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Mistletoe Mistress
Christmas with the boss!
When Hawk Mallen took over the company Joanne Crawford worked for, it seemed he'd taken over her life, as well — expecting his new assistant to be at his command day and night! And when he offered Joanne a dream promotion, she realized she'd be at his side almost twenty-four hours a day....
Working so closely with Hawk, Joanne found it hard to ignore how irresistibly sexy he was. She was determined not to have an affair with her boss, but what if Hawk wasn't just looking for a mistletoe mistress — but a wife?
When Hawk Mallen took over the company Joanne Crawford worked for, it seemed he'd taken over her life, as well — expecting his new assistant to be at his command day and night! And when he offered Joanne a dream promotion, she realized she'd be at his side almost twenty-four hours a day....
Working so closely with Hawk, Joanne found it hard to ignore how irresistibly sexy he was. She was determined not to have an affair with her boss, but what if Hawk wasn't just looking for a mistletoe mistress — but a wife?
Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
13 people are currently reading
67 people want to read
About the author
Helen Brooks
405 books119 followersRita Bradshaw was born on 1949 in Northampton, England, where she was educated as a good Christian. She met Clive, her husband, at the age of 16 andnow the magic is still there. They have three lovely children, Cara, Faye, and Benjamin, and have always had a menagerie of animals in the house, which at the present is confined to two endearing and very comical dogs who would make a great double act on TV! The children, friends, and pets all keep the house buzzing and the food cupboards empty but Helen wouldn't have it any other way. She still lives today in Northampton with her family. Although having enjoyed some wonderful holidays abroad she has never been tempted to live anywhere else, although she rather likes the idea of a holiday home close to the sea one day.
Being a committed Christian and fervent animal lover she finds spare time is always at a premium, but long walks in the countryside with her husband and dogs, meals out followed by the cinema or theatre, reading, swimming, and having friends over for dinner are all fitted in somehow. She also enjoys sitting in her wonderfully therapeutic, rambling old garden in the sun with a glass of red wine, (under the guise of resting while thinking of course!)
For years, she was a secretary. She began writing in 1990 as she approached that milestone of a birthday 40! She realized her two teenage ambitions (writing a novel and learning to drive) had been lost amid babies and hectic family life, so set about resurrecting them.
Her first novel was for Mills and Boon and was accepted after one rewrite in 1992 as Helen Brooks, and she passed her driving test (the former was a joy and the latter an unmitigated nightmare!) She has written 50 novels as well as several sagas as Rita Bradshaw.
Since becoming a full-time writer she has found her occupation one of pure joy and often surprised when her characters develop a mind of their own but she loves exploring what makes people tick and finds the old adage "truth is stranger than fiction" to be absolutely true. She would love to hear from any readers care of Mills & Boon.
Being a committed Christian and fervent animal lover she finds spare time is always at a premium, but long walks in the countryside with her husband and dogs, meals out followed by the cinema or theatre, reading, swimming, and having friends over for dinner are all fitted in somehow. She also enjoys sitting in her wonderfully therapeutic, rambling old garden in the sun with a glass of red wine, (under the guise of resting while thinking of course!)
For years, she was a secretary. She began writing in 1990 as she approached that milestone of a birthday 40! She realized her two teenage ambitions (writing a novel and learning to drive) had been lost amid babies and hectic family life, so set about resurrecting them.
Her first novel was for Mills and Boon and was accepted after one rewrite in 1992 as Helen Brooks, and she passed her driving test (the former was a joy and the latter an unmitigated nightmare!) She has written 50 novels as well as several sagas as Rita Bradshaw.
Since becoming a full-time writer she has found her occupation one of pure joy and often surprised when her characters develop a mind of their own but she loves exploring what makes people tick and finds the old adage "truth is stranger than fiction" to be absolutely true. She would love to hear from any readers care of Mills & Boon.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
June 11, 2019
Re Mistletoe Mistress - The penultimate HP outing of 1999 is by Helen Brooks and it is a very nicely done office romance that features a heroine with a spine of steel.
The story starts as the 29 yr publishing assistant h returns from a well earned month long vacation to find her firm sold and her boss ousted. The h thinks this is the result of a forced merger and she is not happy to be in the presence of the man responsible for the change.
The H gets in some mild bullying harassment as he tries to patronize the h, but she is having none of it and she resigns. The H infuriates her and scares her, she has seen his callously womanizing type before.
Her mother made a habit of picking men like that for the h's entire childhood, so much so that the h came precariously close to being molested and spent most of her childhood in a care home.
The h soon learns that her previous boss, whom the h looked upon as a substitute family, sold the business and retired on his own recognizance due to poor health.
(Which leaves a dubious question of how much they really regarded the h as family, as they never bothered to warn her of the upcoming change which meant she was out of a job, even if she hadn't quit.)
Anyhows, the h is busy plotting her next career move when the H calls up and offers her a job managing a publishing firm in Paris. The firm is owned by a good friend of the H's grandfather and it got into some financial trouble. The H believes the h can turn it around and he is also extremely determined to get the h into his bed as his mistress.
The h says yes to the job and no to the affair. Even when the H tries to put the h into a luxury flat he is paying for and offers all the accompanying mistress perks, the h tells him 'NO' and tells him off.
Then she makes him go all over Paris with her until she finds a flat she likes. (It was hilarious and the h was displaying a very firm backbone.) The H is very grumbly about everything, but aside from some roofie kisses, the H pretty much just lets the h get on with things after she smacks him down.
But Christmas is coming up and the H's grandfather wants an update on his old friend's company. So the H forces the h to go to Los Angelas with him and after a few more roofie kissing moments, the h realizes that she is very much in love.
The H's grandfather really likes the h. But he explains that his own wife, (who waited ten years for him to make a fortune and marry her,) died after two years of marriage when the H's father was born.
The grandfather and the H's father never got along and when the man died with his wife, the H found his mother's diary detailing all the affairs his father had and how unhappy she was.
To further pique the H's cynicism about love and marriage, the H's fiancee was found in bed with his former BFF and the H was very upset and heartbroken. So while the grandfather hopes the H will get his head of out his hiney and marry the h, he also tells the h not to hope for it.
Meanwhile the h is fighting her Treacherous Body Syndrome to the max. She does love the H, but he only keeps offering cash and property and when pressed, maybe he will marry her - if he has to do that to get her into bed.
The h has to explain in words of one syllable that she wants a lifetime of love, devotion and children and even if the H did propose, because he is incapable of feeling love, she wouldn't have him.
The H gets angry and takes off and the h believes he went to dinner with another woman because the housekeeper said so. The h takes herself back to Paris, where she finds one of the publishing firm's employee's in the act of embezzling.
The h is furious and the employee becomes very threatening towards her, when the H bursts in and almost kills the guy for touching the h - while the h is hanging off the H's neck and trying to prevent him from committing homicide.
After the employee embezzler is carted off by the gendarme, the H does a really good "I love you madly and I was really stupid" speech. He also apologizes for making the h say 'I love you' first. The H explains that he never went to dinner with another woman, he was only driving around to sort his feelings out and then he came back to chase after the h right away.
The h is overjoyed, cause now the H is expressing the love and devotion she wants to hear. She makes a big declaration of her own and we leave these two planning the wedding for a very happy pink sparkly HEA.
This one is 3.5 stars rounded up to four. Mostly because the h had some trauma, but she also had a spine of steel and never gave into TBS. It was the H who needed the push to commit in this one and overall it is a really satisfying HP outing for those who are tired of the blob fish heroine who just can't say no.
The story starts as the 29 yr publishing assistant h returns from a well earned month long vacation to find her firm sold and her boss ousted. The h thinks this is the result of a forced merger and she is not happy to be in the presence of the man responsible for the change.
The H gets in some mild bullying harassment as he tries to patronize the h, but she is having none of it and she resigns. The H infuriates her and scares her, she has seen his callously womanizing type before.
Her mother made a habit of picking men like that for the h's entire childhood, so much so that the h came precariously close to being molested and spent most of her childhood in a care home.
The h soon learns that her previous boss, whom the h looked upon as a substitute family, sold the business and retired on his own recognizance due to poor health.
(Which leaves a dubious question of how much they really regarded the h as family, as they never bothered to warn her of the upcoming change which meant she was out of a job, even if she hadn't quit.)
Anyhows, the h is busy plotting her next career move when the H calls up and offers her a job managing a publishing firm in Paris. The firm is owned by a good friend of the H's grandfather and it got into some financial trouble. The H believes the h can turn it around and he is also extremely determined to get the h into his bed as his mistress.
The h says yes to the job and no to the affair. Even when the H tries to put the h into a luxury flat he is paying for and offers all the accompanying mistress perks, the h tells him 'NO' and tells him off.
Then she makes him go all over Paris with her until she finds a flat she likes. (It was hilarious and the h was displaying a very firm backbone.) The H is very grumbly about everything, but aside from some roofie kisses, the H pretty much just lets the h get on with things after she smacks him down.
But Christmas is coming up and the H's grandfather wants an update on his old friend's company. So the H forces the h to go to Los Angelas with him and after a few more roofie kissing moments, the h realizes that she is very much in love.
The H's grandfather really likes the h. But he explains that his own wife, (who waited ten years for him to make a fortune and marry her,) died after two years of marriage when the H's father was born.
The grandfather and the H's father never got along and when the man died with his wife, the H found his mother's diary detailing all the affairs his father had and how unhappy she was.
To further pique the H's cynicism about love and marriage, the H's fiancee was found in bed with his former BFF and the H was very upset and heartbroken. So while the grandfather hopes the H will get his head of out his hiney and marry the h, he also tells the h not to hope for it.
Meanwhile the h is fighting her Treacherous Body Syndrome to the max. She does love the H, but he only keeps offering cash and property and when pressed, maybe he will marry her - if he has to do that to get her into bed.
The h has to explain in words of one syllable that she wants a lifetime of love, devotion and children and even if the H did propose, because he is incapable of feeling love, she wouldn't have him.
The H gets angry and takes off and the h believes he went to dinner with another woman because the housekeeper said so. The h takes herself back to Paris, where she finds one of the publishing firm's employee's in the act of embezzling.
The h is furious and the employee becomes very threatening towards her, when the H bursts in and almost kills the guy for touching the h - while the h is hanging off the H's neck and trying to prevent him from committing homicide.
After the employee embezzler is carted off by the gendarme, the H does a really good "I love you madly and I was really stupid" speech. He also apologizes for making the h say 'I love you' first. The H explains that he never went to dinner with another woman, he was only driving around to sort his feelings out and then he came back to chase after the h right away.
The h is overjoyed, cause now the H is expressing the love and devotion she wants to hear. She makes a big declaration of her own and we leave these two planning the wedding for a very happy pink sparkly HEA.
This one is 3.5 stars rounded up to four. Mostly because the h had some trauma, but she also had a spine of steel and never gave into TBS. It was the H who needed the push to commit in this one and overall it is a really satisfying HP outing for those who are tired of the blob fish heroine who just can't say no.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 20, 2018
"Mistletoe Mistress" is the story of Hawk and Joanne.
When the company Joanne works for gets a change in management, she is infuriated because of her love for the previous elderly owners. As she goes to fight with the new one, she is surprised to find enigmatic Hawk, and finds that her preconceptions are unfounded!
As she velhemently tries to resist him, he relentlessly pursues her and the story then goes exactly the way you predict it will be.
An obsessive hero, a jumpy heroine with a scarred past, a title that has nothing to do with the book..This was boring.
Safe
1.5/5
When the company Joanne works for gets a change in management, she is infuriated because of her love for the previous elderly owners. As she goes to fight with the new one, she is surprised to find enigmatic Hawk, and finds that her preconceptions are unfounded!
As she velhemently tries to resist him, he relentlessly pursues her and the story then goes exactly the way you predict it will be.
An obsessive hero, a jumpy heroine with a scarred past, a title that has nothing to do with the book..This was boring.
Safe
1.5/5
February 8, 2018
As hokey as its title.
December 3, 2023
Like this a lot, especially the strong, morally principled h and how she tells the H she loves and wants him, but only if it’s all of him. Nice change in the storyline, too many HPs substitute bed for development.
August 29, 2019
Christmas with the boss!
When Hawk Mallen took over the company Joanne Crawford worked for, it seemed he'd taken over her life, as well — expecting his new assistant to be at his command day and night! And when he offered Joanne a dream promotion, she realized she'd be at his side almost twenty-four hours a day....
Working so closely with Hawk, Joanne found it hard to ignore how irresistibly sexy he was. She was determined not to have an affair with her boss, but what if Hawk wasn't just looking for a mistletoe mistress — but a wife?
When Hawk Mallen took over the company Joanne Crawford worked for, it seemed he'd taken over her life, as well — expecting his new assistant to be at his command day and night! And when he offered Joanne a dream promotion, she realized she'd be at his side almost twenty-four hours a day....
Working so closely with Hawk, Joanne found it hard to ignore how irresistibly sexy he was. She was determined not to have an affair with her boss, but what if Hawk wasn't just looking for a mistletoe mistress — but a wife?
July 24, 2020
I really liked this story about two characters who had been damaged emotionally by others in the past, and were both wary of commitment. I liked both lead characters and was impressed how they showed real growth through the story, quite an achievement with such a limited page count.
December 19, 2017
Parts of this book are mind-numbingly boring. Other parts are angsty as hell. But overall, I wasn't impressed. Then again, those three parts were pretty brutal on my chest.
July 27, 2019
Good. Yet, again another book uses word "mistress" in the title liberally and inaccurately.
October 10, 2023
Sorry
It was bad!!
DIdn't like the h, no personality , over the top reaction and though her past story was really tragic but the way she has moulded herself doesn't work, she expects the H to lover her unconditionally but her love always had condition, i mean what will she do if someone lover her now but not in future there are no guarantees in life, sorry she was clearly angling for marriage.
Not sure what the H saw her in, though he was quite into her.
It was bad!!
DIdn't like the h, no personality , over the top reaction and though her past story was really tragic but the way she has moulded herself doesn't work, she expects the H to lover her unconditionally but her love always had condition, i mean what will she do if someone lover her now but not in future there are no guarantees in life, sorry she was clearly angling for marriage.
Not sure what the H saw her in, though he was quite into her.
November 22, 2021
3.5 stars. I like the heroine she is down to earth and is like how I was at her age. But this is the worst title in Harlequin history. The story has nothing whatever to do with Christmas, aside from the couple spending Christmas together. She isn't his mistress anyway.
April 27, 2020
Decent if a bit sophomorish. Light on the angst. If you like capital T true love then you’ll probably like this. Not really my cuppa.
December 2, 2020
Eh, there wasn't much IN this story, and only the heroine was fleshed out enough but I didn't really believe much of her choices or decisions. Skip. Not very romantic and not very Christmas.
May 14, 2024
Liked this one. Hard to put down.
June 26, 2014
uma historia relativamente banal, com uma trama meio desconexa.
os personagens apesar de crerem parecer intensos, soaram meio a falso, não convencendo o leitor que os sentimentos ou emoções reveladas eram assim tão sentidas.
a autora, não conseguiu nesta historia prender o leitor, uma vez que a acção é meio estranha, tanto acontece muito em pouco tempo, como arrasta o tempo e parece que não acontece nada.
em jeito de conclusão, achei uma historia muito basica e muito banal. :(
os personagens apesar de crerem parecer intensos, soaram meio a falso, não convencendo o leitor que os sentimentos ou emoções reveladas eram assim tão sentidas.
a autora, não conseguiu nesta historia prender o leitor, uma vez que a acção é meio estranha, tanto acontece muito em pouco tempo, como arrasta o tempo e parece que não acontece nada.
em jeito de conclusão, achei uma historia muito basica e muito banal. :(
September 23, 2012
Helen Brooks - Gerçek Hazine
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews