Christina Dodd Reviews AND THEN HE KISSED HER
Laura Lee Guhrke is one of those rare writers who burst on the publishing scene flaunting word of mouth. Everyone talked about her gift for realistic conflict, her dialogue which deftly moved the story forward and revealed the characters, the romance which moved the reader to laughter and tears, and most of all, everyone gushed, gushed, about her characters, heartrending and heartwarming at the same time. After reading her first book, I at once realized it was all true, she was a true artist with the pen.
Despite all her gifts, I still like Laura a lot. I didn’t want to — nothing’s as irritating as meeting a truly talented writer. But what can I say? She’s smart, keen of eye and sarcastically inclined to revel in the foibles of humanity. In other words, she fits right in here at Squawk Radio.
Laura’s current release, AND THEN HE KISSED HER is the perfect historical romance. It hits all my fantasies right on target. Our heroine, Emmaline Dove, is plain, sensible, a spinster secretary in a man’s world … and an aspiring author. Our hero, Harry, Viscount Marlowe, is a successful publisher, a smooth, handsome charmer who makes lots of money, cares for his female relatives, dodges marriage … and he’s Emmaline’s boss.
Harry’s a good guy, but he carelessly accepts Emmaline’s devotion as his secretary without ever realizing that she wants more from life than serving his every whim. He rejects her manuscripts — four of them — after reading a single paragraph, because he believes no one would be interested in how to shop for parties, in home decorating, or in the proper etiquette for single women. In other words, he totally dismisses what women care about. I immediately knew Harry was a charismatic jerk. I also knew that Emmaline was going to give him such a come-uppance. I don’t know about you, but that’s guaranteed reader satisfaction for me.
Fortunately for Emmaline, after five years of working for Harry, she realizes she doesn’t have to put up with his prejudices and quits. Unfortunately for Harry, Miss Dove is running his business and his life and he can’t function without her. Even more unfortunately, Miss Dove goes to his rival to get published, is wildly successful, and is not at all interested in returning to work for Harry. Did I mention there’s a lot of reader satisfaction in this story?
Emmaline has no illusions about Harry. She has seen him at his worst. Harry is now forced to observe Emmaline’s intelligence, wit and passion as she forms her career. The bridge they build with their mutual endeavors is a joy to watch, but even more fun is the slow build of passion between the mismatched pair. I don’t know whether to call AND THEN HE KISSED HER a classic secretary/boss story or a classic spinster/rake story, but I definitely know it’s one good time.
A lot of people agreed with me, because AND THEN HE KISSED HER debuted at #51 on the USA Today Bestseller List. If you like a fabulous historical romance a la Amanda Quick, run, do not walk, to the bookstore and buy a copy of AND THEN HE KISSED HER by Laura Lee Guhrke.
Laura Lee Guhrke has promised to stop by, so ask your questions and she’ll be glad to answer them. Oh, and she also offered to award an autographed copy of AND THEN HE KISSED HER to one of the commenters!