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Life With Riley
BENEDICT FALKNER WAS A MAN WITH A PLAN.
He'd worked his way up from street tough to millionaire. Now he aimed to furnish his mansion with a suitably stylish wife. No way did his plan include Riley Morrisset, the petite, curvy firecracker who creamed his Beemer, bit his hand, and screamed bloody murder when she mistook him for a mugger!
So why did the sassy, struggling-to-make-ends-meet spitfire enchant him? Worse, why did he hire her as his live-in housekeeper, where she'd be underfoot, on his mind, and teasing his libido as he pursued his perfect, polished bride-to-be? Maybe because life with Riley would be wild, wacky, wonderful, and -- Whoa! What was Benedict thinking?
He'd worked his way up from street tough to millionaire. Now he aimed to furnish his mansion with a suitably stylish wife. No way did his plan include Riley Morrisset, the petite, curvy firecracker who creamed his Beemer, bit his hand, and screamed bloody murder when she mistook him for a mugger!
So why did the sassy, struggling-to-make-ends-meet spitfire enchant him? Worse, why did he hire her as his live-in housekeeper, where she'd be underfoot, on his mind, and teasing his libido as he pursued his perfect, polished bride-to-be? Maybe because life with Riley would be wild, wacky, wonderful, and -- Whoa! What was Benedict thinking?
- GenresHarlequin RomanceHumor
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 2002
About the author
Laurey Bright
46 books40 followersLaurey Bright is another pen name of Daphne Clair.
Daphne Clair de Jong decided to be a writer when she was eight years old and won her first literary prize for a school essay. Her first short story was published when she was sixteen and she's been writing and publishing ever since. Nowadays she earns her living from writing, something her well-meaning teachers and guidance counsellors warned her she would never achieve in New Zealand. Her short stories have appeared in many magazines and anthologies, and a collection of them was presented in Crossing the Bar, published by David Ling, where they garnered wide praise.
In 1976, Daphne's first full-length romantic novel was published by Mills & Boon as Return to Love. Since then she has produced a steady output of romance set in New Zealand, occasionally Australia or on imaginary Pacific islands. As Laurey Bright she also writes for Silhouette Books. Her romances often appear on American stores' romance best-seller lists and she has been a Rita contest finalist, as well as winning and being placed in several other romance writing contests. Her other writing includes non-fiction, poetry and long historical fiction, She also is an active defender of the ideology of Feminists for Life, and she has written articles about it.
Since then she has won other literary prizes both in her native New Zealand and other countries. These include the prestigious Katherine Mansfield Short Story Award, with Dying Light, a story about Alzheimer's Disease, which was filmed by Robyn Murphy Productions and shown at film festivals in several countries. (Starring Sara McLeod, Sam's wife in Lord of the Rings).
Daphne is often asked to tutor courses in creative writing, and with Robyn Donald she teachs romance writing weekend courses in her home in the "winterless north" of in New Zealand. Daphne lives with her Netherlands-born husband in a farmlet, grazing livestock, growing their own fruit and vegetables and making their large home available to other writers as a centre for writers' workshops and retreats. Their five children, one of them an orphan from Hong Kong, have left home but drift back at irregular intervals. She enjoys cooking special meals but her cake-making is limited to three never-fail recipes. Her children maintain they have no memory of her baking for them except on birthdays, when she would produce, on request, cakes shaped into trains, clowns, fairytale houses and, once, even a windmill, in deference to their Dutch heritage from their father.
Daphne frequently makes and breaks resolutions to indulge in some hearty outdoor activity, and loves to sniff strong black coffee but never drinks it. After a day at her desk she will happily watch re-runs of favourite TV shows. Usually she goes to bed early with a book which may be anything from a paperback romance or suspense novel to history, sociology or literary theory.
Daphne Clair de Jong decided to be a writer when she was eight years old and won her first literary prize for a school essay. Her first short story was published when she was sixteen and she's been writing and publishing ever since. Nowadays she earns her living from writing, something her well-meaning teachers and guidance counsellors warned her she would never achieve in New Zealand. Her short stories have appeared in many magazines and anthologies, and a collection of them was presented in Crossing the Bar, published by David Ling, where they garnered wide praise.
In 1976, Daphne's first full-length romantic novel was published by Mills & Boon as Return to Love. Since then she has produced a steady output of romance set in New Zealand, occasionally Australia or on imaginary Pacific islands. As Laurey Bright she also writes for Silhouette Books. Her romances often appear on American stores' romance best-seller lists and she has been a Rita contest finalist, as well as winning and being placed in several other romance writing contests. Her other writing includes non-fiction, poetry and long historical fiction, She also is an active defender of the ideology of Feminists for Life, and she has written articles about it.
Since then she has won other literary prizes both in her native New Zealand and other countries. These include the prestigious Katherine Mansfield Short Story Award, with Dying Light, a story about Alzheimer's Disease, which was filmed by Robyn Murphy Productions and shown at film festivals in several countries. (Starring Sara McLeod, Sam's wife in Lord of the Rings).
Daphne is often asked to tutor courses in creative writing, and with Robyn Donald she teachs romance writing weekend courses in her home in the "winterless north" of in New Zealand. Daphne lives with her Netherlands-born husband in a farmlet, grazing livestock, growing their own fruit and vegetables and making their large home available to other writers as a centre for writers' workshops and retreats. Their five children, one of them an orphan from Hong Kong, have left home but drift back at irregular intervals. She enjoys cooking special meals but her cake-making is limited to three never-fail recipes. Her children maintain they have no memory of her baking for them except on birthdays, when she would produce, on request, cakes shaped into trains, clowns, fairytale houses and, once, even a windmill, in deference to their Dutch heritage from their father.
Daphne frequently makes and breaks resolutions to indulge in some hearty outdoor activity, and loves to sniff strong black coffee but never drinks it. After a day at her desk she will happily watch re-runs of favourite TV shows. Usually she goes to bed early with a book which may be anything from a paperback romance or suspense novel to history, sociology or literary theory.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 6, 2018
“Will you marry me, Riley?”
“No.”
“Do you mind telling me why?”
Riley could almost have laughed at that, except she was afraid it would turn into a sob. Her hands curling into fists, she made her voice hard. “Guess.”
“You don’t love me?”
Riley lifted one shoulder in a shrug.
“Look at me, Riley,” he said. “Look at me and tell me you’re not one bit in love with me. If you can.”
The arrogance of the man. She whipped up a spurious anger to shield her-self before she faced him again, defiantly. “I’m not…I don’t…”
He didn’t look arrogant. He looked taut and square-shouldered, as if tensed for a blow. And his expression was rigidly neutral, but in his eyes something glowed, deep and steady—something dangerously close to affection.
Damn the man! “Well, what do you expect?” she cried wildly. “You don’t re-ally love me!”
His brows shot up. “Last night—”
“You said I was an obsession—told me I was a nothing, that you couldn’t understand why you were attracted to me. I ruined your plans to marry the perfect woman to go with your perfect home and your perfect business and your perfect lifestyle and give you one point two perfect children. I’m the opposite of everything you’ve worked so hard for. You want the princess in the tower, you’ve fought for years to win the right to have her, and I’m just a-an ordinary woman! And you practically called me a slut!” she recalled. “I don’t sleep around with my friends and I’m not anyone’s for the asking, especially not yours! Not that my sex life or lack of it is any of your business!”
The book should've ended here. As far as marriage proposal and avowal of love goes, this is epic fail. Hero needs to attend summer program.
These really strong heroine was wasted on a weak useless hero. Actually, the really nice OW, with lots of potential was also wasted on the useless hero too. I think she was rather jealous of the heroine of her bff with cute kid rather than the hero.
Heroine was fully aware of the weak hero. She kinda sorta didn't want him. I don't blame him. I wouldn't kinda want a weak whiny guy telling me 24/7 " i love you, but i can't figure out why, i REALLY should love OW, do you mind making me dinner tonight while I go try make myself fall in love with OW? Honey do you think i should see a shrink for liking you? I mean you are, so, you. And have you seen her? She's a paragon of beauty. But I love you. So I'll take you, but you were not my 20 years plan, WHY did this happen?" to be honest? I feel sorry for this guy's shrink!
So heroine, being sensible, does the next best thing, tries to palm him off to the OW, and he is SO weak, doesn't even protest a fucking single time, doesn't show his interest for heroine, follows and dates the OW in a docile manner, and even in the feat of most heated jealousy, when he thinks he has solid evidence that heroine is sleeping with OM at HIS OWN DAMN house, he still doesn't fucking make his move, follows the OW around, gives the heroine safety tip to have sneaky sex, and tottles off! What did I say? Useless! He's SO damn pathetic, that even the OW doesn't want him!
The only redeemable quality? He doesn't have double standards when it comes to buffet sampling. Apparently what goes for the goose, goes for the gander. Or not, as he really didn't get any. He actually was extremely faithful to heroine, even while believing she has no time for him, and is cosying up with her BFF, who he thinks is a minute man in the sack. He thought heroine was not physically attracted to him (and thanks to his shallow personality no woman will ever be romantically attracted), but he never ever slept with the OW. He was pursuing the OW for marriage, and was lusting after the heroine, so it's very safe to say he REALLY REALLY didn't get any. However the moment he realised heroine was attracted to him he didn't care if she slept with half of England, as long as she married him and only slept with him from this point forward, he didn't give a damn. So it was good to see no double standard from such a shallow character!
Oh, while we are on the topic of double standards. He jumps to conclusions about her pretty much every second hour based on little to NO information.
Then tells her not to jump to conclusions about him leading the OW on based on the explicit information he had given her telling her that he is leading the OW on! 😒🔫
“No.”
“Do you mind telling me why?”
Riley could almost have laughed at that, except she was afraid it would turn into a sob. Her hands curling into fists, she made her voice hard. “Guess.”
“You don’t love me?”
Riley lifted one shoulder in a shrug.
“Look at me, Riley,” he said. “Look at me and tell me you’re not one bit in love with me. If you can.”
The arrogance of the man. She whipped up a spurious anger to shield her-self before she faced him again, defiantly. “I’m not…I don’t…”
He didn’t look arrogant. He looked taut and square-shouldered, as if tensed for a blow. And his expression was rigidly neutral, but in his eyes something glowed, deep and steady—something dangerously close to affection.
Damn the man! “Well, what do you expect?” she cried wildly. “You don’t re-ally love me!”
His brows shot up. “Last night—”
“You said I was an obsession—told me I was a nothing, that you couldn’t understand why you were attracted to me. I ruined your plans to marry the perfect woman to go with your perfect home and your perfect business and your perfect lifestyle and give you one point two perfect children. I’m the opposite of everything you’ve worked so hard for. You want the princess in the tower, you’ve fought for years to win the right to have her, and I’m just a-an ordinary woman! And you practically called me a slut!” she recalled. “I don’t sleep around with my friends and I’m not anyone’s for the asking, especially not yours! Not that my sex life or lack of it is any of your business!”
The book should've ended here. As far as marriage proposal and avowal of love goes, this is epic fail. Hero needs to attend summer program.
These really strong heroine was wasted on a weak useless hero. Actually, the really nice OW, with lots of potential was also wasted on the useless hero too. I think she was rather jealous of the heroine of her bff with cute kid rather than the hero.
Heroine was fully aware of the weak hero. She kinda sorta didn't want him. I don't blame him. I wouldn't kinda want a weak whiny guy telling me 24/7 " i love you, but i can't figure out why, i REALLY should love OW, do you mind making me dinner tonight while I go try make myself fall in love with OW? Honey do you think i should see a shrink for liking you? I mean you are, so, you. And have you seen her? She's a paragon of beauty. But I love you. So I'll take you, but you were not my 20 years plan, WHY did this happen?" to be honest? I feel sorry for this guy's shrink!
So heroine, being sensible, does the next best thing, tries to palm him off to the OW, and he is SO weak, doesn't even protest a fucking single time, doesn't show his interest for heroine, follows and dates the OW in a docile manner, and even in the feat of most heated jealousy, when he thinks he has solid evidence that heroine is sleeping with OM at HIS OWN DAMN house, he still doesn't fucking make his move, follows the OW around, gives the heroine safety tip to have sneaky sex, and tottles off! What did I say? Useless! He's SO damn pathetic, that even the OW doesn't want him!
The only redeemable quality? He doesn't have double standards when it comes to buffet sampling. Apparently what goes for the goose, goes for the gander. Or not, as he really didn't get any. He actually was extremely faithful to heroine, even while believing she has no time for him, and is cosying up with her BFF, who he thinks is a minute man in the sack. He thought heroine was not physically attracted to him (and thanks to his shallow personality no woman will ever be romantically attracted), but he never ever slept with the OW. He was pursuing the OW for marriage, and was lusting after the heroine, so it's very safe to say he REALLY REALLY didn't get any. However the moment he realised heroine was attracted to him he didn't care if she slept with half of England, as long as she married him and only slept with him from this point forward, he didn't give a damn. So it was good to see no double standard from such a shallow character!
Oh, while we are on the topic of double standards. He jumps to conclusions about her pretty much every second hour based on little to NO information.
Then tells her not to jump to conclusions about him leading the OW on based on the explicit information he had given her telling her that he is leading the OW on! 😒🔫
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 17, 2023
Waaaaaaaaay too much OW in this one. And for once, she is actually a nice, non-catty, woman and in fact, she is the one who is wronged in this scenario. Hero dates OW throughout the entire story, gushing about how perfect she is and how he is not worthy of her, even as he is lusting after his live-in housekeeper heroine the entire time! Yuck.
The story started out with good potential. The h and H meet cute (she thinks he is a carjacker and almost bites his hand off in self-defense). He offers her a job as his live-in housekeeper/chauffeur, a classic trope in HPlandia that I usually emjoy.
But the story soon disintegrated due to a series of dumb, Great, Big, Terrible Misunderstandings involving a red herring OM (the h's platonic friend that the H erroneously believes is one of her many, interchangeable, casual lovers) straight out of a Three's Company script.
The h and H both agree that the OW is the perfect woman, that the H ought to date her and marry her, and even in the midst of his ILY declaration to the h, the H talks ad nauseam about how the OW would have fulfilled all his dreams and desires and that he fell in love with the h despite himself, a la Darcy towards Liz Bennett.
Not my idea of romance.
The story started out with good potential. The h and H meet cute (she thinks he is a carjacker and almost bites his hand off in self-defense). He offers her a job as his live-in housekeeper/chauffeur, a classic trope in HPlandia that I usually emjoy.
But the story soon disintegrated due to a series of dumb, Great, Big, Terrible Misunderstandings involving a red herring OM (the h's platonic friend that the H erroneously believes is one of her many, interchangeable, casual lovers) straight out of a Three's Company script.
The h and H both agree that the OW is the perfect woman, that the H ought to date her and marry her, and even in the midst of his ILY declaration to the h, the H talks ad nauseam about how the OW would have fulfilled all his dreams and desires and that he fell in love with the h despite himself, a la Darcy towards Liz Bennett.
Not my idea of romance.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 5, 2017
3.5 stars
December 8, 2020
Maybe 1.5 because the writing itself was fine technique wise.
*spoilers, but this is from 2002 amd if you haven't read it by now, don't bother*
*hero is unlikeable
*hero repeatedly physically restrains heroine
*hero seems to be "grooming" heroine with offering a cushy job/home, perks, having dinner together. Later is controlling
*hero shames heroine for "skimpy" clothing that were perfectly acceptable
*hero makes assumptions about heroine instead of just asking her directly
*hero pervs out several times in an uncomfortable, not at all romantic way
*hero spies on heroine and a friend through her bedroom window
*when heroine feels threatened and wants her male friend to step in for her the hero physically threatens him
*hero DEMANDS she marry him
*heroine ACCEPTS
*heroine is disgustingly weak willed
*in 15 pages we go from the hero restraining the heroine to her accepting his demand for marriage
*heroine should have been calling the police, not agreeing to a future together
*there is no character growth, hero is a douchebag and stays that way, heroine is pushover and stays that way
This book was okayish to about the halfway point. I hoped that there would be some improvement with the hero along the way but he just gets worse.
With a few minor edits this could almost be a stalker thriller, hardly a romance 🙄
*spoilers, but this is from 2002 amd if you haven't read it by now, don't bother*
*hero is unlikeable
*hero repeatedly physically restrains heroine
*hero seems to be "grooming" heroine with offering a cushy job/home, perks, having dinner together. Later is controlling
*hero shames heroine for "skimpy" clothing that were perfectly acceptable
*hero makes assumptions about heroine instead of just asking her directly
*hero pervs out several times in an uncomfortable, not at all romantic way
*hero spies on heroine and a friend through her bedroom window
*when heroine feels threatened and wants her male friend to step in for her the hero physically threatens him
*hero DEMANDS she marry him
*heroine ACCEPTS
*heroine is disgustingly weak willed
*in 15 pages we go from the hero restraining the heroine to her accepting his demand for marriage
*heroine should have been calling the police, not agreeing to a future together
*there is no character growth, hero is a douchebag and stays that way, heroine is pushover and stays that way
This book was okayish to about the halfway point. I hoped that there would be some improvement with the hero along the way but he just gets worse.
With a few minor edits this could almost be a stalker thriller, hardly a romance 🙄
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 11, 2018
Not sure how I found this book but I read it. "Life with Riley" was an easy book, it's fast and it doesn't have a big plot or twist plots, just romance and not so many words.
Wouldn't say I recommend this one but could be a good option when you're looking for a short story that can entertain you.
Two stars, 'cause it didn't bored me.
Wouldn't say I recommend this one but could be a good option when you're looking for a short story that can entertain you.
Two stars, 'cause it didn't bored me.
September 21, 2021
Likeable characters, and I find Bright's writing sharp. But the misunderstandings were tiresome.
September 30, 2024
A nice breezy feel- good book. Nothing new. Same old story, but the author has got a good writing style. The narrative is laced with lots of humor. I loved the book and finished it in one go.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews