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November-December #2
Steamy December
Mr. High and Mighty
North Kendrick was a connoisseur - he liked his women beautiful and his champagne cold. He had taken one look at Ami and made one of his famous snap judgments. But Ami was determined to prove to him that appearances could be deceptive. As a makeup artist, she could transform herself into anyone she wanted to be....
Ami soon discovered that messing with North was asking for trouble. And trouble was exactly what she got - of the heartbreaking kind!
North Kendrick was a connoisseur - he liked his women beautiful and his champagne cold. He had taken one look at Ami and made one of his famous snap judgments. But Ami was determined to prove to him that appearances could be deceptive. As a makeup artist, she could transform herself into anyone she wanted to be....
Ami soon discovered that messing with North was asking for trouble. And trouble was exactly what she got - of the heartbreaking kind!
192 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1995
About the author
Ann Charlton
39 books16 followersAnn Charlton was born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and now lives in Brisbane. She traces the beginning of her writing to a childhood period when, in trying to avoid nightmares, she began telling herself a story, continued each night. She wanted to be a commercial artist but became a secretary. She wanted to play the piano but plays guitar instead, and she never planned to be a writer. Her professional writing began with a short-story contest. She published her first romance novel in 1984.
Now Ann writes every weekday, interspersed with looking after her family Tennis, sketching, reading, modern music and dancing are other interests. When both daughters have finished high school, Ann looks forward to travel and seeing new places. She would like to do more tapestry work and paint miniatures and has absolutely no plans to research a book in the Amazon or to learn to play the bouzouki. From time to time she abseils, which surprises her because she is afraid of heights.
Now Ann writes every weekday, interspersed with looking after her family Tennis, sketching, reading, modern music and dancing are other interests. When both daughters have finished high school, Ann looks forward to travel and seeing new places. She would like to do more tapestry work and paint miniatures and has absolutely no plans to research a book in the Amazon or to learn to play the bouzouki. From time to time she abseils, which surprises her because she is afraid of heights.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 20, 2018
Re Steamy December - Ann Chartlon's follow up to her November 1995 Hot November takes place in HPlandia of December 1995 and we get a little of the Christmas Spirit, Sydney, Australia style.
We also get a really intriguing dissection of appearance and aging when AC pits the make-up artist h against the blinkered Alpha HP H.
The book starts with the h's matchmaking, plot device mother coercing her daughter into helping out with one of the mother's temporary job assignments. The h's mother runs a temp agency that specializes in odd jobs. This time the mother wants the h to stand in front of a hotel and ask people what time it is and seekritly record their responses for a writer's research.
The h, who loves her mother in spite of her daft ways and her penchant for volunteering the h for unusual jobs on her agency's books, agrees to do it and winds up getting pushed off the sidewalk in front of the hotel by the H's doorman and the H himself.
Mainly because the H's newly built hotel isn't open yet and the h's outfit matches the description of another woman who was tagged as being a prostitute trolling for business. The H is opening an upscale, lavish five star hotel and he doesn't want to encourage solicitation.
The h is outraged she is being pushed off at first, especially when the H makes it clear that while she is more than worthy of being hired in the looks department, he doesn't waste his time on soiled goods. Then he tucks a gardenia in her hair and sends her off in a taxi.
The h is furious. The H never gives her a chance to explain and then assumes that she is a prostitute and then both he and his doorman exaggerate that the h's face is now recognizable and she will never be allowed within or around the hotel and it environs ever again.
The h right away pegs the H as a "collector" of the beautiful in both art and women and after doing a class on how to age a character on the stage with her BFF, the h from the previous book, the h decides to crash the H's hotel's grand opening in her granny makeup disguise.
The h gets her BFF to raid her theater's costume department for elderly granny type clothes that aren't glamourous and it is off to the big grand opening we go. Where the H's staff is really prompt to try and throw her out because of the way she is dressed and her age.
To be clear this is supposedly an open event announced in the paper, it wasn't exclusive and there is a very funny scene as the h plays up the impoverished granny who just wanted to take a look around such a lovely place that she never could afford to stay at in a million years.
The H loses further points when he too tries to escort her out, until the press corp gets wind of the situation and he is forced to invite the h in her granny guise for a free guest stay weekend. Then he introduces the h to his 71 yr old estranged father, who sees through the disguise right away and blackmails the h into attending the family dinner for his birthday the H is holding later.
The h kinda feels bad that her little revenge on the patronizing H has gotten so out of hand. But she also sees that the H and his lady friend, who may or may not be the OW, are walking, talking examples of shallow people who refuse to look deeper than a surface appearance.
AC makes some extremely pithy observations about how other people treat people who are either not as good looking or older than them and look it. The H's maybe OW automatically assumes all older people are deaf and practically shouts at both the h and his father when she communicates.
The H assumes that elderly people need guidance and supervision like two year olds and actually asks the h in her grandmother guise for advise on how to bully his father. The h dishes out the grandmotherly advice that the H's father is entirely capable of making his own choices and the H doesn't want to hear that.
The h takes this as further evidence that the H, whose backstory is that he is a genius and at the age of 15 started on his mega-millionaire climb to the top and sorta left his bike-racing father far behind in the wake of his success, really makes snap judgments based on appearances and has no ability to look under the surface of things.
Finally the h is able to extract herself from the H and his layered family fracas and leaves the hotel. Where she is attacked by a youthful purse snatcher, who only sees a frail elderly woman and targets her. The h is only 26 and was a ballerina for years before she grew too tall to compete in the very physically specific world of ballet.
The purse snatcher gets the shock of his life when his elderly target literally kicks his hiney and puts him on the ground. The H comes running out and starts to realizes that something about the h is off. When he too puts his hands on her, the h puts him on the ground as well and runs off home.
The H shows up at her house a little while later, she dropped her business card out of her purse when the snatcher attacked and the H came looking for her. She is still in her granny makeup and the H stands over her and watches while she takes it off.
The H is furious and insists that the h go apologize to his dad. The h gets the feeling that he was trying a little matchmaking in amongst his publicity calculations and tries to tell the H that his dad already knows about the disguise.
The H, too busy patting his own back about how he is now controlling the situation, doesn't listen or let the h explain, so it is more egg on the H's highly arrogant face when his dad takes the opportunity to rub it in that, yes, he may be 71, but he is still sharper than the H.
We get the distinct impression that the H and his father have some issues. The father feels the H abandoned him when he was 15 in favor of the teacher who helped him get some patents for his inventions.
While the H feels that his father basically washed his hands of him when he did not follow in his dad's wild style racing footsteps. The H is still smarting over his dad giving away his super excellent black leather and silver buckled racing boots to someone else after telling the H he wasn't big enough to fit into his shoes.
The h and H have another confrontation when the h's mother drags her to an art event that is being held at the H's house. The H collects Renaissance and Old Master's art and also has quite the collection of nymph statues.
The h's mother wants the H to donate one of his statues and a painting to her children's charity, after all the H is donating an entire house of art to a university and as the h looks around, her impression that the H is a collector of the beautiful until he gets tired of it and dumps it is reinforced.
Naturally the H notices the h again and accuses her of stalking him, he claims that he is probably going to marry his maybe OW, but that doesn't stop him from taunting the h that she is attracted to him and he can pluck her like a ripe fruit anytime he likes.
The h is furious, but the Lurve Force Mojo comes into play with the h's Treacherous Body Syndrome betraying her during a fiery roofie kiss. Fortunately the h's mum pops up at that point to pester the H about his donation and the H once again has egg on his face, when he see's that the h really was dragged there by her mother.
Then the H's father starts disappearing and the H believes the h is aiding and abetting him. The h has no clue where the h's father is at, but the H becomes even more enraptured with the h when she is pirouetting around her yard with her dog, Spritz, who is a cute secondary character and likes to play fetch and insists on bringing strange sticks home with her.
We learn that the H's father, who had a knee replacement recently and that is why the H is concerned, is on his own mission to look up old friends and renew ties from his past. The h ends up giving the H's dad a ride to visit one of his old friends on her way to her BFF's wedding from the first book.
The h's car breaks down after she drops the H's dad off and when the H shows up, after tracking her down to see if she knows where his dad is. The h manages to cut her head when she bangs into her car and she and the H have a half-concussed major gropey Mojo moment.
Then the H takes off after more words are exchanged when the h accuses the H of trying to manipulate her again - (he kinda was too, he admits he was really looking for his dad and he took the opportunity to roofie kiss her as well in the process of getting information out of her.)
The H then has to come back and get the h when he realizes he left her alone at the mercy of some dubious looking strangers who catcalled when they caught the H and h making out on the side of the road before.
He takes the h back to the town his dad is at, along with her car and the h gets really ill. The H takes care of her and the h is staring to believe the H isn't a total beautiful woman patronizing jerk.
Until the H gets invited to the h's BFF's wedding too and gets drunk and shows up in the h's room later that night.
Another almost purple passion moment is had until the h recalls the H's propensity for collecting and then discarding beautiful things like his wheat filled Pre-Raphaelite maiden paintings when they start to bore him.
The h kicks him out of her room, they travel back to get the H's dad and Spritz the next day and the h thinks the H is finally out her life. Until he drags her to his hotel and deliberately gives the impression that she has to sleep with him or he will ruin her business by putting about her granny act was a publicity stunt and thus ruining not only her but her married lady business partner too.
The H doesn't mean it really, he wants the h to do her granny impersonation to soothe the press inquiries he keeps getting. But the h is now torn, she feels she owes it to the H to carry out the deception she instigated, but she still really believes that the H would seduce her and dump her cause that seems to be how he goes through life.
Even tho it appears that the H and his father are mending their relationship, there is still his maybe OW and then the H tells the h that he and the OW are not a thing and never will be, he has met the h and is more interested in her.
The h does her granny act to satisfy the local press and save the H's hotel some bad publicity and the h ends up dancing in the hotel's empty ballroom late that night. The H finds her and the h, assured that he isn't seeing the OW, finally lets the Purple Passion flow and we are lost on the Golden Shores experience.
The next morning the H leaves the h with some roses and a note, while he goes out of town for business and the h overhears the maybe OW talking to the H's father about a second wedding and a divorce. The h, who knows the OW left her husband because he cheated on her, thinks the H is the groom for wedding number two and the h feels used.
When the H starts sending jewelry and flowers, the h writes a hilariously funny 'I had a lovely time but don't want a repeat' letter and returns the jewelry and gives the flowers to her business partner.
(The h is offended, cause he thanked her for their big night o'love in his goodbye note's postscript and she also knows the H hires a gift selection service to send out his tokens of affection or payoff.)
The H burns his bridges further when he has his secretary call to reschedule their 'meeting' (which was supposed to be a date,) cause the H is still out of town. The h manages to sprain her ankle and is giving a course on Phantom of the Opera makeup application when the H shows back up, worried cause his dad had told him the h was in hospital after a mishap.
He is mad the h dismissed their big night as a nice time and then he freaks out when he believes the h's accident scared her for life. The h is actually wearing makeup to simulate the Phantom's ruined face and forgot she had it on, but the H gets angry that the h is still testing him on his sincerity about the person, rather than their looks.
The H storms off and the h has to have a think about things. Her BFF points out that the H did try to help the h even when she wasn't looking at her best and the h realizes that she loves the H.
The h also has to admit HER snap decision was wrong when a magazine article shows the H's OW is remarrying her first husband - so the H did not lie and the h is the one with egg on her face this time.
The H learns that the h has good reason to want someone who sees beneath the surface of things when he finds out that her father is a famous surgeon who does reconstruction on accident victims and the h got into her makeup business when she took on classes to help the disfigured have a normal life by disguising their scars and wounds.
He knows the h cries seekritly when she does classes with her students, she has heard story after story about how these people were dumped and treated differently based strictly on how they look. The H knows that he himself used to put a lot stock in appearances, but he doesn't know how to show his change in attitude to the h.
The h decides to give the H a chance and finds him at his dad's house. The H's dad did not really give his motorcycle boots away, he saved them for the H all this time and when the h finds them rebuilding the dad's last racing bike together and the H wearing the boots that are too small for him, she knows their rift is mended.
In a true Merry Christmas HP HEA, the h, his father and the H all go out and cut the top of a big pine tree that will allow it to keep growing while giving his dad a tree to decorate and the H and h declare their true love for who they are, not what they have or what they look like for the pink sparkly, star counting HEA.
This is a very complex book. It isn't exactly a four star story, more like a 3.5, but AC did a really, really good job of illustrating how people's surfaces can be misleading and she does a great job in pointing out how appearance dictates how we treat other people, even when it is exactly the wrong way to treat them.
My main complaint is that this book is really drawn out in the process of setting up the whole surface vs substance argument and the h's reactions to the H's seemingly superficial treatment are a bit exaggerated.
There is a hint that the h was plain as a child and suffered hurt from that, particularly in the form of the comments of the h's own mother, but AC doesn't tie that together enough to explain the h's enormous continuing hostility to the H at times.
The H does eventually explain that he likes his art, he wants to keep it all. But he gets continually lectured by various individuals, like universities and the h's own mother, that he is hoarding it and not allowing others to appreciate it. So he made the decision to donate it and it wasn't because he did not love every piece or value even the imperfect ones.
But it takes a long time to get to this revelation and while I believed the H and h did really love each other, it wasn't as intense or as egalitarian in nature as the preceding book in this little saga.
Overall tho, this one is worth a read when you have a yen for a slower paced, more philosophical HP outing in mind and the patience to experience it.
We also get a really intriguing dissection of appearance and aging when AC pits the make-up artist h against the blinkered Alpha HP H.
The book starts with the h's matchmaking, plot device mother coercing her daughter into helping out with one of the mother's temporary job assignments. The h's mother runs a temp agency that specializes in odd jobs. This time the mother wants the h to stand in front of a hotel and ask people what time it is and seekritly record their responses for a writer's research.
The h, who loves her mother in spite of her daft ways and her penchant for volunteering the h for unusual jobs on her agency's books, agrees to do it and winds up getting pushed off the sidewalk in front of the hotel by the H's doorman and the H himself.
Mainly because the H's newly built hotel isn't open yet and the h's outfit matches the description of another woman who was tagged as being a prostitute trolling for business. The H is opening an upscale, lavish five star hotel and he doesn't want to encourage solicitation.
The h is outraged she is being pushed off at first, especially when the H makes it clear that while she is more than worthy of being hired in the looks department, he doesn't waste his time on soiled goods. Then he tucks a gardenia in her hair and sends her off in a taxi.
The h is furious. The H never gives her a chance to explain and then assumes that she is a prostitute and then both he and his doorman exaggerate that the h's face is now recognizable and she will never be allowed within or around the hotel and it environs ever again.
The h right away pegs the H as a "collector" of the beautiful in both art and women and after doing a class on how to age a character on the stage with her BFF, the h from the previous book, the h decides to crash the H's hotel's grand opening in her granny makeup disguise.
The h gets her BFF to raid her theater's costume department for elderly granny type clothes that aren't glamourous and it is off to the big grand opening we go. Where the H's staff is really prompt to try and throw her out because of the way she is dressed and her age.
To be clear this is supposedly an open event announced in the paper, it wasn't exclusive and there is a very funny scene as the h plays up the impoverished granny who just wanted to take a look around such a lovely place that she never could afford to stay at in a million years.
The H loses further points when he too tries to escort her out, until the press corp gets wind of the situation and he is forced to invite the h in her granny guise for a free guest stay weekend. Then he introduces the h to his 71 yr old estranged father, who sees through the disguise right away and blackmails the h into attending the family dinner for his birthday the H is holding later.
The h kinda feels bad that her little revenge on the patronizing H has gotten so out of hand. But she also sees that the H and his lady friend, who may or may not be the OW, are walking, talking examples of shallow people who refuse to look deeper than a surface appearance.
AC makes some extremely pithy observations about how other people treat people who are either not as good looking or older than them and look it. The H's maybe OW automatically assumes all older people are deaf and practically shouts at both the h and his father when she communicates.
The H assumes that elderly people need guidance and supervision like two year olds and actually asks the h in her grandmother guise for advise on how to bully his father. The h dishes out the grandmotherly advice that the H's father is entirely capable of making his own choices and the H doesn't want to hear that.
The h takes this as further evidence that the H, whose backstory is that he is a genius and at the age of 15 started on his mega-millionaire climb to the top and sorta left his bike-racing father far behind in the wake of his success, really makes snap judgments based on appearances and has no ability to look under the surface of things.
Finally the h is able to extract herself from the H and his layered family fracas and leaves the hotel. Where she is attacked by a youthful purse snatcher, who only sees a frail elderly woman and targets her. The h is only 26 and was a ballerina for years before she grew too tall to compete in the very physically specific world of ballet.
The purse snatcher gets the shock of his life when his elderly target literally kicks his hiney and puts him on the ground. The H comes running out and starts to realizes that something about the h is off. When he too puts his hands on her, the h puts him on the ground as well and runs off home.
The H shows up at her house a little while later, she dropped her business card out of her purse when the snatcher attacked and the H came looking for her. She is still in her granny makeup and the H stands over her and watches while she takes it off.
The H is furious and insists that the h go apologize to his dad. The h gets the feeling that he was trying a little matchmaking in amongst his publicity calculations and tries to tell the H that his dad already knows about the disguise.
The H, too busy patting his own back about how he is now controlling the situation, doesn't listen or let the h explain, so it is more egg on the H's highly arrogant face when his dad takes the opportunity to rub it in that, yes, he may be 71, but he is still sharper than the H.
We get the distinct impression that the H and his father have some issues. The father feels the H abandoned him when he was 15 in favor of the teacher who helped him get some patents for his inventions.
While the H feels that his father basically washed his hands of him when he did not follow in his dad's wild style racing footsteps. The H is still smarting over his dad giving away his super excellent black leather and silver buckled racing boots to someone else after telling the H he wasn't big enough to fit into his shoes.
The h and H have another confrontation when the h's mother drags her to an art event that is being held at the H's house. The H collects Renaissance and Old Master's art and also has quite the collection of nymph statues.
The h's mother wants the H to donate one of his statues and a painting to her children's charity, after all the H is donating an entire house of art to a university and as the h looks around, her impression that the H is a collector of the beautiful until he gets tired of it and dumps it is reinforced.
Naturally the H notices the h again and accuses her of stalking him, he claims that he is probably going to marry his maybe OW, but that doesn't stop him from taunting the h that she is attracted to him and he can pluck her like a ripe fruit anytime he likes.
The h is furious, but the Lurve Force Mojo comes into play with the h's Treacherous Body Syndrome betraying her during a fiery roofie kiss. Fortunately the h's mum pops up at that point to pester the H about his donation and the H once again has egg on his face, when he see's that the h really was dragged there by her mother.
Then the H's father starts disappearing and the H believes the h is aiding and abetting him. The h has no clue where the h's father is at, but the H becomes even more enraptured with the h when she is pirouetting around her yard with her dog, Spritz, who is a cute secondary character and likes to play fetch and insists on bringing strange sticks home with her.
We learn that the H's father, who had a knee replacement recently and that is why the H is concerned, is on his own mission to look up old friends and renew ties from his past. The h ends up giving the H's dad a ride to visit one of his old friends on her way to her BFF's wedding from the first book.
The h's car breaks down after she drops the H's dad off and when the H shows up, after tracking her down to see if she knows where his dad is. The h manages to cut her head when she bangs into her car and she and the H have a half-concussed major gropey Mojo moment.
Then the H takes off after more words are exchanged when the h accuses the H of trying to manipulate her again - (he kinda was too, he admits he was really looking for his dad and he took the opportunity to roofie kiss her as well in the process of getting information out of her.)
The H then has to come back and get the h when he realizes he left her alone at the mercy of some dubious looking strangers who catcalled when they caught the H and h making out on the side of the road before.
He takes the h back to the town his dad is at, along with her car and the h gets really ill. The H takes care of her and the h is staring to believe the H isn't a total beautiful woman patronizing jerk.
Until the H gets invited to the h's BFF's wedding too and gets drunk and shows up in the h's room later that night.
Another almost purple passion moment is had until the h recalls the H's propensity for collecting and then discarding beautiful things like his wheat filled Pre-Raphaelite maiden paintings when they start to bore him.
The h kicks him out of her room, they travel back to get the H's dad and Spritz the next day and the h thinks the H is finally out her life. Until he drags her to his hotel and deliberately gives the impression that she has to sleep with him or he will ruin her business by putting about her granny act was a publicity stunt and thus ruining not only her but her married lady business partner too.
The H doesn't mean it really, he wants the h to do her granny impersonation to soothe the press inquiries he keeps getting. But the h is now torn, she feels she owes it to the H to carry out the deception she instigated, but she still really believes that the H would seduce her and dump her cause that seems to be how he goes through life.
Even tho it appears that the H and his father are mending their relationship, there is still his maybe OW and then the H tells the h that he and the OW are not a thing and never will be, he has met the h and is more interested in her.
The h does her granny act to satisfy the local press and save the H's hotel some bad publicity and the h ends up dancing in the hotel's empty ballroom late that night. The H finds her and the h, assured that he isn't seeing the OW, finally lets the Purple Passion flow and we are lost on the Golden Shores experience.
The next morning the H leaves the h with some roses and a note, while he goes out of town for business and the h overhears the maybe OW talking to the H's father about a second wedding and a divorce. The h, who knows the OW left her husband because he cheated on her, thinks the H is the groom for wedding number two and the h feels used.
When the H starts sending jewelry and flowers, the h writes a hilariously funny 'I had a lovely time but don't want a repeat' letter and returns the jewelry and gives the flowers to her business partner.
(The h is offended, cause he thanked her for their big night o'love in his goodbye note's postscript and she also knows the H hires a gift selection service to send out his tokens of affection or payoff.)
The H burns his bridges further when he has his secretary call to reschedule their 'meeting' (which was supposed to be a date,) cause the H is still out of town. The h manages to sprain her ankle and is giving a course on Phantom of the Opera makeup application when the H shows back up, worried cause his dad had told him the h was in hospital after a mishap.
He is mad the h dismissed their big night as a nice time and then he freaks out when he believes the h's accident scared her for life. The h is actually wearing makeup to simulate the Phantom's ruined face and forgot she had it on, but the H gets angry that the h is still testing him on his sincerity about the person, rather than their looks.
The H storms off and the h has to have a think about things. Her BFF points out that the H did try to help the h even when she wasn't looking at her best and the h realizes that she loves the H.
The h also has to admit HER snap decision was wrong when a magazine article shows the H's OW is remarrying her first husband - so the H did not lie and the h is the one with egg on her face this time.
The H learns that the h has good reason to want someone who sees beneath the surface of things when he finds out that her father is a famous surgeon who does reconstruction on accident victims and the h got into her makeup business when she took on classes to help the disfigured have a normal life by disguising their scars and wounds.
He knows the h cries seekritly when she does classes with her students, she has heard story after story about how these people were dumped and treated differently based strictly on how they look. The H knows that he himself used to put a lot stock in appearances, but he doesn't know how to show his change in attitude to the h.
The h decides to give the H a chance and finds him at his dad's house. The H's dad did not really give his motorcycle boots away, he saved them for the H all this time and when the h finds them rebuilding the dad's last racing bike together and the H wearing the boots that are too small for him, she knows their rift is mended.
In a true Merry Christmas HP HEA, the h, his father and the H all go out and cut the top of a big pine tree that will allow it to keep growing while giving his dad a tree to decorate and the H and h declare their true love for who they are, not what they have or what they look like for the pink sparkly, star counting HEA.
This is a very complex book. It isn't exactly a four star story, more like a 3.5, but AC did a really, really good job of illustrating how people's surfaces can be misleading and she does a great job in pointing out how appearance dictates how we treat other people, even when it is exactly the wrong way to treat them.
My main complaint is that this book is really drawn out in the process of setting up the whole surface vs substance argument and the h's reactions to the H's seemingly superficial treatment are a bit exaggerated.
There is a hint that the h was plain as a child and suffered hurt from that, particularly in the form of the comments of the h's own mother, but AC doesn't tie that together enough to explain the h's enormous continuing hostility to the H at times.
The H does eventually explain that he likes his art, he wants to keep it all. But he gets continually lectured by various individuals, like universities and the h's own mother, that he is hoarding it and not allowing others to appreciate it. So he made the decision to donate it and it wasn't because he did not love every piece or value even the imperfect ones.
But it takes a long time to get to this revelation and while I believed the H and h did really love each other, it wasn't as intense or as egalitarian in nature as the preceding book in this little saga.
Overall tho, this one is worth a read when you have a yen for a slower paced, more philosophical HP outing in mind and the patience to experience it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 9, 2018
Aww. This was fun, face-paced courtship tale of an H/h who started off on the wrong foot (H thought she was a prostitute) and just kept going as the makeup artist heroine lead the tycoon, boy-genius H on a merry chase. In the course of the story she is an old woman, a damsel in distress, a beautiful ballerina, a compassionate teacher, and finally the love of the H's life. She has many faces and he's fascinated by then all.
The heroine has to revise her view of the hero as well. We are shown and not told of his childhood difficulties with his father, his awkwardness, his hard-won successes and his temper and frustration at his failures.
So two very human characters fall in love and try not to. It's all enhanced by the wry tone of the narrative and the author's sense of the ridiculous/irony. This isn't a typical HP, so be warned. No angst, no OTT drama. But a very believable HEA.
Boogenhagen has the spoilers in her excellent review.
The heroine has to revise her view of the hero as well. We are shown and not told of his childhood difficulties with his father, his awkwardness, his hard-won successes and his temper and frustration at his failures.
So two very human characters fall in love and try not to. It's all enhanced by the wry tone of the narrative and the author's sense of the ridiculous/irony. This isn't a typical HP, so be warned. No angst, no OTT drama. But a very believable HEA.
Boogenhagen has the spoilers in her excellent review.
October 6, 2018
"Steamy December" is the story of Ami and North.
When North Kendrick, the owner of a famous hotel chain mistakes the makeup artist Amy for a loose woman and throws her off his property, she vows revenge. Using her talents to dress up as an old lady Amelia, she successfully fools him on his launch party...only to be discovered when a pickpocket attempts to rob her!
Soon begins a game of blackmailed favors between two polar opposites. While North is controlled, Ami is free-spirited and impulsive. However, as passion explodes between the two, issues begin to arise, especially as North is supposedly to be engaged to his friend Francesca. Yet he continues to kiss and pursue her. Can these two fighting cats fall in love?
Hilarious in parts with a unique plot, this was a truly interesting read with a master of disguise heroine, confused hero, meddlesome fathers and loads of passion.
Good for a one time read.
Safe
3/5
When North Kendrick, the owner of a famous hotel chain mistakes the makeup artist Amy for a loose woman and throws her off his property, she vows revenge. Using her talents to dress up as an old lady Amelia, she successfully fools him on his launch party...only to be discovered when a pickpocket attempts to rob her!
Soon begins a game of blackmailed favors between two polar opposites. While North is controlled, Ami is free-spirited and impulsive. However, as passion explodes between the two, issues begin to arise, especially as North is supposedly to be engaged to his friend Francesca. Yet he continues to kiss and pursue her. Can these two fighting cats fall in love?
Hilarious in parts with a unique plot, this was a truly interesting read with a master of disguise heroine, confused hero, meddlesome fathers and loads of passion.
Good for a one time read.
Safe
3/5
October 16, 2023
Not as good as Hot November but a seriously good HP writer. Shame she didn't do more. This H, North (a childish pronunciation of Connaught that stuck) was a former child genius inventor now businessman and cut from very attractive cloth if you like what I like 😁 The h, theatrical make up professional Ami Winterburn, takes against him for judging on external appearances when he removes her from the front of his hotel for believed soliciting. She comes back to crash its opening disguised as a granny and the plot goes on from there. The H has a lovely father, with whom he has a prickly relationship and there's a sort of OW. Nice end scene choosing a Christmas tree.
August 7, 2020
3.5 stars
pback-to-read
October 12, 2019Mr. High and Mighty
North Kendrick was a connoisseur - he liked his women beautiful and his champagne cold. He had taken one look at Ami and made one of his famous snap judgments. But Ami was determined to prove to him that appearances could be deceptive. As a makeup artist, she could transform herself into anyone she wanted to be....
Ami soon discovered that messing with North was asking for trouble. And trouble was exactly what she got - of the heartbreaking kind! (less)
North Kendrick was a connoisseur - he liked his women beautiful and his champagne cold. He had taken one look at Ami and made one of his famous snap judgments. But Ami was determined to prove to him that appearances could be deceptive. As a makeup artist, she could transform herself into anyone she wanted to be....
Ami soon discovered that messing with North was asking for trouble. And trouble was exactly what she got - of the heartbreaking kind! (less)
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