Monday, August 31, 2020

Upstairs Downstairs Temptation - Janice Maynard (HD #2739 - June 2020)

Series: Men of Stone River (Book 2) 

She was exactly the kind of woman

he knew he shouldn’t want…

“You want to kiss me?”

He should say no…

After moving his lab to northern Maine, billionaire inventor Farrell Stone needs a live-in housekeeper. Single mother Ivy Danby needs a job to support her baby daughter. Both problems solved. Except Ivy fascinates Farrell, more than any temporary employee should. Widowed Farrell doesn’t do relationships, but would one sizzling night with Ivy be a huge mistake…or the fresh start they both need?

Good book. As the man behind the products that the family business sells, Farrell believes that someone is stealing his designs and producing cheap imitations. To protect his work, he packs up his lab and moves it to his isolated Maine home. Once there, he needs a live-in housekeeper to keep him from forgetting to eat while working and act as the occasional hostess. His assistant and new sister-in-law, Katie (After Hours Seduction), recommends Ivy, a single mother in need of a job.

Ivy is a recent widow with an infant daughter. She desperately needs a job where she can keep Dolly with her and get back on her feet. She remembers Farrell from elementary school and hopes the connection will help secure the job.

I enjoyed seeing the relationship between Ivy and Farrell develop. Though there are sparks between them from the beginning, both of them try to ignore them. Farrell lost his beloved wife seven years earlier and refused to consider risking his heart again. Ivy's marriage wasn't a happy one and had devastating consequences after her husband's death. She has no desire to trust another man with her heart or her child. I liked seeing the two of them interact. Farrell finds himself drawn to Ivy and Dolly, stirring up emotions he thought he'd buried with his wife. Ivy feels protective toward Farrell, thankful for the job, and wanting to do the best she can for him. There were some great scenes involving Farrell and Ivy, along with Dolly, which showed he was already a goner, even though he wouldn't admit it.

Neither Ivy nor Farrell counts on the chemistry that burns hotter the more time they spend together. They decide that they can give in to the attraction without involving their emotions (ha!). The depth of the connection between them scared the hell out of Farrell, and he behaved like a boneheaded jerk. I ached for Ivy as she took Dolly and her heartbreak and fled.  I thought Farrell deserved every minute of the misery he felt. I loved seeing him confess his idiocy to his family and ask for their help. I especially liked that it was Katie, as another woman, who had the best insight to help Farrell. I thought he did an outstanding job of groveling when he finally caught up with Ivy and loved the ending.

Now I can't wait to read Zachary's story.


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