned half Jack Russell terrier puppies. In an attempt to jump from a frivolous, semi-love rat lifestyle to one of grown up permanence, the H adopts all four terrors. Having raised ONE mixed Jack Russell terrier, I'm laughing at the H as he is going to need an h for more than just a love fix. Good luck Mister H! They're smarter than you. Canines side note: our Casey had a vocabulary of about 100 words. We had to spell out words like "walk", "bath", "Milk Bone" or there was hell to pay.

The h leaves for London with her pride and virginity intact not knowing that the H is head over heels for her. His desire to try out a relationship is just a sop since he thinks she's pining over a manwhore. She is, he just has no idea that he is the manwhore.

Nice resolution with HEA and a quickie marriage.

Helen Brooks writes a kinder, gentler romance. The heroines are virgins and remain so until marriage, but they are pretty spunky and fun.

More of a 3.5 than a 3 star.

[Jenny · Rating 1 out of 5]

Most boring book ever. Endless conversations about dogs and zero plot.

[aarya · Rating 3 out of 5]

1) Hero is not a billionaire. In fact, he's not even referred to as a millionaire (I assume he is one because he has a nice house and can afford a cleaner). Can I file a complaint with the FTC for false title advertising? :P

2) Interesting structure where 90% of the book involves the MCs hanging out for the three-day period between the heroine resigning her job and moving to London. Honestly? It works. I genuinely got the impression that they liked each other. This is not a melodrama, which is unusual for this imprint. The writing is old-fashioned re: gender norms and dieting and whatnot.

3) I was shocked when the only sex scene occurred after the wedding in the last chapter. In fact, they never went further than a kiss beforehand. Ummm... that's never happened to me in a Harlequin Presents, lol. Then I googled and someone said "this author does not write premarital sex." Checked the author bio and, yep, Helen Brooks is a Christian. The odd thing is that the book is still HORNY. They're lusting and brainstorming sexual fantasies constantly. I legit think the lack of sex works here! So not to put a stamp of approval on bullshit Christian notions of sex, but it was a surprisingly successful slow burn. Then again, HP is an entire line with bullshit norms on virginity that I mostly tolerate; maybe I should not be so judgmental that HB wants to write according to her preferences.

4) I understand that the puppies are an important part of the plot, but did the hero really need to adopt all FOUR of them? FOUR!!! And they want to have a baby soon! I fear for their carpet.

Read via library.

[Holly · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Billionaire Boss's Secretary Bride starts off with Gina Leighton saying goodbye to her coworkers on her last day of work at Breedon and Son. She's leaving because after a year of working alongside Harry Breedon, her boss's son, she can't take it anymore. Thinking a change of scenery will erase Harry from her infatuated mind, she puts in her notice. She's headed to London for a new job, a new home and hopefully, a new life. Harry is surprisingly at a loss when Gina follows through with her plans to leave. He just always assumed she would be there. Thinking to offer her a goodbye dinner for two, what follows is a weekend long affair that makes him open his eyes to what sort of meaningless life he has held since he was a young man and his first love ripped out his heart. Thinking to try again with Gina, he's upset to learn that she's had her heart broken by the love of her life. Determined to make her forget her past love, he never realizes the ghost he's fighting....is himself.

This was a boring book. This follows a weekend of conversations and uncomfortable silences. Gina and Harry don't really do much except talk and miscommunicate. Gina is one of those annoying females who never try for love because she doesn't want to be hurt. She's cold and stilted with Harry despite loving him passionately in her heart. She's decided Harry can never be what she wants so even when he's throwing himself at her, she turns him down to protect her heart. There aren't any painful skeletons in her closet, so there's no reason I can ascertain as to why she would do this except for cowardice and pride. Harry at least has a painful history with his ex wife to make him skittish about love but when he realizes he's been in love with Gina all this time, he at least makes a bumbling, awkward attempt to reach out to her.

There aren't any funny secondary characters to liven up the drab nor any charming seductions. This was seriously all about one weekend where two prickly people who are so on the defensive, try to work past each other's emotional shields. I don't know what Gina was trying to accomplish when she sets out to insult and hurt Harry over one dinner conversation but it left me confused. Was she in love with Harry or did she hate him? Cause to me, it read like she was doing her best to wound him emotionally. Maybe even to punish him. Harry gives as good as he gets and it was just uncomfortable to read. They just keep picking at each other, like vicious animals scenting blood. He even tells her when he goes too far in their verbal sword play, "I'm sorry. That was unforgivable. I'm the sort of animal that attacks when it's threatened." Yikes.

Don't read this unless you like uncomfortably close looks at relationships and their painful ability to hurt. In fact, if you have ever seen the movie Closer or seen the play, it was exactly like that. Painfully uncomfortable with no redeeming characters. :(

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars! ~ Gina Leighton has worked for Breedon & Son since she finished University twelve years before. She’s worked herself up the company and was now the owner’s right hand. When Dave Breedon had a heart attack a year ago, his son Harry came home from America to take over during his recovery. And Gina’s world had changed. She’s fallen for the confirmed bachelor, and hard. So hard that she’s now compelled to leave the company and start again in London. Harry’s not one for committed relationships, and with the electricity that sparks when he enters the room, Gina knows that if she stays she’ll inevitably become a statistic. Harry Breedon doesn’t believe in love and generally lives his life in the moment. He’s done well for himself and has no desire to change his lifestyle to include a family of his own. And that’s why he’s always kept his hands off Gina; he knows she’s the all or nothing type girl. But knowing that doesn’t stop him from wanting her and trying to stop her from going to London. The three days spent together before Gina leaves, Harry begins to see himself through Gina’s eyes and what he sees he’s not too thrilled with.

This is an unusual Harlequin Presents, as there really isn’t any intense conflict. Three days before Gina moves to London, Harry decides he needs to convince her to stay. During these three days, Harry and Gina begin a journey of discovery. Both learn some home truths about each other and more importantly about themselves. Though we can feel their attraction, this book is not about their passion. One thing I’ve always admired about romances from Ms. Brook’s is how deftly she lets us see the hero’s internal conflict. And this book is very much about internal conflict. Gina’s because she’d love to have an affair with Harry but knows it will only lead to greater heartache. Harry ‘s because he can’t get rid of that feeling of his heart being squeezed and he doesn’t know what it all means. So if you’re looking for a fast paced intense confrontational Present, this is definitely not for you. But if you think you’ll enjoy seeing a confirmed bachelor work his way through to what he really wants, than this one is. This was a refreshing change from the more intense gut wrenching romances I tend to read

[Mtve41 · Rating 1 out of 5]

First time reading a book from this writer. The most obvious writing I’ve read in my entire life - if that makes sense. This lady uses every example sentence/ metaphor that you come across in your early English grammar books. She even uses words like ‘dashing’. Haven’t heard anyone else say/use it in a hundred years.

Surprised to see that this book was barely written a decade ago. It is extremely old fashioned easy sentence writing. I’m lost on how to precisely make my point. There are no love scenes. Gina is also the most annoying “lady” h I could read of. Keeps pushing the man away until he proposes marriage - which is the second last page of the book.

Sorry for this insensitive comment but if your great granma wrote a book, maybe that’s how it’d read like.

[Caro · Rating 1 out of 5]

Aburrida y decepcionante, aunque esperaba más de Helen Brooks.
La prota lleva mucho tiempo bebiendo los vientos (?) por el héroe, pero de repente ella decide irse a probar suerte a la ciudad y él se da cuenta de que la quiere forever and always. No se desarrolló casi nada y el final fue muy rushed.

[*CJ* · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Billionaires Boss's Secretary Bride" is the story of Gina and Harry, and goes on the classic HQN I've loved you from far trope.
The h loves the hero, who's supposedly commitment phobic- so much she decides to leave her job and country.. but what she doesn't take into account is him falling for her too!
OTT sweet scenes, puppies, and rose colored love declarations fill up this cheesy story which keeps you engaged from start to end.
Almost no angst, likable characters and a HEA.
Enjoyed it
Safe with exceptions
3.75/5

[Debby · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was boring. Too much went on only in the minds of the h and the H and there wasn’t enough action. No steamy love scenes.

And it was dreary and dull. Just one day in their life was described in 60 pages or something.

The only thing I really did like, was that the h is chubby. There aren’t enough chubby heroines in HP books. They all have either a perfect figure or are very thin.

[Janet Gaspar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Éste librito nos habla de una mujer gordita que renuncia a su puesto para irse a otra ciudad pues está enamorada del hijo de su jefe que nunca la vera y se siente estancada.
Pero el hombre en cuestión si que está enamorado de ella, pero por un trauma del pasado no se siente listo para una relación estable.
La historia es el clásico cliché del hombre mujeriego que cambia al encontrar a la mujer indicada. La historia es muy cortita, para pasar una horita y listo.

[Ananya · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read about 30% of the book and I was bored . The conversation between Gina and Harry was endless and honestly pointless! I am so disappointed and this is the first one star I have ever given to a book. I generally finish a book regardless of it being boring but in this case I made an exception. I just read the reviews to this book and now my head hurts. I have nothing more to write.

[Sihem · Rating 4 out of 5]

رواية رائعة .. منذ مدة لم أقرأ رواية استحوذتني كما فعلت حلم المساء الأخير ..
أسلوب الكاتبة مميز كما أنها أبدعت في خلق الشخصيات .. كل من هاري وجينا ناضج ويعرف تماما ما يريده .. جينا تريد الاستقرار وهاري يريد أن يكون طيرا مستقلا .. هنا يبدأ سحر الحب ..
رواية خفيفة يمكن انهاؤها في جلسة واحدة .. وهي حتما مليئة بالرومانسية ..
أنصح به بشدة لمن يعاني من توقف القراءة ..
حقا أحببتها.

[Roub · Rating 1 out of 5]

i was bored to death! they talked too much and it was unbelievable dat in one night harry realised he had been in love wid gina all along. i dunt see what he loved about her! she had an inferiority complex the size of mount mammoth !

[JillyB · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m surprised the overall ratings for this book are as low as they are. I kept getting that lovely fluttery feeling as I read it. Of course there are flaws...I mean it’s a Harlequin not a classic work of literature...but I wouldn’t want it any other way. So , Helen Brooks seems to write a pretty clean harlequin. What I like about her books so far is the way she stalls the coming together of our heroine and hero. It’s like watching your favorite tv show. You want the leads to end up together, but once they do the show ends up losing some of the zip. HB keeps the zip going for a long time(which could be seen as dragging out the inevitable to others and maybe that’s why it was barely over 3 stars)

The story begins with our 32 year old heroine getting ready to move on from her nice job in a small city to a job in bustling London. The problem is our girl is not a big city girl. She is fleeing from the intense feelings she has developed for the “not into complicated relationships” hero. (His dad is her boss but he came in to oversee things when dad got sick). You see, he had a whacktastic wife in his youth and that did it for him! The hero believes our heroine is fleeing from “another man” unaware that he is the man! He does his best to get the heroine to stay because he has discovered he is in love with her and has been for awhile! So we have 2 people, madly in love with each other, thinking their love isn’t reciprocated. I really like that we see each of their POV’s. Being able to see into their thoughts is what causes the fluttery stirrings. The added bonus....puppies!!!!

[A · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I first started the book I thought this was going to be yet another doormat h with a case of unrequited love and principles and a H who was a playboy. But the conversations between the two was meaningful and you can see how a relationship between them has a chance of growing over time. The author doesn't take the easy way out by letting them come together for a one night stand with an unexpected pregnancy. Instead over a platonic night they talk candidly and learn a little bit about each other.

The title may mention the word billionaire, but the book doesn't talk about the H as being insanely rich just enough for him to not work rest of his life. The H was an executive in some large corporation and had invested in the equity market and was back to help his father's manufacturing firm.

[Lenore Kosinski · Rating 3 out of 5]

After the disaster that was Snowbound Seduction, I had to see if one of the paperbacks I'd kept from this author lived up to a reread. It did not. Now, it was not as bad as SS, because at least the characters were genuinely likable. And I definitely liked having both POVs a lot more. But I really am no longer the read I was 10 years ago, and there are things that just don't work as well for me. Ah well. Now I can donate the paperback, silver lining!

[Fizzydrinks · Rating 4 out of 5]

HB's humor is nice and subtle. The H in this book took a lot of time off page to come to his senses but I forgave him for it cause we see him very thoroughly wriggle and suffer lol. The h gave back as good as she got. Nice romance. I expected the whole story to launch into a romance with a fancy London boss but the final man she ended up with was a nice touch.

[Eri | Encrucijadas cotidianas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Linda, entretenida, un amor que va floreciendo de a poco donde ninguno de los dos da un paso al frente. Ella por miedo a no ser lo que el busca después de ver a las despampanantes mujeres con las que el sale y el, porque ella es su empleada y no quiere perder su amistad
Un poco demasiado rapido tal vez en la trama pero lindo para leer en un ratito.

[ReadToBreathe · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars
I liked it l just wished the heroine has more confidence in her self and of course she was virgin

[S Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was a bit dragging

[More Books Than Time · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read the first half and skipped to last part. Just ok, didn’t feel his “I loved you for ages” was true.

[Jade · Rating 3 out of 5]

All 3 stars for Gina’s resistance. Love her for not giving in.

[Nubeluz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have preferred more action between them, but was an entertaining read anyways

[Andrea .... e suas cafonices. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fofinho... HB ama animais e eu adoro quando eles são tratados com tanto carinho. Mais um H apaixonado. Gostei.

[Maddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me encantan estas historias cortas. Muy romántica

[Elizabeth]

4.5 A bit too much back and forth but I do love the angst. Not spicy, just romantic.

[Laurel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy quick read, miscommunication trope to a funny level, MMC gets jealous of himself.