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A Very Stylish Affair
Contents flammable!
Sydney lawyer Jason Lombard is a ten on the male Richter scale in every superficial sense. He also seems unable to even look past Sophie's hair, which is a bit. . . well . . . flamboyant at the moment. She suspects her days as his new assistant are numbered.
But when Sophie discovers the cad only hired her as a distraction for a case he's working on, Mr. Snob finds himself on the receiving end of a temper as hot as her hair. A truce reached, now they're headed for Bora Bora, where things are bound to get even hotter!
Sydney lawyer Jason Lombard is a ten on the male Richter scale in every superficial sense. He also seems unable to even look past Sophie's hair, which is a bit. . . well . . . flamboyant at the moment. She suspects her days as his new assistant are numbered.
But when Sophie discovers the cad only hired her as a distraction for a case he's working on, Mr. Snob finds himself on the receiving end of a temper as hot as her hair. A truce reached, now they're headed for Bora Bora, where things are bound to get even hotter!
189 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
About the author
Emma Darcy
646 books332 followersEmma Darcy is the pseudonym created by the married writing team of Wendy (1940-2020) and Frank Brennan (1936-1995). Their life journey has taken as many twists and turns as the characters in their stories, whose international popularity has resulted in over sixty-million book sales. With more than a hundred titles, Emma Darcy appeared regularly on the Waldenbooks bestseller lists in the U.S.A. and in the Nielson BookScan Top 100 chart in the U.K.
Wendy was born 28 November 1940 in Australia. Her sister was the novelist Maureen Mary (Miranda Lee). Her father was a country school teacher and brilliant sportsman. Her mother was a talented dressmaker. She obtained an Honours degree in Latin and initially worked as a high school English/French teacher. She married Frank Brennan, an Australian businessman born in 1936. She changed careers to computer programming before marriage and motherhood settled her into a community life. She was reputedly the first woman computer programmer in the southern hemisphere.
As voracious readers, the step to writing their own books seemed a natural progression and the challenge of creating exciting stories was soon highly addictive. They were published since 1983. In 1993, for the Emma Darcy pseudonym's 10th anniversary, they created the "Emma Darcy Award Contest" to encourage authors to finish their manuscripts. After the death of Frank Brennan in 1995, Wendy wrotes books on her own. She lived in a beachside property on the central coast of New South Wales, and liked to travel extensively to research settings and increase her experience of places and people.
Wendy Brennan passed away on December 21, 2020. She is survived by her children, grandchildren, and sister, writer Miranda Lee.
Wendy was born 28 November 1940 in Australia. Her sister was the novelist Maureen Mary (Miranda Lee). Her father was a country school teacher and brilliant sportsman. Her mother was a talented dressmaker. She obtained an Honours degree in Latin and initially worked as a high school English/French teacher. She married Frank Brennan, an Australian businessman born in 1936. She changed careers to computer programming before marriage and motherhood settled her into a community life. She was reputedly the first woman computer programmer in the southern hemisphere.
As voracious readers, the step to writing their own books seemed a natural progression and the challenge of creating exciting stories was soon highly addictive. They were published since 1983. In 1993, for the Emma Darcy pseudonym's 10th anniversary, they created the "Emma Darcy Award Contest" to encourage authors to finish their manuscripts. After the death of Frank Brennan in 1995, Wendy wrotes books on her own. She lived in a beachside property on the central coast of New South Wales, and liked to travel extensively to research settings and increase her experience of places and people.
Wendy Brennan passed away on December 21, 2020. She is survived by her children, grandchildren, and sister, writer Miranda Lee.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
January 25, 2018
Re A Very Stylish Affair - Emma Darcy sweeps us into a story very reminiscent of the great romantic comedies of the forties and fifties. The ones with a debonair Cary Grant and a young Katherine Hepburn, or perhaps a scintillating Doris Day/Rock Hudson pairing for a more risqué adventure.
This starts with the statement that all the real news is to found in the local beauty parlor. (ED even gives a big shout out in her author's note on this one, to a hairstylist named Kerry at a salon called The Cutting Point, in Tumbi Umbi, New South Wales)
We then get to see a matronly patron of the salon, fresh from the dryer with her new stunning apricot base color and blonde highlights, importune her sober lawyerly son about the current high unemployment rates.
Her son, well used to his mother's ways, knows that when she sets her mind on something his mother has the tenacity of a bull dog and he resignedly settles in to hear her latest scheme. What his mother wants is for the H to hire a young lady she met at the salon.
The young lady is recently back from three years abroad and is having trouble finding a steady job. The son, who is up to his ears in a major divorce case between two actors who are also his friends, reluctantly agrees to give the young lady an interview, even tho he had already sent her a rejection letter.
Enter the h, who shows up for the interview the Monday after being a model for a hair show. (Her roommate is a hairdresser and needed a model for fashion color.) The entire office stops in surprise, the h is sporting a full head of luscious curls in the daring color of sunburst red - or a blonde base with a copper reflection- startlingly resembling Merida's hair in Brave. It is clearly not the hair color that a conservative law secretary would normally sport. But the h can't bleach it out without damage (no olaplex back in the day,) so she has to wait for it to fade.
The h is last to be interviewed and when she enters, the H is nearly speechless in shock at her appearance. The h leaps into the fray, fired by jobless desperation and after some extremely funny banter regarding the h's ability to control her 'female problems' if the H will control his 'male problems', (which basically means the H needs to avoid the laying on hands or sprint-like chases around his desk,) the H decides the h can have the job if the ancient omens approve.
So he decides to throw darts. Unfortunately he is a horrible dart player and the H says that the darts have to hit certain spots on the target. The first one hits the correct mark, but the h, who really needs the job, insists that consulting the ancient oracles is a partnership endeavor. She grabs the dart the H is holding and walks over and puts it smack dab on the bullseye.
The H is stunned by this out of the box thinking, but after giving the h a list of rules and a long lecture about privacy and discretion, the h is getting a month's trial. (In reality the H is planning on using the h as a blind in sorting out his friend's divorce case, but the h believes she will working towards a real position.)
So the h and H start working together. One of the questions the H asked the h when he interviewed her is how she would get the divorcing couple back together. The h gives him the considered answer of the ladies at the salon that the couple should be stuck together on an island until they worked things out. The h suggests Bora Bora, as another lady at the salon had just returned and had a wonderful time.
Things between the h and H are businesslike and brisk for the most part, but there is the undercurrent of the HP Lurve Mojo Force tinting all of their interactions that bursts out in an unexpected ravishing roofie kiss. The H makes arrangements for the Bora Bora excursion and then the first OW makes her appearance.
This OW is the H's regular rich witch society date. She takes one look a the h's hair and starts in on the derogatory remarks right away. She gets really nasty and telling the h she should be riding a broom with that hair is the least of it.
The h holds her own with the rich witch, until the H comes in to drag the OW off to his office. Unfortunately the H leaves his door open and the h can clearly hear him belittling her to his OW. The h finds that red hair really suites her temper, because she storms into his office and gives him and the OW an EPIC smackdown about courtesy, good manners and above all discretion - it seems the H doesn't practice what he preaches.
The h quits and the entire office of ladies applauds. She storms off to have a think about things and then goes and meets her roommate for dinner. Her roommate is really excited, because the h's hair color has made her famous and she has ten bookings for color the next day.
The H tracks the h down at the restaurant and humbly apologizes for his hypocrisy, the nasty things he said to the OW about her and gives the h a large sum of cash, for clothes, wages and compensation for her pain and suffering from both him and the OW. (It amounts to over $6000.) He also confesses he has 'male problems' every time he gets in close proximity to the h and he really wants her to come with him to Bora Bora and he is being sincere.
The h is hoping her judgement is correct and the H really does have a good heart under all that judgy sober stuffiness, because she is really starting to like him a lot and she agrees to come back to work and help him get his divorcing couple back together.
When the h and H get to work on Monday, after the h spent the weekend shopping for stylishly statement making clothes in a very nice boutique recommended by the H's mum, every lady in the office has colored her hair a shade of red. The ladies are being more assertive and confident, as the new hair colors have boosted their self esteem and lowered their tolerance for being patronized.
The H is stunned again, cause the h's actions have the force of cosmic explosions, but he makes a really nice statement that the ladies' hair shows great solidarity and style and we are ready for the Bora Bora trip to begin.
But first the H has to tell the h that he needs the h to pretend to be his lover. The h knew that the actress wife of the divorcing couple had a long time affair with the H before marrying her husband. What worries the h is that the H might still be in love with the actress OW. So she isn't really pleased that they are going to have to fake a relationship, cause she is wanting any relationship with the H to be real.
This is a very canny h tho, and she tells the H that she only has to scintillate and be beguiling - he is the one that is going to have to do the heavy lifting on the besotted lover bit. The H is pretty stunned again, he just realized that he is going to have to do the chasing when usually it is the ladies that are chasing him. (Tho he is a polite H for the most part, and lets the ladies claim they dumped him when trades them in for newer models.)
So we arrive on Bora Bora and the place is fabulous. The h is happy and the H is exhausted from whatever his mind was wrestling about during the flight. Then the h finds out that they have to share a room or in this case a fare (little houses on stilts in the lagoon.) The h isn't too sure about all this, but she spies the OW actress approaching and tells the H to kiss her.
They both get lost in the kiss and when the OW enters the room, it is clear by her outrage that she was thinking she was going to be walking out with the H trailing on a leash behind her. She storms off, the H chases after her and the h is wondering what is up with all that drama.
The H and the OW disappear for the rest of the day and the h wanders about and makes some new friends. When the H returns late that night, defeated by the sheer narcissistic ego-driven drama of the OW, the h takes off to have a late nite semi skinny dip in the lovely crystal clear lagoon.
The H follows and major lurve mojo moments ensue - but this book is all fade to black scenes, the sunsets and the h's hair are about as scarlet as it gets. The next day the OW is all out to be a leechy man stealer and the h is all about scintillating beguilement. The OW gets angrier and crankier and the h wins the battle for the H by a million points to one.
But the H is very disturbed after the big h/OW catty remark fight and the h is worried she is going to lose the war for the H's heart. She has to be very blunt when she explains that no matter how much the H doesn't like it, the OW clearly thinks she can dump her actor husband and reinstate the H and it is also pretty clear that the H was a club the OW used to beat her husband over the head with.
Now that the h has cut the cord on the OW reconciling with the H, she will have to focus on her husband and her marriage. Then the husband shows up. The H and h agreed that the H would try to sort things for the first four days of the week they are staying in Bora Bora, but if he gets nowhere, the h will bring out the big guns and cosmic explosions.
The OW and her husband do nothing but fight and bicker and the husband tries to use the h as stick to smite the OW with and get some payback for all her H comparisons. The H gives up in defeat and the h takes her opportunity.
She is having breakfast when the actor husband arrives and the OW comes strutting along right after. In a hilarious, but really accurate on insight scene, the h proceeds to give them both a huge verbal smackdown. The OW is going on about how trampy the h is and how the H will never marry her and the h turns that around by saying they should look at themselves. Who would want to marry when it only leads straight to divorce court? The couple was the epitome of Love's Young Dream and all they can do now is fight and lose money over property and contract squabbles.
The h then tells them that she prefers to have three lovers, one to go out with, one to relax with and one be a solid support when things get hard. Plus three is a relatively easy number to keep track of. Then she tells the actor husband that he should look her up as soon as he is free. The h promises good value and no big dramas when it is time to call it a day.
The actor and the OW are horrified and unite together to tell the h what a heartless tart she is. The h explains that at least she has great memories and a lot of fun and that is more than she can say for the two of them. Then she takes off for souvenir shopping for the ladies at the office and her roommate and waits for the explosions to begin.
The OW and her husband reconcile and then they drag the H off to save him from the tarty, scheming clutches of the h. He returns sometime later and he is furious. The h is worried, cause she asked him to trust her before the other couple dragged him off. But the H is a man on a mission and he and the h are leaving Bora Bora.
He is now determined that he is going to be the only man in the h's life, cause really she is amazing and he can do what those two other guys can do in the fun and support departments - and he can do it even better. So he takes the h to Tahiti and sets about proving his skill sets in all the required areas, they have a wonderful time. On the way back to Sydney, the H questions the h about her supposed anti-marriage stance and the h is trying to figure out how to get rid of two other lovers she doesn't even have tactfully.
The h isn't too responsive to the marital agenda inquisition, so the H enlists the h's roommate to talk the advantages of marriage up after he drops her off at home. When the H and h go back to his office, the H's mum is there and really excited.
As everybody knows the real news is always gleened at the beauty salon, the mother is ecstatic that the H and h are getting married. Since the H was taking the h into the office to consult the ancient oracle, he is rather abashed when his mother figures out that the darts are magnetized to land on the fated spots and the whole oracle divination of fate is a fake.
The h is okay with it tho, cause she loves the H madly and he worships and adores her and all the cosmic explosions she brings, so they agree to marry and we leave them loving it up in fine passion for the big sunburst red HPlandia HEA.
This one was cute, very fast paced and extremely funny. I do wonder if this HEA will last sometimes tho, cause the h was just a shade too manipulative in all cosmic explosion setting. It would be really easy for the h to slip into the role that the actress OW played in her marriage of using OM to beat the H with, so I am not exactly sure she would always use her superpower cosmic explosion skills for good.
On the other hand, besides being funny, this book points out something that I have long adhered to. A new hair color can totally change your life and I believe that with all my heart. My own hair is blue with yellow streaks right now and I change it pretty seasonally.
What I found when I went the fashion color route, ( my own hair is totally gray and has been since my twenties,) is that people may dismiss you at first. But if you wear whatever color you like with confidence and you really feel great about it, people respond very positively in all areas of your life.
A great hair color is not only a statement, it can be the most morale boosting, confidence building thing you ever do and the reaction to that heightened self-esteem is nearly always positive. Plus, while a fashion shade is startling at first, people really do get used to it and now the people I know barely even notice it, tho I do get a few looks when I meet new people for the first time.
So the biggest statement this book makes is that it is okay to be daring and try something new, take confidence in your uniqueness and it may lead to some great things in your life. That is a lovely thought to carry you through your day and really great feeling to experience after a trip to HPlandia.
This starts with the statement that all the real news is to found in the local beauty parlor. (ED even gives a big shout out in her author's note on this one, to a hairstylist named Kerry at a salon called The Cutting Point, in Tumbi Umbi, New South Wales)
We then get to see a matronly patron of the salon, fresh from the dryer with her new stunning apricot base color and blonde highlights, importune her sober lawyerly son about the current high unemployment rates.
Her son, well used to his mother's ways, knows that when she sets her mind on something his mother has the tenacity of a bull dog and he resignedly settles in to hear her latest scheme. What his mother wants is for the H to hire a young lady she met at the salon.
The young lady is recently back from three years abroad and is having trouble finding a steady job. The son, who is up to his ears in a major divorce case between two actors who are also his friends, reluctantly agrees to give the young lady an interview, even tho he had already sent her a rejection letter.
Enter the h, who shows up for the interview the Monday after being a model for a hair show. (Her roommate is a hairdresser and needed a model for fashion color.) The entire office stops in surprise, the h is sporting a full head of luscious curls in the daring color of sunburst red - or a blonde base with a copper reflection- startlingly resembling Merida's hair in Brave. It is clearly not the hair color that a conservative law secretary would normally sport. But the h can't bleach it out without damage (no olaplex back in the day,) so she has to wait for it to fade.
The h is last to be interviewed and when she enters, the H is nearly speechless in shock at her appearance. The h leaps into the fray, fired by jobless desperation and after some extremely funny banter regarding the h's ability to control her 'female problems' if the H will control his 'male problems', (which basically means the H needs to avoid the laying on hands or sprint-like chases around his desk,) the H decides the h can have the job if the ancient omens approve.
So he decides to throw darts. Unfortunately he is a horrible dart player and the H says that the darts have to hit certain spots on the target. The first one hits the correct mark, but the h, who really needs the job, insists that consulting the ancient oracles is a partnership endeavor. She grabs the dart the H is holding and walks over and puts it smack dab on the bullseye.
The H is stunned by this out of the box thinking, but after giving the h a list of rules and a long lecture about privacy and discretion, the h is getting a month's trial. (In reality the H is planning on using the h as a blind in sorting out his friend's divorce case, but the h believes she will working towards a real position.)
So the h and H start working together. One of the questions the H asked the h when he interviewed her is how she would get the divorcing couple back together. The h gives him the considered answer of the ladies at the salon that the couple should be stuck together on an island until they worked things out. The h suggests Bora Bora, as another lady at the salon had just returned and had a wonderful time.
Things between the h and H are businesslike and brisk for the most part, but there is the undercurrent of the HP Lurve Mojo Force tinting all of their interactions that bursts out in an unexpected ravishing roofie kiss. The H makes arrangements for the Bora Bora excursion and then the first OW makes her appearance.
This OW is the H's regular rich witch society date. She takes one look a the h's hair and starts in on the derogatory remarks right away. She gets really nasty and telling the h she should be riding a broom with that hair is the least of it.
The h holds her own with the rich witch, until the H comes in to drag the OW off to his office. Unfortunately the H leaves his door open and the h can clearly hear him belittling her to his OW. The h finds that red hair really suites her temper, because she storms into his office and gives him and the OW an EPIC smackdown about courtesy, good manners and above all discretion - it seems the H doesn't practice what he preaches.
The h quits and the entire office of ladies applauds. She storms off to have a think about things and then goes and meets her roommate for dinner. Her roommate is really excited, because the h's hair color has made her famous and she has ten bookings for color the next day.
The H tracks the h down at the restaurant and humbly apologizes for his hypocrisy, the nasty things he said to the OW about her and gives the h a large sum of cash, for clothes, wages and compensation for her pain and suffering from both him and the OW. (It amounts to over $6000.) He also confesses he has 'male problems' every time he gets in close proximity to the h and he really wants her to come with him to Bora Bora and he is being sincere.
The h is hoping her judgement is correct and the H really does have a good heart under all that judgy sober stuffiness, because she is really starting to like him a lot and she agrees to come back to work and help him get his divorcing couple back together.
When the h and H get to work on Monday, after the h spent the weekend shopping for stylishly statement making clothes in a very nice boutique recommended by the H's mum, every lady in the office has colored her hair a shade of red. The ladies are being more assertive and confident, as the new hair colors have boosted their self esteem and lowered their tolerance for being patronized.
The H is stunned again, cause the h's actions have the force of cosmic explosions, but he makes a really nice statement that the ladies' hair shows great solidarity and style and we are ready for the Bora Bora trip to begin.
But first the H has to tell the h that he needs the h to pretend to be his lover. The h knew that the actress wife of the divorcing couple had a long time affair with the H before marrying her husband. What worries the h is that the H might still be in love with the actress OW. So she isn't really pleased that they are going to have to fake a relationship, cause she is wanting any relationship with the H to be real.
This is a very canny h tho, and she tells the H that she only has to scintillate and be beguiling - he is the one that is going to have to do the heavy lifting on the besotted lover bit. The H is pretty stunned again, he just realized that he is going to have to do the chasing when usually it is the ladies that are chasing him. (Tho he is a polite H for the most part, and lets the ladies claim they dumped him when trades them in for newer models.)
So we arrive on Bora Bora and the place is fabulous. The h is happy and the H is exhausted from whatever his mind was wrestling about during the flight. Then the h finds out that they have to share a room or in this case a fare (little houses on stilts in the lagoon.) The h isn't too sure about all this, but she spies the OW actress approaching and tells the H to kiss her.
They both get lost in the kiss and when the OW enters the room, it is clear by her outrage that she was thinking she was going to be walking out with the H trailing on a leash behind her. She storms off, the H chases after her and the h is wondering what is up with all that drama.
The H and the OW disappear for the rest of the day and the h wanders about and makes some new friends. When the H returns late that night, defeated by the sheer narcissistic ego-driven drama of the OW, the h takes off to have a late nite semi skinny dip in the lovely crystal clear lagoon.
The H follows and major lurve mojo moments ensue - but this book is all fade to black scenes, the sunsets and the h's hair are about as scarlet as it gets. The next day the OW is all out to be a leechy man stealer and the h is all about scintillating beguilement. The OW gets angrier and crankier and the h wins the battle for the H by a million points to one.
But the H is very disturbed after the big h/OW catty remark fight and the h is worried she is going to lose the war for the H's heart. She has to be very blunt when she explains that no matter how much the H doesn't like it, the OW clearly thinks she can dump her actor husband and reinstate the H and it is also pretty clear that the H was a club the OW used to beat her husband over the head with.
Now that the h has cut the cord on the OW reconciling with the H, she will have to focus on her husband and her marriage. Then the husband shows up. The H and h agreed that the H would try to sort things for the first four days of the week they are staying in Bora Bora, but if he gets nowhere, the h will bring out the big guns and cosmic explosions.
The OW and her husband do nothing but fight and bicker and the husband tries to use the h as stick to smite the OW with and get some payback for all her H comparisons. The H gives up in defeat and the h takes her opportunity.
She is having breakfast when the actor husband arrives and the OW comes strutting along right after. In a hilarious, but really accurate on insight scene, the h proceeds to give them both a huge verbal smackdown. The OW is going on about how trampy the h is and how the H will never marry her and the h turns that around by saying they should look at themselves. Who would want to marry when it only leads straight to divorce court? The couple was the epitome of Love's Young Dream and all they can do now is fight and lose money over property and contract squabbles.
The h then tells them that she prefers to have three lovers, one to go out with, one to relax with and one be a solid support when things get hard. Plus three is a relatively easy number to keep track of. Then she tells the actor husband that he should look her up as soon as he is free. The h promises good value and no big dramas when it is time to call it a day.
The actor and the OW are horrified and unite together to tell the h what a heartless tart she is. The h explains that at least she has great memories and a lot of fun and that is more than she can say for the two of them. Then she takes off for souvenir shopping for the ladies at the office and her roommate and waits for the explosions to begin.
The OW and her husband reconcile and then they drag the H off to save him from the tarty, scheming clutches of the h. He returns sometime later and he is furious. The h is worried, cause she asked him to trust her before the other couple dragged him off. But the H is a man on a mission and he and the h are leaving Bora Bora.
He is now determined that he is going to be the only man in the h's life, cause really she is amazing and he can do what those two other guys can do in the fun and support departments - and he can do it even better. So he takes the h to Tahiti and sets about proving his skill sets in all the required areas, they have a wonderful time. On the way back to Sydney, the H questions the h about her supposed anti-marriage stance and the h is trying to figure out how to get rid of two other lovers she doesn't even have tactfully.
The h isn't too responsive to the marital agenda inquisition, so the H enlists the h's roommate to talk the advantages of marriage up after he drops her off at home. When the H and h go back to his office, the H's mum is there and really excited.
As everybody knows the real news is always gleened at the beauty salon, the mother is ecstatic that the H and h are getting married. Since the H was taking the h into the office to consult the ancient oracle, he is rather abashed when his mother figures out that the darts are magnetized to land on the fated spots and the whole oracle divination of fate is a fake.
The h is okay with it tho, cause she loves the H madly and he worships and adores her and all the cosmic explosions she brings, so they agree to marry and we leave them loving it up in fine passion for the big sunburst red HPlandia HEA.
This one was cute, very fast paced and extremely funny. I do wonder if this HEA will last sometimes tho, cause the h was just a shade too manipulative in all cosmic explosion setting. It would be really easy for the h to slip into the role that the actress OW played in her marriage of using OM to beat the H with, so I am not exactly sure she would always use her superpower cosmic explosion skills for good.
On the other hand, besides being funny, this book points out something that I have long adhered to. A new hair color can totally change your life and I believe that with all my heart. My own hair is blue with yellow streaks right now and I change it pretty seasonally.
What I found when I went the fashion color route, ( my own hair is totally gray and has been since my twenties,) is that people may dismiss you at first. But if you wear whatever color you like with confidence and you really feel great about it, people respond very positively in all areas of your life.
A great hair color is not only a statement, it can be the most morale boosting, confidence building thing you ever do and the reaction to that heightened self-esteem is nearly always positive. Plus, while a fashion shade is startling at first, people really do get used to it and now the people I know barely even notice it, tho I do get a few looks when I meet new people for the first time.
So the biggest statement this book makes is that it is okay to be daring and try something new, take confidence in your uniqueness and it may lead to some great things in your life. That is a lovely thought to carry you through your day and really great feeling to experience after a trip to HPlandia.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 1, 2019
Absolutely fantastic first half with a crackling chemistry, that essential laugh-a-minute rom com spark and a h who gives the H some serious 'ego burns'..
But the second half pulls it down with the ow and her marriage troubles. The H wasn't present in spirit in the second half except for the shagging part. The h should have held him off and held him accountable as well. His not reacting very strongly to her 'other lovers' was dissatisfying as was the abrupt non-climactic ending.
But the second half pulls it down with the ow and her marriage troubles. The H wasn't present in spirit in the second half except for the shagging part. The h should have held him off and held him accountable as well. His not reacting very strongly to her 'other lovers' was dissatisfying as was the abrupt non-climactic ending.
March 13, 2020
3.75 Stars.
Another classic HP romance with comedy! It was good but some of the events were a little bit unrealistic. It's understandable cause its an HP romance. 🙄🙄🙄🙄
Another classic HP romance with comedy! It was good but some of the events were a little bit unrealistic. It's understandable cause its an HP romance. 🙄🙄🙄🙄
January 13, 2019
"A Very Stylish Affair" is the story of Sophie and Jason.
This book has one of the weirdest focal plot points of all: hair.
Our H Jason is a hot-shot lawyer. He has recently dismissed the unsuitable candidates for his secretarial position, until his mother comes in forces him to reconsider one!
Apparently, she had met our h Sophie in a hair salon, and realized she was one of the rejected candidates. So she blackmails the H to give the h a chance.
The H is skeptical, until he sees the FLAMING red tresses of the h, and realizes she would be a good distraction for his upcoming case, even if she is unsuitable for the position. But the h soon finds out, and then begins the real fun followed by epic showdowns, a tongue lashing and exits...
So I really enjoyed the first half of the book:
-Vivacious h with insane hair who is conniving, confident in her sexuality and calls the H out on his BS, even confronting him head on ✓
-A H who is ready to grovel and not afraid to apologize ✓
-Two experienced characters ✓
-A bitchy OW whose pettiness was amazingly called out by the h ✓
I adored it.
Then came the second half. The couple embark on a journey to Bora Bora to help the H's famous ex reconcile with her more famous husband. There are misunderstandings, jealousy, and loads of OW drama. I feel the book lost the spark it had in the first half, but I did kinda like the cheesy ending.
Ok..ish.
Safe
2.75/5
This book has one of the weirdest focal plot points of all: hair.
Our H Jason is a hot-shot lawyer. He has recently dismissed the unsuitable candidates for his secretarial position, until his mother comes in forces him to reconsider one!
Apparently, she had met our h Sophie in a hair salon, and realized she was one of the rejected candidates. So she blackmails the H to give the h a chance.
The H is skeptical, until he sees the FLAMING red tresses of the h, and realizes she would be a good distraction for his upcoming case, even if she is unsuitable for the position. But the h soon finds out, and then begins the real fun followed by epic showdowns, a tongue lashing and exits...
So I really enjoyed the first half of the book:
-Vivacious h with insane hair who is conniving, confident in her sexuality and calls the H out on his BS, even confronting him head on ✓
-A H who is ready to grovel and not afraid to apologize ✓
-Two experienced characters ✓
-A bitchy OW whose pettiness was amazingly called out by the h ✓
I adored it.
Then came the second half. The couple embark on a journey to Bora Bora to help the H's famous ex reconcile with her more famous husband. There are misunderstandings, jealousy, and loads of OW drama. I feel the book lost the spark it had in the first half, but I did kinda like the cheesy ending.
Ok..ish.
Safe
2.75/5
December 11, 2013
Rating 3.25 stars
Slightly different book, the heroine was quite vivacious and I loved it that she had a upper hand on the hero all the time. She dyed her hair a colour that stood out for a friend and then the hero's mother emotionally blackmails the hero into giving the heroine a chance, who she met at the hairdresser's. The hero is a straight up lawyer who doesn't have any intention of giving the heroine a chance, but she bulldozes her way into a job with him albeit for a month. Things blow up when the hero's lady friend makes the hero confess that he has no intention on following through with his one month agreement, she tells him off and leaves. He follows her and they go off to Bora Bora where he has plans to reconcile his friends and it is of course the heroine who succeeds. Hee..I loved the chase she leads him in the end and throughout the book!
Slightly different book, the heroine was quite vivacious and I loved it that she had a upper hand on the hero all the time. She dyed her hair a colour that stood out for a friend and then the hero's mother emotionally blackmails the hero into giving the heroine a chance, who she met at the hairdresser's. The hero is a straight up lawyer who doesn't have any intention of giving the heroine a chance, but she bulldozes her way into a job with him albeit for a month. Things blow up when the hero's lady friend makes the hero confess that he has no intention on following through with his one month agreement, she tells him off and leaves. He follows her and they go off to Bora Bora where he has plans to reconcile his friends and it is of course the heroine who succeeds. Hee..I loved the chase she leads him in the end and throughout the book!
February 4, 2018
Heroine runs rings around the hero in a genuinely funny book. It's a refreshing change to see a heroine win, win and win, but this story felt a little lacking in heart.
October 8, 2017
A very light-hearted romance. I loved the character of Sophie, to whom we are introduced as she's going in for a job interview with bright red hair and an attitude that won't quit. Jason is very much a buttoned-down lawyer who doesn't know what to make of his new assistant. Sophie has to help Jason mend the relationship between two of his clients and try to figure out what's going on between herself and her boss.
Because I loved Sophie, I was willing to give this 5 *'s, but the end just kind of fell flat for me.
Because I loved Sophie, I was willing to give this 5 *'s, but the end just kind of fell flat for me.
January 23, 2016
Loved the h in this one and the H grew on me as much as he grew in the story. Some great lines and back and forth between h/H and other characters in the book. Light, cute, funny and fast read. Enjoyed it. 4 stars.
After the h overhears H and a somewhat-OW wannabe discussing her:
"Too late Mr. Lombard...You have preached discretion and have just practiced the nastiest of all indiscretions. You insisted on a vow of silence, but let your own tongue loose with a woman so ill-bred that your judgment is contemptible. Anyone who thinks the color and style of a woman's hair are more important than her character is far too blind and shallow to be worth working for. I gave you all you demanded in a personal assistant. And you cannot even treat me with respect."
When H tries to apologize:
"There is only one fool here, Miss Melville. And that is myself. You were absolutely right this afternoon. My judgment, especially where you are concerned, has been appalling."
"Let's get straight to the point, Mr. Lombard. You haven't come after me to grovel for forgiveness or do a repair job on your image. I'm too unimportant in your life to bother about that. So, what's your purpose?"
After the h overhears H and a somewhat-OW wannabe discussing her:
"Too late Mr. Lombard...You have preached discretion and have just practiced the nastiest of all indiscretions. You insisted on a vow of silence, but let your own tongue loose with a woman so ill-bred that your judgment is contemptible. Anyone who thinks the color and style of a woman's hair are more important than her character is far too blind and shallow to be worth working for. I gave you all you demanded in a personal assistant. And you cannot even treat me with respect."
When H tries to apologize:
"There is only one fool here, Miss Melville. And that is myself. You were absolutely right this afternoon. My judgment, especially where you are concerned, has been appalling."
"Let's get straight to the point, Mr. Lombard. You haven't come after me to grovel for forgiveness or do a repair job on your image. I'm too unimportant in your life to bother about that. So, what's your purpose?"
March 23, 2022
Lovely , bouncy , fluffy romance. Nothing deep. But passionate and sensible with just the right dose of humour and spunk. A absolute delight to read from start to finish !
True to the author credits at the start of the book, most of the life altering decisions in the story are taken in the hair dresser's saloon :))))))))))))))))))
That's the saloon run by the heroine's roomie, which of course is the central meeting point of all the women in the story. One of them being Jason's mother ! Other regular customers include legal minds, office staff of Jason's legal practice, a key witness from a divorce trial and several other useful contacts !! So now you know the exalted position enjoyed by the hair dressing saloon in the story.
Now coming to our charming , nutty , absolutely forthright but intelligent and loving heroine - Sophie. She is fast climbing the charts for my most favourite heroine of HP Land !! And Sophie won some major hair dresser's competition for her roomie because she managed to carry off an absolutely opulent shade of RED hair!
Sophie, red hair n all, is sent for a job interview to Jason's legal office. Courtesy , some benevolent meddling by his mummy. The 2 ladies strike up a kinship at the hair dresser's you see ;)
Jason is flabbergasted at first. Then he takes her to be a lightweight and fools around in the interview hoping to throw her off the job. But Sophie really smacks his complacency out for a six ! And he is jolted into realising what a dynamite she is ! Her incisive words, keen observations, tongue n cheek humour, and of course the red hair. Irresistible for Jason. I completely concur !!!!!!!!!!
Now the story proceeds to idyllic holiday settings in Bora Bora islands. Jason is trying to affect a reconciliation between a star celebrity couple, and prevent an ugly divorce.
He's taken Sophie along. Why ? Because the bickering celebrity couple are close to Jason. The lady is his Ex. And Jason was the best man in their wedding !! So Jason badly needs to prove that he isn't interested in the celebrity chick any longer. He has eyes only for Sophie !
He does botch up that plan a few times. However Sophie aces it !!!! And lo, at the end of the story, you have the reconciled couple on one side. And our own lovely couple tasting paradise in each other's arms. All in a day's work ;))))
Jason is not the alpha rugged type at all. He is a mama's boy, somewhat timid in his expressions of love, and absolutely besotted with Sophie. And he is absolutely open about accepting Sophie and her past love life as natural and irrelevant to the present. Not that she had much of it, she is just stringing him along to pull his leg you see. Sweet fellow, our Jason !
Overall, worth every penny , worth every minute spent on this book. Have fun with it ladies !!!
True to the author credits at the start of the book, most of the life altering decisions in the story are taken in the hair dresser's saloon :))))))))))))))))))
That's the saloon run by the heroine's roomie, which of course is the central meeting point of all the women in the story. One of them being Jason's mother ! Other regular customers include legal minds, office staff of Jason's legal practice, a key witness from a divorce trial and several other useful contacts !! So now you know the exalted position enjoyed by the hair dressing saloon in the story.
Now coming to our charming , nutty , absolutely forthright but intelligent and loving heroine - Sophie. She is fast climbing the charts for my most favourite heroine of HP Land !! And Sophie won some major hair dresser's competition for her roomie because she managed to carry off an absolutely opulent shade of RED hair!
Sophie, red hair n all, is sent for a job interview to Jason's legal office. Courtesy , some benevolent meddling by his mummy. The 2 ladies strike up a kinship at the hair dresser's you see ;)
Jason is flabbergasted at first. Then he takes her to be a lightweight and fools around in the interview hoping to throw her off the job. But Sophie really smacks his complacency out for a six ! And he is jolted into realising what a dynamite she is ! Her incisive words, keen observations, tongue n cheek humour, and of course the red hair. Irresistible for Jason. I completely concur !!!!!!!!!!
Now the story proceeds to idyllic holiday settings in Bora Bora islands. Jason is trying to affect a reconciliation between a star celebrity couple, and prevent an ugly divorce.
He's taken Sophie along. Why ? Because the bickering celebrity couple are close to Jason. The lady is his Ex. And Jason was the best man in their wedding !! So Jason badly needs to prove that he isn't interested in the celebrity chick any longer. He has eyes only for Sophie !
He does botch up that plan a few times. However Sophie aces it !!!! And lo, at the end of the story, you have the reconciled couple on one side. And our own lovely couple tasting paradise in each other's arms. All in a day's work ;))))
Jason is not the alpha rugged type at all. He is a mama's boy, somewhat timid in his expressions of love, and absolutely besotted with Sophie. And he is absolutely open about accepting Sophie and her past love life as natural and irrelevant to the present. Not that she had much of it, she is just stringing him along to pull his leg you see. Sweet fellow, our Jason !
Overall, worth every penny , worth every minute spent on this book. Have fun with it ladies !!!
August 9, 2018
Sophie, the h, gets a second chance at a job interview for a prestigious law firm. The only problem, she just had her hair styled by a friend for a hair styling contest. It’s left her with a mop of bright red and copper curly hair. She looks like a sunset and makes people stare and mouths drop.
Jason, the H, was forced by his mother to give Sophie a chance at the interview. Upon meeting her, all he could do was stare at her hair. Sophie, seeing that he was about to dismiss her, challenged him to test her for the position. He begins by asking about a a pending, very public divorce case. Sophie’s answers prove to be over the top and extra, but still insightful and thoughtful so he gives her a months trial as his PA.
Sophie loves her job and does really well until Jason’s current lover comes in and blows the lid off of Jason’s plan. He was going to use Sophie for the month to help him get the divorcing couple back together and then fire her. That’s when he learned that Sophie was no push over. She read him and the bitchy lover the riot act in front of everyone, and walked out.
This book was fun. I loved Sophie. She had moxie. She was intelligent and perceptive. She understood people and had a knack for fixing problems by turning them on their head. Jason’s straight laced personality had a lot of adjusting to do with Sophie around.
My only complaint was the ending, it felt rushed. Jason went from new lover to marry me in 2.2 seconds. A man that careful and methodical wouldn’t be that spontaneous. It just didn’t feel right.
Jason, the H, was forced by his mother to give Sophie a chance at the interview. Upon meeting her, all he could do was stare at her hair. Sophie, seeing that he was about to dismiss her, challenged him to test her for the position. He begins by asking about a a pending, very public divorce case. Sophie’s answers prove to be over the top and extra, but still insightful and thoughtful so he gives her a months trial as his PA.
Sophie loves her job and does really well until Jason’s current lover comes in and blows the lid off of Jason’s plan. He was going to use Sophie for the month to help him get the divorcing couple back together and then fire her. That’s when he learned that Sophie was no push over. She read him and the bitchy lover the riot act in front of everyone, and walked out.
This book was fun. I loved Sophie. She had moxie. She was intelligent and perceptive. She understood people and had a knack for fixing problems by turning them on their head. Jason’s straight laced personality had a lot of adjusting to do with Sophie around.
My only complaint was the ending, it felt rushed. Jason went from new lover to marry me in 2.2 seconds. A man that careful and methodical wouldn’t be that spontaneous. It just didn’t feel right.
February 6, 2011
I was all set to ignore the part early on where Sophie forgives and considers sleeping with Jason even after hearing that he planned on using her to give this book five stars. Unfortunately, I hated that she allowed the lies she told the warring couple in this story in order to reconcile them toward the end to be believed by Jason and therefore had to lower it to four.
It was a good read - Sophie was, for the most part, a funny and sassy woman with a quick silver tongue and hilarious wit. Her torment of others, particularly Jason, was amusing. She didn't let herself be toyed with and wouldn't take an insult lying down. It was refreshing to see a woman have a strong sense of her own worth instead of doting on the male counterpart's every word, which so often happens in Mills & Boon novels.
The basic plot (rich boss takes secretary to tropical island to pose as his lover to meet whatever end) is the same as Ruthless Boss, Hired Wife by Kate Hewitt (another Mills & Boon book) but I found this an infinitely more interesting read as the female lead of that book was a bit irritating.
So, if you enjoy Ruthless Boss, Hired Wife, read this and vice versa. But I'd recommend this book regardless. Loved it!
It was a good read - Sophie was, for the most part, a funny and sassy woman with a quick silver tongue and hilarious wit. Her torment of others, particularly Jason, was amusing. She didn't let herself be toyed with and wouldn't take an insult lying down. It was refreshing to see a woman have a strong sense of her own worth instead of doting on the male counterpart's every word, which so often happens in Mills & Boon novels.
The basic plot (rich boss takes secretary to tropical island to pose as his lover to meet whatever end) is the same as Ruthless Boss, Hired Wife by Kate Hewitt (another Mills & Boon book) but I found this an infinitely more interesting read as the female lead of that book was a bit irritating.
So, if you enjoy Ruthless Boss, Hired Wife, read this and vice versa. But I'd recommend this book regardless. Loved it!
May 29, 2016
Lighthearted and full of witty dialogue.
September 5, 2021
Well done, but a little too ridiculous for me. The tongue in cheek humour and out-maneuvered hero aren't what I expect from an hp.
September 15, 2019
Contents flammable!
Sydney lawyer Jason Lombard is a ten on the male Richter scale in every superficial sense. He also seems unable to even look past Sophie's hair, which is a bit. . . well . . . flamboyant at the moment. She suspects her days as his new assistant are numbered.
But when Sophie discovers the cad only hired her as a distraction for a case he's working on, Mr. Snob finds himself on the receiving end of a temper as hot as her hair. A truce reached, now they're headed for Bora Bora, where things are bound to get even hotter!
Sydney lawyer Jason Lombard is a ten on the male Richter scale in every superficial sense. He also seems unable to even look past Sophie's hair, which is a bit. . . well . . . flamboyant at the moment. She suspects her days as his new assistant are numbered.
But when Sophie discovers the cad only hired her as a distraction for a case he's working on, Mr. Snob finds himself on the receiving end of a temper as hot as her hair. A truce reached, now they're headed for Bora Bora, where things are bound to get even hotter!
January 20, 2019
A cute fun easy read. Just the thing for disengaging you brain.
January 11, 2024
I'm against the grain on this one. Too daft (Ikr, I'm a total hypocrite, as if any of us come to HP expecting realism, lol). If you like a flamboyant, assertive h (wackily hairstyled) Sophie may float your boat. But this H, lawyer Jason, somehow did zip for me and I found the whole thing lacking in emotional depth. It didn't quite have the delicious wit that these screwball type romances need to carry off. The warring, divorcing OW couple were equally unappealing. Bora Bora, however, sounded right up my street 😂
June 3, 2013
Jason, a lawyer in Sydney, a very superficial man. Sophie, his new assistant discovers he'd hired her as a distraction from a case he's working on.
October 11, 2020
I think Boogenhagen’s review encompasses everything you would want to know about the book.
The heroine made this book! She was feisty, likable, and took crap from no one! The action in this book started right away. The biggest, angsty shutdown of the hero in this book happened in the first third of it. He wasted no time with the groveling! Although the h went against his usual type, she was just what he needed. The H and h had good chemistry and the book moved along with many enjoyable scenes. There were things done in this book that were atypical of my usual choices(I go for the brooding, jerk Hero with the suffering heroine and over the top secondary characters every time!) In this book, the hero was very likable for most of it . I was afraid this was going to hurt the story, but it didn’t. I mean he was one of the few hero’s who was like “I know you have “other” lovers, but you are going to dump them and be with me, because we are meant to be!” The heroine in this book didn’t give anyone a pass. Don’t even try to disrespect her because you were going to get it back and then some. She also didn’t put blinders on. She did not enter into anything without having some internal dialogue about being ok with it. Basically, she wanted to make sure she could still respect herself in the end. The mother of the Hero meddled in her son’s life, but in a good way, and not to the detriment of our h.
It only took about 2 weeks for these two to be madly in love, but James Garner married his wife after 14 days, and they were married almost 58 years!(sadly his death being the reason it wasn’t longer).
The heroine made this book! She was feisty, likable, and took crap from no one! The action in this book started right away. The biggest, angsty shutdown of the hero in this book happened in the first third of it. He wasted no time with the groveling! Although the h went against his usual type, she was just what he needed. The H and h had good chemistry and the book moved along with many enjoyable scenes. There were things done in this book that were atypical of my usual choices(I go for the brooding, jerk Hero with the suffering heroine and over the top secondary characters every time!) In this book, the hero was very likable for most of it . I was afraid this was going to hurt the story, but it didn’t. I mean he was one of the few hero’s who was like “I know you have “other” lovers, but you are going to dump them and be with me, because we are meant to be!” The heroine in this book didn’t give anyone a pass. Don’t even try to disrespect her because you were going to get it back and then some. She also didn’t put blinders on. She did not enter into anything without having some internal dialogue about being ok with it. Basically, she wanted to make sure she could still respect herself in the end. The mother of the Hero meddled in her son’s life, but in a good way, and not to the detriment of our h.
It only took about 2 weeks for these two to be madly in love, but James Garner married his wife after 14 days, and they were married almost 58 years!(sadly his death being the reason it wasn’t longer).
January 12, 2021
s. 7 posledních [posledního]
s. 15 jejich [jejích]
s. 35 v[s]
s. 42 Sohpiiny
s. 63 dny. možná
špatné dělení slov - s. 10, 26, 51, 56
s. 15 jejich [jejích]
s. 35 v[s]
s. 42 Sohpiiny
s. 63 dny. možná
špatné dělení slov - s. 10, 26, 51, 56
May 23, 2022
Fun read - sort of a rom-com!
September 25, 2022
Cute and funny, more a romantic comedy than a romance. Once they got to Bora Bora the romance and tension left and all H did was get h into bed.
July 17, 2023
A nice breezy romance about a business tycoon and his secretary in the Tahiti's, the island of bora bora.
July 25, 2024
An absolute cracker, just like our heroine.
One to be read and reread.
One to be read and reread.
March 25, 2013
I generally don't write a review for what I call my "throw away" books. I enjoy reading the romance stories when I like something light to read that does not require a lot of thinking.
In most of these stories the leading woman is an insipid thing that most people don't think about or get to know well enough to learn what stregnth of character she really has. All except for the one man she falls in love with that falls for her in turn.
This story was very different. I loved the spit-fire character of the leading lady.
In most of these stories the leading woman is an insipid thing that most people don't think about or get to know well enough to learn what stregnth of character she really has. All except for the one man she falls in love with that falls for her in turn.
This story was very different. I loved the spit-fire character of the leading lady.
March 13, 2012
The protagonists in this book grated on my nerves but I completed reading the book as I really enjoyed the sense of place with Lindfield/Sydney.
June 12, 2015
I have read literally thousands of M&B's (I used to get paid for babysitting with boxes of them!) This is one of the few I still enjoy rereading to this day. A personal favorite.
Read
May 8, 2013I swear I've read this one! I had a subscription back in the day, and I know I've read this. I can't remember what I thought of it though :/
October 11, 2014
3.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews