Trust in Me

The Montgomery Brothers #2

by Samantha Chase

All work and no play…

…would make Jason Montgomery a very happy man. Ever since his brother had married a woman who worked for their company, Jason has been walking around fending off the unwanted advances of all of the single women in his employ. Now, with a make or break business expansion in the works, the last thing he needs is a hands-on assistant who wants to get her hands on him!

For three years Maggie Barrett has happily hid in the shadows of Montgomery’s. After dealing with her own unwanted advances from her previous employer, staying under the radar was working just fine for her. But now she’s thrown into the spotlight as Jason’s assistant because he believes her to be a safe choice because she’s married.

The only problem?

She’s not.

Working in close proximity wasn’t supposed to be an issue. The lines of their relationship were clearly defined. But when a mutual respect turns into a mutual attraction how will Maggie explain that the only thing holding Jason back was just a little white lie?

Book two in The Montgomery Brothers Trilogy, “Trust in Me” is a 45,000 word contemporary romance novella. See where it all began with Lucas and Emma’s story in book one, “Wait for Me”.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Ebooks, Audiobook, Chick Lit, Fiction

157 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 7, 2013

About the author

Samantha Chase is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller of contemporary romance that’s hotter than sweet, sweeter than hot. She released her debut novel in 2011 and currently has more than seventy titles under her belt – including THE CHRISTMAS COTTAGE which was a Hallmark Christmas movie in 2017! She’s a Disney enthusiast who still happily listens to 80’s rock. When she’s not working on a new story, she spends her time reading romances, playing way too many games of Solitaire on Facebook, wearing a tiara while playing with her sassy pug Maylene…oh, and spending time with her husband of 30 years and their two sons in Wake Forest, North Carolina.

Reviews

[Rachel-RN · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*
I liked this slightly better than the last one.
Maggie used to be an executive assistant, until she was sexually harassed and almost assaulted by her boss. William Montgomery happened to be there at that time and offered her a job. Fast forward 3 years later. William thinks it's time she got a promotion, started living, and stopped hiding. He also wanted to match her with his son, Jason. Jason, on the other hand, has been hit on by multiple women. (He blamed it on Emma and Lucas). Problem is, Maggie has pretended to be married for last 3 years to keep men away from her. What ensues next is friendship, than attraction.
It was sad that her ex-boss had so much power over her. It does get resolved, but I would have liked Maggie to have been more involved in it. (I think that those who have read the book will know (and agree) to what I refer to).
Jason, a workaholic, was able to be more balanced. I did think the ending was more rushed and I didn't appreciate how he handled the ex-boss situation.
Clean romance. Kissing only.

[Helen Dempsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Serious and very mature read with lots of passion

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Office romance with a fun storyline. I love the meddlesome dad. He’s on a roll. Jason has a problem with assistants throwing themselves at him. Until Maggie that is. She’s one that he would like to have throwing herself at him. Problem is she’s married, or is she. Something seems off to him. A fade to black romance.

[Rachael Cavinder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good romance in this series.

[Georgina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This was better than the first one but still not the best read. The plot was okay but so much could have been resolved if the two main characters actually had a proper conversation...

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trust in Me bk 2 [The Montgomery Brothers Series]
This is a contemporary Romance series and i have to say i really enjoyed the book and the characters.. The romance was good and it has a big strong family relationship in this story too..

This book is following Jason and Maggie.. The characters are awesome and this book is sweet, cute, steamy at bits, sassy characters, romance, make you laugh, smile, cry, fast read, Friends to lovers, Some Drama, Strong family Relationships, Small town feel and workplace romance,.. You will find characters crossover from the 1st book into this story..

Jason is co-owner of his family's business, He is so sweet, kind, smart, caring, Always there for anyone that needs help, strong, has a big heart, loves his family, works a lot, He can be grumpy sometimes, He has been having a hard time at work because of his brother Lucas because his brother is happy now that everyone at work thinks they can Flirt with Jason to get there on way and its making him grumpy, He wants an assistant that will not fall all over him so his dad thought another match making set up should work so that's how he met Maggie, It's funny to see that Jason is the one falling for Maggie first but he try's not to show it because he thinks that she has a guy in her life but when he finds out that she was single it was so sweet to see.. He falls for Maggie hard and try's to show her how he feels

Maggie works as a Executive Assistant to Jason. She is sweet, smart, kind, Shy and Caring, She is always there to help anyone that needs help, Strong Character, she has a sad past with an ex boss so she has been working for William for a long time now after he saved her from her past, Now she has to come out of the shadows to be Jason's Assistant and also let on she has a guy in her life so Jason would not hit on her because she was scared every time she thought back to her past. But the more she got to know Jason the more she knew he was nothing like her old boss and her crush grow stronger for Jason but has not said anything because she was hurt in her past and also he thought she had someone in her life, she likes her work, She likes working with her boss and his family, she was happy when Jason found out that she was single and chased her down to tell her how he felt about her, She falls Jason the more she gets to know him

This book is packed full of:
⦁ Awesome characters
⦁ Workplace Romance
⦁ Friends to Lovers
⦁ Forced Proximity
⦁ Grumpy/Sunshine Trope
⦁ Boss/Assistant Trope
⦁ A wee bit of outdoor play at the office
⦁ Some Steam
⦁ Over 18+ Readers
⦁ Fast Read
⦁ Strong Family Relationships
⦁ Books 1-3 follow brothers and how they find love

The Strong Family Relationship between Jason and his family was awesome and you get to see how much they are always their for each other and also help anyone who is looking for some help..

Fav characters are:
⦁ Jason [Co-owns Family Company]
⦁ Maggie [Works as Executive assistant for Jason]
⦁ Lucas [Co-owns Family Company, Former NFL superstar, Married to Emma, Brother to Jason]
⦁ Emma [Works as a Baker now, Married to Lucas]
⦁ Jason [Co-owns Family Company]
⦁ Mac [Co-owns Family Company, Brother to Jason]
⦁ Mr. & Mrs. Montgomery [Co-owns Family Company, Dad and mum to Lucas, Jason and Mac]
⦁ Sharon [Works for the Family Company]

The Relationship between Jason and Maggie was so sweet and awesome.. I am glad that everything worked out and they got a happy ending.. I am looking forward to reading about Mac and how he finds love in book 3..

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

See more of my reviews on my blog Thoughts At One In The Morning.

My Thoughts:

When I discovered the premise behind this one, I was already sitting at the edge of my seat. It's one of those stories where in your head you're just fighting the urge to freak out over the chemistry between the two main characters because of the whole "pretending to be married" thing. Maggie's background as to why she chose to fake being married makes you empathize majorly. Jason is glad to have Maggie as an assistant since she's already married. That way they can both focus on the job. Unfortunately for them, the attraction is too strong and Jason is fighting an epic battle to be the good guy while Maggie is trying to keep up appearances. When the truth comes out, all bets are off.

Trust in Me was so cute and engaging. It tore me up watching the two of them struggle with their feelings for weeks. Lucas and Maggie's chemistry pulls you in and you never want to let go of the idea of them together. You can feel the pain they're both facing, and your heart goes out to them. I thought it was an amazing and realistic portrayal of such a tough dilemma. This is the second book in The Montgomery Brothers series I've read, and it most certainly won't be the last by Samantha Chase!

My Rating: Very Good

[Becca Moree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trust in Me was my second Samantha Chase book...and let me just say...

Damn I am hooked!!

Her writing style is addictive and amazing..I just cannot get enough! By the time I was a few pages into this book I knew that I wouldn't be putting it down until I was done! Lucky for me my daughter was napping and I managed to read the book in just under 3 hours!!

What a 3 hours!

The emotions and attachment that this story provoked in me were phenomenal and unexpected. I was so very much a part of these characters lives (in my mind haha) that I couldn't help but feel for their predicament.

The story line is a bit tough to review without spoilers...so I'm just going to say that it rocked!

The romance flows superbly, the characters are perfectly developed, the plot twists and unexpected turns were to die for...ugh I could go on and on and on about the things that I loved about this book!

The one thing I didn't like???

It ended haha I so wasn't ready for it to be over :/ I am definitely ready to get my hands on book 3!!!

[Jaime Fiction Fangirls · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the storyline in this one, even when at times I found myself angry at Jason for maybe taking things a little too far with Maggie when he thought she was married. It was hard to be really mad when I knew that it wasn't true. Honestly, my favorite moment of the book was when he found out the truth.

Once again, William Montgomery is one of my favorite parts of the book. He's devious and brilliant. Thank God he uses his power for good!!

This is a warm and fuzzy romance that made me smile and for that alone I think everyone should read it.

*I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

[Heather andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked Jason, "Jason stopped her. “Whoa, we’re going to eat lunch like normal people and not talk business for the next fifteen minutes, okay?" I liked that Maggie was bold and could drive her man crazy, "nice outfit,” she said saucily , and got up on tippy -toes to place tiny kisses along his chin. “You look good in my sheets.” Jason let out a low growl as her hands began to wander over his chest, his shoulders, and his arms." I liked this book more that Lucas's

[Donna Porter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice shorter story which I really enjoyed. The story of Emma and Lucas Montgomery. How they found each other with a little help from Mr. Montgomery. It was a great story.

[Gwen (The Gwendolyn Reading Method) · Rating 3 out of 5]

AGAIN I read this before and didn't mark it as read, WHAT IS MY PROBLEM???

[Danielle Urban · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trust in Me by Samantha Chase brings back the irresistible Montgomery men and the new women in their lives. With Lucas and Emma together, Mr. Montgomery plans to continue to play matchmaker once again. This time his second youngest son, Jason Montgomery is the next victim of his father plans. Unlike his brother Jason never suspects his father bringing him and his new assistant together. Jason soon realizes that his new assistant is definitely talented enough to handle everything. He didn’t want an assistant to come after him expecting him to fall in love with her. But, Jason does exactly that. The more time he and his assistant work together the more he fall s under her spell. His new assistant is single but suffered from a bad past that involved her boss trying to rape her. Mr. Montgomery, Jason’s father came to her rescue and gave her a secure job within his company and made it clear to everyone that she was married. Even his son Jason believes that even when he would love for that fact that his assistant to be single. And when Jason learns about his assistant’s past and the false lie about her marriage will he do everything possible to make her his woman?

Samantha Chase has once again, created a masterpiece. Her novel will have readers falling in love. A must read and a perfect romance for all. I highly recommend readers to pick up Samantha Chase’s novels and begin reading them. I promise you won’t be disappointed that you did. Overall, I rate this novel a five out of five stars.

I received this copy from the publisher. This is my voluntary review.

[Shayay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet romance and an interesting story, but I didn’t really care for the female lead, Maggie. The premise for this one deals with some lies and miscommunication between one of the Montgomery brothers, Jason Montgomery, and his new assistant, Maggie. In the first book, one of Jason’s brothers married his assistant, and Jason has been having to fend off multiple new assistants who think they’ll be the next lucky one to snag a Montgomery brother. Jason is so tired of it, so he demands that his next assistant needs to be married; Jason’s dad recommends Maggie. Maggie was sexually harassed by her boss in her last job, and was really affected by it; she doesn’t handle it well and closes herself off, so she acts like she’s married. The Montgomery father knows that she isn’t really married, but he’s supportive of Maggie’s choice. As Jason and Maggie work together, they both start feeling a connection, but her having a fake husband causes problems for obvious reasons.

Maggie was too much of a damsel; she’s neurotic and doesn’t use common sense, and her lies went on for way too long. She had a perfect opportunity to come clean, but she just kept on with the lie. She even has a second opportunity, and still doesn’t come clean. How that fake husband scenario plays out just didn’t work for me; she needed to put more effort and remorse into that situation. I liked Jason okay, and they do have good chemistry. The romantic scenes are mostly fade to black, but they’re cute; if you overlook that she’s supposed to be married. Overall, it was an okay romance, but needed a bit more depth.

[Ashante Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this story a little bit better though the beginning was a little over there top dramatic with Lucas' baby brother Jason complaining about how now that Lucas is married all the women are going to start coming after the next rich, successful Montgomery to marry, though the shenanigans described are quite funny, it takes up about half a chapter. So his solution for getting a new assistant, find one that's married. Enter there Montgomery patriarch are the lightbulb 💡 all lit up over his head (because he's really trying to get his sounds to settle down😆, I can't with this guy), he had the perfect solution. Maggie has been working in customer service but she's over qualified, she met William Montgomery after a run in with her further boss and he helped her with a new job. Her plan is to "tell" people she's married to avoid being hit on. She just wants to live here life. Perfect solution for Jason right, sure. The chemistry blows up almost immediately when they argue in their first meeting but then he realizes she is an awesome assistant. Though her story about being married isn't really holding up… I liked seeing how they started to fall for each other but it was sort of a forbidden love but not really. There were also times when Maggie's story slipped and your seriously thinking, is she for real? But they are so fun. Really good. Again ..  PG-13

[Lisa Gibbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the story of Jason Montgomery (the middle son) and Maggie Barrett.

Once again patriarch William Montgomery plays matchmaker for another son. His son needs and assistant and wants her to be married. He is tired of his former assistants throwing themselves at him ever since his younger brother Lucas married Emma a Montgomery employee. Jason wants someone who will not come on to him and Maggie appears to be married, at least on paper.

One little white lie and they are off on a three week business trip. Things between them heat up and well her little white lie ends up slowing things down. Then her past collides with her present and she comes clean about why she worked in the shadows of Montgomery's but she still leads Jason to believe she is married.

Once again his father steps in and well you need to read the book to find out the rest.

I enjoyed this second story and the characters are flawed like in real life. Jason is rich but he makes mistakes. Maggie could care less about his wealth but she needs to move past her past and get back into life so to speak.

Loved this story and can't wait to read the next one.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this second installment of the Montgomery brothers series by Samatha Chase, we get t know Jason a little better.

Jason is tired of being proposition by the females in his family company so when he needs an assistant for a business trip Maggie is a perfect choice. She is married and ha the background to get the job done.

Maggie doesn't want to be anyone's assistant after her tragic past with her previous boss. So when William Montgomery offers her the job of assistant to his son Jason she tries hard to get out of it.

But Jason and Maggie are designed to be together and after a long business trip together they soon realize they both need to face the truth about their life.

These two characters were fun to read about. I enjoyed watch Jason learn and grow and figure out life isn't all about work. I also enjoyed watching Maggie grow and become a strong woman. Together they made a perfect couple.

I definitely loved reading this book.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice little story. The hero's brother married his secretary and ever since, the hero has been fending off matrimonial-minded employees. One even stripped down in his office in hopes of tempting him. He needs an assistant to take on his upcoming business trip, but not if he's going to be stalked. So his dad turns to a friend, a woman he helped out a few years ago, who now works in obscurity in the HR (I think) department of the family business. She's pretending to be married to avoid being hit on by anyone, and the hero's dad thinks it's time she moves back into society again. Plus, he likes her and thinks she would be perfect for her son. It's not quite as light as it sounds, but it avoids going anywhere really dark. It's just a nice, feel-good little romance. I liked it.

[Christy B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jason wants nothing to do with his father's scheming matchmaking ways. To make it clear he demands a married assistant. His father agrees and sends him with Maggie. Little does Jason know - there's a lot more to Maggie than meets the eye including the tiny little fact that she isn't married. What should be a simple business trip takes both Jason and Maggie on a wild ride. Maggie never wanted to be seen and Jason can't help but notice her. What's a guy to do when he finds out the stop sign he was battling against wasn't actually there? Maybe his father's matchmaking schemes are working after all...

[Nicki - The Overflowing Bookcase · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jason Montgomery needed an assistant to travel on a long business trip, preferably someone who was all business and married. Maggie gets the promotion and fits the criteria. However, sparks fly and mutual attraction happens, but Jace will not cross the line. But what happens if her marriage is fake? Will the reason she lied about being married come back from her past and ruin her future? Or will Jace finally put his love life ahead of his job? Another great read with tons of emotion and beautiful character dynamics. Looking forward to reading more in the series.

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorably sweet and funny

Jace and Maggie are so cute and funny! This story has a twist to the typical romance in how Maggie came into the Montgomery life and I loved it. Getting to know the brothers and father better was fantastic. The story was very well developed and I loved how the little back stories kept popping up to build history and also as a problem at times. It was great to see Lucas again and have more time with Mac! Can’t wait to see how his journey happens!

[Emily Higgins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jason Montgomery needs a new executive assistant, but he wants someone who will not be a distraction from his work, preferably a married woman. Jason’s father finds a woman who meets the criteria in the company and Jason agrees to promote her to the position. Trouble is, Maggie Barrett is lying about being married. An upcoming business trip will be a way to find out if this new business relationship is going to work.

[Cruth · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a nice story but I didn't like her lies. She leads him on. She tells him she's married. She says she is really opposed to having a relationship with her boss, and she's married. And then she flirts with him, kisses him, and gets offended when he business-zones their relationship. She has no qualms about him being upset that he is interested in her, especially she keeps making passes at him, but hates himself because she's married. She's a jerk.

[Aletha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again, plot line of secretary and boss, but with a little twist... I liked the business trip and watching their relationship grow even though there was supposed to be no relationship...I didn't however like that there wasn't much talk about her being married until the twist was revealed to the man she was working with/for...

A fun relaxing read.

[Rosemary Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jason takes Maggie on as as an assistant, on a sales trip. She is supposed to be a burned out, married executive assistant, and although she does a fantastic job in efficiency as arranging their appointments, accommodation and transport, Jason wonders at her marriage status.
Yes there is a lot more to Maggie's story, but you are best to read it in the writer's own words.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rushed

This was pleasant enough. I liked the growing relationship between the two, although not sure I really felt the angst of the “she’s married”/“I’m lying to him”. The ending felt super rushed and the conclusion to that ending, even more so. But hey, who doesn’t love a heroine who loves hockey.

[Megan Wilkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The characters of Jason and Maggie are so likable. When William Montgomery gets involved things become a bit humorous with the couple. I enjoy this series and can't wait to begin the next book in the series.

[Rae Latte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another must read book in a series that has it all – romance, secrets, twists and turns. This contemporary romance series will delight and inspire. With great writing, loveable characters and continuous carryover of characters from one book to the next its a fabulous choice

[Kristina Birch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jason and Maggie’s story picks up almost right where Lucas and Emma’s ended. Jason needs and assistant but doesn’t want one who’s only after him. Maggie’s scarred by a former boss but sees that Jason is different. I loved watching these two discover the real them while also discovering a new love.

[K Basaraba · Rating 5 out of 5]

Changed my mind about this series. I love it! Yah there may not be any descriptive sex but the story line and the way its written takes the cake. William the father, sneaky guy but he sure knows how to work things.