His 24-Hour Wife - Rachel Bailey (HD #2406 - Oct 2015)

Series: Hawke Brothers (Book 3)

What happened in Vegas didn't stay there for CEO Adam Hawke and go-getter Callie Mitchell. And their drunken lark of a wedding is coming back to haunt them. Because Adam and Callie are now working together, and she's being blackmailed over their very personal connection by a coworker. To deflect the threat, Callie and Adam make their sham marriage look real. But the passion that ensues is no sham. Could their wedding lark have real wings after all?

Good book. For the past three years, Adam and Callie have met during a business conference in Las Vegas. The first two years they enjoyed each others' company and moved on. The most recent conference went a bit differently. Thanks to a bit too much alcohol, Adam and Callie decided to tie the knot at one of Vegas's many chapels. In the cold light of morning, Adam realized that it had been a mistake, and they plan to quietly file for divorce.

Three months later, neither has yet done so, when Callie shows up in Adam's office. She's being offered a promotion at her PR firm, and one of the accounts she'll be working on is that of the Hawke Brothers Trust. She wanted to let him know so that they can quickly deal with their marriage and so it doesn't become an issue with working together. But before they can do so, a jealous coworker of Callie's threatens to take the secret marriage to the tabloids. The only thing they can do is make it look real and take it public themselves. I loved seeing the way that they laid everything out like a PR project, and couldn't wait to see how real life was going to affect it.

To aid in the deception, Callie moves in with Adam, but here is where things start to get a little tricky. They have never been able to deny the attraction between them, and living together without giving in to it is making their public interactions less than convincing. They decide that they can be adult enough to enjoy their time together without becoming "emotionally compromised."

Adam has always felt an incredible amount of responsibility for his family, and been especially protective of his brothers. As a kid, he was closest to his grandfather and saw the fallout when his grandfather fell in love with a woman who didn't feel the same way. He swore he would never allow himself to lose control of himself that way. Even when he helped his brothers win their loves, he didn't allow ideas of love for himself. The only time he let go of control was the night he married Callie, and he's been running from those feelings ever since.

As Adam and Callie are forced to spend time together, they get to know each other in ways they hadn't with their brief hookups. Their connection gets stronger, but neither wants to believe that it is anything more than sex. They start to talk about keeping their affair going even after they divorce, because neither is truly willing to let go of what they have. But when Callie realizes that she has truly fallen in love with Adam, she can't stand the idea of going forward without his returning her love and leaves. Adam has to confront his fears and decide if he's willing to risk it all to get it all. His big moment was a huge step for him and really well done. The ending was sweet and romantic and the perfect wrap up for the series.

I really liked getting to catch up with Liam and Jenna, and Dylan and Faith. It was great to see the way that they all accepted Callie so easily, even knowing the details of the relationship. I loved their parts at the end, especially the way that Liam and Dylan confronted Adam after Callie left. It was so much fun to see them turn the tables on him.

Bidding on Her Boss - Rachel Bailey (HD #2399 - Sept 2015)

Series: Hawke Brothers (Book 2)

Florist Faith Crawford has a brilliant plan -- win her company's CEO at a bachelor auction and use their "date" to show him her designs. But her plan backfires when the focus of their meeting shifts from flowers to a floor-tilting kiss.

For Dylan Hawke, it's time for damage control. Promoting the talented Faith is a no-brainer, but fraternizing with her is strictly forbidden. Dylan must remain professional -- the fate of his business rests in the balance. Too bad Dylan won't rest until he gets another kiss…

Very good book. Faith is a talented florist who works for Hawke's Blooms. She's been trying to get one of her designs into the company catalog, but has met resistance from her manager. So she decides to bid on CEO Dylan Hawke at a charity auction and use their date to show him what she can do. She doesn't expect the attraction that flares up between them.

Dylan is the youngest of the Hawke brothers and the one known for being a bit of a playboy. With his older brother about to marry a princess (The Nanny Proposition) he feels that it is time to change his reputation. He starts by offering himself as one of the bachelors for his new sister-in-law's charity auction. He notices "Faith Sixty-three" as soon as she starts bidding on him and is looking forward to their date - until he discovers that she works for him. 

I loved the auction. Dylan isn't really comfortable doing it, but it says a lot about him that he was willing to put himself through it to help out Jenna. It was fun to see him rooting for Faith to be the winner. The zing of attraction has him really looking forward to their date. His disappointment the next day, when he discovered she's an employee, was deep. I also loved his initial confusion over just what it was she wanted. I liked Faith and how she found a way to go after what she wants. All she's looking for is an honest chance to get her work looked at. She wasn't expecting to want Dylan in a personal way, and she fought it. She knows the company policy also. When their first "date" doesn't go as expected, she's determined to try again, but the after effects of the unexpected kiss they shared are hard to ignore. I loved her reaction to the promotion she was offered and how she made Dylan understand her point of view.

It was great to see the way that Dylan began to understand Faith and what she was really looking for. I loved the way that he introduced her to his brother Liam, and the doors that opened for her. Because of the company policy against fraternization, they tried very hard to keep things professional, but it was a losing battle. I loved seeing the way that they were able to share parts of their pasts with each other, and how they got closer because of it. But when her emotions started getting involved, Faith panicked.

Because of events in her past, Faith doesn't trust that anyone she cares about will stay in her life. She's afraid that the same thing will happen with Dylan, so she pulls away first. I hurt for him, because he had put his feelings out there, but he had also missed doing some things that would make her believe in him. A kick in the seat from his brothers made him see where he went wrong. I loved the ending and seeing Dylan's "go big" moment and how Faith reacted.

I really enjoyed the background of the flower business and seeing some of the behind the scenes things. I loved Dylan's recounting of how the business began and the parts he and his brothers played when they were younger. The story of the new flower and the things that went into its launch were really interesting. I also enjoyed the relationship the brothers had with each other. It was fun to see them give Dylan a hard time, but they were there to support him when he needed them. I'm really looking forward to Adam's story.

Reunited with the Lassiter Bride - Barbara Dunlop (HD #2324 - Sept 2014)

Series: Dynasties: The Lassiters (Book 6)

In the fight sparked by her late father's will, Angelica Lassiter has come out on top -- deposing her former fiancé as CEO. She's won control of her birthright but lost the fiancé she loved. The cruel irony is that she and Evan must now pretend to be a couple to make their best friends' wedding work.

Evan McCain quickly warms to his role in this fake reunion, and the kisses are much more than a ruse. But can he trust this woman enough to give her a second shot at being his bride?

Good conclusion to the series. It all started when Angie's father, JD Lassiter, had a heart attack and died the day before Angie and Evan were supposed to get married. Angie and Evan worked together for the family company, Lassiter Media, where Angie has been giving it her all to show her father that she deserves to be the next CEO. When the will is read, she is devastated to learn the JD has left leadership of the company to Evan. She is sure that Evan worked behind her back to steal the company from her, so she breaks their engagement and spends the next five books trying to overturn the will and get her company back. At the end of the last book, JD's machinations are revealed and Angie is back in. But her future with Evan is gone.

Evan has left Lassiter Media, of course, and is restarting his own business, trying to make a clean break. But when his friends, Matt and Kayla (Beauty and the Best Man) need his help with getting their wedding set up, he has to work closely with Kayla's maid of honor, Angie. Not just work together, but pretend that they are getting back together. Evan is still hurt and angry over the way Angie treated him, and her lack of trust after the reading of the will. He'll fake the reunion, but trusting her with his heart again is something he doesn't want to risk.

Angie isn't happy about having to work with Evan either. She is also still dealing with the feelings of betrayal she felt over the details of the will. But now that it's all over, she also has a few twinges of guilt over the way she treated Evan. Faking a reunion with Evan is also showing her that what she felt for him isn't dead after all.

I really enjoyed seeing Evan and Angie together. The chemistry between them is still hot, and the love they felt for each other is still there, but the hurt feelings and broken trust are going to take some work to repair. Neither of them is really willing to risk their hearts again. I liked the way that they were willing to put their animosity aside to make their friends' wedding happen. They thought that they could get away with their pretense just with the wedding venue owner, but he called their bluff and soon they had to make it public. Evan accepted his feelings much more quickly than Angie did, and started to use their deception to turn it real. The only issue is that Lassiter Media is still coming between them. Evan sees that she is having problems and wants to help her, but she won't accept it. 

Angie really fights her feelings. They are strong and real, but she can't forget what happened with the business. It takes some time, but she and Evan start talking and spending real time together. She wants to believe they have a chance, but the company keeps getting in the way. Angie is very stubborn and tends to get very focused when something is going on. She starts to slip back into old habits when a crisis with some of her leadership happens and shuts Evan out. When he calls her on it, pride takes over on both of them and harsh words are exchanged. She has to decide if her pride is worth losing the man she loves all over again. I loved the scene in the sports bar when she made her move.

There were some really fun parts in the book. I loved seeing Evan push some of Angie's buttons and get her really stirred up. I had a great time seeing the relationship develop between Evan's playboy friend Deke and Angie's friend Tiffany. She really made him work for it. Seeing Angie finally come into her own and face down her three VPs had me really grinning. The epilogue was fantastic.