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Assistante dans une société d'informatique ! Caitlin n'arrive pas à y croire. Pourtant les termes du testament de son père sont clairs : il a légué tous ses biens à des amis, ne lui laissant, à elle qui n'a jamais travaillé de sa vie, qu'un modeste poste dans l'une de ses entreprises ! Si encore elle se sentait aidée et soutenue ! Hélas, l'accueil glacial que lui réserve Joe Brownley ne lui laisse aucun espoir de ce côté-là, d'autant que le jeune directeur de Compusoft, aussi séduisant qu'arrogant, lui fait perdre tous ses moyens !
182 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1999
53 people are currently reading
347 people want to read
About the author
Jill Shalvis
388 books13.8k followersJill Shalvis is a NYT, USA Today, and Amazon Top 100 bestselling author of small-town romance and romcoms, known for big feels, found family, and plenty of shenanigans.
If you love small-town chaos, meddling friends and neighbors, sizzling chemistry, and heroes who fall hard for the one woman they absolutely did not plan on, you’re in the right place. Jill’s books blend laugh-out-loud moments with emotional gut punches, slow-burn tension, and deeply earned happily ever afters.
She writes the stories she loves to read: small-town romance and romantic comedies packed with heart, heat, second chances, grumpy/sunshine sparks, and the kind of found-family vibes that make you want to move right into the pages. Many of her series are perfect for binge-reading, and a number of her books are available in Kindle Unlimited and at major retailers.
When she’s not writing, she’s probably plotting new ways to torture her characters, avoiding laundry, or daydreaming about fictional men and the strong, complicated women who bring them to their knees—and then making them work for it.
You can follow Jill here on Goodreads to keep up with new releases, add her books to your shelves, and discover which small town you want to get lost in next.
If you love small-town chaos, meddling friends and neighbors, sizzling chemistry, and heroes who fall hard for the one woman they absolutely did not plan on, you’re in the right place. Jill’s books blend laugh-out-loud moments with emotional gut punches, slow-burn tension, and deeply earned happily ever afters.
She writes the stories she loves to read: small-town romance and romantic comedies packed with heart, heat, second chances, grumpy/sunshine sparks, and the kind of found-family vibes that make you want to move right into the pages. Many of her series are perfect for binge-reading, and a number of her books are available in Kindle Unlimited and at major retailers.
When she’s not writing, she’s probably plotting new ways to torture her characters, avoiding laundry, or daydreaming about fictional men and the strong, complicated women who bring them to their knees—and then making them work for it.
You can follow Jill here on Goodreads to keep up with new releases, add her books to your shelves, and discover which small town you want to get lost in next.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
January 27, 2012
What an adorable and charming book. The heroine is such a sweetie, who is shocked to find herself broke after a lifetime of never worrying about money.
Her father is dead and she is hurting because though she was never close to him, she loved him and he seems to have left something to everybody but not her, to her he has left a job.
The hero is computer programmer who lives his job and his happy that his mentor, the heroine's father left him the company and shocked to find the heroine on his door-step claiming to want the job. She looks like trouble to him, all her curves but he made a promise and intends to keep it even when he tries to talk her into leaving.
He slowly finds his life changed, his employees adore her and she seems to bring chaos, the cleaning, the coffee-pot catching fire and later on he comes to see how good she is and how hard she works.
The hero himself came from nothing and was rescued by her father, so he finds himself angry on her behalf and then there is this big pull between them which the poor hero can't understand.
Honestly, I loved every moment of the book, this poor guy didn't stand a chance against the wonderful heroine.
Her father is dead and she is hurting because though she was never close to him, she loved him and he seems to have left something to everybody but not her, to her he has left a job.
The hero is computer programmer who lives his job and his happy that his mentor, the heroine's father left him the company and shocked to find the heroine on his door-step claiming to want the job. She looks like trouble to him, all her curves but he made a promise and intends to keep it even when he tries to talk her into leaving.
He slowly finds his life changed, his employees adore her and she seems to bring chaos, the cleaning, the coffee-pot catching fire and later on he comes to see how good she is and how hard she works.
The hero himself came from nothing and was rescued by her father, so he finds himself angry on her behalf and then there is this big pull between them which the poor hero can't understand.
Honestly, I loved every moment of the book, this poor guy didn't stand a chance against the wonderful heroine.
December 18, 2017
A delightful little romance novel with very endearing and comic characters.
The heroine Caitlin, is described as Marilyn Monroe meets Baywatch meets Barbie but she's definitely not an air headed bimbo. She's sweet and funny with a good heart that matches her spectacular good looks and it was so entertaining to see how all the men went dumbfounded with awe and lust when they saw her for the first time. The hero, Joe, is a very tall ruggedly handsome and sexy computer nerd. I loved Joe ! He was amazing and I enjoyed his reactions to Caitlin. He would lose his train of thought if Caitlin stretched over her desk wearing a tight skirt and it soon got to be so bad that he asked her to wear clothing like potato sacks. Caitlin's late father had saved Joe when the latter had been an almost homeless boy but he had never introduced him to Caitlin. Now that her dad is dead, Caitlin discovers that she is penniless with a mortgage she can't afford and a car that will soon be repossessed. The only option she has is to accept a job as a receptionist at Joe's software company. Her dad had helped Joe to form the new company and at present it is just starting to show signs of success but I'm sure Joe will eventually become as rich as Bill Gates ( that's what the author implies anyway ).
There were 3 other nerdy cute guys working at the office and they were all having crushes on Caitlin too. These 3 guys were really nice to her in the beginning when Joe was being a little rude and mean. Caitlin, however, had a very optimistic personality and she always ignored Joe's grumpy attittude. There were a lot of comic incidents in the office such as the 2 occasions when the coffee maker exploded. Joe kept blaming Caitlin for everything that happened and refused to see her as anything other than a piece of simple minded eye candy. It was only after she got fed up of him and left that he finally discovered that she was quite smart and not a silly, dithering blonde as he had thought initially. He was really shocked when he found out that she was a bit of Math whiz. Joe kept telling himself that she was just eye candy but that didn't stop him from inserting himself into her life and turning up uninvited when he found out she was moving out of her condo. There were lots of sexy little scenes as they worked together and grew closer.
I felt a little sorry for Vince because it seemed as if his feelings for her were developing into more than a crush but he was eventually nice when Caitlin told him she loved Joe. Joe was a kind of an asshole when Caitlin first told him she loved him. He told her he couldn't offer anything long term but she was willing to accept whatever she could get. That was until she found out that Joe was hiding a big secret about her dad from her and that made her feel betrayed. It was only after she broke things off with him and took a new job with an accountant that Joe finally confessed his love for her. She was still mad at him though but he kept begging for a chance with her - he went so far as to come to her new job and state that he would be her new secretary. It was so sweet and funny.
I've not read anything by this author before this novel but this one was quite enjoyable. It was funny and filled with captivating characters and a lot of references to 1990's fashions - some of which made me laugh so hard.
The heroine Caitlin, is described as Marilyn Monroe meets Baywatch meets Barbie but she's definitely not an air headed bimbo. She's sweet and funny with a good heart that matches her spectacular good looks and it was so entertaining to see how all the men went dumbfounded with awe and lust when they saw her for the first time. The hero, Joe, is a very tall ruggedly handsome and sexy computer nerd. I loved Joe ! He was amazing and I enjoyed his reactions to Caitlin. He would lose his train of thought if Caitlin stretched over her desk wearing a tight skirt and it soon got to be so bad that he asked her to wear clothing like potato sacks. Caitlin's late father had saved Joe when the latter had been an almost homeless boy but he had never introduced him to Caitlin. Now that her dad is dead, Caitlin discovers that she is penniless with a mortgage she can't afford and a car that will soon be repossessed. The only option she has is to accept a job as a receptionist at Joe's software company. Her dad had helped Joe to form the new company and at present it is just starting to show signs of success but I'm sure Joe will eventually become as rich as Bill Gates ( that's what the author implies anyway ).
