Stranded with the Boss

by Elizabeth Lane

Mills & Boon Desire series delivers powerful, passionate romances…

A single mum — and her twin babies! — are snowbound with the boss. Can they melt his frozen heart?

When Tessa Randall sues CEO Dragan Markovic’s company for unfair termination, he insists on hearing her side of the story. But the billionaire known as The Dragon gets more than he bargained for when he’s stranded at his snowy Alaskan lodge with Tessa and her twin toddlers.

Now the flame-haired beauty wants to uncover his story. How can he tell her that her children remind him of his harrowing past and all that he lost? Or that the sweet family of three is slowly melting The Dragon’s frozen heart...

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

185 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 15, 2015

Reviews

[Kiki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just don’t know how the hero became from serious commitment phobe to being in love with the heroine in space of 4 days.
It was an ok read I guess. I liked missie and maddie. The troublesome twosome!

[Soma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it! it was a sweet and easy read.

[Paula Legate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The twin girls Maddie, and Missy was the stars of this story. The girls were just learning how to walk. Tessa was a great mom, but her daughter Maddie was a little escape artist. I loved the part where Tessa was feeding the girls spaghetti, that part had me laughing. It was nice to read a light book with very little drama.

Tessa got fired from her job because she was pregnant. She was left with no income, and no health insurance. The worry caused Tessa to go into early labor. The girls had to stay in the hospital for a long time, fighting to live. The hospital bills piled up. She had no choice but to go after the company that caused her so much grief. She wanted her day in court.

Dragan was the president of the company. His legal team advised him to meet her in person, and find out more about her. He had a hand in canceling her flight, so he could offer to fly her, himself in his plane. There was no way he could have predicted that his plane would malfunction, and they would have to make an emergency landing. Tessa, and her twin girls was stranded in a cabin with Dragan. She was so mad when she found out who he was. After her anger dissipated, she knew she had to at least try to get along with him. With the snow storm, they didn't know how long they had to stay there until help arrived. It was Alaska, and plane's didn't fly in snow storms. Dragan started off being cold, because of the pain he faced in his past. In the end the twins won him over. There were several moments that had me laughing along the way. The relationship between Tessa, and Dragan started off very rocky, then grew into friendship, and then something much more. There were several people that reviewed this book that didn't care for it. I on the other hand really loved this book.

[Angela Simmons · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Dragan Markovic learns that Tessa Randall refuses to accept his generous settlement and intends to follow through with her lawsuit against him company, he decides he wants to hear her side of the story. So when Tessa’s flight is delayed, Dragan offers her a ride on his private plane although he never expected her to bring along her twin toddlers or for them to be stranded at his lodge in Alaska. Events from Dragan’s past has him wired to stay away from Tessa’s children, but he finds himself growing closer to them and their mother.

Dragan has been through a lot. Growing up in war-torn Sarajevo has left him emotionally capped off and because of what happened to him he doesn’t want to be a father, he doesn’t want to be responsible for bringing up children, and he doesn’t want to allow himself to fall in love. He’s a damaged—yet lovable—hero. Given what he’s been through, I would have almost expected him to come off as angst-filled and surly. Instead, he pulls away when he starts getting close to Tessa and the girls. Yet when they need him, he’s there no questions asked.

While I felt as though a vivid picture of Dragan was painted, Tessa wasn’t as thoroughly flashed-out. The little I learned about her could fill a thimble. She’s a fiercely protective single mother of two adorable—yet rambunctious—toddlers. Her fiancé died. She was wrongly fired from her job and now has a lawsuit filed against the company. She’s drawn to Dragan, even though she tried to stay away. I learned about her parenting skills, her reasons behind the lawsuit, yet I didn’t really feel as though I was able to really meet Tessa.

The chemistry between Dragan and Tessa was interesting. There was a spark at the beginning, then when she discovered who Dragan was, it went back to bordering on enemy territory, then once they were forced to spend time together the flame seemed to ignite.

The twins, Missy and Maddie, both had very different personalities. Maddie’s a little Houdini who can escape from just about anywhere and Missy was all cuddly and smiley. Their antics kept the book lively and it was fun watching Dragan learn to interact with them. I enjoyed how they were intertwined within the story without bogging down the plot.

I had a slight problem with the lawsuit. I completely understand Tessa wanting to make sure that her hospital bills were covered, but the fact that she was allowing her lawyer to use the lawsuit to make an example of Dragan’s company kind of irked me. It also irked me that Tessa allowed her lawyer to cow her into a corner. I really wished she would have been more vocal and stood up for what she actually wanted.

Overall, I liked this book. I’m a sucker for the forced proximity trope. I enjoyed watching Tessa and her toddlers melt Dragan’s frozen heart. I would have liked to have seen more of who Tessa was. She came off very flat and one-sided. Yet it was still a cute, quick little read. While the plot felt complete, the ending could have been extended by a few extra chapters.

[Taria Reed · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a sweet light read. I tend to avoid anything with billionaire in the title/description but I was craving a story with children in the mix and I gave this one a shot. Tessa is suing Dragon's company because she was wrongfully fired while she was very pregnant with her twins. I found the pace of the story to be very quick. They meet and fall in love over the course of 3 days or so. The fact that at the end of their "time together" he is thinking of making her his wife was a bit out of nowhere but **shrug** that's how Dragon rolls apparently. The girls were adorable and Dragon's backstory was heartbreaking but with Tessa, Maddy, and Missy's love it all works out.

story 3
narrator 3

[Rin ⭐️🌖 · Rating 5 out of 5]

واو واو واو مره وقت طويل من قريت كتاب أعطاني مشاعر مثل هاذا! يا ربي جميل بشكل استمعت فيه متعه مو طبيعيه بكيت و ضحكت معهم ولله اول شي دارغان حبيت لاحظته الطيفه مع التوأم و بذات مادي كان بينه و بينها تواصل لطيف و غريب و ميسي الطيفه و الحنونه افففف اما تيسا افضل ام و امرأة في الحياه قد ايش قاتلت و عانت عشان بناتها و ما استسلمت ابد! اف اف حب كبير لها قويه و لطيفه حنونه على بناتها و على دارغان🥹🥹🥹 هو بكبره مصدوم من حنيتها عليه ولا كانها رافعه عليه قضيه ، حبيت قصه حبهم لبعض مافي اجبار او كره تجاذب لطيف و نهايه سعيده..مره توترت عشان ميسي الصغيره ☹️ كنت خايفه عليها ودا مادي مع الدب الصغير اخخخ مالوم دارغان لما انهار بكاء بعد انقاذها ولا اظن ابد انه علم تيسا بل موضوع عشان ما تنجلط عليه😭 الكتاب جميل يا ناس استمعت فيه بشكللل و عشت مشاعر كثيره فيه اخخخ هاذا يستاهل اكثر من خمس ستراز ولله، اخ رحمت مره قصه دارغان مع اهله و خواته الصغار اف اف ما اتحمل إلا الإخوان و بذات لاني اخت كبيره بس التخيل بكاني كيف هو😞😞 و أعجبني موضوع ان تيسا حملت من شخص تحبه رجل كان بيصير زوجها حتى تغير القدر مو مثل بعض الكتب الي تخلي البطله علاقه ليله واحده لا كان علاقات تيسا و كيفين واضح انها لطيفه و صحيه لانها كانت تجيها الغصه كلنا تذكرته
دارغان&تيسا

[Empi Baryeh · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

Tessa, a single mother, sues her former employer for wrongful termination, which (naturally) gets the attention of the CEO, Dragan (no one likes to be sued). His review of the facts makes him more interested in hearing Tessa’s side of the story. But like every normal alpha romance hero, he doesn’t just ask nicely.

Doing it the hard way lands them (him, her and her twin toddlers) stranded in a snowstorm at his Alaskan lodge. Despite his ruthless businessman reputation, Dragan turns out to be a softie. A dark past creates some mystery around his persona. Tessa is the classic good girl who’s pretty much done everything right. She’s smart and unpretentious, which turns out to be the right recipe to free Dragan from his past.

The romance is a cut between sweet and sensual. Recommended if you enjoy boss/employee romance or you’re looking for a quick, uncomplicated but still enjoyable story

[Meenal Vardan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have about 130 of the desire books shelved and forgotten. This happened to be on top of the pile, so i just picked it up to give my eyes a break from the ebooks. It's not a typical office romance, so you won't see the boss throwing orders and the employee following. The book is set a lodge during winter, and the way the author describes it, I felt like I was there. Absolutely fell in love with the location. Coming to the story. With everything going in the world right now in regards to the war, one will totally understand why the hero felt the way he did. But then no one got away from being wrapped around tiny little fingers, so he was not spared either. I almost felt like "da" meant something else. The book is about love, sacrifice, and jealousy. Overall, it was a good winter read.

[Evelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This story of Tess, Dragon and a set of red headed twins is an adventure from beginning to end. Two hearts ripped apart by tragedy. His was from the loss of his whole family and hers from loss of her job and premature twins with health problems. Both stranded with each other in the Alaskan wilderness , close quarters and heart wrenching fear of being vulnerable. With only each other for comfort their hearts thaw and healing begins. BRAVO.

[Mattie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't like it. I didn't like the plot (with her suing him) or the hero. The turn around from him not wanting anything to do with kids, to then wanting to marry her and be her twin daughters father in 4 days was too fast for me to believe it. P.

[Cat E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

🤗

I enjoyed the book. The twins were just adorable and mischievous. I loved it. It was good to see Dragan fall in love after all the pain. Tessa was a fierce mother and took no crap. Great character development and a strong plot.

[Gigi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing Audiobook.

[Mybookscafe · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting story

This is an interesting story and overall I liked the book and the characters. I look forward to reading more from this author

[Kbee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Audible Romance Package

AUDIOBOOK: Read 17 August 2020
5hrs 57min

Narrator: Hollis McCarthy is good enough
It was ok.

[Rachael · Rating 1 out of 5]

Who the heck is ever going to think about relations with two toddlers running around? And there's no way she had enough diapers on hand. I don't even remember if the conflict gets solved.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. When Tessa's pregnancy resulted in the loss of her job, she was left with no income and no insurance. With a mountain of bills resulting from her high risk pregnancy and the certainty that her firing had been unfair at the least, Tessa felt she had no option but to sue the company. Her lawyer wants more than just a quiet settlement, she thinks the company should be made an example of, so the case will be going to trial.

Dragan has worked hard to build the company and prides himself on running a good business. He wants to know if this is a case of someone out for all she can get, or if she really was wronged. Since their lawyers won't let him talk to her directly he comes up with a plan to get her to himself for a few hours so that he can get her side of the story. He doesn't expect her to have her twin girls with her, or that a malfunction with his plane will strand them for several days at his remote Alaskan lodge.

Overall, I liked Dragan. He really just wants a chance to get at the truth without a bunch of legal wrangling. He's a little cynical about peoples' motives, but that's not too surprising considering the world the way that it is. He does have a reputation of being cold and emotionless, and that's easy to see in his first reactions to the twins, though he certainly isn't cold when it comes to Tessa. He's attracted to her from the moment he sees her, even though he knows it would be a bad idea to act on it.

I liked Tessa also. She hasn't had an easy time of it, and all she really wants is justice. When she's offered a lift in the good looking stranger's plane, she's cautious but she needs to make it to her destination in time for the trial. She's attracted to him, but his less than pleasant attitude about her children puts her off. It isn't until partway through the flight that she recognizes her "savior" and then she's furious. She believes that he's kidnapped her to keep her away from the trial.

When the plane trouble happens, they call a truce. Tessa knows that their lives depend on his skills. Once they are safely down, they have to find a way to coexist until they are rescued. I really liked seeing the way that their close proximity slowly brought down their barriers. The attraction and passion between them was great, but even more I liked the way that they were able to share their pasts. My favorite thing was seeing Dragan become more comfortable around the children. He had been a teen growing up in Sarajevo during the war, and the things that he experienced had caused him to avoid getting close to anyone ever since. It was fun to see the way that the little girls started to melt the ice around his heart. I also liked seeing how Tessa's attitude toward him softened the more she learned about him. She still had a few instances of questioning his motives, but for the most part she really came to trust him. When one of the girls gets sick, Dragan's fear of history repeating itself is hard to see, but he handles it all well. It isn't until rescue comes and they have to part that he realizes just how big a change they have brought to his life. The question becomes if there is anything he can do to make that change permanent.

I loved the conclusion and how Dragan took what he knew about Tessa and looked into what really happened. I was not surprised by what he found out. I had my doubts about Tessa's lawyer until the very end, but what she did really redeemed her in my eyes. I loved his big moment at the end and how he convinced Tessa of his feelings. The epilogue was fantastic.

[Melody Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

***3.5 Stars***

I had been looking for a book that wasn't overloaded with angst and grief and I gave this a try. I really enjoyed this read.

Tessa Randall was wrongfully terminated and feels she is left with no other choice than to sue CEO, Dragan Markovic's, company. It is either that or file bankruptcy. Although Dragan was unaware what had transpired he was determined to get to the bottom of this situation, beginning by listening to Tessa's side of the story. He devises a plan to get her to fly with him to Anchorage where the trial is about to begin. He hoodwinked her and had her chartered flight cancelled and his plane fueled and ready to leave as he set his plan in motion. She had no idea who he was at first.

They end up stranded together with her 16-month-old twin daughters in a lodge the corporation owns and he sees what it would be like to be a member of a loving family. Dragan had a horrific and heartbreaking past. His uncle brought him to America when he was approx. 15 years old and was the only surviving member of his family who made it through the four-year siege at Sarajevo alive.

The story was touching and sweet. The twins were a hoot and began thawing the Dragon's heart. I will be honest and tell you I thought it moved rather slowly until well past 50%. I guess the best way to describe it is a 184 page story that could have been told in 140 pages. There were places that it felt like the author was adding details and fillers that didn't move the story forward and it caused the story line to feel draggy until around 70%. I am glad I read it though as it was an interesting subject.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

My Gram was a voracious reader and my Mom is convinced that's where my love of reading came from, apparently skipping a generation. Gram devoured Harlequin romances, there was always a pile sitting on the table between her two living room chairs. When visiting her, I'd pick them up and for a young girl they were fine, quite tame.

I still have several of them that are more than 45 years old, not for the stories but for the sentimentality.

Gram would definitely not recognize the modern day incarnation of her beloved books. Gone are virginal, virtuous maidens who blush at hand holding and a chaste kiss. Tessa the heroine in this book has twin girls and a lawsuit against her former company for unlawful termination, sexual discrimination and claims she was fired for being pregnant. She faced the pregnancy alone since her fiancee was killed before the babies were born.

The owner of her former company, Dragan is incensed at the lawsuit but intrigued with Tessa. He arranges to meet her and tricks her into flying off with him for the trial. She brings the twins and they are all thrown together when weather grounds them at his Alaska hunting lodge. In a few days we have passion, playfulness and a crisis.

A quick read and I like to think Gram is smiling knowing Harlequin is still going strong.

[Mem · Rating 5 out of 5]

D2402 Oct15 Billionaires and Babies #62 Tessa Randall is suing Dragan Maskovic's company for unfair termination. He insists on hearing her side of the story and makes it happen by cancelling her and her twin toddlers flight reservations to Anchorage. A mishap with refueling makes him land near his Alaskan lodge and added to that is a snowstorm. Being stranded is an unwanted experience for both go them. One of the girls has breathing problems and the rescue plane arrives just in time to get the girls and their mother to a hospital. Enjoyed this, strong characters who know what they want and work together to get it.

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tessa stated her twin each have the personality of one of their parents. Yet Tessa seems to display the twins personalities pending on the circumstance. She can be fierce n billigerant with her assumptions based on her perception n at times coloured with other people's biases. Then at times friendly n open. Yet the switch at times is enough to cause confusion. Yet Dragan seems straight forward in what he says even his childhood experiences he protects. I love how each twim reacts n seem to help him access his emotions.
Love this statement 'they were complicated people whose lives would not be easier but they loved each other' good summary of their story with my paraphrasing

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stranded With The Boss by Elizabeth Lane. I loved this book. The two 16 month old twin girls are adorable. Normal little girls. Single Mom Tessa Randall is stranded at a cabin with CEO Dragan Markovic, and sues his company. Dragan had a terrible childhood. He has never told anyone what happened to him as a child. Tessa and the twins break though the wall he has put around his heart. A very good read.

[Dianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, but I can't say I loved it or was swept into the story. I thought Missy and Maddie were quite cute and Ms Lane did a great job of writing the girls into the story. For me the book wasn't long enough. The story would have benefitted from being longer. I think the character development would have been much better with a stronger storyline/plot.

[Salla · Rating 2 out of 5]

I apparently have this tendency of attracting fictional sad boys, not mad though. I expected a light romance, but got Dragan, again not mad. Even though the whole falling-in-love-in-four-days is just rubbish, Dragan and his story will probably stay with me for more than four days.

Also, will probably write either letter or poetry for Dragan to get over this emotional ride...

[Ranny Herdiningtyas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, actually the idea is good...

But the development of the story is boring.
Just not the book for me.

[Harlequin Books]

Miniseries: Billionaires and Babies

[christina M gaines-sluss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love and baby's

[Josie]

I didn't like the plotline with the lawsuit and I wanted more scenes with the twins. This was a DNF for me.

[Betsy Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook version, and didn't care for the narrator's voice.

[Niki · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is like so many of the quick romances that I like to read. I love quick, fun and easy books that can take my mind into a different world while I am doing laundry and the dishes.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

well written ...and it made me cry ....