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Love on a Whim
Six months out of law school, Rachel Pearce is completely disillusioned by her job hunt. Despite pounding the pavement with her Ivy League degree in hand, her job prospects are no brighter than the day she graduated. Then in a chance meeting with a former acquaintance, eccentric young millionaire Henry Walker, Rachel finds an unexpected opportunity: Henry is looking for a personal secretary. Swallowing her pride, Rachel sets aside her law firm aspirations for what she envisions as secretarial work—mountains of paperwork and filing. But when she finds her most demanding duty to be daily cookie runs for her new boss, she’s baffled by her unconventional job responsibilities.
As she’s pulled into Henry’s delightful whims, caught in a whirlwind of private jets and fancy dinners, Rachel finds herself inexplicably drawn to this handsome and charismatic man. But reality always has a way of intruding, and logic tells her that this adventure can’t last. When real life inevitably comes calling, Rachel must decide if she’s willing to trade in her dream of success in the courtroom for a chance at love.
As she’s pulled into Henry’s delightful whims, caught in a whirlwind of private jets and fancy dinners, Rachel finds herself inexplicably drawn to this handsome and charismatic man. But reality always has a way of intruding, and logic tells her that this adventure can’t last. When real life inevitably comes calling, Rachel must decide if she’s willing to trade in her dream of success in the courtroom for a chance at love.
272 pages, Unknown Binding
First published July 1, 2015
7 people are currently reading
235 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
July 19, 2015
Enjoyed and stands alone but wish I'd know this was a companion/sequel to Before the Clock Strikes Thirty first as I would have read that first.
I liked both Henry & Rachel and enjoyed reading their story. Lots of laughs.
While I guess this could be considered "LDS fiction" I don't think there is anything in this that is specifically LDS and it is more implied that the characters are LDS simply because they don't drink or smoke. Nothing about it is preachy or religious. It is just a clean romance.
Content: Squeaky clean
Source: Ebook review copy
I liked both Henry & Rachel and enjoyed reading their story. Lots of laughs.
While I guess this could be considered "LDS fiction" I don't think there is anything in this that is specifically LDS and it is more implied that the characters are LDS simply because they don't drink or smoke. Nothing about it is preachy or religious. It is just a clean romance.
Content: Squeaky clean
Source: Ebook review copy
July 19, 2015
This was a fun, easy read that I completed in an afternoon. I loved the characters. I loved the situation, and I thought Henry's behind the scenes reasoning for hiring Rachel was perfect. I loved how Rachel's pride really came into call and she had to learn from it. The misreading of situations was perfectly real and I just enjoyed the book from beginning to end. I did remember wondering where it took place and when it finally stated where they were having to change my thinking a bit. I could have missed it and in the end it really didn't matter. It was a delightful, clean read that I would recommend for anyone who enjoys a good romance.
May 8, 2018
I liked this book...but I also felt like there wasn't anything deeper to it than what was on the surface. The story was cute, but I never really got into it. I think that was because a) the blurb gave me a different idea of Rachel's character, and b) I don't feel like I ever got into the characters' motivations.
So, now that I read the blurb, I realize that it never explicitly said this, but when I read it, I totally thought that Rachel, as a lawyer, would be the one who didn't want to do anything "whimsical" and Henry was going to help her be more spontaneous ("As she's pulled into Henry's delightful whims..."). But Rachel is actually very unsure of herself and was actually the first one to do a whimsical thing.
But that wasn't nearly as important as the second part that bothered me--the characters' motivations. Actually, it was more the fact that I didn't know why they were acting the way that they did. For example, we never find out why Rachel decided to be a lawyer. There are some implications, but I doubt that they're the actual reason.
Especially considering that Rachel is very insecure in her thoughts about herself, I feel like she wouldn't have gotten through law school without having a very clear reason and motivation behind attending and learning about law. But, in fact, she doesn't seem to care about law that much. I felt like the only motivation she had for it was pride and money? She had this fantastical dream about how amazing it would be, being praised as a great lawyer and earning a bunch of money, but...there's never a deeper reason described than that.
And then Henry didn't have a reason for acting the way he did either. I could never tell if he was heartbroken over Shannon or what. The only thing I knew about him was that he liked Rachel (which is pretty obvious, considering that it's a romance book) and he likes cookies. I really wanted to know other things about him, like what his business was--apparently he's some rich guy and we never hear what his business was. So does he even care about it? What is he working on all day? Why doesn't Rachel ever ask him?
Also, there was some backstory stuff hinted for him, but it never got explained. Which I feel would have made me like him more. Not that I didn't--he was nice and fun, but I didn't feel like I understood him.
So after reading some other reviews, I realize that this is a sequel/companion book to an earlier one that I have not read, which explains why there's so much Shannon in this book. So I'm sure I'd enjoy the book more if I'd read that book already, but as it was, I wished there was less Shannon and a lot more that went deeper into Rachel and Henry. I also wonder if Rachel and Henry were developed more in the first book, but even if that is the case, this book should not only go that deep but even deeper since it's about them.
Okay, I know I just shared a lot of things that I wanted, but I really did have a good time reading this book. It made me laugh out loud multiple times, which not very many books can make me do! I don't regret reading it, I just wish there could have been more depth with the characters. But if you just want a fluffy read--this one will fit the bill!
So, now that I read the blurb, I realize that it never explicitly said this, but when I read it, I totally thought that Rachel, as a lawyer, would be the one who didn't want to do anything "whimsical" and Henry was going to help her be more spontaneous ("As she's pulled into Henry's delightful whims..."). But Rachel is actually very unsure of herself and was actually the first one to do a whimsical thing.
But that wasn't nearly as important as the second part that bothered me--the characters' motivations. Actually, it was more the fact that I didn't know why they were acting the way that they did. For example, we never find out why Rachel decided to be a lawyer. There are some implications, but I doubt that they're the actual reason.
Especially considering that Rachel is very insecure in her thoughts about herself, I feel like she wouldn't have gotten through law school without having a very clear reason and motivation behind attending and learning about law. But, in fact, she doesn't seem to care about law that much. I felt like the only motivation she had for it was pride and money? She had this fantastical dream about how amazing it would be, being praised as a great lawyer and earning a bunch of money, but...there's never a deeper reason described than that.
And then Henry didn't have a reason for acting the way he did either. I could never tell if he was heartbroken over Shannon or what. The only thing I knew about him was that he liked Rachel (which is pretty obvious, considering that it's a romance book) and he likes cookies. I really wanted to know other things about him, like what his business was--apparently he's some rich guy and we never hear what his business was. So does he even care about it? What is he working on all day? Why doesn't Rachel ever ask him?
Also, there was some backstory stuff hinted for him, but it never got explained. Which I feel would have made me like him more. Not that I didn't--he was nice and fun, but I didn't feel like I understood him.
So after reading some other reviews, I realize that this is a sequel/companion book to an earlier one that I have not read, which explains why there's so much Shannon in this book. So I'm sure I'd enjoy the book more if I'd read that book already, but as it was, I wished there was less Shannon and a lot more that went deeper into Rachel and Henry. I also wonder if Rachel and Henry were developed more in the first book, but even if that is the case, this book should not only go that deep but even deeper since it's about them.
Okay, I know I just shared a lot of things that I wanted, but I really did have a good time reading this book. It made me laugh out loud multiple times, which not very many books can make me do! I don't regret reading it, I just wish there could have been more depth with the characters. But if you just want a fluffy read--this one will fit the bill!
July 29, 2015
I read the first book, Before the Clock Strikes Thirty, and really enjoyed it, so I couldn't wait for this one. Rachel knows what she wants after finishing law school--a nice, prestigious job and some money. A hit to the economy leaves her digging for change to make ends meet and her pride won't allow her to work just any old job--even a job offered by a former crush. Henry is tall, rich, and full of charm, but he's been burned before and a little leery of falling in love again.
I love Ms. Mace's writing style--the witty banter, strong yet flawed characters, and humorous but romantic storyline. Rachel takes a job as Henry's secretary and finds herself doing all kinds of crazy work, including buying him gourmet cookies every day. These were great characters and I did like them, but there were times when I wanted to tell them to wake up. They were both a little hardheaded and missed things right under their noses. I also liked Rachel's friend, Shannon. She relies heavily on Rachel and goes in circles about decisions, but she is a lot of fun. Book 1 is her main story.
This is a great workplace story with fun main characters interactions, especially with the assumptions and misunderstandings scattered throughout, and thoughtful gestures. I always enjoy a good, clean romantic comedy and this was definitely one that I was in the mood for.
Content: Clean!
*I received a copy in exchange for an honest review*
I love Ms. Mace's writing style--the witty banter, strong yet flawed characters, and humorous but romantic storyline. Rachel takes a job as Henry's secretary and finds herself doing all kinds of crazy work, including buying him gourmet cookies every day. These were great characters and I did like them, but there were times when I wanted to tell them to wake up. They were both a little hardheaded and missed things right under their noses. I also liked Rachel's friend, Shannon. She relies heavily on Rachel and goes in circles about decisions, but she is a lot of fun. Book 1 is her main story.
This is a great workplace story with fun main characters interactions, especially with the assumptions and misunderstandings scattered throughout, and thoughtful gestures. I always enjoy a good, clean romantic comedy and this was definitely one that I was in the mood for.
Content: Clean!
*I received a copy in exchange for an honest review*
August 13, 2015
I loved this book!! It was such a fun, fast read which had me laughing out loud multiple times. Rachel Pearce is an attorney without a job. She's getting desperate for something when she runs into Henry Walker, an ex-boyfriend of her best friend, Shannon. He offers her a job and she's not interested until her situation becomes dire.
Once she starts working for Henry, she is given quirky tasks to complete, like mastering the copy machine, helping him with his book club and buying gourmet cookies every day. She is also exposed to the life of the wealthy and enjoys it but she can take it or leave it. Her friend, Shannon, is going through a major life change and that caused some funny scenes as well.
I enjoyed all the characters in this book and thought they interacted well together. I wasn't that impressed with Henry at first but he quickly grew on me and I loved how their relationship developed.
I didn't even know this was a sequel until I was telling my sister about it and she told me there was another book, so I would say this definitely stands on its own. The first book is the story of her best friend, Shannon, and her husband, Nathan. This is the first book I've read by this author and I enjoyed her writing style a lot! I will be reading more of her books in the future!
I received a copy of this book to review. My opinion is 100% my own.
Mel's Shelves
Once she starts working for Henry, she is given quirky tasks to complete, like mastering the copy machine, helping him with his book club and buying gourmet cookies every day. She is also exposed to the life of the wealthy and enjoys it but she can take it or leave it. Her friend, Shannon, is going through a major life change and that caused some funny scenes as well.
I enjoyed all the characters in this book and thought they interacted well together. I wasn't that impressed with Henry at first but he quickly grew on me and I loved how their relationship developed.
I didn't even know this was a sequel until I was telling my sister about it and she told me there was another book, so I would say this definitely stands on its own. The first book is the story of her best friend, Shannon, and her husband, Nathan. This is the first book I've read by this author and I enjoyed her writing style a lot! I will be reading more of her books in the future!
I received a copy of this book to review. My opinion is 100% my own.
Mel's Shelves
July 30, 2015
***4.5 stars***
This book was the perfect read for me right now. I love the combination of romance and comedy. There are comedic situations that put a grin on my face and kept me anticipating what could possible happen (or go wrong) next.
Rachel thinks she has her life figured out. She graduated from law school and thinks she should be on track to a productive career practicing law. Her dreams are not coming true and she is struggling to survive when she runs into Henry. He is a wealthy ex-boyfriend of her best friend. His offer to employ her as his secretary was not well received, but became a necessity as things became more desperate for Rachel.
Aubrey Mace writes with a wonderful and clear voice. I could picture many of the scenes in my head. Her presentation of the banter between Henry and Rachel was excellent. They are wonderful characters and I am very grateful that I got to read their story!
This book is clean and fun! There is mild religious references that don't have a big impact on the story. This book can be enjoyed by all.
This book was the perfect read for me right now. I love the combination of romance and comedy. There are comedic situations that put a grin on my face and kept me anticipating what could possible happen (or go wrong) next.
Rachel thinks she has her life figured out. She graduated from law school and thinks she should be on track to a productive career practicing law. Her dreams are not coming true and she is struggling to survive when she runs into Henry. He is a wealthy ex-boyfriend of her best friend. His offer to employ her as his secretary was not well received, but became a necessity as things became more desperate for Rachel.
Aubrey Mace writes with a wonderful and clear voice. I could picture many of the scenes in my head. Her presentation of the banter between Henry and Rachel was excellent. They are wonderful characters and I am very grateful that I got to read their story!
This book is clean and fun! There is mild religious references that don't have a big impact on the story. This book can be enjoyed by all.
July 8, 2015
Okay. It took me till chapter 12 to realize that this was basically a wrap up/sequel to Before the Clock Strikes 30. Now, I can't really decide which book I liked better but I lean a little towards Clock. I was excited to be the first to read this at my work and still really enjoyed it. I liked Henry a lot and I liked having a heroine whose life wasn't perfect. When I read the back and first started getting into it I got a Two Weeks Notice (with Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock) vibe. Which is definitely not a bad vibe to be getting. I died at the end because it was so perfect and cute (just ask my mom). I am really liking my experience with LDS romances and literature because I mostly just stuck with the proper romances. So I am enjoying trying these out.
December 6, 2022
So darling! The banter had me grinning from ear to ear every time I picked up the book. Now that I’m finally done, maybe I can convince myself to go back to my strict bedtime!
November 22, 2016
I had high hopes for this one because I enjoyed the other books by this author. There were some humorous lines and situations. Henry was sweet and thoughtful. Shannon was a good friend, more like a sister. I enjoyed their relationship. It was good up until the last 30 pages or so. She was so upset about the blank papers in St. George (and rightly so), but then she was laughing about it with Henry in the next breath. I didn't get it. The arguments between them were confusing. I couldn't understand exactly what they were upset about. I think it would have helped my understanding if we were told from the beginning that Henry had abandonment issues. As it was, I couldn't understand why he backed out of every kiss. I wasn't convinced at the end that they were close enough emotionally for marriage. The communication between them was difficult to understand sometimes. It just ended that something was missing between them and that was a disappointment. I wish I could have given it a higher rating. I may read it again just to try to understand things better. As always, I was glad it was clean. No language. No sex.
July 28, 2015
I love the cover for this book! It's so cute and it makes me want to eat cookies. Actually, I wanted to eat cookies throughout this whole book. One of these days I am going to get to the bakery spotlighted in this book because it is an actual place. How fantastic is that?!
This book is lighthearted and fun. I enjoyed the interactions between Rachel and Henry- the banter and the little zing pinging back and forth. Rachel thinks she knows Henry and she does to some degree but not entirely. Henry is generous and caring. He has such a soft heart and he uses the resources at his disposal to help and take care of other people without announcing it to the world. I love that.
I read through this book quickly because it was so fun and I didn't want to put it down. It was the perfect little romantic escape for a summer day.
Content: Clean! No swearing or sexual situations. There are a couple mentions of the couple being LDS but absolutely nothing preachy at all. This book can be enjoyed by all.
This book is lighthearted and fun. I enjoyed the interactions between Rachel and Henry- the banter and the little zing pinging back and forth. Rachel thinks she knows Henry and she does to some degree but not entirely. Henry is generous and caring. He has such a soft heart and he uses the resources at his disposal to help and take care of other people without announcing it to the world. I love that.
I read through this book quickly because it was so fun and I didn't want to put it down. It was the perfect little romantic escape for a summer day.
Content: Clean! No swearing or sexual situations. There are a couple mentions of the couple being LDS but absolutely nothing preachy at all. This book can be enjoyed by all.
October 3, 2015
Sweet story of a crush getting a second chance to make a first impression. Loved rachel pierce character. Her spunk, her humor, her playfulness was refreshing.
It was very real like to watch Henry try to open up his heart to accept another someone"in after being hurt.
It was very real like to watch Henry try to open up his heart to accept another someone"in after being hurt.
December 9, 2015
Cute Mormon Fiction. Nothing particularly wrong with it, but nothing deep or new. A fun, fluffy read. Nothing life changing. Completely clean.
August 3, 2018
I had a hard time deciding between four stars or five for this one - I was thinking 5, because I enjoyed the plot, the characters, the writing style, the humor & occasional bouts of whimsy, and the realistic portrayal of how hard it can be to communicate clearly and to "read" others' behaviors. Then, I was thinking 4 stars, since this is a light, "fluffy" book. In the end I decided on 5, because I realize that I had no other choice after having just finished hunting down and buying every other book she wrote (except, ironically, for the one I already have but haven't read yet, which I just found out this book is a sequel/companion book to).
July 10, 2018
I bought 'Love on A Whim' on a whim ;) and am pleasantly surprised! I do feel the falling in love with a millionaire/first date storyline a bit overplayed but what kept me interested was all the humor. I loved Henry and Rachel together. I felt her best friend's "problem" was a little odd and not really important or fitting. I especially loved when they visited her Great Aunt and her dog. You will not be disappointed with this book. I also kept picturing Henry as Benedict Cumberbatch which makes it more fun :)
October 7, 2024
This was such a fun read! I found myself smiling and laughing quite a bit throughout this book :) Also the characters had a lot of potential to be annoying, but were developed and easy to sympathized with (And Henry was so adorable!). The only thing that was a little confusing was some of the parts where there was a lot of drama it was hard to follow and understand what was going on. Other than that it was a super cute book!
October 25, 2017
I really liked this book! In fact, I haven't read a book in a while where I was actually really disappointed it was over. This one was just good. A few quirks here and there that I didn't like - but overall, something I will read again for sure. I also REALLY like this author. Of the kinds of books I usually read (the clean romance), she has entered my top five now!
February 15, 2018
I thought this was another fun, romantic romp, full of humor about a woman who "Seems to have it all" but when life "Starts giving her lemons" She eventually will find out what makes life "Truly Sweet"!!!
Aubrey Mace does it again!!! Her situational Humor is infectious!!! Loved it!!! Can't wait to read more of her work!!!
Aubrey Mace does it again!!! Her situational Humor is infectious!!! Loved it!!! Can't wait to read more of her work!!!
March 26, 2020
This was pretty silly. All the bantering back and forth between Rachael and Henry was crazy fun to read but a little daunting after a while. But by the end, I was happy with the way it ended. Shannon not telling Nathan about the baby was like a broken record - just get it done I kept thinking!! But if you want a silly, light-hearted, romance and easy read, this is the book for you.
May 31, 2025
I am really glad I started the habit of binge-reading books by the same author by publication date. This is definitely the sequel to ‘before the clock strikes 30’ and I would’ve been really annoyed if I had read them in the wrong order. This is the story of Rachel, Shannon’s best friend from the first book. Fluffy of substance, but enjoyable.
January 4, 2017
I can't get enough of Aubrey Mace's writing! I love that she continued "Before The Clock Strikes Thirty" with Rachel's life now in "Love on a Whim." Her characters are loveable and fun! And Aubrey Mace is downright hilarious! I hope that she writes many more books!
July 23, 2018
A woman who is a lawyer can't get a job and is offered a secretary job by an ex-boyfriend of her best friend and that's how the story begins. It all changes from there and at times gets deep and most of the time is on the surface, but it was a nice, fun, clean story and I enjoyed it.
August 1, 2018
This was a fun book about an underemployed woman who finds herself without a job, and reluctantly agrees to be a secretary for an old "friend". As their boss- employee connection grows into something deeper, will it turn out to be heartache.... or the perfect match?
November 4, 2020
This one was a cute sequel to When the Clock Strikes Thirty. I loved reading about Rachel and Henry’s relationship, although I kept waiting for him to tell her more about his childhood. I was frustrated that Shannon took so long to tell Nathan her news. That part dragged out for me.
May 30, 2018
Cute story! One of those that you know where it's going, but the journey is fun!
August 13, 2018
What a sweet and funny and CLEAN love story! Reminded me a bit of how my love story played out. Loved loved loved it!!
August 27, 2018
3.5 Stars
October 7, 2019
fun book
April 15, 2020
Thinking they're helping each other, Rachel and Henry can't fight the sparks!
July 29, 2020
A typical girl - boy falling in love
December 23, 2021
Fairly typical LDS romance. Would make a passable Hallmark movie.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews