Mit dem sexy Boss im Bett

Sweet Tea and Scandal #1

by Cat Schield

Es ist die größte Dummheit ihres Lebens: Hals über Kopf verliebt sich Claire in ihren Boss! Der erste Kuss von Linc Thurston weckt in ihr eine heiße Sehnsucht nach mehr. Niemand darf von ihrer heimlichen Affäre erfahren, denn das gäbe einen Skandal! Schließlich ist Linc umwerfend attraktiv, sexy und reich. Seine Familie und die gesamte High Society von Charleston erwarten, dass der umschwärmte Profisportler eine glänzende Partie macht. Und das ist bestimmt nicht Claire, seine Haushälterin …

Genres: Harlequin, Romance, Contemporary Romance

160 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 30, 2018

About the author

Cat Schield lives in Minnesota with her daughter, Emily, their Burmese cats and a Doberman puppy. Winner of the Romance Writers of America 2010 Golden Heart® for series contemporary romance, when she’s not writing sexy, romantic stories for Harlequin Desire, she can be found sailing with friends on the St. Croix River or more exotic locales like the Caribbean and Europe. Contact her at www.catschield.net.

Reviews

[Maura · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

Claire Robbins is a single-mother to an adorable daughter and a live-in housekeeper for millionaire baseball player, Linc Thurston. Linc is also a member of a old, Charleston family and socializes in circles that are well-to-do and very exclusive. Which is why Claire keeps telling herself that Linc is way out of her league, even if she does have a major crush on her boss. But when Linc seems to return the interest, Claire is willing to go to bed with him. But she isn't willing to face the criticism and scandal that would result if their affair became public - but Linc would gladly do it.

First off, I got the feeling multiple times that this story is in some way connected to stories (maybe already written, maybe not). I mean, Knox and Sawyer have to have their own book somewhere and there's something circling the three women at the beginning of the story, but for the life of me I can't find anything that mentions this book as part of a series. Maybe Billionaires and Babies collection are no longer stand alone...

As for the story itself, I was intrigued by the idea of this - a housekeeper and her boss and some ACTUAL societal scandal as a result...don't see that much in modern stories. I really liked Linc. He was a downright perfect hero (maybe too perfect?) but I loved him anyway. He fell for Claire and wasn't afraid to admit it nor was he at any point afraid to fight for what he wanted. And because of that Claire irritated the crap out of me. She cared so much more about what other people thought that she was hurting Linc over her refusal to be in a relationship with him. At what point was she willing to fight for her love? Not once. Even there at the end when she finally agrees to be with him and I'm thinking she might actually have to stand up for what she wants and face the scandal head on to be with the man she loves, she very conveniently learns that she is actually from a very old and respected Charlestonian family. So, all that scandal that she'd have to face for being so far beneath Linc - now she doesn't have to worry about it. So where was her growth as a character? Did she learn anything? I'm not so sure she did.

All that probably would have still been a 3 star book, but I had to drop a half star for all the loose threads left hanging by the author in the end. We never find out what happens with Honey's grandparents. It was a bit of a letdown to bring up all that angst and drama with those selfish grandparents threatening Claire and then it's just dropped. We never find out what happened. We also never get the full story on who alerted them to Claire's location (though we're pretty sure it's Everly) and Linc and Claire never learn why this happened. I suppose somewhere London is smirking at the revenge she inadvertently got (or not as the case may be) but the reader never finds out. So I felt like the story just ended abruptly. I wanted an epilogue or another chapter to wrap up all these details.

The writing was quite good and I enjoyed the story up til the end when I found myself astounded that there were no more pages (and I still had questions).

[Belinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series..this book was no exception.. Claire is a housekeeper for Linc a successful and wealthy baseball player. Claire has a daughter Honey. This is her way to spend more time with her daughter..They are together more and more and they become so close. That leads to them being together...But Claire feels bad since she is "lower class" and he is a native Charlestonian. She becomes wanted for her cooking skills and she starts catering different events. The last one at a polo match some things from her past come back to haunt her. Can Linc get over the news to keep her and Honey with him. Great read from front to back!

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the story of a housekeeper, Claire, and her employer, Linc falling in love. Quite honestly if I was not a fan of Cat Schield’s work already I may have avoided this plot line. I am sensitive about this sort of dynamic in our post #MeToo era. However I felt like the approach to this was handled quite well. It was Claire, the maid, who made the first sexual advance with her employer Linc and it was evident that both parties really wanted the encounter to happen. Later Claire’s concerns about not fitting into Linc’s world of privilege and of being perceived of as a cliché or an opportunist brought character awareness of the dynamics that could otherwise be judged as problematic. How they worked this out with each other brought the perfect combination of being sweet and sexy for my taste.

I haven’t found myself escaping into a Harlequin Desire book in a while and this book reminded me why Harlequin romance novels can be so addicting. It was pure escapist fun! When I reflected on the critical questions I had about the problems that could arise from a work based romance, I stood reminded of the value of being able to just set the critical questions aside and ask “what if…” and transport myself into a reality that I know would never happen. I also have a huge ode to how short Harlequin novels are…I can easily read them in one sitting. Upstairs Downstairs Baby fit this bill for a happily ever after quite nicely! I am giving this 5/5 stars because it exceeded all the criteria for what I look for in a series romance novel.

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. You can also read a longer version of my review on my blog: https://glamorousbookgal.blogspot.com...

[Kristen Lewendon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, but I feel like I’m missing part of the story. There are several threads making up this book, and I’m not completely satisfied with the way any of them were tied off at the end. Linc could be the dictionary definition of #boyfriendgoals once he’s finally involved with a woman who engages his heart. Claire left me scratching my head for a lot of the book. She’s carrying a bunch of secrets and she spends so much of her time focused on making sure none of them escape and worrying about how others perceive her that I didn’t feel the chemistry for Linc from her. The chemistry he feels for her is quite obvious from the very start of the book, so by the end I’m not surprised by his feelings and declarations. Claire’s change of heart caught me off guard and it’s part of why I don’t feel like this book is entirely over. I’m hoping that other books that tie back into this one will be able to tell me the rest of the story

[Dj · Rating 4 out of 5]

A boss falling into bed with the help is the ultimate scandal…particularly in class-conscience Charleston. But he’s never been one to resist temptation. (Millionaire Baseball Player) Linc Thurston is expected to marry well, a woman from ‘in’ high society—not take up with his (live-in housekeeper) an ‘out’, someone who isn’t even from Charleston. But Claire Robbins is unlike any single mom—any woman—he’s ever known. She’s beautiful, captivating…and hiding something. She’s not a war hero’s wife, they were never married and she’s on the run. Even so, he can’t resist bringing her to his bed. But when her betrayals catch up with them both, and her in-laws show up to claim what they feel is their inheritance, their daughter Honey’s $100,000 from the military, will their passion hold strong? Will they discover who actually told them where she was and why?

[Rachel Reads Romance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written story with a great premise that has me hungry for more of this world in Charleston. I love Cat Schields writing, where in a small amount of pages she creates characters with depth, and a story that has me eager for the next installment. That's what happened here, where we open with 3 women ready to take revenge on men who have wronged them, and then follow one of those men fall in love. The story would have a full on 5 except when the drama point hit, this sweet understanding guy focused more on a lie being revealed instead of the woman he loves being harassed by two people. Because come on dude! Protect your girl first, ask questions later! But nobody is perfect

[Honeybee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an ok story. Kind of hard to follow..the conflict happened almost at the end of the book...it should be abit farther back...felt like it chopped off fast because of only 1 chapter after the resolution of conflict. A fun read and I really like the main character but this one felt like it needed another edit...the little girl is adorable in the book. It's great for a before bed take your mind off life book.

[Wioletta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick and nice read. Loved Claire and Linc.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good story but I wouldn’t say it’s the author’s work.

[Ana Ortigoza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aunque los personajes no estén muy profundizados igual que su historia, son buenas estás novelitas para cuando uno quiere leer pero no tiene tiempo :p

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good quick read. Good writing.

[Harlequin Books]

Miniseries: Billionaires and Babies