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Hometown Heartbreakers #4
Part-Time Wife
Rugged Craig Haynes came from a long line of lady-killers. Lately, though, the single dad was targeting only Jill Bradford, his sons' new nanny. Two parts sweetness, one part sin, the petite redhead proved a wizard with his rambunctious boys. So what made this miracle-worker insist she was strictly hired help? Could a houseful of Haynes males ambush her wary heart...and make her a mother and wife.
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
685 people are currently reading
698 people want to read
About the author
Susan Mallery
865 books15.5k followers#1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery writes heartwarming and humorous novels about the relationships that define women's lives—family, friendship, romance. She's best known for putting nuanced characters into emotionally complex, real-life situations with twists that surprise readers to laughter. Because Susan is passionate about animal welfare, pets play a big role in her books. Beloved by millions of readers worldwide, her books have been translated into 28 languages.
Critics have dubbed Mallery "the new queen of romantic fiction." (Walmart) Booklist says, "Romance novels don't get much better than Mallery's expert blend of emotional nuance, humor, and superb storytelling," and RT Book Reviews puts her "in a class by herself!" It's no wonder that her books have spent more than 200 weeks on the USA Today bestsellers list.
Although Susan majored in Accounting, she never worked as an accountant because she was published straight out of college with two books the same month. Sixteen prolific years and seventy-four books later, she hit the New York Times bestsellers list for the first time with Accidentally Yours in 2008. She made many appearances in the Top 10 before (finally) hitting #1 in 2015 with Thrill Me, the twentieth book in her most popular series, the Fool's Gold romances, and the fourth of five books released that year.
Susan lives in Washington state with her husband, two ragdoll cats, and a small poodle with delusions of grandeur. Her heart for animals has led Susan to become an active supporter of the Seattle Humane Society. Visit Susan online at www.SusanMallery.com.
Critics have dubbed Mallery "the new queen of romantic fiction." (Walmart) Booklist says, "Romance novels don't get much better than Mallery's expert blend of emotional nuance, humor, and superb storytelling," and RT Book Reviews puts her "in a class by herself!" It's no wonder that her books have spent more than 200 weeks on the USA Today bestsellers list.
Although Susan majored in Accounting, she never worked as an accountant because she was published straight out of college with two books the same month. Sixteen prolific years and seventy-four books later, she hit the New York Times bestsellers list for the first time with Accidentally Yours in 2008. She made many appearances in the Top 10 before (finally) hitting #1 in 2015 with Thrill Me, the twentieth book in her most popular series, the Fool's Gold romances, and the fourth of five books released that year.
Susan lives in Washington state with her husband, two ragdoll cats, and a small poodle with delusions of grandeur. Her heart for animals has led Susan to become an active supporter of the Seattle Humane Society. Visit Susan online at www.SusanMallery.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
March 26, 2020
Romance equivalent of a little black dress. It gets the job done.
Heroine becomes nanny to three boys and their hunky dad who was married to a bad, bad woman who is conveniently dead.
Slow burn, sweet romance with housekeeping ensues.
Heroine becomes nanny to three boys and their hunky dad who was married to a bad, bad woman who is conveniently dead.
Slow burn, sweet romance with housekeeping ensues.
August 31, 2020
Minu arvamuse leiab blogist https://triinuraamatud.wordpress.com/...
April 23, 2020
Craig hires a nanny for his three kids, but she elopes, asking her best friend Jill to fill in for her. Jill thinks she is baby-sitting for a few days. As she falls in love, first with the three boys and then the boys' father, she worries that they need her but don't love her. The three boys are well-defined characters, who have been six years without a mother. Each has his own problems which Jill works to resolve. I especially liked the way she dealt with Ben, the twelve-year-old. A family romance is especially delightful.
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December 1, 2019Categories
Contemporary Women's Fiction, Small Town & Rural Fiction, Romance, Contemporary Romance
Miniseries
Hometown Heartbreakers (Book #4)
Contemporary Women's Fiction, Small Town & Rural Fiction, Romance, Contemporary Romance
Miniseries
Hometown Heartbreakers (Book #4)
August 5, 2020
Eh. It was ok. Bumped it up a bit because there was nothing outright objectionable. Plus, this book had really well written and believable kids. Mallery is sexist as usual and has to make many comments about what boys are like vs girls, but overall, the kids really felt REAL. So for that alone, another star.
The plot. Eh. The plot overall was fine, but some of the details were just off.
Like Jill's backstory with the two kids she lost. Her ex being a jerk I can understand. But in this book we see Jill as this loving, caring woman who is really great with kids. Yet Mallery wants us to believe Jill spent five years raising and loving two girls only to have those girls turn around and laugh in her face (literally) and say they don't want anything to do with her ever again? I find that really hard to believe.
Mallery is rarely subtle with exes in books like this, so I wasn't surprised to see that Craig's ex is a complete villain that made Jill's ex look like a doll. I mean, over the top, probably has a fur coat made of Dalmatian puppies type of villain. . Still, even knowing it was a Mallery book I was still a bit taken back by just how bad Craig's ex was, and how he talked about her (not in front of the kids of course, but the words "slut" and "hate" were thrown around).
My third problem with the book was the overweight boy. Sigh. His father does touch on his other issues maybe having caused the weight gain (?), but for most of the book, the boy's emotional problems are firmly rooted in him being 20 pounds overweight. His unhappiness, his moodiness, his social troubles. All from his weight.
This is a boy who's mother died LESS THAN A YEAR AGO (when the book begins). I'd really think that was affecting his mood a lot more than his weight?
Plus the fact that his father is at work every single day when the book begins and spends barely any time with his children. Frankly, the way Mallery handled that was weird. It was this big case, mentioned a lot in the beginning. Craig worries about his kids and knows that his being gone so much is not good for them, but he has to get the case taken care of. Then suddenly, about half way through the book, the case was solved (we get no real details) and now he's around all the time. It was like Mallery just got bored with that plot line? It didn't make sense.
And finally, the kids all had a nanny for 5 years (I think?) who suddenly had to leave (I don't think we're ever told why?). So that's a pretty big upset in a child's life too.
But in the end, an absent father, a dead mother, and the loss of a long term caregiver are obviously not as big a deal as being overweight, which is OBVIOUSLY the cause of all of his emotional problems. Yeah. Right.
(Also, an aside, but this was written during the 90's, so it was funny to see the diet advice. Like, she makes sure the kid is drinking soda or juice at lunch, not milk. And tells him to avoid butter on his pancakes but have all the syrup he wants. Ah, I remember those days, when they told you to avoid fat and fill up on sugar instead. Good times, good times.)
But honestly, not the worst I've read. And not the worst Mallery. For the most part the romance was good, the issues believable.
I did have a good laugh at the end though.
The plot. Eh. The plot overall was fine, but some of the details were just off.
Like Jill's backstory with the two kids she lost. Her ex being a jerk I can understand. But in this book we see Jill as this loving, caring woman who is really great with kids. Yet Mallery wants us to believe Jill spent five years raising and loving two girls only to have those girls turn around and laugh in her face (literally) and say they don't want anything to do with her ever again? I find that really hard to believe.
Mallery is rarely subtle with exes in books like this, so I wasn't surprised to see that Craig's ex is a complete villain that made Jill's ex look like a doll. I mean, over the top, probably has a fur coat made of Dalmatian puppies type of villain. . Still, even knowing it was a Mallery book I was still a bit taken back by just how bad Craig's ex was, and how he talked about her (not in front of the kids of course, but the words "slut" and "hate" were thrown around).
My third problem with the book was the overweight boy. Sigh. His father does touch on his other issues maybe having caused the weight gain (?), but for most of the book, the boy's emotional problems are firmly rooted in him being 20 pounds overweight. His unhappiness, his moodiness, his social troubles. All from his weight.
This is a boy who's mother died LESS THAN A YEAR AGO (when the book begins). I'd really think that was affecting his mood a lot more than his weight?
Plus the fact that his father is at work every single day when the book begins and spends barely any time with his children. Frankly, the way Mallery handled that was weird. It was this big case, mentioned a lot in the beginning. Craig worries about his kids and knows that his being gone so much is not good for them, but he has to get the case taken care of. Then suddenly, about half way through the book, the case was solved (we get no real details) and now he's around all the time. It was like Mallery just got bored with that plot line? It didn't make sense.
And finally, the kids all had a nanny for 5 years (I think?) who suddenly had to leave (I don't think we're ever told why?). So that's a pretty big upset in a child's life too.
But in the end, an absent father, a dead mother, and the loss of a long term caregiver are obviously not as big a deal as being overweight, which is OBVIOUSLY the cause of all of his emotional problems. Yeah. Right.
(Also, an aside, but this was written during the 90's, so it was funny to see the diet advice. Like, she makes sure the kid is drinking soda or juice at lunch, not milk. And tells him to avoid butter on his pancakes but have all the syrup he wants. Ah, I remember those days, when they told you to avoid fat and fill up on sugar instead. Good times, good times.)
But honestly, not the worst I've read. And not the worst Mallery. For the most part the romance was good, the issues believable.
I did have a good laugh at the end though.
October 16, 2018
Although it is part of a series, this book tells a complete story and can be read alone. There are a few things that build on previous books, but they are reviewed.
Welcome to the Evil Ex-Spouse Hall of Fame. SM really laid it on for both of the leads. I actually think it was a little too heavy, especially for Jill. I can't believe Jill could not have a hint of what was coming.
This is a textbook Nanny romance. The only thing missing was that the kids weren't particularly mean to start with and there was almost no beginning animosity between Jill and Craig. There were no rivals. There wasn't a lot to set this one apart from others with the same plot device. There was a small surprise or two toward the end, but the one in Craig's backstory was well hinted. I saw it immediately. Jill was a bit of a super-nanny by improving the whole family in just a few weeks and making everyone smile again.
I liked Jill except for her stubbornness. I thought that was a little forced, although her hurts did run deep. I thought it was interesting that in one chapter Craig accused her of not being willing to face that she didn't surrender completely to her ex because she was scared and then in the next chapter he thinks the statement that "Everything about Jill's personality screamed that she was someone who gave fully. She could no more hold back than she could stop breathing." The second observation was much more accurate. It's possible SM intended the apparent contradiction.
I didn't care for Craig's approach to the standoff in the last chapter.
Mature themes: there are a couple of moderately explicit love scenes with one being fairly long. Even one of the kissing scenes was a little crude. No violence.
I'm really not sure this deserved 3 stars but it was pleasant enough so what the heck.
Welcome to the Evil Ex-Spouse Hall of Fame. SM really laid it on for both of the leads. I actually think it was a little too heavy, especially for Jill. I can't believe Jill could not have a hint of what was coming.
This is a textbook Nanny romance. The only thing missing was that the kids weren't particularly mean to start with and there was almost no beginning animosity between Jill and Craig. There were no rivals. There wasn't a lot to set this one apart from others with the same plot device. There was a small surprise or two toward the end, but the one in Craig's backstory was well hinted. I saw it immediately. Jill was a bit of a super-nanny by improving the whole family in just a few weeks and making everyone smile again.
I liked Jill except for her stubbornness. I thought that was a little forced, although her hurts did run deep. I thought it was interesting that in one chapter Craig accused her of not being willing to face that she didn't surrender completely to her ex because she was scared and then in the next chapter he thinks the statement that "Everything about Jill's personality screamed that she was someone who gave fully. She could no more hold back than she could stop breathing." The second observation was much more accurate. It's possible SM intended the apparent contradiction.
I didn't care for Craig's approach to the standoff in the last chapter.
Mature themes: there are a couple of moderately explicit love scenes with one being fairly long. Even one of the kissing scenes was a little crude. No violence.
I'm really not sure this deserved 3 stars but it was pleasant enough so what the heck.
August 20, 2018
I've thoroughly enjoyed this series so far - but this particular book really appealed to me - it isn't easy to say why because much of the attraction is very personal to me, and overall I loved the plot, and I loved the hero's three sons, and the heroine and hero were very likeable, freaked out about creating a relationship, but desperately needing one. When the book suddenly ended I was disappointed: I didn't realize I was so close to the end and there I was, at the end of Craig's and Jill's loving journey. I wanted the book to continue on for a little while longer. One good thing is that I should be connecting with them again in Jordan's story, if not sooner.
August 6, 2020
Good story about two people—Craig Haynes and Jill Bradbury—who have loved and lost, and the different ways they dealt with those situations.
Craig hires Jill’s best friend as the new nanny for his three sons, but when her friend runs off to elope, she convinces Jill to take a “babysitting job” for a few days. That wasn’t Craig’s agreement with Jill’s friend, but they agree to a week’s trial, with an option for a five-week agreement. But Jill falls for Craig’s three boys, and she’s starting to fall for Craig.
Is a happy ending possible? Or will their pasts make such an outcome impossible?
Craig hires Jill’s best friend as the new nanny for his three sons, but when her friend runs off to elope, she convinces Jill to take a “babysitting job” for a few days. That wasn’t Craig’s agreement with Jill’s friend, but they agree to a week’s trial, with an option for a five-week agreement. But Jill falls for Craig’s three boys, and she’s starting to fall for Craig.
Is a happy ending possible? Or will their pasts make such an outcome impossible?
September 13, 2017
Brilliantly written sad funny and happy in one book
This is a romantic funny story with lots of real family interaction highly unusual realistic storytelling of a broken family healing
This is a romantic funny story with lots of real family interaction highly unusual realistic storytelling of a broken family healing
March 25, 2020
Jill wants to be loved for herself after her whole life she was mad to feel less than.
Craig wants a nanny for his boys but gets a lot more than that with Jill.
Jill falls in love with Father and boys right from the start.
I'm so glad shew did not leave.
Craig wants a nanny for his boys but gets a lot more than that with Jill.
Jill falls in love with Father and boys right from the start.
I'm so glad shew did not leave.
December 13, 2020
Old but good
The hero and his brothers are too good to be true but this makes the book a good romance. I especially liked the heroine helping the boys as the nanny. One has to suspend belief with all the coincidences but Mallery is a good enough author to make it work.
The hero and his brothers are too good to be true but this makes the book a good romance. I especially liked the heroine helping the boys as the nanny. One has to suspend belief with all the coincidences but Mallery is a good enough author to make it work.
July 17, 2021
Oldie but goodie. From the days before cell phones. Your typical nanny-boss romance. They both have issues from first marriages so they're gunshy. It's a sweet, sorta steamy story. I liked it. Good read .
December 31, 2021
Lovely Story
I loved the fourth book in the heartbreaker series about the Haynes brothers.
It took quite a while for the woman involved to finally understand she was loved for herself.
I loved the fourth book in the heartbreaker series about the Haynes brothers.
It took quite a while for the woman involved to finally understand she was loved for herself.
July 2, 2022
A great book by the great writer Susan Mallery. Part of a series this is the story of Jill and Craig. I found the book to be romantic and funny at times. I highly recommend this book and this series. You can't go wrong with a Susan Mallery book. Five stars!!😍!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 25, 2025
This had the potential there, but the fat shaming and diet talk for a 12 year old child is concerning and took me out of the story. It was completely unnecessary and added nothing to the plot. Also the dad had a weird obsession with how tiny the nanny was. Super weird.
January 14, 2019
Like the series
February 17, 2019
Another quick read, best of the bunch, but still just ok.
March 6, 2019
Wonderful book
This had a great storyline. The beginning held your attention. Jill was a great role model for the boys. Loved the interaction between them.
This had a great storyline. The beginning held your attention. Jill was a great role model for the boys. Loved the interaction between them.
March 11, 2019
Single dad romance.
February 11, 2020
Early Mallery in a reprint edition. OK, standard romance. Free ebook from the library.
June 17, 2020
This book was in my mom's collection and I read it about 10 years ago. I love how Jill took care of the boys and made them better. I still love this book today, would read it again.
July 23, 2020
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September 23, 2020
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#16 in my Self-Imposed-Reducing-My-TBR-Challenge
#2020
#16 in my Self-Imposed-Reducing-My-TBR-Challenge
#2020
September 28, 2021
Great story
September 19, 2022
Typical romance novel, but enjoyable read. It has a good story and likable characters.
March 5, 2024
It was ok
IT was sweet, but i still didn't get the feelings and chemistry between the H and h.
I wanted it for the h though, the things she went through with her asshole ex and his family.
IT was sweet, but i still didn't get the feelings and chemistry between the H and h.
I wanted it for the h though, the things she went through with her asshole ex and his family.
August 10, 2015
To be clear, there was a lot I liked about this book, if it weren't for one storyline I would have given it 4 stars. I did not like the parts of the book that were about an overweight child, a 12 year old boy. In her capacity as nanny, the main character decided to put him on a diet. No physician that I have ever talked to would advocate putting a 20-lb. overweight 12 year old boy on a diet. They would talk about eating sensibly (sensibly is not making sure the cookies are low-fat, having all the syrup you want on pancakes, but no butter!) and moving more. Get the activity level up, the weight will come off or stabilize until they grow. Teaching a 12 year old to diet and overthink about what they eat is at best misguided and at worst dangerous and it bugged me, add in how bad the nutritional advice was made it even worse.
June 2, 2009
Jill comes into three boys lives and there father's life as well who is Craig who happens to be a police officer working on a case that is taking him away from home most of the time. So Jill comes in to care for the children and in the process helps them heal from there mother's death. Even Craig is in need of healing which she gives him.
I love this book so much. Such a delight to read. These children needed someone to come into there lives and Jill walked into there's and never really returned to her old life after.
I love this book so much. Such a delight to read. These children needed someone to come into there lives and Jill walked into there's and never really returned to her old life after.
December 29, 2014
Best book yet in the Hometown Heartbreakers series! First, Jill was a great character. Second, the boys just tugged at my heart. I loved Ben's character's development and Danny's story was so heart breaking. Third, Craig was such a great dad and hero. Finally, Jill and Craig had such great chemistry. I liked that this was a slower romance, and that their relationship really had time to build. I really enjoyed this book!
August 18, 2015
Overall I liked this book but it wasn't one of my favourites in this series. Jill was an interesting heroine but sometimes she was made to look like a miracle worker. Even for fiction, she was too successful too quickly when it came to healing this family. I realize this is a Harlequin novel and not literary fiction but Jill was too good to be real and this prevented me from fully engaging with this story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews