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The Landis Brothers #1
Rich Man's Fake Fiancée
Convenient proposal
Everyone is talking about the surprise engagement between Matthew Landis and Ashley Carson. Seems the oldest son of one of South Carolina's most powerful families is engaged to someone...ordinary. Could this announcement--conveniently leaked to the press--have to do with Matthew's quick exit from Ms. Carson's home very early in the morning? One wonders what chance such a match made in media heaven could have....
Everyone is talking about the surprise engagement between Matthew Landis and Ashley Carson. Seems the oldest son of one of South Carolina's most powerful families is engaged to someone...ordinary. Could this announcement--conveniently leaked to the press--have to do with Matthew's quick exit from Ms. Carson's home very early in the morning? One wonders what chance such a match made in media heaven could have....
192 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2008
26 people are currently reading
241 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Mann
603 books1,250 followersUSA Today bestseller Catherine Mann has written women's fiction, romance, and romantic suspense for Lake Union, Harlequin, HQN, Berkley, Tule, and Sourcebooks, with titles released in more than 30 countries. Catherine’s novels have won numerous awards, including a RITA Award, the Romantic Times Magazine Reviewer’s Choice Award, and the Bookseller’s Best Award.
A South Carolinian at heart, after years of moving around the country Catherine has settled back in her home state with her Harley-riding husband. Empty nesters, they have a blended family of nine children, nine grandchildren, two dogs, and three feral cats, who all provide endless inspiration for new novels. For more information, visit: http://catherinemann.com
A South Carolinian at heart, after years of moving around the country Catherine has settled back in her home state with her Harley-riding husband. Empty nesters, they have a blended family of nine children, nine grandchildren, two dogs, and three feral cats, who all provide endless inspiration for new novels. For more information, visit: http://catherinemann.com
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
December 6, 2015
Unfortunately, not my cup of tea. Had it on my to-read list for a while cause liked annotation a lot. But, regrettably, language was not mine. I was just not buying it. I admit, I would liked it more if it was written using different wording. Story is altogether interesting although heroes are strangely too easily convinced. F.e. the point where hero is talking about his first love. Two sentences and heroine is already convinces she can't compete with his long-dead fiancé. There is no point, she thinks. And leaves.
Heroine's sisters believed in fake engagement but after photo was released they were like "we knew it from the start". No, you didn't. Cause if you did wouldn't you call her bullshit out? They behave very strangely. Landis family is more believable.
Heroine's sisters believed in fake engagement but after photo was released they were like "we knew it from the start". No, you didn't. Cause if you did wouldn't you call her bullshit out? They behave very strangely. Landis family is more believable.
August 21, 2017
I really enjoyed this book. Matthew is an up-and-coming politician from a well-to-do family. He has been spending a lot of time with local restaurant owner Ashley while working on various fundraisers for his campaign. One night the growing attraction between them bursts into flame and they spend a passionate night together. But the next morning he can't get away fast enough, and only a forgotten briefcase brings him back in time to save Ashley from being trapped in a house fire. Unfortunately, they were also caught by a photographer, leading to a publicity firestorm. Anxious to protect Ashley's reputation as well as his own political prospects, Matthew proposes a temporary fake engagement. Though reluctant at first, Ashley changes her mind when she learns something about his political opponent.
I really liked both Matthew and Ashley and enjoyed the progression of their relationship. Matthew is a good man, whose tragic loss of his fiancée made him wary of risking his heart again. Though he came across as selfish at first, his concern for Ashley was undeniable. He won my heart with his reaction to her parents' treatment of her. I liked Ashley even better. She grew up in foster care, and with two of her foster sisters, has made a successful life for herself. She suffered from scoliosis throughout her school years, and the teasing and cruel remarks from other kids helped her build up an incredible inner strength. As she and Matthew spend time together on his campaign, their attraction continues to grow. Though Matthew stubbornly resists thinking of what they have as anything deeper, he can't deny how right it feels to have her by his side. He even considers asking her to make the engagement real. I enjoyed seeing Ashley become part of Matthew's life. It was especially satisfying to see the way that she stands up to his campaign manager just by doing what she feels is right. Ashley quickly realizes that her heart is fully involved and the thought of entering a marriage where she isn't loved back is too painful. When another potential scandal erupts Matthew, having finally realized that he loves her, is ready to do what he thinks is necessary to protect Ashley, while she wants what is best for him. I loved her big moment at the press conference as she blows everyone away with her poise, grace, and humor.
I also thoroughly enjoyed the secondary characters and the closeness of those relationships. Ashley's sisters (whose stories are told in the Beachcomber series) are there for her after the fire, and also during her engagement to Matthew. It was great to see that, though they had their suspicions, they fully supported her in whatever she did. The Landis family is equally wonderful. Though they are all wealthy, each of them has a calling to do something for the benefit of others rather than just living the lives of the idle rich. I loved Matthew's mother, Ginger, whose story was told in Holiday Heroes. She is loving, intelligent and down-to-earth. I adored the way that she accepted Ashley right away, just as she was, and helped her see her own potential. I also liked Matthew's brothers and the way that they had his back through all the trouble. There was also a good amount of realism in their relationships, as shown by their competitiveness and less than perfect lives. I have previously read Kyle's story and still want to read those for Sebastian and Josh.
I really liked both Matthew and Ashley and enjoyed the progression of their relationship. Matthew is a good man, whose tragic loss of his fiancée made him wary of risking his heart again. Though he came across as selfish at first, his concern for Ashley was undeniable. He won my heart with his reaction to her parents' treatment of her. I liked Ashley even better. She grew up in foster care, and with two of her foster sisters, has made a successful life for herself. She suffered from scoliosis throughout her school years, and the teasing and cruel remarks from other kids helped her build up an incredible inner strength. As she and Matthew spend time together on his campaign, their attraction continues to grow. Though Matthew stubbornly resists thinking of what they have as anything deeper, he can't deny how right it feels to have her by his side. He even considers asking her to make the engagement real. I enjoyed seeing Ashley become part of Matthew's life. It was especially satisfying to see the way that she stands up to his campaign manager just by doing what she feels is right. Ashley quickly realizes that her heart is fully involved and the thought of entering a marriage where she isn't loved back is too painful. When another potential scandal erupts Matthew, having finally realized that he loves her, is ready to do what he thinks is necessary to protect Ashley, while she wants what is best for him. I loved her big moment at the press conference as she blows everyone away with her poise, grace, and humor.
I also thoroughly enjoyed the secondary characters and the closeness of those relationships. Ashley's sisters (whose stories are told in the Beachcomber series) are there for her after the fire, and also during her engagement to Matthew. It was great to see that, though they had their suspicions, they fully supported her in whatever she did. The Landis family is equally wonderful. Though they are all wealthy, each of them has a calling to do something for the benefit of others rather than just living the lives of the idle rich. I loved Matthew's mother, Ginger, whose story was told in Holiday Heroes. She is loving, intelligent and down-to-earth. I adored the way that she accepted Ashley right away, just as she was, and helped her see her own potential. I also liked Matthew's brothers and the way that they had his back through all the trouble. There was also a good amount of realism in their relationships, as shown by their competitiveness and less than perfect lives. I have previously read Kyle's story and still want to read those for Sebastian and Josh.
January 5, 2013
This was a cute book. Ashley and Matthew grew up worlds apart. What was supposed to be a one night stand between adults ended up being a lot more. I’m just thankful Mathew came back for his briefcase. If you read the book, you will be thankful too! All in all a delightful read.
July 8, 2015
Not bad but not so good. A bit boring. The usual fake engagement because the press got them in a compromising situation. She was afraid to damage his political career and so she agreed to the deal.
September 26, 2024
I've been re-read my old books to review them. I hadn't read this one but had another in the series so I figured why not. It's an okay read, pretty light. There's a pull between Ashley and Matthew. It's a classic fake fiancee trope, though the book is light enough that I wasn't sold on them being in love at the end. I would have liked Ashley's character to have a bit more depth. It felt like her life was just the relationship. Most of the issues were from the media with Matthew getting attention as a politician.
September 21, 2022
CLASIFICATION: 4.0 ESTRELLAS
Hay hace rato no leia un harlequin
esta historia me gusto porque tiene uno de los cliches que mas me gustan "el compromiso falso" y como todos los libros de esa editorial son cortos pero sustanciosos. Me gustaron los protagonistas y la autora no tuvo que dar muchas vueltas para regalarnos una buena historia.
Hay hace rato no leia un harlequin
esta historia me gusto porque tiene uno de los cliches que mas me gustan "el compromiso falso" y como todos los libros de esa editorial son cortos pero sustanciosos. Me gustaron los protagonistas y la autora no tuvo que dar muchas vueltas para regalarnos una buena historia.
November 29, 2019
2/3 Stars
June 27, 2021
It was quite boring and I also have a strong dislike for politicians and just could not find it believable at all for a politician to be a nice guy. Np.
November 17, 2021
It was okay. I wish there was more romance in it though.
February 12, 2017
2.5
Ashley Carson has a one-night stand with Senate candidate Matthew Landis and is dsappointed to find him sneaking out the next morning. She's astonished though when he returns and rescues her from a fire in her home business. And when the press catches wind of their night together, Matthew has to begin damage control, by asking Ashley to become his temporary fiancee. Ordinarily, despite how much she likes him, Ashley would say no. But she is completely against the candidate running against Matthew and will do what it takes to save Matthew's campaign. So she agrees, never expecting it to do more than break her heart.
Apparently, in the 2 years it took the author to continue the story of the 3 foster sisters, she may have forgotten some of the core tenets of her previous stories. Mostly, I'm talking first, about Ashley's issues with abandonment. In the first two books that was the predominant theme when it came to discussing Ashley, how she'd had to overcome and deal with issues of being abandoned and was one of the reasons behind holding on to Beachcombers and their family roots. That's no longer a problem, which to my mind took away from some of Ashley's potential complexity. Another is Starr's issues - as I recall, she was completely against living a nomad lifestyle and NEEDED the roots that her home and business provided. And at the end of this story, we have her advocating selling the home/business so she could study overseas. Well, this ruined the second book completely, because that was what all of their angst was about.
On the brightside of this story, the characters were likeable enough, I really like the Landis brothers themselves and look forward to Sebastian's story already. This was a quick and easy read, but it left a few gaps...things I wanted closure on but didn't see. I really wanted Matthew to get some sort of comeuppance for his casual behavior at the beginning of the story and I really wanted there to be more sharing and conversation about each characters' past hurts, so they could come out stronger in their relationship. It felt like it was very glossed over.
Ashley Carson has a one-night stand with Senate candidate Matthew Landis and is dsappointed to find him sneaking out the next morning. She's astonished though when he returns and rescues her from a fire in her home business. And when the press catches wind of their night together, Matthew has to begin damage control, by asking Ashley to become his temporary fiancee. Ordinarily, despite how much she likes him, Ashley would say no. But she is completely against the candidate running against Matthew and will do what it takes to save Matthew's campaign. So she agrees, never expecting it to do more than break her heart.
Apparently, in the 2 years it took the author to continue the story of the 3 foster sisters, she may have forgotten some of the core tenets of her previous stories. Mostly, I'm talking first, about Ashley's issues with abandonment. In the first two books that was the predominant theme when it came to discussing Ashley, how she'd had to overcome and deal with issues of being abandoned and was one of the reasons behind holding on to Beachcombers and their family roots. That's no longer a problem, which to my mind took away from some of Ashley's potential complexity. Another is Starr's issues - as I recall, she was completely against living a nomad lifestyle and NEEDED the roots that her home and business provided. And at the end of this story, we have her advocating selling the home/business so she could study overseas. Well, this ruined the second book completely, because that was what all of their angst was about.
On the brightside of this story, the characters were likeable enough, I really like the Landis brothers themselves and look forward to Sebastian's story already. This was a quick and easy read, but it left a few gaps...things I wanted closure on but didn't see. I really wanted Matthew to get some sort of comeuppance for his casual behavior at the beginning of the story and I really wanted there to be more sharing and conversation about each characters' past hurts, so they could come out stronger in their relationship. It felt like it was very glossed over.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 18, 2014
Depois de uma noite tórrida entre Ashley Carson e Matthew Landis, um dos irmãos da família poderosíssima Landis, tudo se transfigura em ambos. Do nada, vêem-se noivos, depois de ele a ter salvo de um incêndio que se tornaria fatal, logo após terem decidido que tudo não passou de uma mera noite casual entre duas pessoas atraídas uma pela outra.
