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The Bridal Bid #4
Single Father Seeks...
Once they'd shared an unforgettable encounter, but Ciara Caldwell had disappeared into the night, leaving Bryce Ashland with no clue to her identity. He still remembered his mystery woman's face, but now Bryce was a bachelor dad who didn't have time for any female - except his baby girl. Then Ciara unexpectedly landed on his doorstep as his daughter's new nanny, and the fortress around the brooding widower's hardened heart broke wide open. Ciara was the stand-in mother Bryce had dreamed of for baby Carolina - but Ciara's skill as caregiver wasn't all he wanted from her. He ached to share her bed again and again. But could he risk his heart - with everything to lose, but so much to gain?
Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2002
6 people are currently reading
51 people want to read
About the author
Amy J. Fetzer
91 books129 followersHi there. Thanks for stopping by!
I'll tell you right off that I don't like reading my own bios, let alone writing them. It's like tooting your own horn. But if you're here, then you want to know something about me. So how about I break some ‘writers have a glamorous life' myths first off.
Myth 1: Writers have always been writers.
Not me. I was a licensed cosmotologist for years, and didn't even put pen to paper until I was 30. (with an infant and 3 year old) It took me 3 years to write my first book, and while it taught me a lot, it was dreadful ! Got rejected 6 times flat out. I burned it in the back yard when I sold my 20 th book. I've kept the first pages to remind myself of how far I've come.
Myth 2: writers have a staff to take care of them and their homes while they write.
I wish! I don't have a maid, a cook, or anyone who works for me, except maybe Shelley, who maintains this site. Like most women out there, I do all the cooking, cleaning, bills, shopping, etc. Sometimes I can be seen driving the riding lawnmower over our 2 acres. That's not a complaint. I'm a Marine's wife, and my husband was gone a lot, so I had to do it. I'm the only female in a house of men, so I pretty much rule too. And as the daughter, wife, and now the mother of US Marines, believe me, I can give orders when need be.
Myth 3. Writers work when the muse hits them.
If I did, I'd never meet a deadline. Writing isn't about the muse coming to you; it's about unleashing bottled creativity and giving it freedom on paper. Every writer I know feels a deep internal need to tell their particular story and hope you're entertained. Writers HAVE to write. Yeah, sure, sometimes the creativity isn't moving like we want, but like everyone who faces some problem, I go to my friends and they come through in a punch. By the way, I work at my job from about 7 am till 4, sometimes later if it's going great and I don't want to stop. Weekends are for playing, projects or gardening. I actually love pulling weeds; it makes my mind drift to good places.
Myth 4: Writers get paid oodles of money.
Oodles?? If I did, I'd have a staff and a better-looking office. But I get to go to work in the worlds' sloppiest clothes.
Myth 5: Once a writer sells a book, they can sell anything else.
Want to see my rejection file? I could wallpaper a bathroom with it. To keep selling is the really hard part of this job. However, my idea of a great story isn't often blending with the editors. It's frustrating and often, it hurts, since the books writers create have, without a doubt, a piece of them inside. But then, if you can't take it, then this isn't the business for you.
My second book (#1 being the dreadful one I burned) My Timeswept Heart was a finalist in the Romance Writers of America, Golden Heart contest for unpublished works. I didn't win, but it got my work before my Kensington editor. It came out in '93 and I've sold over 30 since. With numerous rejections in between.
Right now, I'm writing books I've wanted to write for three years, Romantic Thrillers. Think Peacemaker or Chain Reaction with a little more romance in them. Lots of action and danger. After writing books in 5 sub genres of romance, (I get bored easily) this new one is the chance for me to use all this military knowledge I've stored up for years. I've fired weapons, rappelled, ridden in an Armored Personnel Carrier, and did some Scuba diving in the East China Sea. It hasn't been boring, and because I write, it never will be.
Now that my Sergeant Major husband is retired, and my sons are grown and towering over their mother, we get to stay in one place.
How average. I love it. When I feel the itch to move every 3 years, I just redecorate.
Well, its time for me to get back to work. Thanks for visiting. Take a look around the site, drop me a note, even read the first chapter of a new novel, if you like. It's out there for you, the reader. I wouldn't be loving my job if you weren't
I'll tell you right off that I don't like reading my own bios, let alone writing them. It's like tooting your own horn. But if you're here, then you want to know something about me. So how about I break some ‘writers have a glamorous life' myths first off.
Myth 1: Writers have always been writers.
Not me. I was a licensed cosmotologist for years, and didn't even put pen to paper until I was 30. (with an infant and 3 year old) It took me 3 years to write my first book, and while it taught me a lot, it was dreadful ! Got rejected 6 times flat out. I burned it in the back yard when I sold my 20 th book. I've kept the first pages to remind myself of how far I've come.
Myth 2: writers have a staff to take care of them and their homes while they write.
I wish! I don't have a maid, a cook, or anyone who works for me, except maybe Shelley, who maintains this site. Like most women out there, I do all the cooking, cleaning, bills, shopping, etc. Sometimes I can be seen driving the riding lawnmower over our 2 acres. That's not a complaint. I'm a Marine's wife, and my husband was gone a lot, so I had to do it. I'm the only female in a house of men, so I pretty much rule too. And as the daughter, wife, and now the mother of US Marines, believe me, I can give orders when need be.
Myth 3. Writers work when the muse hits them.
If I did, I'd never meet a deadline. Writing isn't about the muse coming to you; it's about unleashing bottled creativity and giving it freedom on paper. Every writer I know feels a deep internal need to tell their particular story and hope you're entertained. Writers HAVE to write. Yeah, sure, sometimes the creativity isn't moving like we want, but like everyone who faces some problem, I go to my friends and they come through in a punch. By the way, I work at my job from about 7 am till 4, sometimes later if it's going great and I don't want to stop. Weekends are for playing, projects or gardening. I actually love pulling weeds; it makes my mind drift to good places.
Myth 4: Writers get paid oodles of money.
Oodles?? If I did, I'd have a staff and a better-looking office. But I get to go to work in the worlds' sloppiest clothes.
Myth 5: Once a writer sells a book, they can sell anything else.
Want to see my rejection file? I could wallpaper a bathroom with it. To keep selling is the really hard part of this job. However, my idea of a great story isn't often blending with the editors. It's frustrating and often, it hurts, since the books writers create have, without a doubt, a piece of them inside. But then, if you can't take it, then this isn't the business for you.
My second book (#1 being the dreadful one I burned) My Timeswept Heart was a finalist in the Romance Writers of America, Golden Heart contest for unpublished works. I didn't win, but it got my work before my Kensington editor. It came out in '93 and I've sold over 30 since. With numerous rejections in between.
Right now, I'm writing books I've wanted to write for three years, Romantic Thrillers. Think Peacemaker or Chain Reaction with a little more romance in them. Lots of action and danger. After writing books in 5 sub genres of romance, (I get bored easily) this new one is the chance for me to use all this military knowledge I've stored up for years. I've fired weapons, rappelled, ridden in an Armored Personnel Carrier, and did some Scuba diving in the East China Sea. It hasn't been boring, and because I write, it never will be.
Now that my Sergeant Major husband is retired, and my sons are grown and towering over their mother, we get to stay in one place.
How average. I love it. When I feel the itch to move every 3 years, I just redecorate.
Well, its time for me to get back to work. Thanks for visiting. Take a look around the site, drop me a note, even read the first chapter of a new novel, if you like. It's out there for you, the reader. I wouldn't be loving my job if you weren't
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 3, 2018
I loved the happy ending with the epilogue, but I actually thought there would be some action with Ciara being CIA and Bryce secret service.
February 6, 2020
This book is a decade old and I was expecting tired tropes and out-dated everything and that is not what this was about. Sure, the technology was outdated, but anything written three months ago has outdated technology, so that no longer really matters. In a romance, you are looking for incredible chemistry and a reason for the couple to be together. This book has the chemistry in spades. It starts as a one night stand in Hong Kong. He is Secret-Service working for the President. She is CIA undercover as an Embassy employee. She never expects to see him again. The electricity between them is so hot it threatens to burn down the hotel. But she is too committed to her job to want what she can't have and she has given up more than a lover for her country. But several years later, she has been betrayed and needs a place to stay in the US. She calls a friend who runs a high class temp service called Wife Inc. She places Ciara as the nanny to a motherless baby girl. She had no idea that the father was her mysterious one night stand. Bryce's marriage had been one of duty not love and he wants to love Ciara but nothing about her adds up and he can't trust someone who won't level with him no matter how much his heart tells him otherwise. This was hot, emotional, and has the happy ever after we all want without anyone needing to be helpless. This book is available via Hoopla!
May 21, 2015
I enjoyed this one much more then it's predecessor Taming the Beast. But that one on its own was a pleasant read. This one was good but it had potential for more.
This novel felt like a summary of what could have been a good book, it had all the right elements-
-CIA
-Secret Agent
-Realistic Relationship
-Good
-The sub-plots, especially for the h
Alas, it was only so short that you could only get so much. I just think the h's ex, CIA, family and vice versa for the H should have been more played out. It felt incomplete somehow. But otherwise a fun read.
This novel felt like a summary of what could have been a good book, it had all the right elements-
-CIA
-Secret Agent
-Realistic Relationship
-Good
-The sub-plots, especially for the h
Alas, it was only so short that you could only get so much. I just think the h's ex, CIA, family and vice versa for the H should have been more played out. It felt incomplete somehow. But otherwise a fun read.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews