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Hired by the Playboy
Read this classic romance by New York Times bestselling author Penny Jordan, now available for the first time in e-book! Originally published as An Expert Teacher in 1987
Seduced by the boss
All her life, Gemma has lived under her parent's strict rule, only once slipping past their prejudice to choose a secret friend for herself—laborer Luke O'Rourke.
Ten years later, Luke is back—a wealthy, cultured, new business associate of her father with a surprising job offer for Gemma. One she should refuse, now that Luke's matured into an impossibly handsome, irresistible man.
But her parents' objections seal Gemma's fate. She's off to the Caribbean as personal assistant to a well-known womanizer!
Seduced by the boss
All her life, Gemma has lived under her parent's strict rule, only once slipping past their prejudice to choose a secret friend for herself—laborer Luke O'Rourke.
Ten years later, Luke is back—a wealthy, cultured, new business associate of her father with a surprising job offer for Gemma. One she should refuse, now that Luke's matured into an impossibly handsome, irresistible man.
But her parents' objections seal Gemma's fate. She's off to the Caribbean as personal assistant to a well-known womanizer!
161 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 1989
51 people are currently reading
126 people want to read
About the author
Penny Jordan
1,127 books668 followersPenelope Jones Halsall
aka Caroline Courtney, Annie Groves, Lydia Hitchcock, Melinda Wright
Penelope "Penny" Jones was born on November 24, 1946 at about seven pounds in a nursing home in Preston, Lancashire, England. She was the first child of Anthony Winn Jones, an engineer, who died at 85, and his wife Margaret Louise Groves Jones. She has a brother, Anthony, and a sister, Prudence "Pru".
She had been a keen reader from the childhood - her mother used to leave her in the children's section of their local library whilst she changed her father's library books. She was a storyteller long before she began to write romantic fiction. At the age of eight, she was creating serialized bedtime stories, featuring make-believe adventures, for her younger sister Prue, who was always the heroine. At eleven, she fell in love with Mills & Boon, and with their heroes. In those days the books could only be obtained via private lending libraries, and she quickly became a devoted fan; she was thrilled to bits when the books went on full sale in shops and she could have them for keeps.
Penny left grammar school in Rochdale with O-Levels in English Language, English Literature and Geography. She first discovered Mills & Boon books, via a girl she worked with. She married Steve Halsall, an accountant and a "lovely man", who smoked and drank too heavily, and suffered oral cancer with bravery and dignity. Her husband bought her the small electric typewriter on which she typed her first novels, at a time when he could ill afford it. He died at the beginning of 21st century.
She earned a living as a writer since the 1970s when, as a shorthand typist, she entered a competition run by the Romantic Novelists' Association. Although she didn't win, Penny found an agent who was looking for a new Georgette Heyer. She published four regency novels as Caroline Courtney, before changing her nom de plume to Melinda Wright for three air-hostess romps and then she wrote two thrillers as Lydia Hitchcock. Soon after that, Mills and Boon accepted her first novel for them, Falcon's Prey as Penny Jordan. However, for her more historical romance novels, she adopted her mother's maiden-name to become Annie Groves. Almost 70 of her 167 Mills and Boon novels have been sold worldwide.
Penny Halsall lived in a neo-Georgian house in Nantwich, Cheshire, with her Alsatian Sheba and cat Posh. She worked from home, in her kitchen, surrounded by her pets, and welcomed interruptions from her friends and family.
aka Caroline Courtney, Annie Groves, Lydia Hitchcock, Melinda Wright
Penelope "Penny" Jones was born on November 24, 1946 at about seven pounds in a nursing home in Preston, Lancashire, England. She was the first child of Anthony Winn Jones, an engineer, who died at 85, and his wife Margaret Louise Groves Jones. She has a brother, Anthony, and a sister, Prudence "Pru".
She had been a keen reader from the childhood - her mother used to leave her in the children's section of their local library whilst she changed her father's library books. She was a storyteller long before she began to write romantic fiction. At the age of eight, she was creating serialized bedtime stories, featuring make-believe adventures, for her younger sister Prue, who was always the heroine. At eleven, she fell in love with Mills & Boon, and with their heroes. In those days the books could only be obtained via private lending libraries, and she quickly became a devoted fan; she was thrilled to bits when the books went on full sale in shops and she could have them for keeps.
Penny left grammar school in Rochdale with O-Levels in English Language, English Literature and Geography. She first discovered Mills & Boon books, via a girl she worked with. She married Steve Halsall, an accountant and a "lovely man", who smoked and drank too heavily, and suffered oral cancer with bravery and dignity. Her husband bought her the small electric typewriter on which she typed her first novels, at a time when he could ill afford it. He died at the beginning of 21st century.
She earned a living as a writer since the 1970s when, as a shorthand typist, she entered a competition run by the Romantic Novelists' Association. Although she didn't win, Penny found an agent who was looking for a new Georgette Heyer. She published four regency novels as Caroline Courtney, before changing her nom de plume to Melinda Wright for three air-hostess romps and then she wrote two thrillers as Lydia Hitchcock. Soon after that, Mills and Boon accepted her first novel for them, Falcon's Prey as Penny Jordan. However, for her more historical romance novels, she adopted her mother's maiden-name to become Annie Groves. Almost 70 of her 167 Mills and Boon novels have been sold worldwide.
Penny Halsall lived in a neo-Georgian house in Nantwich, Cheshire, with her Alsatian Sheba and cat Posh. She worked from home, in her kitchen, surrounded by her pets, and welcomed interruptions from her friends and family.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
June 20, 2024
The heroine's parasitic parents are only out to make money and further their social climbing. The heroine is the "expert teacher" of the title, and she is devoted to her underprivileged students. The hero whisks the heroine away from gloomy North Manchester to the sunny Carribeans, under the pretext that he needs a personal assistant. LoL. Why can't I get a job like that?
For once, we have a hero who tells off the fangtoothed OW off not just once but several times. Also, the 80s fashion was EPIC! The heroine dons a peach jumpsuit and straw hat to visit a construction job site. The hero spends a lot of time barechested and barefoot with only a pair of jeans on and you just KNOW that nothing is coming in between him and his Calvins hehe.
This is a satisfying vintage Penny Jordan romance with a classy heroine and a besotted hero.
For once, we have a hero who tells off the fangtoothed OW off not just once but several times. Also, the 80s fashion was EPIC! The heroine dons a peach jumpsuit and straw hat to visit a construction job site. The hero spends a lot of time barechested and barefoot with only a pair of jeans on and you just KNOW that nothing is coming in between him and his Calvins hehe.
This is a satisfying vintage Penny Jordan romance with a classy heroine and a besotted hero.
August 21, 2017
Good fast read. Also has the dubious distinction of being the only HP (that I've come across) to feature a h who gets so engrossed in a book that she pretty much ignores the H's presence.
The H Luke and the h Gemma meet as teenagers and become fast friends. h has a crush on her brother's friend and fails to recognise her true feelings for the H - but a single kiss (requested for by her) changes all that. By the time she realises what's happening, she's managed to insult the H in the worst way possible and he leaves without so much as a forwarding address. So she spends the next ten years becoming a career woman (she's a teacher) and is uninterested in marriage/sex- much to the consternation of her socially forward parents.
A decade later, she meets him again at her parents' home and sparks fly for real this time - especially since the H is no longer the 20 year old low class labourer she had met and is instead, a seductive millionaire with a heart wrenching back story. Unfortunately, all that money hadn't made him more acceptable to her folks who stress the importance of the 'right connections'; and so as a final act of defiance, she goes against their wishes (and their very real fears that their daughter might be seduced by the low class lothario) and accepts the H's (token) job offer in the Caribbean. Of course, consummation of their unspoken love follows almost immediately and soon the couples' on their way to HEA (but not before the H accuses the h of being like her parents and rejecting him because of his less than desirable background - many times).
I liked this book and I really liked the h. She is a poor little princess with a conscience and chooses to teach kids from socially challenged backgrounds instead of privileged children like herself. This is also an act of rebellion against her parents who expect her to be a society lady who's only ambition is to become an M&B version of a Stepford wife. She even refuses to be a bridesmaid at her brother's wedding to further drive the point home. But when she's home though, she's more passive aggressive and deals with her parents by tuning them out (as in she literally drifts off during conversations). Now this I liked. Coz this is a tactic that I use - tuning people out when I don't want to listen) and so I was quite able to relate to her. The H was also pretty ok, but PJ could have turned down his insecurities a notch to make him sound less whiny.
So it's not a bad read at all and I think most people might like this one. 3.5 stars!
The H Luke and the h Gemma meet as teenagers and become fast friends. h has a crush on her brother's friend and fails to recognise her true feelings for the H - but a single kiss (requested for by her) changes all that. By the time she realises what's happening, she's managed to insult the H in the worst way possible and he leaves without so much as a forwarding address. So she spends the next ten years becoming a career woman (she's a teacher) and is uninterested in marriage/sex- much to the consternation of her socially forward parents.
A decade later, she meets him again at her parents' home and sparks fly for real this time - especially since the H is no longer the 20 year old low class labourer she had met and is instead, a seductive millionaire with a heart wrenching back story. Unfortunately, all that money hadn't made him more acceptable to her folks who stress the importance of the 'right connections'; and so as a final act of defiance, she goes against their wishes (and their very real fears that their daughter might be seduced by the low class lothario) and accepts the H's (token) job offer in the Caribbean. Of course, consummation of their unspoken love follows almost immediately and soon the couples' on their way to HEA (but not before the H accuses the h of being like her parents and rejecting him because of his less than desirable background - many times).
I liked this book and I really liked the h. She is a poor little princess with a conscience and chooses to teach kids from socially challenged backgrounds instead of privileged children like herself. This is also an act of rebellion against her parents who expect her to be a society lady who's only ambition is to become an M&B version of a Stepford wife. She even refuses to be a bridesmaid at her brother's wedding to further drive the point home. But when she's home though, she's more passive aggressive and deals with her parents by tuning them out (as in she literally drifts off during conversations). Now this I liked. Coz this is a tactic that I use - tuning people out when I don't want to listen) and so I was quite able to relate to her. The H was also pretty ok, but PJ could have turned down his insecurities a notch to make him sound less whiny.
So it's not a bad read at all and I think most people might like this one. 3.5 stars!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 22, 2019
"An Expert Teacher" is the story of Gemma and Luke.
As a 15 year old child, Gemma, the daughter from a rich and snooty family befriends Luke, a 20 year old man from the wrong side of the tracks, working hard to make a life for himself. A request for a kiss lesson turns destroys their bond, and Gemma does not see Luke again.
Now as a 24 year school teacher to kids from impoverished households, she is about to lose her job when she is asked to attend her brother's wedding. There she meets Luke again, who is now a self made billionaire and her father's business partner. He seems to hold a mocking grudge to her, and later proposes she be his assistant for a job in the Caribbean. Despite strong opposition from her parents, Gemma agrees. Will their spark reignite?
Honestly, all I felt in this book was super bad for the heroine.
-Her parents were shitty aholes who always put her down
-Nobody understood her drive to help those in need
-The guy she adores slut shames her and throws OW at her face
-She genuinely has multiple breakdowns due to being misunderstood, but is anyone there to wipe her tears? No.
Loads of OW/OM drama with mild angst in this. I did like what the hero did for himself but he was so cynical. The h had to beg and fight for everything from everyone, was a pushover, and I do wish she had more courage.
No feels with this one.
SWE/Unsafe
2/5
As a 15 year old child, Gemma, the daughter from a rich and snooty family befriends Luke, a 20 year old man from the wrong side of the tracks, working hard to make a life for himself. A request for a kiss lesson turns destroys their bond, and Gemma does not see Luke again.
Now as a 24 year school teacher to kids from impoverished households, she is about to lose her job when she is asked to attend her brother's wedding. There she meets Luke again, who is now a self made billionaire and her father's business partner. He seems to hold a mocking grudge to her, and later proposes she be his assistant for a job in the Caribbean. Despite strong opposition from her parents, Gemma agrees. Will their spark reignite?
Honestly, all I felt in this book was super bad for the heroine.
-Her parents were shitty aholes who always put her down
-Nobody understood her drive to help those in need
-The guy she adores slut shames her and throws OW at her face
-She genuinely has multiple breakdowns due to being misunderstood, but is anyone there to wipe her tears? No.
Loads of OW/OM drama with mild angst in this. I did like what the hero did for himself but he was so cynical. The h had to beg and fight for everything from everyone, was a pushover, and I do wish she had more courage.
No feels with this one.
SWE/Unsafe
2/5
December 6, 2016
Re An Expert Teacher - PJ does the big misunderstanding and H piney moments for ten long years - but sadly this H does go out to sample the lurvely lady buffet- which is probably a good thing, so at least one of them has some experience.
The h in this one is a 25 yr old school teacher who comes from a wealthy, but socially snobbish family. If this were a regency, the h's family would be social climbing Cits and the h would be the practical daughter who is more interested in saving orphans and building proper teaching orphanages. Plus, she would reject the titled heir her family contracts for her in favor of the self made shipping merchant, whom her family thoroughly disapproves of.
This is a bit more modern, but not by much - PJ just added some really spicy nocturnal activity moments. The h and H first meet when she is 14 and he 20. She spends a lot of time by herself ambling around on her sturdy pony and has taken to hanging out by the river with a book and watching the otters. One day water starts dripping on her, when she looks up, the very handsome Irish H is commenting on her book. She finds out that the H is an itinerant Irish labourer working on the nearby road construction who likes to swim daily in the river. He was an orphan and raised in care, but he has a fierce intelligence and the h soon strikes up a friendship with him.
Since her father is a builder, she smuggles out a bunch of book on construction and business things for the H to educate himself on the construction industry, the H is very grateful to her for her faith and encouragement that he can be a successful business person. The h figures out her true vocation of being a teacher as she tries to help the H learn the proper etiquette for all manner of situations and the summer friendship blossoms as they have plenty of mutual interests.
The H is really the h's only friend, she and her mother are polar opposites and her father only wants a charming clothes horse in the petite blonde and stupid style to show off like a trophy. The h isn't petite, blonde or stupid- so she figures she doesn't qualify.
(The h spends a lot of time contemplating how snobbish and socially elitist her parents are in this one. Too bad PJ h's are always so nice, cause a ton of fun can be had thinking up sarcastic responses to the h's mothers utterances and the h could have had a much more enjoyable life if she had just made some cryptic rebuttal to her mother's inanity and then laughed when it went right over the woman's head. Sadly not of enough of that happens during the story, so the h is left to just rage at the injustices of the world and her parent's limited mindset.)
So the h is 14 and her brother, who is all things her parents want in a son and heir and as limited in his outlook, brings home a friend for the holidays. The h has her first little crush and she asks the H to teach her how to kiss, cause ya know, a boy might want to do that-- and she is clueless.
The kiss gets wild pretty fast, cause of course lighting strikes them both, but the H gets really mean and tells the h that she needs a warning tag as jailbait in training for tarthood. The h is hurt and hysterical and tells the H their friendship is over. She jumps on her little pony and trots off.
The H tries to approach her later at a local dance she is attending with her brother and his friend, (she was hoping it was a date, but it wasn't) and the h is still hurt over him calling her a tart-in-training and hurt that her brother's friend is ignoring her too. She tells the H that she is surprised that the dance holders are allowing road workers into the dance when they are banned so many other places, and manages to sound very like her mother as she does it. The H leaves and the h gets her head out of her misery and goes after him, she means to apologize for her lashing out, but she never sees the H for the rest of the summer and the road crew moves on.
Ten years on, the h is teaching in a low income area and her head principle has to cut staff and wants the h to resign because "she has wealthy parents who can support her". The h, who srsly thinks having wealthy parents means that she should give up her job, knows she has to resign but she also needs a new job - she doesn't want the ties and bondage that come with her parents money.
The h's brother is getting married to the family-approved airhead petite blonde, and the h wryly thinks that her mother will get far more mileage out of her daughter in law, as her daughter certainly hasn't given any value.
At the wedding, the mother pairs the h up with the H. He is invited cause he is now a huge construction builder, bigger than the h's father, and the father wants in on the H's Caribbean resort. The h and H meet again and there is some verbal sparing, but the h finally gets the opportunity to sincerely apologize for the things she said at their last parting.
The H pushes it aside and tells her that her faith in him drove him to success. Then, after hearing her sad tale of teaching woe, the H offers a two month job on his new Caribbean construction project. The H wants to offer classes to his native workers who can't afford an education any other way and the h can organize it. The h's family has a cow, because as the h's mother puts it, "He is a notorious womanizer and not 'our' sort of people," but the h accepts and underlying this acceptance is that old lighting struck attraction.
So it is off to the Caribbean we go. The h is staring to stress over her still virginal status and have a lot of jealousy when the local society bombshell drapes herself all over the H as they are getting off the plane. There is the usual PJ h waffling over giving into sin with a man who only wants a bit of fun or to run away and protect her fragile heart.
After a bout of sun stroke, (with no H sponging - I am sorry to say,) the h and H wind up in a compromising position and of course it is the best ever. (Even for the H, who is in rather a better position to know about these types of evaluations.) There is one more discarded play by the wanna be OW and a bit more back and forth in the usual PJ style before the H admits that he has been in love with the h for ten years and now that he has had her, he is never letting her go.
The h is of course wildly in love back and they marry on the island and send the h's parents a note. The mother is displeased that the h has married down and in ignominy in her POV and the h's father has just given up on the h ever coming round to the family values for the big HEA.
This one is okay. It is very PJ tropey, so you know there is a lot of inner waffling and you know everybody is madly in love and hiding it by chapter two. The H was fairly nice for a PJ H who isn't beta and this h is rather less neurotic than most - she even decided that if all she could get was an affair with the H she would take it and fling her bonnet over the windmill with joy. Of course the H isn't having that, he has been waiting patiently for years to work the h out of his system and since once is never enough and a million times more is even better, he decides only the most stringent bonds of marriage are going to make him happy and now that she is in his bed, he will just keep her there.
In the end this one is cute and the HEA is believable, but there isn't really anything major going on either, so keep this one for the days when you just need a little HPlandia trip with some mild angst and drama and PJ kind of HEA.
The h in this one is a 25 yr old school teacher who comes from a wealthy, but socially snobbish family. If this were a regency, the h's family would be social climbing Cits and the h would be the practical daughter who is more interested in saving orphans and building proper teaching orphanages. Plus, she would reject the titled heir her family contracts for her in favor of the self made shipping merchant, whom her family thoroughly disapproves of.
This is a bit more modern, but not by much - PJ just added some really spicy nocturnal activity moments. The h and H first meet when she is 14 and he 20. She spends a lot of time by herself ambling around on her sturdy pony and has taken to hanging out by the river with a book and watching the otters. One day water starts dripping on her, when she looks up, the very handsome Irish H is commenting on her book. She finds out that the H is an itinerant Irish labourer working on the nearby road construction who likes to swim daily in the river. He was an orphan and raised in care, but he has a fierce intelligence and the h soon strikes up a friendship with him.
Since her father is a builder, she smuggles out a bunch of book on construction and business things for the H to educate himself on the construction industry, the H is very grateful to her for her faith and encouragement that he can be a successful business person. The h figures out her true vocation of being a teacher as she tries to help the H learn the proper etiquette for all manner of situations and the summer friendship blossoms as they have plenty of mutual interests.
The H is really the h's only friend, she and her mother are polar opposites and her father only wants a charming clothes horse in the petite blonde and stupid style to show off like a trophy. The h isn't petite, blonde or stupid- so she figures she doesn't qualify.
(The h spends a lot of time contemplating how snobbish and socially elitist her parents are in this one. Too bad PJ h's are always so nice, cause a ton of fun can be had thinking up sarcastic responses to the h's mothers utterances and the h could have had a much more enjoyable life if she had just made some cryptic rebuttal to her mother's inanity and then laughed when it went right over the woman's head. Sadly not of enough of that happens during the story, so the h is left to just rage at the injustices of the world and her parent's limited mindset.)
So the h is 14 and her brother, who is all things her parents want in a son and heir and as limited in his outlook, brings home a friend for the holidays. The h has her first little crush and she asks the H to teach her how to kiss, cause ya know, a boy might want to do that-- and she is clueless.
The kiss gets wild pretty fast, cause of course lighting strikes them both, but the H gets really mean and tells the h that she needs a warning tag as jailbait in training for tarthood. The h is hurt and hysterical and tells the H their friendship is over. She jumps on her little pony and trots off.
The H tries to approach her later at a local dance she is attending with her brother and his friend, (she was hoping it was a date, but it wasn't) and the h is still hurt over him calling her a tart-in-training and hurt that her brother's friend is ignoring her too. She tells the H that she is surprised that the dance holders are allowing road workers into the dance when they are banned so many other places, and manages to sound very like her mother as she does it. The H leaves and the h gets her head out of her misery and goes after him, she means to apologize for her lashing out, but she never sees the H for the rest of the summer and the road crew moves on.
Ten years on, the h is teaching in a low income area and her head principle has to cut staff and wants the h to resign because "she has wealthy parents who can support her". The h, who srsly thinks having wealthy parents means that she should give up her job, knows she has to resign but she also needs a new job - she doesn't want the ties and bondage that come with her parents money.
The h's brother is getting married to the family-approved airhead petite blonde, and the h wryly thinks that her mother will get far more mileage out of her daughter in law, as her daughter certainly hasn't given any value.
At the wedding, the mother pairs the h up with the H. He is invited cause he is now a huge construction builder, bigger than the h's father, and the father wants in on the H's Caribbean resort. The h and H meet again and there is some verbal sparing, but the h finally gets the opportunity to sincerely apologize for the things she said at their last parting.
The H pushes it aside and tells her that her faith in him drove him to success. Then, after hearing her sad tale of teaching woe, the H offers a two month job on his new Caribbean construction project. The H wants to offer classes to his native workers who can't afford an education any other way and the h can organize it. The h's family has a cow, because as the h's mother puts it, "He is a notorious womanizer and not 'our' sort of people," but the h accepts and underlying this acceptance is that old lighting struck attraction.
So it is off to the Caribbean we go. The h is staring to stress over her still virginal status and have a lot of jealousy when the local society bombshell drapes herself all over the H as they are getting off the plane. There is the usual PJ h waffling over giving into sin with a man who only wants a bit of fun or to run away and protect her fragile heart.
After a bout of sun stroke, (with no H sponging - I am sorry to say,) the h and H wind up in a compromising position and of course it is the best ever. (Even for the H, who is in rather a better position to know about these types of evaluations.) There is one more discarded play by the wanna be OW and a bit more back and forth in the usual PJ style before the H admits that he has been in love with the h for ten years and now that he has had her, he is never letting her go.
The h is of course wildly in love back and they marry on the island and send the h's parents a note. The mother is displeased that the h has married down and in ignominy in her POV and the h's father has just given up on the h ever coming round to the family values for the big HEA.
This one is okay. It is very PJ tropey, so you know there is a lot of inner waffling and you know everybody is madly in love and hiding it by chapter two. The H was fairly nice for a PJ H who isn't beta and this h is rather less neurotic than most - she even decided that if all she could get was an affair with the H she would take it and fling her bonnet over the windmill with joy. Of course the H isn't having that, he has been waiting patiently for years to work the h out of his system and since once is never enough and a million times more is even better, he decides only the most stringent bonds of marriage are going to make him happy and now that she is in his bed, he will just keep her there.
In the end this one is cute and the HEA is believable, but there isn't really anything major going on either, so keep this one for the days when you just need a little HPlandia trip with some mild angst and drama and PJ kind of HEA.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 27, 2014
Gemma comes from very rich snobby parents. When at fifteen she meets and befriends laborer Luke O'Rourke she feels a connection with him but she is too young to realize it's love. She rejects him as socially inferior and he goes away.
Now, ten years later, Luke is back as a wealthy, new business associate of her father's. He offers Gemma a job as personal assistant and she accepts. Soon she realizes her love for Luke is stronger than ever but will she ever convince him she sees him as her equal?
Another fantastic book by my favorite author. I loved the friendship Gemma and Luke shared, heroine's vulnerability and hero's traumatic past which made him feel worthless of Gemma!
Now, ten years later, Luke is back as a wealthy, new business associate of her father's. He offers Gemma a job as personal assistant and she accepts. Soon she realizes her love for Luke is stronger than ever but will she ever convince him she sees him as her equal?
Another fantastic book by my favorite author. I loved the friendship Gemma and Luke shared, heroine's vulnerability and hero's traumatic past which made him feel worthless of Gemma!
January 22, 2019
An underdog love story where true love trumps all, including class differences.
*some spoilers*
Luke is the underdog here, or at least he thinks he is when it comes to Gemma. He does rise above his poor beginnings to become a self-made entrepreneur, but as successful as he's become he's never won the heart of the girl he's secretly loved and whom he befriended when she was a teenager and he was about 20. Their short-lived, unlikely friendship ended abruptly due to a misunderstanding which left Luke feeling rejected and Gemma feeling regretful—and too young to realize her feelings were actually love.
We know they eventually find happiness together, but the fun is in seeing how the barriers between these two are torn down so they can finally see each other for who they really are and not what they are on the surface, socialite and blue-collar laborer. (Gemma never seemed spoiled or snotty to me. The real snobs were her parents.)
In present day, Luke incorrectly believes Gemma still thinks he's inferior to her and that she is using him for personal gain. So what is a self-respecting HP hero to do? Pump and dump his love in the name of closure of course! What Luke doesn't plan on is Gemma finally realizing her true feelings and seducing him, thereby paving the way for declarations of true love. So the seducer becomes the seduced, with each ending up with their "expert teacher".
P.S.
The story starts out a little slow because the true one-on-one interaction between Luke and Gemma doesn't happen until they are in the Caribbean, but the very satisfying last chapter made the slow burn worth it.
*some spoilers*
Luke is the underdog here, or at least he thinks he is when it comes to Gemma. He does rise above his poor beginnings to become a self-made entrepreneur, but as successful as he's become he's never won the heart of the girl he's secretly loved and whom he befriended when she was a teenager and he was about 20. Their short-lived, unlikely friendship ended abruptly due to a misunderstanding which left Luke feeling rejected and Gemma feeling regretful—and too young to realize her feelings were actually love.
We know they eventually find happiness together, but the fun is in seeing how the barriers between these two are torn down so they can finally see each other for who they really are and not what they are on the surface, socialite and blue-collar laborer. (Gemma never seemed spoiled or snotty to me. The real snobs were her parents.)
In present day, Luke incorrectly believes Gemma still thinks he's inferior to her and that she is using him for personal gain. So what is a self-respecting HP hero to do? Pump and dump his love in the name of closure of course! What Luke doesn't plan on is Gemma finally realizing her true feelings and seducing him, thereby paving the way for declarations of true love. So the seducer becomes the seduced, with each ending up with their "expert teacher".
P.S.
The story starts out a little slow because the true one-on-one interaction between Luke and Gemma doesn't happen until they are in the Caribbean, but the very satisfying last chapter made the slow burn worth it.
September 2, 2016
hmmmmm.... I know I read this one before. I have had a bunch of reviews disappear.
3.5 stars. It was obvious the hero was smitten to everyone but, the heroine.
3.5 stars. It was obvious the hero was smitten to everyone but, the heroine.
January 13, 2016
She asked him for lessons on how to kiss and I loved that but after finding that bitch Samantha with him I would have left his ass and gone home. He did have sex with her while she remains a virgin then she throws herself at him. I hated that but the sex was hot and it was a good story at the beginning just finished wrong somehow.
January 30, 2018
I loved Luke. He fell for Gemma when he was barely 20 and she was 14. He was a migrant worker who was working in her area building a road but he had aspirations of becoming more. He wanted to learn the construction business so Gemma borrowed her father’s books and library book for him to study. She even got him a book in etiquette! That was sooooo sweet.
They hung out together as friends until Gemma got a crush on her brother’s friend and ask Luke to teach her how to kiss. Broke poor Luke’s heart. But he did it. He kissed the hell out of her. Sadly, this caused
A rift in their relationship resulting in Luke staying away from Gemma.
Ten years later, Gemma brother is getting married and Gemma learns that one of her father’s business associates attending the wedding is called Luke O’Rourke. Turns out to be her Luke from all those years ago.
Poor Luke went through years of torment wanting Gemma and when he finally got the chance to get her, he took it with both hands. I loved how sensitive he was to 14 year old Gemma. He didn’t take advantage of a situation that would have destroyed her. He was sweet and tender and woke her to what could be between a man and a woman. Gemma never found a man that could measure up to her Luke and 10 years later, when they finally got together, they found their HEA.
They hung out together as friends until Gemma got a crush on her brother’s friend and ask Luke to teach her how to kiss. Broke poor Luke’s heart. But he did it. He kissed the hell out of her. Sadly, this caused
A rift in their relationship resulting in Luke staying away from Gemma.
Ten years later, Gemma brother is getting married and Gemma learns that one of her father’s business associates attending the wedding is called Luke O’Rourke. Turns out to be her Luke from all those years ago.
Poor Luke went through years of torment wanting Gemma and when he finally got the chance to get her, he took it with both hands. I loved how sensitive he was to 14 year old Gemma. He didn’t take advantage of a situation that would have destroyed her. He was sweet and tender and woke her to what could be between a man and a woman. Gemma never found a man that could measure up to her Luke and 10 years later, when they finally got together, they found their HEA.
April 20, 2024
I'm four starring because I've really gone off PJ and this is the first one in a while that I felt was PJ without being uber PJ. Don't get me wrong, there was still a lot of Cheshire set materialism (I wish she wouldn't describe the outfits, they always sound matronly and horrific. I'm still reeling at the grey skirt/yellow jacket with grey lapels plus yellow hat combo for h's brother's wedding) but the pacing of the love was better and I always like good oral scenes in older HPs. Some of them are so PIV basic that a few mouth skills below the waist are to be appreciated. Anyhow. Luke, a boy brought up in a care home, a navvy at 20, meets 14 year old (a bit yikes tbh but let's ignore it) nice girl Gemma in a woodland clearing and she helps him to learn construction and refinement and then asks him to teach her to kiss because her brother's handsome school mate is on the scene. There's a horrible "not good enough for you" misunderstanding and they next meet at her brother's wedding when she's 24 and worrying about her forthcoming redundancy from teaching at a sink high school and he's a rich magnate. He whisks her off to a Caribbean island to be his construction/educate the workforce PA. After that you can guess the rest. It was nice and I wish them well.
April 13, 2024
Definitely not what I was expecting. The MCs bickered like a really old couple. PJ went home making her point how the H was from humble beginnings and she totally ruined it for me the entire length of the book. I really couldn’t look past those humble beginnings for the life of me.
The h is from a somewhat upper crust family and not liked by her parents cuz she isn’t as feminine as they’d have liked. She works as a teacher in a low income neighborhood public school and is cause for embarrassment to her parents and their snooty circle of friends.
The H is some construction worker building the highway when the MCs first meet. This is a pretty platonic friendship where the h meets with him behind her parents back to not have to face their wrath on mixing with the navvies.
Sadly this ends quick without much progress. The MCs meet again at the h’s brother’s wedding. Weirdly enough the H is now loaded and a business associate of her father’s. There is some boring catch up and the H offers the h a job as his PA in the Caribbean where they would work from a yacht.
The h quits her daytime job, she was about to be let go anyways, and accepts this PA job. They make a boring couple where the h denies her feelings and the H is standoffish cuz he got told off in the past, humble beginnings and all.
They bickered most of the book without any snarky smexy things to say to each other. He sounded like a granpa and she was an unemployed school teacher for real. 😴 coma
The h is from a somewhat upper crust family and not liked by her parents cuz she isn’t as feminine as they’d have liked. She works as a teacher in a low income neighborhood public school and is cause for embarrassment to her parents and their snooty circle of friends.
The H is some construction worker building the highway when the MCs first meet. This is a pretty platonic friendship where the h meets with him behind her parents back to not have to face their wrath on mixing with the navvies.
Sadly this ends quick without much progress. The MCs meet again at the h’s brother’s wedding. Weirdly enough the H is now loaded and a business associate of her father’s. There is some boring catch up and the H offers the h a job as his PA in the Caribbean where they would work from a yacht.
The h quits her daytime job, she was about to be let go anyways, and accepts this PA job. They make a boring couple where the h denies her feelings and the H is standoffish cuz he got told off in the past, humble beginnings and all.
They bickered most of the book without any snarky smexy things to say to each other. He sounded like a granpa and she was an unemployed school teacher for real. 😴 coma
September 11, 2017
I liked the background story in this, of them spending secret time together when young then finding each other again. Lovely and finally a storyline that I could actually see happening. I do wish he'd kept his Irish accent though, for selfish reasons.
April 24, 2017
Leído el 03/11/2010
April 10, 2023
Story is enjoyable although the plot conflict is somewhat trite. Rich girl who doesn't want to be Daddy's girl, poor boy made good by his own efforts, a romance that starts as friendship then turns to desire and love.
Penny Jordan manages to make her characters feel alive and interesting. You can read a longer review here: https://www.morebooksthantime.com/hir...
Penny Jordan manages to make her characters feel alive and interesting. You can read a longer review here: https://www.morebooksthantime.com/hir...
September 17, 2012
3.5 stars. Fairly typical Penny Jordan story, with characters that have a history from almost childhood. I normally like these kinds of stories a little more, in this one I felt like it took a long time for the romance to develop, then ended quickly. So the main downside was that I felt like I spent too long waiting for the characters to get together. But, it was a decent read nonetheless.
August 8, 2018
3.5 stars actually. A simple class conflict story between a young girl from an aristocratic family, and a street urchin boy. At their tender teen years, they share a simple uncomplicated friendship. She teaches him poetry, social etiquette and the ways of the rich. She wants him to teach her how to kiss in return !!
The poor guy is upset that she wants to practice on him but try out the actual kissing with some rich fellow. But he obliges nonetheless.
Cut to a few years later, the girl is working for some charity cause, her parents are not rich anymore but as snooty and class conscious as ever. The hero returns as a rich successful business partner.
The heroine loses her job , and fears returning to her parents oppressive lifestyle. The hero offers her a job on one of his construction sites as his assistant. She goes, happily hoping for a strictly business association. But very soon, he lets her know he fancies her. And would like to make their relationship more intimate. She likes the idea too, only a stupid OW comes in the way. Not that the hero cares for the OW even in a remote way.
Things float on between the leads for some time. They experiment with their feelings. But he always feels he is inferior in class, and that casts a shadow over their relationship. The teenage guy on whom she wanted to try out kissing , remember the guy ? That guy makes a brief appearance as an OM.
After a healthy bit of wrangling and smooching, they confess. She loves him now, he has always been in love with her. Good for them !
The poor guy is upset that she wants to practice on him but try out the actual kissing with some rich fellow. But he obliges nonetheless.
Cut to a few years later, the girl is working for some charity cause, her parents are not rich anymore but as snooty and class conscious as ever. The hero returns as a rich successful business partner.
The heroine loses her job , and fears returning to her parents oppressive lifestyle. The hero offers her a job on one of his construction sites as his assistant. She goes, happily hoping for a strictly business association. But very soon, he lets her know he fancies her. And would like to make their relationship more intimate. She likes the idea too, only a stupid OW comes in the way. Not that the hero cares for the OW even in a remote way.
Things float on between the leads for some time. They experiment with their feelings. But he always feels he is inferior in class, and that casts a shadow over their relationship. The teenage guy on whom she wanted to try out kissing , remember the guy ? That guy makes a brief appearance as an OM.
After a healthy bit of wrangling and smooching, they confess. She loves him now, he has always been in love with her. Good for them !
April 13, 2024
I’ve always liked this book. The poor boy who falls for the rich girl. She’s a teenager. He’s twenty. He’s a construction worker.
She in innocence asks him to teach her how to kiss. She’s interested in a rich kid .. her brother’s friend.
The boy.. the hero gets very hurt. She humiliates him right royally.
He returns as a billionaire years later. Both are unmarried.
Lots of heart burning.
Finally happy ever after.
I like it.
Inappropriate? Probably.
She in innocence asks him to teach her how to kiss. She’s interested in a rich kid .. her brother’s friend.
The boy.. the hero gets very hurt. She humiliates him right royally.
He returns as a billionaire years later. Both are unmarried.
Lots of heart burning.
Finally happy ever after.
I like it.
Inappropriate? Probably.
July 21, 2017
I read this book when it was first released as An Expert Teacher in 1987. I loved it back then and have carried the paperback with me for many years now. Of course I purchased the digital version of the book even though it has a new title. I have to admit that I love the book just as much now as I did back then.
March 12, 2023
Talk about misunderstandings, I personally found the MCs to be really infuriating. Luke was an absolute prick to Gemma. His status was nothing more than a dickish excuse for his behavior. Considering what happened to him in his past, I'm still glad that he was able to achieve success in life and embrace his difficulties as motivation for himself.
September 21, 2021
Terrible on so many levels. Worst than the story line and the underage lusting was the author’s opinions of the people of the island and their loose morals. SMH.
June 9, 2021
Seduced by the boss
All her life, Gemma has lived under her parent's strict rule, only once slipping past their prejudice to choose a secret friend for herself—laborer Luke O'Rourke.
Ten years later, Luke is back—a wealthy, cultured, new business associate of her father with a surprising job offer for Gemma. One she should refuse, now that Luke's matured into an impossibly handsome, irresistible man.
But her parents' objections seal Gemma's fate. She's off to the Caribbean as personal assistant to a well-known womanizer
All her life, Gemma has lived under her parent's strict rule, only once slipping past their prejudice to choose a secret friend for herself—laborer Luke O'Rourke.
Ten years later, Luke is back—a wealthy, cultured, new business associate of her father with a surprising job offer for Gemma. One she should refuse, now that Luke's matured into an impossibly handsome, irresistible man.
But her parents' objections seal Gemma's fate. She's off to the Caribbean as personal assistant to a well-known womanizer
August 31, 2014
frankly, i did not feel the connection between luke and gemma. at best, it seemed like lukewarm emotions dat they shared! he knew her as a teenager and after 10years he was still in love wid the image of the teenager he had carried!? as for gemma, she got on my nerves! poor little rich heroine! yeah, we're expected to sympathise wid her because she's rich and awkward! she does not want to follow her parents' footsteps or the other rich kinda people.
August 2, 2025
Gemma fought the image her parents wanted to shape her in as a spoiled silly beautiful rich girl from an early age so when she was 15 she befriended a poor 20-year-old laborer called Luke. Unfortunately, their friendship didn't go on long before it was cut for 10 years because of her innocent ignorance. They meet again in her brother's wedding and Gemma discovers that Luck became richer than her family.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 30, 2015
The very definition of miscommunication and unwarranted assumptions. Luke was a bit of an ass, but as with anything written by Penny Jordan, the writing and angst draws you in. It ended wrapped in a lovely bow, too bad it finished too fast..
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