É um livro que tem tudo para agradar a leitores ávidos e a leitores esporádicos, a leitores exigentes e a leitores que querem descontrair. Pode ter sido apenas de mim mas gostei muito de ler este livro. Tem uma leitura rápida, por ser pequeno e pela história ter um ritmo fluido, é romântico e não empata, não tem história para encher. É um romance digamos que, objectivo.
Os personagens já começam mais ou menos envolvidos e por isso a história não tem nada de repentino e gosto do facto de a autora ir incluindo os nomes dos outros irmãos Landis, como a aguçar a curiosidade do leitor. Já cá tenho o próximo a ser devorado!
É um livro que tem tudo para agradar a leitores ávidos e a leitores esporádicos, a leitores exigentes e a leitores que querem descontrair. Pode ter sido apenas de mim mas gostei muito de ler este livro. Tem uma leitura rápida, por ser pequeno e pela história ter um ritmo fluido, é romântico e não empata, não tem história para encher. É um romance digamos que, objectivo.
Os personagens já começam mais ou menos envolvidos e por isso a história não tem nada de repentino e gosto do facto de a autora ir incluindo os nomes dos outros irmãos Landis, como a aguçar a curiosidade do leitor. Já cá tenho o próximo a ser devorado!
October 17, 2014
Daha önce okusaymışım keşke.. Kitabı sevdim, güzel bir seri gibi görünüyor :)
Senatör olma yolunda ilerleyen Matthew ve Beachcombers restoranının sahibi olan Ashley gerçekleştirilen bir iş yemeğinin ardından birbirlerine kapılarak geceyi Ashley'nin restoranın üstünde bulunan dairesindeki yatakta sonlandırırlar... Ancak gece yarısı oradan ayrılan Matthew'ın dosya çantasını orada unuttuğunu fark etmesi üzerine sabahın erken saatlerinde restorana döndüğünde karşılaştığı olay bu ikilinin tek gecelik yaşayacağı ilişkiyi çok farklı bir boyuta taşır...
Senatör olma yolunda ilerleyen Matthew ve Beachcombers restoranının sahibi olan Ashley gerçekleştirilen bir iş yemeğinin ardından birbirlerine kapılarak geceyi Ashley'nin restoranın üstünde bulunan dairesindeki yatakta sonlandırırlar... Ancak gece yarısı oradan ayrılan Matthew'ın dosya çantasını orada unuttuğunu fark etmesi üzerine sabahın erken saatlerinde restorana döndüğünde karşılaştığı olay bu ikilinin tek gecelik yaşayacağı ilişkiyi çok farklı bir boyuta taşır...
February 3, 2016
I enjoyed reading this book. It's a light stress-free book without angst or any heavy emotions/analysis needed. It'a good read if you just want to spend a quiet afternoon or night. And I actually liked the character of Ashley. She's shy with a quiet strength and intellect as a result of her humble childhood. What I liked most about her is that she's no pushover And made her own decisions herself. Matthew being smart, decent, dreamy and hot completes the picture.
September 25, 2009
Modern
January 11, 2013
amazing afternoon read ! just AH-MAZING ....
January 11, 2014
Kurang greget
January 31, 2014
Very sweet. The ultimate fairy tale story.
May 28, 2014
While I liked this book, I wanted more substance in it.
May 4, 2015
Rikka mehe võltspruut
Matthew Landis - senaatorikandidaat
Ashley Carson - restoran-baari kaasomanik
Matthew Landis - senaatorikandidaat
Ashley Carson - restoran-baari kaasomanik
October 27, 2015
I really enjoyed this beautiful story about a one-night stand between Congressman Matthew Landis and accountant Ashley Carson, that turned into so much more.
January 10, 2016
A quick fun read
September 23, 2017
Eew! Eew!
She is in love with a politician. Can one fall any lower? Nothing here to like.
She is in love with a politician. Can one fall any lower? Nothing here to like.
November 25, 2014
Muito cliché e previsível mas "sweet" e entreteve por umas horas.
April 27, 2017
Leído el 06/12/2010
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews