5 wonderful stars!!For me Winning the Boss's Heart was a wonderful story about second chances. It had all the right elements that makes for a truly romantic read.
Mason Christian is a man on a mission. He has 12 weeks to renovate a historic house. The problem was, his latest secretary had quit on him. Again. He has to hire another one fast if he has to make the deadline. Enter number 42. And no, that's not her real name. Her name is Wilhelmina "Billie" McCloud and she's going to be his 42 secretary. Hence, the number designation.
What he didn't count on was that Forty-two was a little crazy herself and is not afraid to challenge him. Every time he calls her Forty-two, she just calls him by other names, too, like Philbert, Sheldon, Engelbert, Jimbo, etc. It was downright hilarious. Mason couldn't quite figure her out. And there is this apparent attraction between them that no matter how hard he tries to ignore, just wouldn't go away.
Billie McCloud has a plan. Work as Mason's secretary for 12 weeks and then after that culinary school. Being raised in a commune with a flighty mother, all Billie wanted was to belong to a community, to be someone's perfection. Her first marriage taught her not to settle for anything less. She was determined to achieve this even if it means putting up with her new boss's inconsiderate demands. Plus, she might also have a chance at saving the historic house that Mason has set out to destroy on behalf of the community she adored.
The Characters
I find Mason's character truly fascinating. He started off like an unfeeling jerk who doesn't allow anyone close to him. He is single-minded in this goal. He doesn't sought human interaction. But even though he was very inconsiderate and unfeeling, we get a glimpse of the pain that he was hiding beneath that impenetrable façade. And let me tell you, his story and the reason why he's changed so much was so heartbreaking, you would just want to reach out and hug him and make his pain go away.
And Billie, as I've said was a strong character. I have to thank Hayson Manning for creating a female character that isn't annoying, whiny or indecisive. What a relief to actually read about a lead female character that doesn't get on your nerves. Billie was such a wonderfully layered character. She had a hard time growing up as a child in a commune, no less. She also married young. It wasn't an ideal marriage and she lost her husband. Even with these hardships, she never complained once. She was optimistic and determined to make a life for herself.
I loved how she recognized the pain that he was hiding and set out to help him. Although, I did feel that her feelings for the Mason were stronger that Mason's were for her at that time, she was no doormat. She wasn't afraid to call him on his bullshit. And when Mason began to thaw a little bit, we see how deep this man actually feels and how capable he is to fall in love again. But he's stubborn so he did some stupid shit there for a while. But nothing too drastic though and it was totally in keeping with his character.
What I loved…
Aside for my obvious love for the two main characters and their love story, there are other things that I loved as well.
First off, the writing. Loved it. The dialogue was superb. It was funny, light and witty. The characterizations were superb. You get these people. The author was able to draw a very vivid picture of each character, even Stanley, the Great Dane was really written well. I love character-driven stories and this book delivers on that 100%.
Another element to the story is Footsteps Bay itself and its townspeople. The author was able to draw me into that world. I was so seduced by the place, I was contemplating moving to New Zealand specifically to Footsteps Bay. The whole thing just worked for me.
The chemistry between Mason and Billie was superb. The sexy was steamy without be overdone. And thank God there was no token, 'I'm-going-to-make-you-come-so-hard-the-neighbors-will-hear-you-scream,' statement that's so common in Contemporary Romance today. Nonetheless, the physical connection between the two characters were palpable.
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Overall, Winning the Boss's Heart was a wonderful story from start to finish with wonderful and likable characters. The ending was fantastic. I'm not going to tell you what Mason did to win back Billie's love but let me tell you now, I was oohhed and aahhed and swooned when I read it. It was just so sweet and satisfying. Plus, that epilogue was just beautiful. I will definitely recommend this to Contemporary Romance lovers out there.
A copy was provided by the author to Ever After Romance Book Blog in exchange for an honest review.
