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The Spanish Groom
It started with a ring...
César Valverde was the man with everything. But his beloved godfather was in poor health, and César knew that it would please Jasper if he got married, preferably to Dixie Robinson... Well, perhaps a temporary engagement would be enough to make Jasper happy.
And ended in marriage...
Beneath Dixie's baggy sweaters César discovered a beautiful, sensual woman. Within a week his bachelor days were over; Dixie had become his wife for real, and, unbeknown to him, the mother of his child!
César Valverde was the man with everything. But his beloved godfather was in poor health, and César knew that it would please Jasper if he got married, preferably to Dixie Robinson... Well, perhaps a temporary engagement would be enough to make Jasper happy.
And ended in marriage...
Beneath Dixie's baggy sweaters César discovered a beautiful, sensual woman. Within a week his bachelor days were over; Dixie had become his wife for real, and, unbeknown to him, the mother of his child!
185 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 1, 1999
About the author
Lynne Graham
1,529 books1,358 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Lynne Graham was born on July 30, 1956 of Irish-Scottish parentage. She has livedin Northern Ireland all her life. She grew up in a seaside village with herbrother. She learnt to read at the age of 3, and haven't stopped since then.
Lynne first met her husband when she was 14. At 15, she wrote her firstbook, but it was rejected everywhere. Lynne married after she completed adegree at Edinburgh University. She started writing again when she was athome with her first child. It took several attempts before she sold herfirst book in 1987 and the delight of seeing that first book for sale in thelocal newsagents has never been forgotten. Now, there are over 10 million ofher books in print worldwide.
Lynne always wanted a large family and has five children. Her eldest and heronly natural child is 19 and currently at university. Her other fourchildren, who are every bit as dear to her heart, are adopted. She has two9-year-olds adopted from Sri Lanka and a 5- and a 3-year-old adopted fromGuatemala. In Lynne's home, there is a rich and diverse cultural mix, whichadds a whole extra dimension of interest and discovery to family life. Thefamily lives in a country house surrounded by a woodland garden, which iswonderfully private. The family has two pets. Thomas, a very large andaffectionate black cat, bosses the dog and hunts rabbits. The dog is Daisy,an adorable but not very bright white West Highland terrier, who loves beingchased by the cat. At night, dog and cat sleep together in front of thekitchen stove. Lynne loves gardening, cooking, collects everything from oldtoys to rock specimens and is crazy about every aspect of Christmas.
Lynne Graham was born on July 30, 1956 of Irish-Scottish parentage. She has livedin Northern Ireland all her life. She grew up in a seaside village with herbrother. She learnt to read at the age of 3, and haven't stopped since then.
Lynne first met her husband when she was 14. At 15, she wrote her firstbook, but it was rejected everywhere. Lynne married after she completed adegree at Edinburgh University. She started writing again when she was athome with her first child. It took several attempts before she sold herfirst book in 1987 and the delight of seeing that first book for sale in thelocal newsagents has never been forgotten. Now, there are over 10 million ofher books in print worldwide.
Lynne always wanted a large family and has five children. Her eldest and heronly natural child is 19 and currently at university. Her other fourchildren, who are every bit as dear to her heart, are adopted. She has two9-year-olds adopted from Sri Lanka and a 5- and a 3-year-old adopted fromGuatemala. In Lynne's home, there is a rich and diverse cultural mix, whichadds a whole extra dimension of interest and discovery to family life. Thefamily lives in a country house surrounded by a woodland garden, which iswonderfully private. The family has two pets. Thomas, a very large andaffectionate black cat, bosses the dog and hunts rabbits. The dog is Daisy,an adorable but not very bright white West Highland terrier, who loves beingchased by the cat. At night, dog and cat sleep together in front of thekitchen stove. Lynne loves gardening, cooking, collects everything from oldtoys to rock specimens and is crazy about every aspect of Christmas.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 232 reviews
March 30, 2019
Heroine Dixie and Hero Cesar come to an agreement to have a fake engagement to make Cesar’s godfather Jasper happy. (Jasper's health is failing).
I didn’t really care for Dixie. At first she seemed sweet and funny but as the story progressed she started to annoy me. She was just too naïve, too clumsy, too ditzy. Cesar was okay but I really couldn’t understand why he was even interested in Dixie (besides lusting for her voluptuous body). I liked Cesar’s godfather Jasper. I thought this book would have been better due to the rave reviews it received. Maybe I expected too much.
An average read at best.
I didn’t really care for Dixie. At first she seemed sweet and funny but as the story progressed she started to annoy me. She was just too naïve, too clumsy, too ditzy. Cesar was okay but I really couldn’t understand why he was even interested in Dixie (besides lusting for her voluptuous body). I liked Cesar’s godfather Jasper. I thought this book would have been better due to the rave reviews it received. Maybe I expected too much.
An average read at best.
May 8, 2019
Re The Spanish Groom - Lynne Graham's ultimate breakout novel that will set the bar for the most beloved of her heroine and hero types for all her future books.
This one is hands down my favoritist HPlandia outing and I tend to fangirl like a rabid lemming on it.
So forgive me in advance, this is not an unbiased spoilerization and this so is so much an atypcial HP that changed the standards of what an HP could be, it is right at the top of the HP required reading list.
There have been funny HP outings before and there have been martyred h's with a certain winsome charm. There have also been uber alpha lady buffet sampling enigmatic businessmen H's, but LG manages to take those by now ultra worn and maybe a little limp h and H stereotypes and twist them into something remarkable.
Goodhearted, hopelessly naive Dixie is 20 and works for the intimidatingly genius ice man Cesar in his big, hugely successful merchant bank. Dixie got the job when she helped Jasper, Cesar's aging godfather, up from the floor the summer before the book starts.
Jasper was knocked down by some teen aged thugs and Dixie, well used to caring for the fragile and the elderly after nursing her stepmother through a terminal illness for several years until her death, scooped him up and used her limited resources for a soothing cup of tea.
Jasper took a liking to Dixie and tho he usually lives in Spain, he put the thumbscrews to Cesar to give Dixie a job after she explained her financial situation. Dixie has a stepsister named Petra, who is the epitome of scheming HP OW.
Petra took off to travel the world and party, under the guise of a modeling career, and left Dixie at home to care for the Petra's ailing mother. Dixie's own mum died when she was five and her dad remarried shortly after her death. When Dixie's dad passed a year later, her new stepmum let her stay with them and earned Dixie's eternal devotion forever more.
Unfortunately Petra and her mother gave Dixie some self image problems as well, Dixie is 5'2 and packing more curves than Jessica Rabbit, but because Petra and the stepmother were the tall and slender type, Dixie learned to dress in oversized clothing to hide her voluptuousness.
Dixie also never had the chance to attend much of school, she ended up leaving with poor marks at 16 from so much missed attendance because she was caring for her stepmother. Which means Dixie has no job skills suitable for business whatsoever.
All of her knowledge comes from reading books and mostly books from medieval philosophers - which gives her a rare insight into people, but Dixie is definitely a half glass full kinda girl. Dixie and Cesar clash when it comes out that Dixie is in the process of being dunned for a massive amount of debt.
(The debt isn't Dixie's, it is actually Petra's. Dixie shared a bank account with Petra and Petra ran up a load of high priced bills, then skipped the country, taking her own money and Dixie's too in the Great Escape.)
Cesar thinks that Dixie is a slothful gadabout who can't manage her finances. Due to the clientele and the sensitive nature of the banking he does, he won't allow anyone to work there who has an excessive amount of debt. Which is fine with Cesar, cause Dixie, tho very popular and always good for a gab, is hopeless at any type of office work.
But Jasper really likes Dixie and the whole getting Dixie a job with Cesar was a heavy handed attempt at Jasper type matchmaking. Even tho Dixie put her goldfish in the office foyer fountain, Cesar thinks he can force Dixie to play nice by pretending to be his fiance for Jasper. It seems Jasper's health is declining and Cesar will do just about anything to make Jasper happy.
Cesar isn't normally so warm and caring, but Jasper took his nerdy geek self in when he was twelve and his dysfunctional Spanish father and his equally messed up Italian mother both managed to get themselves expired.
Cesar had never know any kindness until Jasper and Cesar will give Jasper what he thinks will make him happy, even if he has to put up with a shameful sloth to do it. To that end, Cesar fires Dixie and then tries to blackmail her.
Dixie is appalled and horrified, she knows Jasper and his ideals a bit better than Cesar does, and she is convinced that any type of dishonesty towards Jasper is going to rebound in a very bad way.
But Cesar is arrogant and certain he knows best.
In a hilarious build up to the big Jasper moment, Cesar and Dixie manage to have a scene with a policeman over curb-crawling, an attempt by Cesar to give Dixie a makeover and make her lose some weight and conflict over the housing of Dixie's goldfish - named Cesar cause he keeps eating the goldfish friends Dixie buys for him and Dixie's rescue dog Spike.
Then Cesar gets a good look at Dixie in her shorty pajama's when the personal trainer Cesar hired puts her on a very restrictive diet and Dixie needs a fix of chocolate cake. What he sees his eyes pop out and sends his Lurve Force Mojo Meter soaring.
Cesar ditches the workouts and orders more chocolate cake, even tho Dixie isn't exactly warming to his alpha manly charm - in fact she thinks he is horrible- Cesar is very confident he can score in all kinds of ways.
There is a hilarious flight out to see Jasper in Spain and a few roofie kisses that give Dixie 'a really creepy' feeling. Cesar also has the disconcerting sensation of being compared to another man and found totally lacking.
Prior to Cesar's fake engagement plan, Dixie was having a fine time mooning over another young man from afar. In reality Scott isn't much more sophisticated than Daisy, but he was cute and used to his mum's looking after him, so Dixie was often found tidying his flat and doing his washing up while entertaining misty romantic fantasies about the 22 yr old car fanatic.
Cesar isn't used to competition and when we all get to Jasper's house in Spain and find out that Jasper is going to need heart pacemaker surgery, but then will be totally fine, Cesar lets his inner Dixie as a centerfold model passions run wild.
Jasper walks in on them while they are having a huge purple passion moment and he is NOT pleased. Cesar is in the doghouse and now he HAS to marry Dixie, instead of the extended engagement and eventual dumping of Dixie he had planned.
Cesar also finds out that Dixie wasn't responsible for the massive debt she has incurred and once he hears about Petra, whom Cesar loathes, a lot of things become much clearer for Cesar. Cesar heads into full on marrying mode, while Dixie is trying to find reasons to delay.
When Petra shows up for the wedding, there are more antics as she makes her interest in Cesar plain. Dixie is used to losing with Petra around, so she downplays the marriage as fake.
But as Cesar and Dixie marry and set out on life together, it is clear that Cesar is hopelessly enthralled and Dixie is unknowingly putting him and his new found emotions on the rack with her scatty ways and hour and a half long telephone conversations with Scott, whom Cesar had sent to New York to get him out of Dixie's range.
In another hilarious moment, Cesar accuses Dixie of being a gold digger on their brief honeymoon and Dixie loudly asserts that she is just using him for sex. Cesar is completely befuddled by Dixie, she doesn't really care about his money and she thinks he is handsome, but also a very self centered person.
Cesar quickly realizes that Dixie's standards are genuine, she truly values kindness and is herself a very kind and genuine person with a remarkable empathy for other people.
Dixie has to deal with her own feelings of jealousy when Cesar has to go back to London and Petra decides to try and gum up the works by insinuating that her and Cesar spent some quality time together.
(As per the HP standard, Cesar's motilator's hit the target the first time running and Dixie had a fight with Cesar in the aftermath of her realizing she is pregnant. Cesar took off alone and therefore Petra's insinuations may not be too far out there.)
Dixie stays behind to look after Jasper during his surgery and hasn't revealed that there is a stork delivery on the way, but Cesar calls her every day and when the time comes for Dixie to return to Cesar's home, her day of reckoning is at hand.
Cesar has also spent enormous time and effort getting to be friends with Dixie's dog Spike, who was abused before being collected up by Dixie and is afraid of men. By this point Cesar is desperate to hold on to Dixie any way he can, so he is totes relieved during a hysterically funny scene when Dixie finally admits that there is a mini Cesar on the way and he tells her she has to give up Scott forever.
Dixie, who can't quite figure out why Scott keeps getting mentioned, is relieved to see that Cesar is intent on making the marriage work. She has been massively in love since the honeymoon at least and just when things seem to be clicking along nicely, Petra shows back up.
In the final climatic scene of the book, Petra comes rushing into Dixie and Cesar's home to throw herself on Dixie's mercy. Dixie assumes that Petra has slept with Cesar and is trying to judge the appropriate course of action.
But Petra admits that she tried it on with Cesar and he slammed her back hard, then she tried to blackmail him by telling Jasper about his and Dixie's so called 'fake marriage' - since he also paid off Petra's debts to save Dixie from court proceedings, Petra is very rightly scared that Dixie is going to cut her off. Dixie may be very kind and understanding about human frailties, but Cesar is NOT and Petra learns first hand about the wrath of Cesar on the warpath.
Dixie realizes that Cesar really does care about her and when Scott calls up to ask Dixie to meet him, Cesar does his manful best to hide his jealousy and insecurity, but Dixie finally confesses she loves him to bits.
Cesar does a very funny admission that he has loved Dixie since the first time they slept together - while apprehensively asserting that he is still the 'cold, critical, inhuman guy she fell madly in love with and he is not going to change.'
Dixie knows better tho, because he tolerates her goldfish, made friends with Spike and is determined to be a brilliant father as he loudly asserts his love for Dixie often, for a truly Rosy Glow True Love Forever HEA.
This is one is a must read and the dynamics between Cesar and Dixie are a lot of fun to watch. It is the ultimate melding of Intellectual Intelligence with Emotional Intelligence and LG makes it works in fabulous style.
There are very few books anywhere, much less in the rarefied world of HPs that are as funny and entertaining as this one and it is well worth the time spent for a really fun and very satisfying HPlandia outing.
This one is hands down my favoritist HPlandia outing and I tend to fangirl like a rabid lemming on it.
So forgive me in advance, this is not an unbiased spoilerization and this so is so much an atypcial HP that changed the standards of what an HP could be, it is right at the top of the HP required reading list.
There have been funny HP outings before and there have been martyred h's with a certain winsome charm. There have also been uber alpha lady buffet sampling enigmatic businessmen H's, but LG manages to take those by now ultra worn and maybe a little limp h and H stereotypes and twist them into something remarkable.
Goodhearted, hopelessly naive Dixie is 20 and works for the intimidatingly genius ice man Cesar in his big, hugely successful merchant bank. Dixie got the job when she helped Jasper, Cesar's aging godfather, up from the floor the summer before the book starts.
Jasper was knocked down by some teen aged thugs and Dixie, well used to caring for the fragile and the elderly after nursing her stepmother through a terminal illness for several years until her death, scooped him up and used her limited resources for a soothing cup of tea.
Jasper took a liking to Dixie and tho he usually lives in Spain, he put the thumbscrews to Cesar to give Dixie a job after she explained her financial situation. Dixie has a stepsister named Petra, who is the epitome of scheming HP OW.
Petra took off to travel the world and party, under the guise of a modeling career, and left Dixie at home to care for the Petra's ailing mother. Dixie's own mum died when she was five and her dad remarried shortly after her death. When Dixie's dad passed a year later, her new stepmum let her stay with them and earned Dixie's eternal devotion forever more.
Unfortunately Petra and her mother gave Dixie some self image problems as well, Dixie is 5'2 and packing more curves than Jessica Rabbit, but because Petra and the stepmother were the tall and slender type, Dixie learned to dress in oversized clothing to hide her voluptuousness.
Dixie also never had the chance to attend much of school, she ended up leaving with poor marks at 16 from so much missed attendance because she was caring for her stepmother. Which means Dixie has no job skills suitable for business whatsoever.
All of her knowledge comes from reading books and mostly books from medieval philosophers - which gives her a rare insight into people, but Dixie is definitely a half glass full kinda girl. Dixie and Cesar clash when it comes out that Dixie is in the process of being dunned for a massive amount of debt.
(The debt isn't Dixie's, it is actually Petra's. Dixie shared a bank account with Petra and Petra ran up a load of high priced bills, then skipped the country, taking her own money and Dixie's too in the Great Escape.)
Cesar thinks that Dixie is a slothful gadabout who can't manage her finances. Due to the clientele and the sensitive nature of the banking he does, he won't allow anyone to work there who has an excessive amount of debt. Which is fine with Cesar, cause Dixie, tho very popular and always good for a gab, is hopeless at any type of office work.
But Jasper really likes Dixie and the whole getting Dixie a job with Cesar was a heavy handed attempt at Jasper type matchmaking. Even tho Dixie put her goldfish in the office foyer fountain, Cesar thinks he can force Dixie to play nice by pretending to be his fiance for Jasper. It seems Jasper's health is declining and Cesar will do just about anything to make Jasper happy.
Cesar isn't normally so warm and caring, but Jasper took his nerdy geek self in when he was twelve and his dysfunctional Spanish father and his equally messed up Italian mother both managed to get themselves expired.
Cesar had never know any kindness until Jasper and Cesar will give Jasper what he thinks will make him happy, even if he has to put up with a shameful sloth to do it. To that end, Cesar fires Dixie and then tries to blackmail her.
Dixie is appalled and horrified, she knows Jasper and his ideals a bit better than Cesar does, and she is convinced that any type of dishonesty towards Jasper is going to rebound in a very bad way.
But Cesar is arrogant and certain he knows best.
In a hilarious build up to the big Jasper moment, Cesar and Dixie manage to have a scene with a policeman over curb-crawling, an attempt by Cesar to give Dixie a makeover and make her lose some weight and conflict over the housing of Dixie's goldfish - named Cesar cause he keeps eating the goldfish friends Dixie buys for him and Dixie's rescue dog Spike.
Then Cesar gets a good look at Dixie in her shorty pajama's when the personal trainer Cesar hired puts her on a very restrictive diet and Dixie needs a fix of chocolate cake. What he sees his eyes pop out and sends his Lurve Force Mojo Meter soaring.
Cesar ditches the workouts and orders more chocolate cake, even tho Dixie isn't exactly warming to his alpha manly charm - in fact she thinks he is horrible- Cesar is very confident he can score in all kinds of ways.
There is a hilarious flight out to see Jasper in Spain and a few roofie kisses that give Dixie 'a really creepy' feeling. Cesar also has the disconcerting sensation of being compared to another man and found totally lacking.
Prior to Cesar's fake engagement plan, Dixie was having a fine time mooning over another young man from afar. In reality Scott isn't much more sophisticated than Daisy, but he was cute and used to his mum's looking after him, so Dixie was often found tidying his flat and doing his washing up while entertaining misty romantic fantasies about the 22 yr old car fanatic.
Cesar isn't used to competition and when we all get to Jasper's house in Spain and find out that Jasper is going to need heart pacemaker surgery, but then will be totally fine, Cesar lets his inner Dixie as a centerfold model passions run wild.
Jasper walks in on them while they are having a huge purple passion moment and he is NOT pleased. Cesar is in the doghouse and now he HAS to marry Dixie, instead of the extended engagement and eventual dumping of Dixie he had planned.
Cesar also finds out that Dixie wasn't responsible for the massive debt she has incurred and once he hears about Petra, whom Cesar loathes, a lot of things become much clearer for Cesar. Cesar heads into full on marrying mode, while Dixie is trying to find reasons to delay.
When Petra shows up for the wedding, there are more antics as she makes her interest in Cesar plain. Dixie is used to losing with Petra around, so she downplays the marriage as fake.
But as Cesar and Dixie marry and set out on life together, it is clear that Cesar is hopelessly enthralled and Dixie is unknowingly putting him and his new found emotions on the rack with her scatty ways and hour and a half long telephone conversations with Scott, whom Cesar had sent to New York to get him out of Dixie's range.
In another hilarious moment, Cesar accuses Dixie of being a gold digger on their brief honeymoon and Dixie loudly asserts that she is just using him for sex. Cesar is completely befuddled by Dixie, she doesn't really care about his money and she thinks he is handsome, but also a very self centered person.
Cesar quickly realizes that Dixie's standards are genuine, she truly values kindness and is herself a very kind and genuine person with a remarkable empathy for other people.
Dixie has to deal with her own feelings of jealousy when Cesar has to go back to London and Petra decides to try and gum up the works by insinuating that her and Cesar spent some quality time together.
(As per the HP standard, Cesar's motilator's hit the target the first time running and Dixie had a fight with Cesar in the aftermath of her realizing she is pregnant. Cesar took off alone and therefore Petra's insinuations may not be too far out there.)
Dixie stays behind to look after Jasper during his surgery and hasn't revealed that there is a stork delivery on the way, but Cesar calls her every day and when the time comes for Dixie to return to Cesar's home, her day of reckoning is at hand.
Cesar has also spent enormous time and effort getting to be friends with Dixie's dog Spike, who was abused before being collected up by Dixie and is afraid of men. By this point Cesar is desperate to hold on to Dixie any way he can, so he is totes relieved during a hysterically funny scene when Dixie finally admits that there is a mini Cesar on the way and he tells her she has to give up Scott forever.
Dixie, who can't quite figure out why Scott keeps getting mentioned, is relieved to see that Cesar is intent on making the marriage work. She has been massively in love since the honeymoon at least and just when things seem to be clicking along nicely, Petra shows back up.
In the final climatic scene of the book, Petra comes rushing into Dixie and Cesar's home to throw herself on Dixie's mercy. Dixie assumes that Petra has slept with Cesar and is trying to judge the appropriate course of action.
But Petra admits that she tried it on with Cesar and he slammed her back hard, then she tried to blackmail him by telling Jasper about his and Dixie's so called 'fake marriage' - since he also paid off Petra's debts to save Dixie from court proceedings, Petra is very rightly scared that Dixie is going to cut her off. Dixie may be very kind and understanding about human frailties, but Cesar is NOT and Petra learns first hand about the wrath of Cesar on the warpath.
Dixie realizes that Cesar really does care about her and when Scott calls up to ask Dixie to meet him, Cesar does his manful best to hide his jealousy and insecurity, but Dixie finally confesses she loves him to bits.
Cesar does a very funny admission that he has loved Dixie since the first time they slept together - while apprehensively asserting that he is still the 'cold, critical, inhuman guy she fell madly in love with and he is not going to change.'
Dixie knows better tho, because he tolerates her goldfish, made friends with Spike and is determined to be a brilliant father as he loudly asserts his love for Dixie often, for a truly Rosy Glow True Love Forever HEA.
This is one is a must read and the dynamics between Cesar and Dixie are a lot of fun to watch. It is the ultimate melding of Intellectual Intelligence with Emotional Intelligence and LG makes it works in fabulous style.
There are very few books anywhere, much less in the rarefied world of HPs that are as funny and entertaining as this one and it is well worth the time spent for a really fun and very satisfying HPlandia outing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 11, 2021
Okay, I know some people found the heroine annoying, but how can you not like a heroine who names her cannabilistic fish after the hero?
This little gem has many of the tropes we all love and hate in a Harlequin, but it has the nice twist of a bamboozled and very confused alpha hero taken down by an adorkable heroine.
P.S.
The heroine is amazingly good at popping the bubble of his Alpha HP arrogance. I think my favorite line is when the heroine tells the hero after he kisses her,
Unexpectedly, Dixie turned back to face him, a sunny smile of anticipation slowly curving her reddened mouth. 'You don't understand. If you can make me feel like that, I can hardly wait to find out how Scott can make me feel!'
The silence refused to break. Indeed, the silence sat there like a huge brick wall barrier. Cesar stared steadily back at her, dark eyes black as a stormy night, not a revealing muscle moving on his strong dark features.
As the tension crackled sky-high, Dixie frowned in bewilderment. 'I just wanted to reassure you that I wasn't being silly and feeling attracted to you or anything like that... I mean I just couldn't be attracted to you...you're so...' She faltered to a halt in the pin-dropping quiet greeting that impulsive explanation.
This little gem has many of the tropes we all love and hate in a Harlequin, but it has the nice twist of a bamboozled and very confused alpha hero taken down by an adorkable heroine.
P.S.
The heroine is amazingly good at popping the bubble of his Alpha HP arrogance. I think my favorite line is when the heroine tells the hero after he kisses her,
Unexpectedly, Dixie turned back to face him, a sunny smile of anticipation slowly curving her reddened mouth. 'You don't understand. If you can make me feel like that, I can hardly wait to find out how Scott can make me feel!'
The silence refused to break. Indeed, the silence sat there like a huge brick wall barrier. Cesar stared steadily back at her, dark eyes black as a stormy night, not a revealing muscle moving on his strong dark features.
As the tension crackled sky-high, Dixie frowned in bewilderment. 'I just wanted to reassure you that I wasn't being silly and feeling attracted to you or anything like that... I mean I just couldn't be attracted to you...you're so...' She faltered to a halt in the pin-dropping quiet greeting that impulsive explanation.
January 30, 2021
Re-read May 21, 2018
Still the perfect comfort read! I was struck this time by the masterful evolution of the hero's character. He was so jealous of hapless Scott. LOL
The scene with the personal trainer alone is worth reading the book. The heroine is lovable and the hero is totally thrown off his game. If I ever have a goldfish, I'll know what to name it.
Still the perfect comfort read! I was struck this time by the masterful evolution of the hero's character. He was so jealous of hapless Scott. LOL
The scene with the personal trainer alone is worth reading the book. The heroine is lovable and the hero is totally thrown off his game. If I ever have a goldfish, I'll know what to name it.
November 16, 2016
I loved this book. Wow That scene in the gym and the one caught eating a midnight snack was epic!!!
I felt it and it was very intense.
I loved the hero even if he got it wrong at first.
He more than makes up for it.
Love Lynne Graham!
This was is a keeper.
I felt it and it was very intense.
I loved the hero even if he got it wrong at first.
He more than makes up for it.
Love Lynne Graham!
This was is a keeper.
November 11, 2017
Review of book read years ago.
Dixie, Dixie Dixie. LOL. This girl has got to be the absolute funniest heroine ever written by Lynne Graham. There was so much comedy in this novel. Dixie has the biggest heart ever. She genuinely cares about people and is a sweetheart. Cesar meanwhile is a stuffy but sexy rich tycoon who thinks Dixie is drab plain and plump because she dresses in extremely baggy and ill fitting clothes. It was so funny to read his reaction to her unveiling, when he saw that Dixie was not fat or plain. I wish Lynne Graham would try her hand at writing a bit of comedy in her romance again. I will never forget the fish Dixie named after Cesar. I only wished Dixie's annoying stepsister would have been arrested for fraud. That would have been perfect. Unfortunately, Lynne G never really lets her bitchy villains get their just desserts.
Dixie, Dixie Dixie. LOL. This girl has got to be the absolute funniest heroine ever written by Lynne Graham. There was so much comedy in this novel. Dixie has the biggest heart ever. She genuinely cares about people and is a sweetheart. Cesar meanwhile is a stuffy but sexy rich tycoon who thinks Dixie is drab plain and plump because she dresses in extremely baggy and ill fitting clothes. It was so funny to read his reaction to her unveiling, when he saw that Dixie was not fat or plain. I wish Lynne Graham would try her hand at writing a bit of comedy in her romance again. I will never forget the fish Dixie named after Cesar. I only wished Dixie's annoying stepsister would have been arrested for fraud. That would have been perfect. Unfortunately, Lynne G never really lets her bitchy villains get their just desserts.
June 1, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ four stars -
Torn between a three and four stars for this one - the latest in my current vintage Harlequin read-fest - but this is landing at a four due to the fact that I read the last four to six pages of this book with a BIG SMILE on my face!
I wasn’t even going to write a review for this one, because up to the point where a small smile started, I was annoyed with the heroine lol. Then Graham worked her magic and just wrapped it all up in a nice little bow, and I was 100% on board with the feel-good romance. What’s not to love about love?? 💕 I finished out this book with happiness in my heart; how could I ask for anything else?
I’m keeping this review short; so here’s my review in a nutshell: if you’re looking for a quick, well-written, easy-to-read romance, then this is your book. This is another HQ I read at night in lieu of watching television 📖📚
I am finding that I can relate quite well to Graham’s heroines. They are often hard-working young women (although that part has passed me by haha) with adorable pets in tow. The Heroes here are strong, yet softies at heart. Graham tends to go with the trope where a hard-hearted man is changed by the love of a good woman - more of that, please, and thank you ❤️
Overall, a good read, not quite as good as “The Italian’s Inexperienced Mistress (that title 😂) 👉 my review for that solid four star read is here 👉 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... 👈 but would still recommend “Spanish Groom” to my fellow romance readers.
Enjoy and smile away. Four stars. 😊😊😊😊
Torn between a three and four stars for this one - the latest in my current vintage Harlequin read-fest - but this is landing at a four due to the fact that I read the last four to six pages of this book with a BIG SMILE on my face!
I wasn’t even going to write a review for this one, because up to the point where a small smile started, I was annoyed with the heroine lol. Then Graham worked her magic and just wrapped it all up in a nice little bow, and I was 100% on board with the feel-good romance. What’s not to love about love?? 💕 I finished out this book with happiness in my heart; how could I ask for anything else?
I’m keeping this review short; so here’s my review in a nutshell: if you’re looking for a quick, well-written, easy-to-read romance, then this is your book. This is another HQ I read at night in lieu of watching television 📖📚
I am finding that I can relate quite well to Graham’s heroines. They are often hard-working young women (although that part has passed me by haha) with adorable pets in tow. The Heroes here are strong, yet softies at heart. Graham tends to go with the trope where a hard-hearted man is changed by the love of a good woman - more of that, please, and thank you ❤️
Overall, a good read, not quite as good as “The Italian’s Inexperienced Mistress (that title 😂) 👉 my review for that solid four star read is here 👉 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... 👈 but would still recommend “Spanish Groom” to my fellow romance readers.
Enjoy and smile away. Four stars. 😊😊😊😊
August 20, 2012
I just loved Dixie....and Cesar became very endearing. At first, I was scratching my head, but quickly got into the screwball antics of the two. This was very well done and I understand why it has held up as one of the all time classics.
July 25, 2014
A 3 is not a bad rating. I know some people think it is. It means 'I liked it', which I did. I can also completely understand why it is a favorite among many. This is totally a matter of personal preference. I prefer my HPs to be more of a crazy OTT trainwreck or to have lots of angst (or both). That's why I seek them out and Graham has been known to write some good and angsty hot messes (see Tempestuous Reunion).
This book was good too. It kept me engaged and the heroine was definitely entertaining. I was amused by her, because I'm more like the hero in that I am reserved and 'in my own head' a lot. Super warm extroverts who always act on emotion and say whatever pops into their head - like Dixie - baffle the living heck out of me. I could totally identify with his discomfort. However, I tend to end up with friends who share those trait with Dixie and love them dearly - which proves the opposites attract theory has some merit.
This book was good too. It kept me engaged and the heroine was definitely entertaining. I was amused by her, because I'm more like the hero in that I am reserved and 'in my own head' a lot. Super warm extroverts who always act on emotion and say whatever pops into their head - like Dixie - baffle the living heck out of me. I could totally identify with his discomfort. However, I tend to end up with friends who share those trait with Dixie and love them dearly - which proves the opposites attract theory has some merit.
April 16, 2021
This is a charming love story of a young woman who finds herself swept up into a fake engagement with a boss she'd always found a bit of a brute. Hero is in lust and she starts developing feelings for him too even though she thinks she is in love with someone else.
Vintage romance, beautiful humor, loved it.
Vintage romance, beautiful humor, loved it.
July 15, 2019
I pretty much detested this entire story. The heroine was absolutely the dumbest heroine I have ever read. I think this author intended this heroine's brainlessness to be endearing, but I could totally relate to the hero's irritation and disgust with her. This hero was one of the most hateful dicks I have ever read. He wasn't just rude, he was unnecessarily mean just for the fun of it. I hated everything about him. That's really saying something from a lover of asshole heroes like me.
December 9, 2015
Cesar is a brilliant and calculating businessman who owns a bank. The only person he loves is his godfather Jasper, the compassionate, old-fashioned scholar who raised him. When he learns that Jasper is dying, Cesar panics, realizing that he has yet to fulfill Jasper's fond hopes of him settling down with a wife. Dixie works for Cesar, having been given a position at the bank on Jasper's request. When Cesar learns of her debts, he fires her, but convinces her to pretend to be his fiance for a few weeks, in exchange for paying off all her bills. The bills actually belong to Dixie's older stepsister, but Dixie doesn't admit to that and is originally opposed to Cesar's scheme. When she agrees, Cesar takes over her life, but discovers that she's a bombshell under her frumpy clothes and that he can't get enough of her quirky personality.
This was a great, great read. Cesar was aggressive and ruthless, but not the hateful, manipulative, disrespectful hero Graham usually writes. He falls for Dixie and does his best to win her over, but he can never admit his feelings straight out. I loved Dixie's treatment of him. As attracted as she was to him, she never let him jerk her around or insult her the way usually happens in Graham's books. Her naming her cannibalistic goldfish after Cesar cracked me up. She and Cesar had the best personalities and love story of any of the Graham books I've read.
This was a great, great read. Cesar was aggressive and ruthless, but not the hateful, manipulative, disrespectful hero Graham usually writes. He falls for Dixie and does his best to win her over, but he can never admit his feelings straight out. I loved Dixie's treatment of him. As attracted as she was to him, she never let him jerk her around or insult her the way usually happens in Graham's books. Her naming her cannibalistic goldfish after Cesar cracked me up. She and Cesar had the best personalities and love story of any of the Graham books I've read.
July 24, 2017
One of the most charming HP books ever! Even with the plethora of misunderstandings (yes, I just used the word plethora in a Harlequin review), this book is fantastic. The heroine is so adorable and the hero doesn't stand a chance.
Bonus: cute dog AND hilarious goldfish storyline
LOVE THIS BOOK!
Bonus: cute dog AND hilarious goldfish storyline
LOVE THIS BOOK!
February 3, 2022
A wonderful old-fashioned romance. My first Harlequin. It kind of reminds me of Susan Elizabeth Phillips and Ruth Wind novels. Highly recommended.
July 10, 2018
Nothing new to add to reviews by StMargarets, Vintage, Sruthi, Ivy H, Chantal and Brenda
Just wanted to comment on a couple of things:
- Spanish father and Italian mother equal to childhood destroyed. Ask Luis Miguel.
- Her clumsiness aside, I didn't like her at work. I loved her starting her role as the fake fiancée.
Just wanted to comment on a couple of things:
- Spanish father and Italian mother equal to childhood destroyed. Ask Luis Miguel.
- Her clumsiness aside, I didn't like her at work. I loved her starting her role as the fake fiancée.
January 7, 2018
Really cute heroine.
April 4, 2020
Finally..my dearest ladies and gentlemen.!I have now read this book i so desperately have looking forward to read since three years ago when i saw the beautiful cover of this book.
Of this AMAZING,passionately,sensually,funny and charming love-story between the cold-blooded and ruthless Silver-Eyed devil of a Mediterian Tyccon Cesar Valverde and the extremely bright and Charming Curvy of a worthy heroine Dixie Robinson.
OH MY GOD..their chemistry was was..was SO INCREDIBLE EPIC!
Just WOW dear Lynne Graham.I have read many books by her,but my favourites always had been "Bond of Hatred" and "Veranchetti Marriage"...but "The Spanish Groom" deserves more than 5-stars,it deserves 100 or even 1000 stars.Wonderfully shining stars!
Cesare and Dixie shone exactly like that.There are no instalove in this one like in many other of Grahams books.While the chemistry are there,simmering and electrifying...the passion threatens to explode when they get to know each other..and the love powerfully blossoms,and BY GOD HOW I JUST LOVE IT!
Dixie are DEFENETILY my NUMBER ONE favourite heroine of Graham,and one of my favourites in hplandia.She really shone through the story,and by god how charming and funny she was.So goodhearted and really strived to think the best of all people she met.It somehow pained me that she had a crush on the OM in the start and openly implied of her love to OM to the Hero,and even i felt the pained shuttering reaction that this Hero felt.But i forgave her for it cuz she was so naive and unaware of his feelings.I just found her so adorable and i just laughed out many times of her clumsyness,and that she had named her goldfish Cesare was SO UTTERLY ADORABLE!
Cesare Valverde-what a intruging and devilishly predator he was.Cesare are totally one of my favourite heroes EVER!!!!Just fell in love with him on sight..he was just SWOON!It is really understandable how he completely and madly fell in love with his heroine.The journey was so beautiful.His facsionation of her gentle and bright nature,so unlike his..her beauty and that she was the only one who ever stood up against him.He hated when she ignored him,he hated when she mentioned her love to the OM to the whole world.He needed and craved her affection,her attention..and it is so clear when he finally realizes that he has fallen in love with her.HE WAS SO WONDERFUL!OMG HOW I LOVE HIM TOGETHER WITH DIXIE!He believed her when she explained the misunderstanding and he openly showed his disgust towards the OW,his utterly attention was towards his beloved Dixie..just..just..OH..!
5 BIG GREAT SHINING STARS is what this beautiful Romantic book deserves.I will never forget "Spanish Groom" and will certainly 100% re-read this book in the future.Cesare and Dixie`s love-story are just A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.I recommend it to all Romance-Lovers.!
Of this AMAZING,passionately,sensually,funny and charming love-story between the cold-blooded and ruthless Silver-Eyed devil of a Mediterian Tyccon Cesar Valverde and the extremely bright and Charming Curvy of a worthy heroine Dixie Robinson.
OH MY GOD..their chemistry was was..was SO INCREDIBLE EPIC!
Just WOW dear Lynne Graham.I have read many books by her,but my favourites always had been "Bond of Hatred" and "Veranchetti Marriage"...but "The Spanish Groom" deserves more than 5-stars,it deserves 100 or even 1000 stars.Wonderfully shining stars!
Cesare and Dixie shone exactly like that.There are no instalove in this one like in many other of Grahams books.While the chemistry are there,simmering and electrifying...the passion threatens to explode when they get to know each other..and the love powerfully blossoms,and BY GOD HOW I JUST LOVE IT!
Dixie are DEFENETILY my NUMBER ONE favourite heroine of Graham,and one of my favourites in hplandia.She really shone through the story,and by god how charming and funny she was.So goodhearted and really strived to think the best of all people she met.It somehow pained me that she had a crush on the OM in the start and openly implied of her love to OM to the Hero,and even i felt the pained shuttering reaction that this Hero felt.But i forgave her for it cuz she was so naive and unaware of his feelings.I just found her so adorable and i just laughed out many times of her clumsyness,and that she had named her goldfish Cesare was SO UTTERLY ADORABLE!
Cesare Valverde-what a intruging and devilishly predator he was.Cesare are totally one of my favourite heroes EVER!!!!Just fell in love with him on sight..he was just SWOON!It is really understandable how he completely and madly fell in love with his heroine.The journey was so beautiful.His facsionation of her gentle and bright nature,so unlike his..her beauty and that she was the only one who ever stood up against him.He hated when she ignored him,he hated when she mentioned her love to the OM to the whole world.He needed and craved her affection,her attention..and it is so clear when he finally realizes that he has fallen in love with her.HE WAS SO WONDERFUL!OMG HOW I LOVE HIM TOGETHER WITH DIXIE!He believed her when she explained the misunderstanding and he openly showed his disgust towards the OW,his utterly attention was towards his beloved Dixie..just..just..OH..!
5 BIG GREAT SHINING STARS is what this beautiful Romantic book deserves.I will never forget "Spanish Groom" and will certainly 100% re-read this book in the future.Cesare and Dixie`s love-story are just A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.I recommend it to all Romance-Lovers.!
July 3, 2010
I really liked this one. I enjoyed the way the heroine seemed to continually fluster the hero. She was not your usual doormat heroine but was cute and funny. And he was not an ass to her all the time. A very nice story and worth reading.
October 9, 2016
BEST HP EVER .
I LOVE THIS SOO SOO MUCH ( You feel my excitement right ? ) This has to be the best Harlequin ever . This is not exactly like a review , I am just in awe , this book is a keeper .
Dixie , sweetheart , naive and timid girl who is already in love with her ruthless boss Cesar in her subconscious mind even before she actually saw him in his eyes . Somehow he manipulates her to be his fiancee just to give some peace of mind for his dying god father Jasper . Jasper loves Dixie lik his own daughter . Andthey get engaged , end up being married .
I loved all their conversations , Cesar is quite witty but very clever and Dixie is as innocent as a child . Lmao she compares him with choco-lava-cake , for her food is everything . And guess what ? He makes her go on a diet . Thoroughly enjoyed reading that part . That one part is more than enough to make you fall in love with the protagonists .
It has some beautiful scenes , 1.Dixie is afraid of plane , 2.She gets excited about her first flight like a lil child , 3.Cesar Shhh's her with a kiss ( how romantic ;) ) 4.The way she comforts him after Jasper's illness . 5.Their Romantic honeymoon , 6.The scene with policeman , 7.He hurts himself of course jealousy you know . 8.I loved how Caser starts bonding with spike inorder to impress Dixie , 9.Also the scene when he finds out that she is slim in the fridge light , hehe
And much moree ...
I wish there was an epilogue though ...nevertheless , best HP , goes straight into my favourites . Also If I ever have a gold fish , I know what to name it .
I LOVE THIS SOO SOO MUCH ( You feel my excitement right ? ) This has to be the best Harlequin ever . This is not exactly like a review , I am just in awe , this book is a keeper .
Dixie , sweetheart , naive and timid girl who is already in love with her ruthless boss Cesar in her subconscious mind even before she actually saw him in his eyes . Somehow he manipulates her to be his fiancee just to give some peace of mind for his dying god father Jasper . Jasper loves Dixie lik his own daughter . Andthey get engaged , end up being married .
I loved all their conversations , Cesar is quite witty but very clever and Dixie is as innocent as a child . Lmao she compares him with choco-lava-cake , for her food is everything . And guess what ? He makes her go on a diet . Thoroughly enjoyed reading that part . That one part is more than enough to make you fall in love with the protagonists .
It has some beautiful scenes , 1.Dixie is afraid of plane , 2.She gets excited about her first flight like a lil child , 3.Cesar Shhh's her with a kiss ( how romantic ;) ) 4.The way she comforts him after Jasper's illness . 5.Their Romantic honeymoon , 6.The scene with policeman , 7.He hurts himself of course jealousy you know . 8.I loved how Caser starts bonding with spike inorder to impress Dixie , 9.Also the scene when he finds out that she is slim in the fridge light , hehe
And much moree ...
I wish there was an epilogue though ...nevertheless , best HP , goes straight into my favourites . Also If I ever have a gold fish , I know what to name it .
June 9, 2012
I feel a bit uncertain here, because this book had flying colours and instead for me it did nothing.
Probably not my cup of tea, I disliked the heroine, really TSTL for me, one of the big doormat I ever read... she would have everyone and her postman walk over her and in the end she would have thanked them, too!
No. Too much saint and naive, I cannot believe she never thought about contraception even after having sex... nobody could be so naive!!!
I tried to justify it because it's an oldie, but it has been written in 1999, we were already talking about AIDS!
OK, I feel sad, but this is a big NO for me!
Probably not my cup of tea, I disliked the heroine, really TSTL for me, one of the big doormat I ever read... she would have everyone and her postman walk over her and in the end she would have thanked them, too!
No. Too much saint and naive, I cannot believe she never thought about contraception even after having sex... nobody could be so naive!!!
I tried to justify it because it's an oldie, but it has been written in 1999, we were already talking about AIDS!
OK, I feel sad, but this is a big NO for me!
January 19, 2015
I usually really like Lynn Graham but I absolutely hated the heroine, Dixie. She was an idiot like few I've ever read about before. I couldn't see the sweetness others talked about in their reviews. I saw stupidity on an unbelievable scale. She even continued with her infatuation with another man even after she was pregnant with the hero's baby! Im used to stong educated women like Olivia Gates always writes about. I can't believe the only person I liked in the book was Cesar, the hero.
August 30, 2019
Re-read!
One of the silliest heroines of LG but she was very sweet and I'm in love with Cesar. ❤️
One of the silliest heroines of LG but she was very sweet and I'm in love with Cesar. ❤️
January 11, 2013
4.5 stars.
Really fun to read; it is unlike many other romance books. It's funny, heart warming, charming and romantic. There were parts that made me laugh out loud.
Really fun to read; it is unlike many other romance books. It's funny, heart warming, charming and romantic. There were parts that made me laugh out loud.
February 25, 2017
Okay so throwaway little Harlequin novels are my guilty pleasure and I read a LOT of them, especially the older ones. This one, I've just decided on the second read-through, is actually my favorite!
At first you think it's the typical setup with the poor broke girl and the impossibly handsome rich guy, and well yes, it is. Dixie is broke, poor, and sadly inept at her job. Cesar is crazy handsome, very rich, head honcho at the company, etc. I realized this one was different as soon as it became clear that Dixie is actually inept! So many of these cookie cutter scenarios have the heroine supposed to be competent and smart even as she makes stupid judgments and assumptions, but Dixie is clearly ditzy, fluff-brained, and yet so sweet. I appreciated how she did not fall into the common pattern of being rude and nasty to the hero. I can understand why other reviewers say she is TSTL, but I didn't think so at all. I mean she is TSTL in a real-life sense because she always believes the best of people and trusts them even when she is fully aware of their shortcomings, but I admire that quality. I much preferred her open, honest, and genuine sweetness over other heroines who are supposedly nice but all you ever see is them sniping, accusing, and pushing the hero away. Nope, Dixie was genuinely nice to Cesar, and even when she was upset she was never unreasonable.
I loved Cesar and Dixie's relationship. The image of this sweet but air-headed girl absent-mindedly bumbling along making friends with everybody she meets, and this uptight, calculating, cold-blooded man straightening her up, moving obstacles out of her path, and watching over her with a jealous eye... I was charmed.
The second time I read the story, I realized more how unusual it really is. First of all, it's surprisingly funny. The first time Dixie and Cesar take a good look at each other and she gets her first taste of sexual attraction, Dixie is like, "Whoa, I just got a really creepy feeling." Out loud. To Cesar's face. I love her.
Dixie gets a letter from Scott, whom she's been in love with forever and whom Cesar sent to a new job post in New York: "He's never written me before, Cesar! ...Oh no!"
"He's dead?"
"Don't be silly, Cesar."
"New York wasn't far enough."
"But he's actually given me his phone number over there! Imagine that!"
"The computer's using every line in the house at the minute. And it costs a fortune to ring New York."
"You're right. And then there's the time difference." Dixie looks to Cesar for clarification.
"Time differences confuse the hell out of me. You'd have to look it up... haven't a clue where."
It was refreshing to have Cesar's feelings and schemes be semi-obvious fairly early on. Usually Harlequins have the hero's feelings be much more ambiguous until the last two pages or so. The story did have the usual little plot devices and twists: the fake marriage, the terminally ill relative, the evil Other Woman, etc., but I was happy to find that it avoided totally exploiting the Other Woman trope. It was nice to have a supposedly bad character not turn out so cheaply throwaway evil, and Dixie's seemingly-naive faith in people felt more real for it.
When all's said and done it's still just a short, quick snack-book type of novel and not a grand epic or anything. Still, I enjoyed it way more than I expected to and I remembered it well enough to come searching for a second read. Surprised to find some negative reviews because for what it is, this story is uniquely charming with unexpected humor and an adorable heroine.
At first you think it's the typical setup with the poor broke girl and the impossibly handsome rich guy, and well yes, it is. Dixie is broke, poor, and sadly inept at her job. Cesar is crazy handsome, very rich, head honcho at the company, etc. I realized this one was different as soon as it became clear that Dixie is actually inept! So many of these cookie cutter scenarios have the heroine supposed to be competent and smart even as she makes stupid judgments and assumptions, but Dixie is clearly ditzy, fluff-brained, and yet so sweet. I appreciated how she did not fall into the common pattern of being rude and nasty to the hero. I can understand why other reviewers say she is TSTL, but I didn't think so at all. I mean she is TSTL in a real-life sense because she always believes the best of people and trusts them even when she is fully aware of their shortcomings, but I admire that quality. I much preferred her open, honest, and genuine sweetness over other heroines who are supposedly nice but all you ever see is them sniping, accusing, and pushing the hero away. Nope, Dixie was genuinely nice to Cesar, and even when she was upset she was never unreasonable.
I loved Cesar and Dixie's relationship. The image of this sweet but air-headed girl absent-mindedly bumbling along making friends with everybody she meets, and this uptight, calculating, cold-blooded man straightening her up, moving obstacles out of her path, and watching over her with a jealous eye... I was charmed.
The second time I read the story, I realized more how unusual it really is. First of all, it's surprisingly funny. The first time Dixie and Cesar take a good look at each other and she gets her first taste of sexual attraction, Dixie is like, "Whoa, I just got a really creepy feeling." Out loud. To Cesar's face. I love her.
Dixie gets a letter from Scott, whom she's been in love with forever and whom Cesar sent to a new job post in New York: "He's never written me before, Cesar! ...Oh no!"
"He's dead?"
"Don't be silly, Cesar."
"New York wasn't far enough."
"But he's actually given me his phone number over there! Imagine that!"
"The computer's using every line in the house at the minute. And it costs a fortune to ring New York."
"You're right. And then there's the time difference." Dixie looks to Cesar for clarification.
"Time differences confuse the hell out of me. You'd have to look it up... haven't a clue where."
It was refreshing to have Cesar's feelings and schemes be semi-obvious fairly early on. Usually Harlequins have the hero's feelings be much more ambiguous until the last two pages or so. The story did have the usual little plot devices and twists: the fake marriage, the terminally ill relative, the evil Other Woman, etc., but I was happy to find that it avoided totally exploiting the Other Woman trope. It was nice to have a supposedly bad character not turn out so cheaply throwaway evil, and Dixie's seemingly-naive faith in people felt more real for it.
When all's said and done it's still just a short, quick snack-book type of novel and not a grand epic or anything. Still, I enjoyed it way more than I expected to and I remembered it well enough to come searching for a second read. Surprised to find some negative reviews because for what it is, this story is uniquely charming with unexpected humor and an adorable heroine.
September 6, 2021
Most of my friends either loved or hated this one, and I think it’s really going to boil down to Dixie. She’s A LOT. I searched the internet for an example, and THIS was the best I could do, so if you have zero patience for Chrissy Snow… I’d skip. If this link doesn’t work, she’s basically like Phoebe from Friends times 100. I fell somewhere in the middle, I played along for a while, but grew weary when her stupid continued on with the relationship.
Bottom Line- I thought it was ok. I could tolerate Dixie until she was sabotaging her relationship then sad when they had issues. I think what bothered me the most was how she let her awful step-sis walk all over her, and still looked out for her. Even dumdums should be able to stick up to their sis. 😊 It was still entertaining, and silly in a good way, so give it a shot.
Bottom Line- I thought it was ok. I could tolerate Dixie until she was sabotaging her relationship then sad when they had issues. I think what bothered me the most was how she let her awful step-sis walk all over her, and still looked out for her. Even dumdums should be able to stick up to their sis. 😊 It was still entertaining, and silly in a good way, so give it a shot.
September 11, 2010
Simply outstanding! I swear to God, this must be the absolute best Harlequin that I've ever read. I treasured every moment I spent reading it.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
November 17, 2019
When Cesar Valverde’s godfather’s health worsens, he his is determined to keep him happy – and that means marriage! Dixie Robinson tries to avoid her boss, as much as possible, but Cesar always seems to catch her doing something he disapprovals off, whether it be: taking a little nap, or icing a birthday cake in the staff kitchens. For Cesar, Dixie is too emotional and chaotic, nothing like the women he desires, but as he spends time with her and of course sees the gorgeous figure she hides underneath baggy clothing, he finds himself unable to look or keep away. There are long moments, especially early on, where he is an absolute ass, needing a good set down.
2.75 stars, whilst I was mostly entertained (some skim reading occurred), I couldn’t force myself to give this 3 (low) stars, the primary reasons being; the heroine was a tad too Pollyanna for me, the way in which she reacted to her step-sister’s antics too zen. Although I did like the fact she was more aware of what people (including her step-sister) were like, than people gave her credit for her – but her reactions at times, felt like she had been doused in a concoction of vomit inducing rainbows and sunshine, her real reactions buried behind a level of optimism and kindness that was giving me a tooth ache… and I like sweet! Plus, her step-sister was a fool, and the thing with Scott a extra strand that didn’t do much of anything.
Now off to locate another mills and boon read.
2.75 stars, whilst I was mostly entertained (some skim reading occurred), I couldn’t force myself to give this 3 (low) stars, the primary reasons being; the heroine was a tad too Pollyanna for me, the way in which she reacted to her step-sister’s antics too zen. Although I did like the fact she was more aware of what people (including her step-sister) were like, than people gave her credit for her – but her reactions at times, felt like she had been doused in a concoction of vomit inducing rainbows and sunshine, her real reactions buried behind a level of optimism and kindness that was giving me a tooth ache… and I like sweet! Plus, her step-sister was a fool, and the thing with Scott a extra strand that didn’t do much of anything.
Now off to locate another mills and boon read.
July 29, 2020
Dixie Robinson has never been good at anything. She's clumsy, far too trusting and couldn't keep a job if her life depended on it. The one thing she's done right is to befriend an elderly man and keep him from being lonely. She'll do anything for Jasper, especially when he falls ill--except marry his godson. After all, Cesar Valverde doesn't even like her. But as Jasper is rushed to the operating room, Dixie is rushed to the altar. Before she knows it, for Jasper's sake, she's saying "I do." Is this yet another mistake, or the smartest thing Dixie has ever done?
I love this book I remember reading it a long time ago I still have my Lynn Graham books that I have kept and collect. Good read. It's her typical male and female characters.
I love this book I remember reading it a long time ago I still have my Lynn Graham books that I have kept and collect. Good read. It's her typical male and female characters.
January 20, 2018
Rating : ★ ★ ★ ★
Lead Male Character : Cesar ★ ★ ★ ★
Lead Female Character : Dixie ★ ★ ★ ★
Plotline : ★ ★ ★
Genre : Contemporary Romance
Verdict : Aww...☺️
This book be like..
Lead Male Character : Cesar ★ ★ ★ ★
Lead Female Character : Dixie ★ ★ ★ ★
Plotline : ★ ★ ★
Genre : Contemporary Romance
Verdict : Aww...☺️
This book be like..
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