There were 3 other nerdy cute guys working at the office and they were all having crushes on Caitlin too. These 3 guys were really nice to her in the beginning when Joe was being a little rude and mean. Caitlin, however, had a very optimistic personality and she always ignored Joe's grumpy attittude. There were a lot of comic incidents in the office such as the 2 occasions when the coffee maker exploded. Joe kept blaming Caitlin for everything that happened and refused to see her as anything other than a piece of simple minded eye candy. It was only after she got fed up of him and left that he finally discovered that she was quite smart and not a silly, dithering blonde as he had thought initially. He was really shocked when he found out that she was a bit of Math whiz. Joe kept telling himself that she was just eye candy but that didn't stop him from inserting himself into her life and turning up uninvited when he found out she was moving out of her condo. There were lots of sexy little scenes as they worked together and grew closer.
I felt a little sorry for Vince because it seemed as if his feelings for her were developing into more than a crush but he was eventually nice when Caitlin told him she loved Joe. Joe was a kind of an asshole when Caitlin first told him she loved him. He told her he couldn't offer anything long term but she was willing to accept whatever she could get. That was until she found out that Joe was hiding a big secret about her dad from her and that made her feel betrayed. It was only after she broke things off with him and took a new job with an accountant that Joe finally confessed his love for her. She was still mad at him though but he kept begging for a chance with her - he went so far as to come to her new job and state that he would be her new secretary. It was so sweet and funny.
I've not read anything by this author before this novel but this one was quite enjoyable. It was funny and filled with captivating characters and a lot of references to 1990's fashions - some of which made me laugh so hard.
August 9, 2013
I needed a break from the current books, so I went old-school again. This book was written in 1999. It was a good example of old-school romance. A Harlequin Temptation, so the sex is pretty mild. The story had some signature Jill Shalvis plot points: nice, misunderstood characters who grow up and learn to communicate, good friends who act as wonderful sidekicks, not quite a much humor as some of her later works, but lots of crazy mishaps too.
Caitlyn is a petite, blonde, bombshell and Joe is the computer programmer/CEO. Tall, handsome man, meets spoiled, little rich girl. Except in this case, Caitlyn's father died, leaving Caitlyn with nothing except a promised job at Joe's company. She's never had a job before and is sort of klutzy, but she works hard.
Joe sees Caitlyn as a spoiled, rich girl and it takes him a while to soften up and see that she's more than just a pretty face. He really just wants to be left alone to work on his projects. We don't find out too much about his work, but it's going to take the software world by storm.
I liked how the characters interacted. I liked that you could see Joe caring, even when he didn't want to. Caitlyn gave herself too little credit for a while, but grows a greater self-confidence and starts finding her place.
I had to roll my eyes a little bit with the way this book portrayed Caitlyn's intellect. When Joe and Caitlyn go out to dinner, Caitlyn calculates the tip in her head. And OMG, Joe is shocked. Caitlyn can add... in her head... real numbers. It was so sadly comical. I think it's a sad commentary on what society thought of women, especially rich ones, in the 90s. And something we still have to work through today. Yes, I'm a woman and I can add. I have high hopes for every woman and man, that they can add – even balance a bank statement – without breaking a sweat.
Bottom line, it's a good retro book for when you're looking for something fun. The ending was so satisfying that I was crying. Everyone was sweet and happy to be alive and had just the right touch of angst. But the view of women was troubling and thought provoking for me.
Caitlyn is a petite, blonde, bombshell and Joe is the computer programmer/CEO. Tall, handsome man, meets spoiled, little rich girl. Except in this case, Caitlyn's father died, leaving Caitlyn with nothing except a promised job at Joe's company. She's never had a job before and is sort of klutzy, but she works hard.
Joe sees Caitlyn as a spoiled, rich girl and it takes him a while to soften up and see that she's more than just a pretty face. He really just wants to be left alone to work on his projects. We don't find out too much about his work, but it's going to take the software world by storm.
I liked how the characters interacted. I liked that you could see Joe caring, even when he didn't want to. Caitlyn gave herself too little credit for a while, but grows a greater self-confidence and starts finding her place.
I had to roll my eyes a little bit with the way this book portrayed Caitlyn's intellect. When Joe and Caitlyn go out to dinner, Caitlyn calculates the tip in her head. And OMG, Joe is shocked. Caitlyn can add... in her head... real numbers. It was so sadly comical. I think it's a sad commentary on what society thought of women, especially rich ones, in the 90s. And something we still have to work through today. Yes, I'm a woman and I can add. I have high hopes for every woman and man, that they can add – even balance a bank statement – without breaking a sweat.
Bottom line, it's a good retro book for when you're looking for something fun. The ending was so satisfying that I was crying. Everyone was sweet and happy to be alive and had just the right touch of angst. But the view of women was troubling and thought provoking for me.
June 14, 2011
This a very entertaining read. The characters are all very likeable and charming and fun.
February 16, 2013
One of my all-time favorites
May 9, 2017
Leído el 04/12/2011
UN AMOR COMO EL NUESTRO
Protagonistas: Joe Brownley y Caitlin Taylor
Argumento:
A la muerte de su padre, Caitlin Taylor no heredó nada, excepto un montón de facturas... y un trabajo de oficina. Su nuevo jefe era muy atractivo, pero su carácter dejaba mucho que desear; la tenía por idiota simplemente porque no sabía archivar.
Lo último que necesitaba Joe Brownley en su vida era una mujer como Caitlin, explosiva, pero torpe como ella sola. La habría despedido si no le hubiera prometido a su padre hacerse cargo de ella. Además, no podía evitar preguntarse como sería fuera de horas de oficina...
UN AMOR COMO EL NUESTRO
Protagonistas: Joe Brownley y Caitlin Taylor
Argumento:
A la muerte de su padre, Caitlin Taylor no heredó nada, excepto un montón de facturas... y un trabajo de oficina. Su nuevo jefe era muy atractivo, pero su carácter dejaba mucho que desear; la tenía por idiota simplemente porque no sabía archivar.
Lo último que necesitaba Joe Brownley en su vida era una mujer como Caitlin, explosiva, pero torpe como ella sola. La habría despedido si no le hubiera prometido a su padre hacerse cargo de ella. Además, no podía evitar preguntarse como sería fuera de horas de oficina...
February 10, 2019
Three and a half stars
Cute story about a former rich girl fallen on hard times who ends up at an office job and falls for the grumpy boss, who obviously falls right back, but not without being cranky along the way.
Shalvis brings her humor and charm to this tale of finding one's way in the world.
Cute story about a former rich girl fallen on hard times who ends up at an office job and falls for the grumpy boss, who obviously falls right back, but not without being cranky along the way.
Shalvis brings her humor and charm to this tale of finding one's way in the world.
August 8, 2019
My first book by Jill Shalvis and I loved the plot as well as the writing. I just had one complaint that it was just short. I mean I wanted to read more about Caitlin and Joe.
But anyways it's a good read. ❤
But anyways it's a good read. ❤
January 19, 2021
This is fluffy little novella with a fluffy little heroine (I love Caitlin!) and a grumpy little hero. Nothing earth-shattering, nothing out of the ordinary, but it was such a delight to read. Funny and cute. Just what I needed! I couldn't put it down.
October 16, 2019
Who's the Boss?
4 Stars
After the death of his mentor, software engineer Joe Brownley inherits the company on the condition that he gives the man's daughter a job. Unfortunately, Caitlin Taylor is klutzy as she is gorgeous, and the office is soon in an uproar. Disinherited by her father, Caitlin has no choice but to take the receptionist job even if her new boss is an alpha ogre. Can Caitlin and Joe find a way to work together both in and out of the office?
This is one of Jill Shalvis's earliest works and the kernels of her writing skills are evident.
Caitlin and Joe are very appealing characters. She is intelligent, sweet and funny with a huge heart, and he epitomizes the sexy computer nerd. Their banter is witty and their interactions are entertaining.
All in all, a lighthearted and fun romance.
4 Stars
After the death of his mentor, software engineer Joe Brownley inherits the company on the condition that he gives the man's daughter a job. Unfortunately, Caitlin Taylor is klutzy as she is gorgeous, and the office is soon in an uproar. Disinherited by her father, Caitlin has no choice but to take the receptionist job even if her new boss is an alpha ogre. Can Caitlin and Joe find a way to work together both in and out of the office?
This is one of Jill Shalvis's earliest works and the kernels of her writing skills are evident.
Caitlin and Joe are very appealing characters. She is intelligent, sweet and funny with a huge heart, and he epitomizes the sexy computer nerd. Their banter is witty and their interactions are entertaining.
All in all, a lighthearted and fun romance.
November 28, 2019
Nice, but not as nice as NBI. 3 stars. Why are all Jill's heroines in recent reading so great at numbers? Makes me kind of jealous, haha!
October 10, 2021
I really enjoyed reading this book.
November 14, 2025
It was nice. The girl is sweet and gorgeous and the boy is handsome, hard-working but a hot ogre.
October 28, 2019
This one is an oldie, but entertaining. It's pretty interesting to see an office romance written before the #metoo era while wearing those #metoo glasses.
The premise: Left nothing but a job from her father's will, Caitlin Taylor, friendless and penniless, needs to get to work. Unfortunately, the man she's working for Joe Brownley is a gruff, stubborn, grouch of a man. He happens to also be tall, big and sexy. How do we keep this professional?
The story/the sex/the writing
This is a page-turner for the B story as well as the A story. Some B-story questions that kept me reading: Would Caitlin make it without Daddy's money? Why did her Dad not leave her anything? (He's not portrayed as a bad guy), and what of the secondary characters? There's an ensemble cast--including twin geeks and a modelesque accountant among others--that were adorable and I wanted to see find love. Well, let's just say the focus here is Caitlin and Joe on the love front.
The writing is great, but in my ebook edition there were a lot of missing punctuation at the end of pages and several misspelled words and wrong words. It was like it needed a final proofreading but missed it. These are minor things that unless you have a writer/editor brain like me, you won't care about, but you may notice.
One other note about the writing: This is written in third-person limited omniscent, which is almost the "pre-cursor" to the dual/multiple POV. So one moment you'll have Caitlin's view and in the same scene, you'll have Joe's POV. If you're not well read in older books, this may be jarring for you, but it is a good representation of 3rd-person limited omniscient.
The sex here is open-door, but sensual instead of erotic. There's enough sexual tension and forbidden dalliances to get you to the sex scenes. I cringed when she says she's---*gasp*--a virgin (ugh), but it wasn't a surprise. And her sexual appetite makes up for the OMG, Virgin! I don't know what I'm doing cornball stuff. Also she's 24 years old--I appreciate the lack of blood/pain/breaking through imagery. Realistically, she probably doesn't have her hymen anymore. Plus, that stuff is not sexy to me.
If you like a lot of sex in your romance, this may not be enough for you, but if you like evenly matched story/sex, this is a great read.
Overall
This was pretty entertaining. Most of the story holds up even in light of #metoo and what doesn't can go straight to the fact that these people were meant to be together.
The premise: Left nothing but a job from her father's will, Caitlin Taylor, friendless and penniless, needs to get to work. Unfortunately, the man she's working for Joe Brownley is a gruff, stubborn, grouch of a man. He happens to also be tall, big and sexy. How do we keep this professional?
The story/the sex/the writing
This is a page-turner for the B story as well as the A story. Some B-story questions that kept me reading: Would Caitlin make it without Daddy's money? Why did her Dad not leave her anything? (He's not portrayed as a bad guy), and what of the secondary characters? There's an ensemble cast--including twin geeks and a modelesque accountant among others--that were adorable and I wanted to see find love. Well, let's just say the focus here is Caitlin and Joe on the love front.
The writing is great, but in my ebook edition there were a lot of missing punctuation at the end of pages and several misspelled words and wrong words. It was like it needed a final proofreading but missed it. These are minor things that unless you have a writer/editor brain like me, you won't care about, but you may notice.
One other note about the writing: This is written in third-person limited omniscent, which is almost the "pre-cursor" to the dual/multiple POV. So one moment you'll have Caitlin's view and in the same scene, you'll have Joe's POV. If you're not well read in older books, this may be jarring for you, but it is a good representation of 3rd-person limited omniscient.
The sex here is open-door, but sensual instead of erotic. There's enough sexual tension and forbidden dalliances to get you to the sex scenes. I cringed when she says she's---*gasp*--a virgin (ugh), but it wasn't a surprise. And her sexual appetite makes up for the OMG, Virgin! I don't know what I'm doing cornball stuff. Also she's 24 years old--I appreciate the lack of blood/pain/breaking through imagery. Realistically, she probably doesn't have her hymen anymore. Plus, that stuff is not sexy to me.
If you like a lot of sex in your romance, this may not be enough for you, but if you like evenly matched story/sex, this is a great read.
Overall
This was pretty entertaining. Most of the story holds up even in light of #metoo and what doesn't can go straight to the fact that these people were meant to be together.
January 14, 2016
Jill Shalvis is one of those authors that I buy their books without looking at the description. While this isn't terrible, it did leave me feeling I wanted one of her other books. I didn't care too much for Caitlin. While she is the spoiled child, she isn't a brat. She just doesn't concern herself on things such as, paying for her apartment, car, or whatever even when she had a monthly allowance from her father to do these things. She's sweet, a bit shy and pretty smart. Which is great. I didn't want her to be the brat that everyone thought she would be at first. But I just didn't connect to anyone in this story.
March 13, 2016
Glad I happened to come across one of Jill Shalvis' first Harlequin Temptation book (1999) - it was funny, romantic and emotional. This actually is the first HQ Temptation book I have read also. Once I started reading, I had to finish it. If you come across it, don't pass it by - & enjoy it too. !
January 17, 2014
After reading quite a serious non fiction book I wanted something light hearted and easy to read. And that is exactly what this is. A predictable little love story that doesn't take much concentration.
November 13, 2016
This couldn't have been written by the same Jill Shalvis who authored a bunch of other books that were intelligently written and tgat I so enjoyed" was my thought through out the entire book! It felt cheap.
May 11, 2013
This was an older book (I was still about 14 when this book came out) but I enjoyed it all that much more
May 8, 2014
Loved this book :)
March 4, 2018
I don't remember this book from before, but it's an amazingly good book. Jill Shalvis definitely knows how to write a great book. Couldn't put it down.
February 17, 2016
Funny
Funny as always. I finish the book in one day.
I love all of Jill Shalvis books , they are great, funny and hard to put down.
Funny as always. I finish the book in one day.
I love all of Jill Shalvis books , they are great, funny and hard to put down.
July 29, 2016
DNF at 52%. Just bored.
July 14, 2015
Cute summer read! Caitlyn and Joe both need to learn to let someone in so they are not alone.
April 15, 2017
I loved this story. Caitlin and Joe are dynamite together. He is driven crazy by her, and he doesn't even see her really. Caitlin isn't used to taking care of herself, financially or job wise. They blend terrific, and Jill Shalvis is always good for some comedy too.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews