Once Upon a Time

The Wacky Women #3

by Day Leclaire

Handsome, efficiency-expert Julian Lord loves his rules.

Unfortunately, the mayhem at Willow's End is breaking every last one of them.

First there's his aunt's young and beautiful caretaker, Callie, Ms. Disorganization herself, who couldn't say "no" if her life depended on it. Then there's Brutus, Callie's 200-pound St. Bernard who thinks he's human, and his aunt's two juvenile delinquent fosters bent on tearing apart her house in search of her missing will.

Julian attempts to tame the juvenile delinquents. Callie is dedicated to un-taming him. But no one can tame Brutus. Watching all the craziness come together is simply too fascinating for the humongous beast, especially since he knows exactly where the will is hidden.

Too bad the old boy isn't talking....

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Humor, Harlequin, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Category Romance

194 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 1991

About the author

I love family first and foremost, which is why writing family sagas and stories that involve family is so much fun. Maybe you can tell that from my books since they always feature the warmth and joy and ridiculousness that comes from having a close-knit family.

I also love animals and have taken in rescue dogs and cats and fostered dogs for the local animal shelter.

And of course, I love writing. All I need is a functioning brain (batteries not included), a pen, and paper, and I can write anywhere. Please don’t let a conversation with me lag because my imagination takes over and I. Am. Checked. Out!

USA Today bestselling author, Day Leclaire is the author of more than 60 novels and has received an impressive eleven nominations for the romance industry's most prestigious award, Romance Writers of America RITA© Award. Day lives in Charlotte, NC and spends her days obsessively writing while vaguely remembering to pay attention to her adorable husband, busy son and daughter-in-law, two tiny grandchildren, and two even tinier Teddy Bear dogs. Not to mention a whole lot of dust!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my books. If you'd leave a review, I'd very much appreciate it. Authors are dependent on reviews in order to obtain ads and garner new readers. I love hearing from my readers. For a personal response, please contact me at Day@DayLeclaire.com.

And be sure to visit my website (www.DayLeclaire.com). Sign up for my newsletter for my latest releases and to receive a FREE book!

You can also find me on Facebook and Twitter.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet old-fashioned harlequin romance. Sort of friends to lovers with one boisterous St. Bernard.

[Mya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very excellent book. I just wished that the ending was extended more.

[Debra Salonen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming. Sweet and fun.

[Kristen Lewendon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first time I read this, I enjoyed it so much. But I'm learning in my old(er) age that my tolerance for chaos in the order is closer to Julian than Callie on the spectrum. That's probably why she drove me up the wall and I quite liked him. I liked that we're shown where their individual neuroses developed from, so it was a little easier to understand Julian's control and Callie's over-the-top generosity. One thing I wasn't able to understand was why everything Callie did needed to be done at such a frenetic pace. I'm slightly exhausted just from reading about it. No matter what else was going on in the book, I adored Brutus. He was probably the best thing about the story.

[Robin Franks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous read

Love, love, love the Wacky Women Series! This third book is so good. Callie and Julian make an awesome couple and I would take Brutus in a heartbeat! We had a 200 pound Saint Bernard in our family when I was 9 years old and she was crazy and funny, but totally unforgettable. I would recommend this story to any reader that enjoys funny, touching and very romantic stories.

[Deanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book quite awhile ago and it really stuck in my mind. I reread it again about a year ago and enjoyed it just as much as the first time! I think its wonderfully written and very captivating!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, quick read! Silly plot; mindless...just what I needed. LOVED the dog!!!

[Nicci · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wasn't as funny as I thought it would be or mysterious.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't realize until I had already started this book that I'd read it before. I don't usually reread books, so it's nice when I find one that I don't mind reading twice. This is funny and sweet.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not that interesting.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harlequin romance. Just a fun read.

[Dolly · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a very good book! A fun read! The author made you laugh and cry and want to know what happens next!

[Annarose · Rating 2 out of 5]

After the death or Aunt Maudie, Callie didn't not know what would happen. Not only did she avoid Julian, her stepbrother, for almost a year because of an incident with his girlfriend, but now that he is home she was finding it difficult to be with him because her sisterly feelings towards him were fast shifting to those of a woman towards a non-relative. It didn't make things easier for her when she had to tear down her beloved home - not to mention Julian's home - down in order to find Aunt Maudie's will! That didn't set well with the serious, punctual, orderly and sensible Julian she wanted to be on the good side of at all!

Honestly, it's hard to rate such a book. I guess it deserves between 1-2 stars, though. It's not a woow nor a complete bland. It certainly has a lot of humor and lovable characters. Yet, it sadly lacks a plausible climax and depth of events and feelings. One thing that the writer should have focess on was the shift of the main character's feelings from mere stepbrother-stepsister feelings to those of man-woman feelings. The hero found these feelings too abruptly and ambiguously for my liking. A romantic story revolves around feelings that should be clearly expressed to the reader. I mean he kept treating her as a sister till he kissed her!! He didn't not seriously think she was a woman he loved before. The hero and the heroine's past was never tuckled or hinted at and it was essentual to understand how the heroine fell in love with the hero!

[Tibbara's Den · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are looking for a cute little romance this one is okay. It is definitely a short and easy read, though felt like it was dragging at points despite its length. The characters are quirky and a little over the top to the point of being slightly unrealistic, especially the dog. I liked the overall premise of the will being hidden and having to find it. The conflict between the two main characters about what to do with the house was also good but could have been done better. Overall, there could have been more depth to the characters and the plot. I understand the book is a shorter one, but I have read children's books that are shorter and more developed. That said it wasn't a bad read which is what got it to a 3-star rating. My main problem is the relationship between the characters. It just came across as creepy. I read another book that had a brother/sister dynamic that worked and didn't weird me out, so it was definitely the execution not the trope itself.

[Sheila Samuelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5 Stars!!
Review:
This was my first time reading a book by this author so i wasnt sure if i'd like it or not but sadly the middle part of the book fell flat for me.

The Characters were interesting to read about. The Setting was ok but didnt wow me the way i thought it would and The Storyline fell flat for me many times with very little happening.

Overall a good read but not for me!!

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really cute and fun story!

[Sheri Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the character "Callie" annoying. The book was an okay read.

[Веси Иванова · Rating 1 out of 5]

Скука...

[Kathy Davie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Third in the Wacky Women romance series. The couple focus is on Julian Lord and Callie Marcus somewhere outside Chicago.

Originally titled Where There's a Will.

My Take
On the whole this was a very predictable plot in its ups and downs with the dog's human-like understanding throwing in a nice twist which gave it a great deal more interest. It's worth the ninety-nine cents for a sweet read.

Although Callie's inability to say no drove me almost as wild as it did Julian. Her inability to tell Julian everything also drove me nuts. What was the big deal about Cory and Donna's being in the house??

I adored the idea of the house...sigh...and the lake...sighhh… And the people in Willow sounded lovely and caring.

Okay, so we learn where Callie gets her issues, why didn't we learn where Julian's arose from?

I was liking Brad for his comments about his wife; he's at the bottom of my list for his comments to Callie. What a jerk!

Brad did learn one thing, which Julian also absorbed:
"Always depend on your wife.
And do whatever it takes to keep her."

What was with that picnic she assembled? Admittedly, I do like everything she packed, but most of it is not what I would consider picnic fare. I suspect this is where I started losing it with Callie. "Finish" the repairs? Sounds more like she's just gotten started. Then that bit where she "breaks" into the house and forgets what she's should be doing next…? What. A. Ditz.

I loved the notes, those special memories, the "snapshots of her life". What a lovely idea. I just adored the use Callie put them to. That's how I'd like to go…better start working on them notes…!

I also loved the bet! A brilliant move on Julian's part.

The Story
Julian is flying high with the new deal he's just inked. Until he gets that text message from Callie. Aunt Maudie is gone.

It's after the memorial that Julian gets hit with even worse news. Well, worse for a man as obsessed with organization as he is!

The Characters
Julian Lord "is a time management expert obsessed with rules" while Callie in unable to say no to anyone and is completely disorganized. Aunt Maudie Hannigan is the woman who took them both in and mothered them at Willow's End in the town of Willow. Jonathan Lord, Aunt Maudie's nephew, is Julian's father and more interested in his archeological digs than anything else in the world. Including his own son.

Callie Marcus is the step-niece Aunt Maudie took in when her mother's marriage to Jonathan didn't last. Callie is a kindergarten teacher in Willow and has lived with Aunt Maudie since she was sixteen. Valerie is her best friend with the six-month-old Danny whom Callie is always babysitting.

Brutus is a two hundred-pound St. Bernard complete with brandy barrel (overly clichéd, anyone?, although cleverly used), who happens to understand everything you say. Donna and Cory Muldrew are the juvenile delinquents who make up the third task. Ted Muldrew is the idiot brother Callie actually allows back in the house. Suzanne Samuel is a woman who needs to broaden her list of victims, er, I mean, "volunteers".

Hillary Pringle is Julian's very efficient secretary at Executive Time Management in Chicago. Brad Anderson is his business partner. The clueless one. Gail is the ex-fiancée. Caleb Peters, Jr. is the current lawyer.

The Cover
A very Harlequin-ish cover with the primary characters: a frustrated Julian on the couch with Callie hovering over him and Brutus looking quite quizzical in the background.

The title is straight from fairytale, and I'm guessing that Leclaire sees this story as both a fairytale, but also a Once Upon a Time when Julian obsessed over it and Callie ignored it.

[TINNGG · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 actually.

Cute. Clean. And...a stepbrother romance...sortof.

Ok, he once was her stepbrother, for about 3 years, but then her mother got bored, divorced his dad, and went searching for greener pastures, leaving her behind with his aunt. So... they sort of grew up together, and were briefly step siblings.

The premise - his aunt has died, and, for reasons known only to the dearly departed, the will was hidden and clues left everywhere. There's some urgency as, if the will doesn't turn up, his dad will claim the house and sell it to fund a project.

The h is a people pleaser, possibly due to the way she grew up. The "n" word seems to be missing from her vocabulary.

The H, for reasons I don't really get, has evolved into the opposite. Apparently he wasn't like this before he moved off to start his own business/go to college/whatever. Now, he has so many rules, it's amazing he doesn't have to consult a rule book to tie his shoes.

The humor was in the form of over the top slapstick - she grumbles to the dog that maybe if someone knocked the H off the ladder, it would knock some sense into him. The dog complies. That I would have just knocked him off the ladder myself rather than grumble to the dog... well, the H was a bit (?) of a jerk.

Eventually, he did explain why he was so frustrated with her - and the seriousness of the situation with regards to the missing will. She did make an effort at that time to stop tearing off aimlessly around the house.

So...my take. Difficult to believe that suddenly they notice each other. The H was a jerk. I get that he was frustrated by her, but he could have tried explaining things instead of yelling. She was too much of a doormat for my comfort. I can see the future where again, he assumes she knows things she doesn't, and yells at her, while she looks at him blankly instead of asking him what the #@!! has him so blasted upset, and if he doesn't explain, throwing an iron skillet at him.

[Dani Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story about missunderstandings, Miss-communications and Big dog Miss-adventures! I love any story that give credit to one of our four legged friends. I for sure could see myself in Callie...always helping others, trying to prove I'm nothing like my mother! Loving old homes full of memories. Both Hero and Heroine learn something before the happy ending.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had a really hard time getting into this book but am glad I finished it. It's the third in "The Wacky Women Series" and was very light, romance read with a little mystery/mischievousness thrown in. Although I cannot highly recommend it, if you can get for free or very cheap on Amazon like I did, it makes for a decent light hearted story.

[fifi boo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well this was actually givin to me by a friend one day because I had nothing to read... She said she liked it but then she kinda spoiled it for me. I'm not sure if it's any good by looking at the reviews but I'll give it a try.

[Camandwmm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun read of a woman with a 200 pound St.Bernard that is almost human. Very intelligent dog. Aunt Maudie has passed and her will is hidden in house. Funny things happen while looking for it including a romance.

[Billie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute but predictable.

[Sylvia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Modern

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could have done without the dog thinking he was human and Callie talking to him as if he were.

[Laura F. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its a good book, fast read but slow plot. Within the first 50 pgs you could probably summarize the rest of the book without reading it. Though it did make nice entertainment.

[Katelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute

[Natascha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing special. A nice and funny love story. It is the dog Brutus that brings life into this book. If it wasn't for him, it would have been another boring tale of two people that find each other!