Review: An Old Dog Learns a New Trick
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 9, 2013
Mason Christian, consummate businessman and cyborg candidate, is desperate to find assistant #42 so he can complete his real estate venture and get the hell out of Dodge. Broken by past tragedies, Mason has shut down emotionally and is on autopilot, living only for the next business deal.Billie McLeod is sunshine personified. She doesn't know what to do with her gorgeous albeit robotic boss. She is floored when she has to sign a contract agreeing to stay for the next 12 weeks. She is even more flabbergasted when Mason refuses to remember her name and refers to her only as 42. She just can't resist the opportunity to get Mason to slow down and enjoy the community and it's sense of roots and tradition. She may have set herself up for heartbreak but she just can't help her need to fix her brooding boss.In my many, many years in the romance community, every once in a while you stumble upon an author who just has IT. I believe Hayson Manning is such an author. Followers of my reviews know that I gravitate towards dark PNR. For an author to make me anticipate a straight up contemporary romance, well that is just a feat of gigantic magnitude. Winning the Boss's Heart was like a cold beer on a scorching summer day, smooth, refreshing and gone way too soon. Not only did her characters intrigue and delight this reader but the underlying humor had a smile on my face for most of the book. Mason went from being someone I loved, to someone I wanted to lock in a closet, and then back to a worthy hero. Billie's overall sweetness and boundless optimism is balanced by her biting sarcasm and unflinching honesty (although she does have a sneaky side). The romance is just hot and just steamy enough to convey the passion that Billie and Mason unleash in each other. Lest you think this story is all cotton candy and rainbows, there are some heart wrenching moments that will bring a tear to the eye of the most hardened of hearts. For me to give a five star review to a contemporary romance is unheard of and should surprise you enough to find out why I am such a big fan. Read this book and fall in love.* I have no affiliation with the author, publisher, or promotional entity. This was an unbiased review.*