Synopsis
from back of book: Tessa
had
worked hard to get to the responsible position she held. The last
thing she'd consider would be giving up surgery for the joys of love
and marriage.
Patrick
was an obsessive workaholic who'd built an empire and now saw the
acquisition of children as a natural step to ensure the succession.
And he wanted a full-time mother for his family.
“It
would serve you right if you fell madly in love with a successful
career woman,” Tessa said.
“I'd
prefer to be a bachelor forever in that case,” Patrick replied.
Their
battle of the wills was inevitable – but would one of them emerge
the winner...?
Stats
for my copy:
Mass market paperback, published by Harlequin Enterprises Limited,
1991; from my personal collection of books – I have no idea where
or how I acquired it.
My
thoughts: The
plot was a little silly and far fetched. Tessa is 27 and a surgeon
who spends all her time working, to the point of near exhaustion. Her
boss forces her to take a three month vacation, so she goes home to
her godfather's, where she was raised after her parents died. He is
away himself, but the home is currently occupied by his housekeeper
and a dog named Henry. On her first day home, she discovers a hole in
the wall between her home and the neighbor's, where Henry has been
slipping through to make himself a nuisance next door. While
examining the hole in hopes of repairing it, Patrick, the new owner
of the neighboring home, happens along, and assumes she is there in
answer to an ad he's run for a household staff member. He is
condescending and arrogant, and wanting to take him down a peg or
two, Tessa goes along with his assumption, taking on the persona of
an 18 year old drop out, letting him think she is house-sitting next
door. When they part company, she thinks how funny it will be when he
learns who she really is. But to her surprise, she is later offered
the position.
You
would think at this point she would decline the employment offer, but
no, she decides to accept, and continue with the joke. Naturally they
are attracted to each other, with Tessa constantly being insulted by
Patrick treating her as a silly teenager (though of course she is
masquerading as one), and Patrick fighting the attraction and
appearing to feel disgusted with himself every time he breaks down
and kisses her, since he of course believes she is a flighty teenager
considerably younger than he is. I kept feeling a sense of foreboding
and thinking no good could come of this little game.
What
saved the story for me was Tessa's personality. She's smart and sassy
and funny. Since her job is just a lark to her, she isn't under the
normal constraints a household staffer should be and has no problem
smarting off or talking back to her boss, Patrick, or his snooty
assistant who is also her boss. Until her enforced vacation she had
immersed herself in work after a bad breakup, and hasn't really been
interested in another relationship, but now she finds herself wanting
Patrick. Meanwhile, Patrick tells anyone who will listen his views on
marriage – someday he'll marry, but he will expect his wife to put
him first and not have a career of her own.
As
Tessa gets deeper and deeper into her lies and more involved in
Patrick's household, she does begin having qualms about her charade,
and she keeps deciding she's going to come clean and reveal her true
identity, hoping in the process to wipe a smirk off Patrick's face
and show him how wrong he is to judge people. But then she decides
for one reason or other the time isn't right, and of course once she
realizes she's fallen for him, she wants him to fall for her before
he finds out she is a dreaded career woman.
A
quick, fun and enjoyable read, despite the silly plot (and slightly
creepy cover).
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