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The Only Exception

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Two co-workers, one work retreat, and explosive chemistry. The Canadian winter doesn’t stand a chance.


For Caroline Carlson, business is business. She will not let her profession define her. She’ll never make that mistake again. When she finds herself forced to attend a manager’s retreat in the middle of winter, the line between business and pleasure is blurred. Especially, since she’s forced to spend the time with Hayden, the man who has secured the starring role in her sexy dreams.

Hayden Cross is the new manager on the block. The retreat is a chance to let loose and get away from the daily grind. Until one night when a chance encounter with Caroline at a club morphs his plan into a personal dare. Mesmerized by the sexy woman writhing on the dance floor, he knows she's his fantasy come to life.

Caroline is convinced that Hayden is just another man who wants the fantasy, but his sexual advances are too hard to ignore. The more time they spend together the hotter it gets, and the Canadian winter doesn't stand a chance.

105 pages, Kindle Edition

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Gina Gordon

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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
Profile Image for Book Binge.
838 reviews153 followers
July 30, 2011
We live in a world today where the need for clear-cut boundaries in the professional world seems more important than ever. Certainly the issue of professional ethics comes up far more often than was true several decades ago. Most of us, however, realize that co-workers breach those ethical boundaries all the time. Perhaps we all assume that those guidelines are in place for one main reason--interpersonal involvement--but in our story that is not necessarily the case. There's something quite different going on here.

Caroline is hard working, with clear goals that keep her on track in almost every aspect of her life, both professionally and personally. Surprisingly enough they don't grow out of a past messy love affair or loss of reputation in any way. Actually, at one time in her life, Caroline aspired to be a ballerina and was willing to pay her dues. She was a member of the auspicious Martha Graham Dance Company and was advancing at a very good rate when she suffered a knee injury--a not uncommon difficulty for dancing pros. What made her set the fences between profession and personal life was sort of what professional athletes go through with their groupies--rodeo stars with their "buckle bunnies" and so forth. As an aspiring ballerina that was getting increasing notice, men wanted her to fulfill their fantasy with a lithe, svelt, athletic young woman. She was one of the "cream of the crop" UNTIL she was injured and fell off the dancing "radar screen" and then her admirers moved on. Alone, without anyone who seemed to be interested in her as a person, Caroline healed, but she also learned to depend on herself and no one else. Thus, there was no mixing business with pleasure in her life.

In spite of it all, Caroline still loved to dance and when she had an opportunity to do so--a night out with her friends--she put her whole heart and soul into the enjoyment of the activity. It was here that her co-worker, Hayden Cross--the same man who couldn't get to first base with her--saw her in a whole new light, and he decided that her refusal to let him into her personal sphere was a thing of the past. That their boss was insisting that they go on this retreat together--all his managers--in order to facilitate "team building" just made Hayden's project success that much more likely. A beautiful setting out of the office, sitting and talking around a bonfire, wilderness treks, and a mandatory survival overnight in the Canadian wilderness in the middle of winter--guess who Caroline's partner turned out to be?

This is a fun read in many ways but there are some serious aspects to the story as well. There is no doubt that Caroline's life was lonely and relationally sterile. A fearful or negative response to one's past experience can do that. It was also obvious that her unwillingness to become friends with her fellow managers was hurting her advancement in the company and her ability to work well with them. Yet she was really hungry to be loved for herself, not for what she could do. Could she really trust that Hayden's advances were motivated by his interest in her and not because of her position in the company? There are fun times in this novella and the people are fascinating. Each seems to be representative of the kinds of people one would find in a similar real-life setting. I think quite a few authors do this sort of thing and I am glad--gives more depth to the story and I like novels/short stories/novellas that have that underlying meaning to them.

Perhaps when all is said and done, this story reminds readers that we can often shut good people out of our lives for a variety of reasons, some of which aren't very noble or compelling--they just become habit with us. As in Caroline's case, circumstances can force us to re-examine reasons for screening people out. Each of us has to make the determination of where the boundaries lie for us in our professional as well as our personal lives. It would seem that all of us would do well to review those boundaries from time to time, moving them toward more friendly territory in some instances as well as firm up those that have become blurred.

I have not read any of Gina Gordon's previous work but I was impressed with her writing style and her ability to move the story along. She obviously knows how to write. I will be watching for future works. In the meantime, I think this is a very good read.

I give it a rating of 4 out of 5.

This review was originally posted on Book Binge by Judith.
Profile Image for Deviant Divas.
252 reviews25 followers
April 6, 2011
The Only Exception by Gina Gordon was a hot erotic read. The fact Carolyn wasn't a easy lay and a woman who could not think for herself was a breath of fresh air for me. The only down side to this book is its shortness. I wanted to learn more about the relationship between Carolyn and Hayden.
Reviewed by Dana
3 Divas

This DEVIOUS SHORT is an excellent example of a well written short story. Author Gina Gordon has created a wonderfully FLAMING hot story with two antagonistic characters that morph from hate to love over a jam packed weekend forced getaway. I highly recommend this short story for a fun exciting read. Reviewed by Scarlet
4 Divas

A smart business woman climbing her way up to the top should always follow the rules and not mix business with pleasure, ever. This is how Carolyn likes to keep safe. Understandably, this causes tension with others at work as they feel she is standoffish and a cold bitch. Little do they know Carolyn lives a double life. Hayden, a new co-worker, sees Carolyn during her double life tryst. Hot for her, he pursues her to add another notch on his belt.

Ms. Gordon easily places her hero and heroine at odds with each other. A forced team bonding retreat helps hasten to bring the two clashing against each other. While team bonding retreats for work are realistic, I'm a bit skeptical with the Carolyn's boss's motives. This story is a quick and fun read. I recommend it for those that like office romances and a happily ever after.
Reviewed by Book Addict
2.5 Divas

The Only Exception by Gina Gordon is a fairly standard romance novel only with much hotter sex than I remember my Nana's Mills and Boons having. On second thoughts I am selling both the author and her novel short. It is a well written story, funny, clever and well constructed with nicely developed characters.

Yes, it follows the standard formula but The Only Exception was an enjoyable easy read. Who cares if it was a wee bit cheesy it made me smile and forget my own life for a few hours and isn't that the point of Romance novels?

I am going to give the book 3.5 Divas and whilst I didn't actually reach for my favorite toy mid way through I was wondering if I should leave this book until after the kids went down ….. So can I give it a Spark and a half? This book is a fun read so enjoy. Reviewed by Ali. H
3.5 Divas

Wow! very hot read! I hate the winter and the cold, but if Hayden was keeping me warm (fanning myself) well written. Sex scenes, including the outdoor scene, were well written. Good short book. Look forward to more from this author.
Reviewed by Hootchie
4 Divas

DIVA RATING: 3.5
HEAT RATING: Spark

Link:http://www.deviantdivaseroticbookrevi...
Profile Image for Breathless Press.
68 reviews108 followers
March 16, 2011
Patrizia Murry, Manic Readers--"The Only Exception is well told and shows both their motivations breaking down and changing as they move along. Their stated goals fall by the wayside as they get to know each other's strengths and weaknesses through their adventures. We don't find out their future, but we see that they have a great present." 4 stars!

To read the entire review, click on http://www.manicreaders.com/index.cfm... !

Beth, The Readers Rountable--"I really liked The Only Exception and the further I read, the hotter it got. Considering it was based on an outdoor, winter retreat, the only place it was cold was outside...However, The Only Exception was about more than just the sex, although the sex was well-worth reading. I always like it when the characters can’t get enough of each other, which was how it turned out for Caroline and Hayden on the retreat...The ending was quite romantic and Ms. Gordon does a wonderful job of giving us our happily ever after!" 4 Gold Crowns!

To read the entire review, click on http://thereadersroundtable.com/eroti... !

Profile Image for Judith.
1,226 reviews
February 16, 2011
A delightful novella that highlights the concerns many professional women face--as well as the men who work with them. How can personal and professional concerns co-exist? Anecdotal evidence seems to indicate that many companies harbor borderline harrassment problems. That certainly is a worry on the mind of these characters. Yet, in spite of their disconnection from one another at the beginning of the novella, they are forced to face each other in a different setting that allows them to find common interests and common ground for relating to one another, not necessarily removing all their barriers, but making it possible to move forward as an effective marketing team. In the midst of this is the core romance between Caroline and another professional with whom she is working. How they discover that they have a genuine future possibility together is the core of the story. A really good read!
Profile Image for Stacey.
118 reviews1 follower
April 18, 2013
I'm giving this book 2.5 stars out of 5

i thought this book was alright but it was hardly the best or even close to the best books I've read so far.

i think the book was simply rushed and that was obviously because they were only at the canadian waters for 4 days but the autor could have continued it to when they got back home because they had sex for the first time and then he suddenly loves her.

i didn't really connect with the characters and -no offence- but haydens story was quite lame. i thought it would be something huge but it really wasn't. The only thing that made me feel sorry for him was that his parents didn't trust him. Apart from that nothing was really that bad. No one died and they all got back home.

Caroline on the otherhand i felt sorry for. i can only imagine how hard it was that men only wanted her for her body and nothing else.

So all together I'm giving this book 2.5 stars out of 5
Profile Image for The Pen & Muse.
206 reviews9 followers
March 5, 2011
Gina Gordon’s smoking book, The Only Exception will have you fanning yourself the whole way through. Not only does she has great characters and plot, but she’s got those sexy scenes down pact! Gina Gordon knows how to melt the winter blues away with this book, although it’s a short story, there is plenty here surely to melt ice! I loved Caroline’s character because she is a strong woman, knowing what she wants, but also how to keep things professional. Hayden’s character is just smoldering in a guy next door/office shell –absolutely temptingly yummy. He knows what he wants and nothing will stand in his way to get Caroline to come out of her shell. A smoking hot read for those who love contemporary romance.
Profile Image for BookAddict  ✒ La Crimson Femme.
6,917 reviews1,435 followers
March 19, 2011
This was a short sweet HEA romance. Carolyn is a woman stuck with 3 guys as her team members and a male for a boss. The odd duck out, she is a rule follower. Never mix business with pleasure. I can relate to Carolyn's position since I'm also in a position at work where it would be very bad to mix business with pleasure. I also frown upon this behaviour. Hayden, similar to many males I know at the office, doesn't seem to care about her rules. He's intent on bagging her.

This is a short read with a bit of fun sex thrown in. I consider this romance yet I added Adult as categorization because BOB appears.
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