Lovespell, 5.99, Dec 2001, 400 pp.
ISBN: 0505524619
To say that Bootle's Baby Bower CEO M. Billingham Bootle is a bit of an eccentric is probably an understatement. However, this year at the company's annual meeting in New Orleans, he outdoes even his most famous and wildest capers. He announces his retirement and names the four potential candidates to replace him. Wally Gilchrist, Al Gideon, Gil Getz, and Courtney Kelly will compete for the job by going against one another in a scavenger hunt. Kelly's assignment is to find and marry the most eligible bachelor in town.
Though thinking EEOC and a lawsuit, Kelly reluctantly joins the game and soon humiliatingly searches Bourbon Street. She finally meets Mark Wiggleshaft, who turns out to be her boss' nephew Mark Billingham. After sharing a night of passion, Courtney is left pregnant. Mark persuades her into marrying him, but she insists on a marriage in name only. Now all Mark has to do is convince Kelly that he is not his grandfather's puppet and actually wants her and their baby.
Once the reader accepts the bizarre CEO job prerequisite, which is not easy to do, the fan will enjoy this amusing contemporary romance. The lead couple is an amiable duo struggling with their feelings and even more with the interference of that likable lunatic, M. Billingham Bootle. Eugenia Riley has written a humorous tale that keeps the audience laughing throughout most of the story line.
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of story
- 1980's-1999
Marriage/Married
Yes
Marriage subplot:
- marriage of convenience spurring real love
Hidden Identity/Secret Motive
Yes
Children/Pregnancy
Yes
Children/Pregnancy:
- Get accidently pregnant
Matchmake, (will/family)
Yes
Matchmaker...
- matchmake by aunt/uncle
Main Male Character
Profession/status:
- business executive
Age/status:
- 20's-30's
How sexual is this person?
- very picky
How romantic is this person?
- somewhat romantic
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Female Character
Age/status:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- small businessman
How sexual is this person?
- very picky
How romantic is this person?
- somewhat romantic
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
What % of story is romance related?
- 70%
Focus of story
- equally on him and her
How much dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
