Making Mr. Right

by Val Daniels, Alfie Thompson

A marriage in the making

Parker Chaney was a successful tycoon who had everything he wanted — except a wife! Not just any wife. He seemed to have set his heart on one woman in particular — who happened to be the sister of his best friend, Cindy.

Cindy had secretly been in love with Parker for years. So when he asked for advice on how to become her sister's Mr. Right, Cindy was torn! She agreed to help, but was puzzled when Parker began to seem more interested in what she wanted in a husband.... Instead of being the sister of the bride, would Cindy soon find herself saying "I do"?

184 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 1, 1999

About the author

Val Daniels is a pseudonym for author Alfie Thompson. Thompson served as Region 2 Director from 1989 through 1993 on the Board of Directors for the Romance Writers of America after joining the organization in 1985. She served as the coordinator for the 10th annual RWA conference, she initiated the organization's massive literacy fundraiser, Readers For Life.

As an author for Harlequin Romance, Val Daniels published ten novels.

Reviews

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This 1990s Harlequin is very cute. It's about a computer genius tycoon, Parker Chaney (or "PC" - get it?), who decides he wants to be "made over" so that he can catch the eye of his longtime crush...who just happens to be his best friend Cindy's sister. Cindy's been mooning over PC for ages, so having to help him "improve" himself for another woman is bittersweet. Or is it really another woman whom PC has in mind? Hrmmm...

They go shopping (PC is used to wearing clothes 4 sizes too big, plus tennis shoes with his suits, etc.), go on "practice dates," she redecorates his huge mansion, etc. I was reminded of this book when I saw the list for "Nerdgasms" (i.e. romances with geeky guys and gals). This story is sweet and one of the better Harlequins out there.

Note: This is from the Harlequin Romance line, which means it's squeaky clean (no sexytimes!).

[willaful · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cindy's career is remodeling run down houses and reselling them; maybe that's why her friend Parker thinks she's the perfect person to remake him into someone her sister Mallory would marry. Of course, since Cindy's been in love with Parker for most of her life, she doesn't see it in quite the same way, but she takes on the job -- hoping it will be an opportunity to get over him. But both Parker and Cindy are going to be surprised by how this makeover turns out.

This was cute story and I liked the portryals of the main characters: Parker is an unusually plausible computer geek, and Cindy's fix-it talents make her a refreshingly different heroine. But I tend not to like the combination of friends-to-lovers and unrequited love plots, because generally the lover tends to come off as a major wuss. That's the case here, and the way Cindy wallows in her low-self-esteem and almost willfully refuses to see that anyone could prefer her to her sister gets annoying.

(Note: the ebook edition has a number of formatting errors.)

[Live2Read · Rating 1 out of 5]

First time reading this author’s work…I think? and ohhhh, how very uneventful. I would like to rate this negatively for the lack of creativity. The main plot was already quite a stretch and simply bland but the un-intriguing way the author decided to write the entire book indeed was the most boring thing ever read. I found it so repetitive! It barely holds my interest! There was no love nor chemistry nor passion or anything going on. Really, the things they talk about as per plot wasn’t even near interesting. It’s like the author didn’t even try to captivate. Also, the nearly one-dimensional characters didn’t help the experience.

IMO, heroine wasn’t near cute (like what’s up with the opening scene when she immaturely brushed paint over his shoes because she’s frustrated with his indifference towards her, ew, girl so not cute at all! What are you? Two years old?) Hero wasn’t that much more attractive either. He is nerdy alright, with a low strange boost of confidence it seems, and really for all his riches and at thirty-three he comes off with some rags and amateur on life. How did this man get where he was with that unworldly brain and lack of personality? He comes off a lot like some newly grown teenager around the block, yes, both characters were like so with their mannerisms and so not my cup of tea at all. Neither is this author. Do not recommend.

[Sylvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

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