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The Drifter
Advice From Miss Julia's Behavior Book
A proper lady should never give her heart to a driftin' man!
Mistress of decorum, Julia Bennett wrote the book on etiquette. Three volumes in fact! So why did the arrival of Graham Corley, rakish adventurer, give her decidedly improper ideas...?
Bounty hunter, rogue, drifter--and now fiance for hire to the most tantalizing woman in the Territories. Damn, Graham Corley led an interesting life--and being partner to Julia Bennett's outrageous finagling to secure her inheritance made it downright fascinating! Maybe even enough to give this travelin' man dreams about staying put...!
A proper lady should never give her heart to a driftin' man!
Mistress of decorum, Julia Bennett wrote the book on etiquette. Three volumes in fact! So why did the arrival of Graham Corley, rakish adventurer, give her decidedly improper ideas...?
Bounty hunter, rogue, drifter--and now fiance for hire to the most tantalizing woman in the Territories. Damn, Graham Corley led an interesting life--and being partner to Julia Bennett's outrageous finagling to secure her inheritance made it downright fascinating! Maybe even enough to give this travelin' man dreams about staying put...!
304 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
1 person is currently reading
37 people want to read
About the author
Lisa Plumley
63 books153 followersBest-selling author Lisa Plumley has delighted readers worldwide with more than three dozen popular novels. Her work has been translated multiple languages and editions, and includes contemporary romances, historical romances, paranormal romances, and a variety of stories in romance anthologies.
Her fresh, funny style has been likened to such reader favorites as Rachel Gibson, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, LaVyrle Spencer, and Jennifer Crusie, but her unique characterization is all her own.
Lisa’s alter ego is cozy mystery writer Colette London, whose Chocolate Whisperer mystery series featuring globe-trotting chocolatier (and amateur sleuth!) Hayden Mundy Moore includes Criminal Confections, Dangerously Dark, and The Semi-Sweet Hereafter. It will continue with Dead and Ganache in October 2017 (all from Kensington Books).
Her fresh, funny style has been likened to such reader favorites as Rachel Gibson, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, LaVyrle Spencer, and Jennifer Crusie, but her unique characterization is all her own.
Lisa’s alter ego is cozy mystery writer Colette London, whose Chocolate Whisperer mystery series featuring globe-trotting chocolatier (and amateur sleuth!) Hayden Mundy Moore includes Criminal Confections, Dangerously Dark, and The Semi-Sweet Hereafter. It will continue with Dead and Ganache in October 2017 (all from Kensington Books).
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 14, 2019
This is a very likable story. At the outset, the two main characters look like they are miles apart. As the story unfolds, similarities between Julia Bennett and Graham Corley start to surface.
Julia loved being anonymous in the East while she was in college. Her goal is to leave the one-horse-town of Avalanche for the bustle and crowds of New York. Having written three or four etiquette books, Julia thinks she would make a wonderful etiquette columnist for a New York magazine. There's a fly in the ointment, however. Her father refuses to allow a single woman to travel (and live) so far without a husband. So Julia sets out to find a drifter that she can hire to become her pretend fiancee.
Julia is an intelligent young woman with more snap than most of the citizens of the small town. No one has ever been interested her; she's just too smart -- and it still hurts. Bounty hunter Graham Corley looks like the perfect choice; surely such a man needs money, doesn't he?
Then Graham turns her down flat. But Graham has been ruminating about the emptiness (and loneliness) of chasing criminals for a living. It is all starting to pall and he'd just like to settle down somewhere and belong. He knows when things get uncomfortable, he just takes to the road; and he's tempted to rush out-of-town to get away from the attractive Julia.
It doesn't take Graham long to realize that Julia just wants to be accepted as she is; he can certainly understand that because he's been searching for the same. Graham has a poignant backstory. So Graham decides to help Julia reach her dream. But something happens along the way.
There is one thing that bothered me about the story. Near the end, Julia is told that her trust money was completely spent while she earned her bachelor's degree. I can not imagine why such an important fact was not shared with her during the time it was spent. Maybe I'm overreacting, but I felt it was a terrible thing to do to a young woman; she should have been made aware. It was a trust fund for her future (I agree it was spent well); Julia should have been treated like the adult she was.
This is a well-written, interesting personality study of two wounded souls. There's lots of snappy dialogue and humor. The main characters are extremely likable and interesting. This is a great story.
Julia loved being anonymous in the East while she was in college. Her goal is to leave the one-horse-town of Avalanche for the bustle and crowds of New York. Having written three or four etiquette books, Julia thinks she would make a wonderful etiquette columnist for a New York magazine. There's a fly in the ointment, however. Her father refuses to allow a single woman to travel (and live) so far without a husband. So Julia sets out to find a drifter that she can hire to become her pretend fiancee.
Julia is an intelligent young woman with more snap than most of the citizens of the small town. No one has ever been interested her; she's just too smart -- and it still hurts. Bounty hunter Graham Corley looks like the perfect choice; surely such a man needs money, doesn't he?
Then Graham turns her down flat. But Graham has been ruminating about the emptiness (and loneliness) of chasing criminals for a living. It is all starting to pall and he'd just like to settle down somewhere and belong. He knows when things get uncomfortable, he just takes to the road; and he's tempted to rush out-of-town to get away from the attractive Julia.
It doesn't take Graham long to realize that Julia just wants to be accepted as she is; he can certainly understand that because he's been searching for the same. Graham has a poignant backstory. So Graham decides to help Julia reach her dream. But something happens along the way.
There is one thing that bothered me about the story. Near the end, Julia is told that her trust money was completely spent while she earned her bachelor's degree. I can not imagine why such an important fact was not shared with her during the time it was spent. Maybe I'm overreacting, but I felt it was a terrible thing to do to a young woman; she should have been made aware. It was a trust fund for her future (I agree it was spent well); Julia should have been treated like the adult she was.
This is a well-written, interesting personality study of two wounded souls. There's lots of snappy dialogue and humor. The main characters are extremely likable and interesting. This is a great story.
September 11, 2024
I actually really liked the heroine (yes she's a little prissy and annoying and quotes her own etiquette guides but it's pretty clear that this comes from a place of never fitting in and the whole town making fun of her when she was a kid) and would have loved to see her in a book with a little more teeth than this harlequin
September 17, 2018
The first third of the book seemed choppy and the heroine, Julia was unlikeable. But as the story progressed she lightened up on the formalities and became somewhat relatable. The flow of the story also worked itself out. Overall, it was a decent read.
January 10, 2026
Um romance divertido e muito doce, sobre duas pessoas tão diferentes e tão iguais ao mesmo tempo. Amei e super recomendo para quem quer dar risadas com uma esnobe que cita pra si mesma seus próprios livros e um grosseirão adorável que se apaixonam perdidamente. Faltou um epílogo.
October 16, 2017
Una lettura scorrevole e poco impegnativa.
May 28, 2022
I love this book so much
May 13, 2010
Miss Julia Bennett needs a husband...and quick. The published etiquette author has been given a chance to interview for a new column on the east coast...the only problem is that she's on the west coast and her father will not allow her to go until she is married. With the interview date looming before her, Julia tracks down her last chance, the bounty hunter Graham Corley.
Graham is a wandering man, a drifter - and nothing could surprise him more that Julia's outlandish proposition. A proposition to act as a fiance, even get married so that she can convince her father to allow her to travel back east. Neither quite know what they are really getting into when they agree to their strange bargain.
Julia is a priss...a priss of the worst sort. She is the person that quotes her own books - Miss Julia's Behavior Books - to people so they know how to act correctly. She is well educated and is seen as the odd one in her little town. Meeting Graham will shows her a side of herself that she doesn't realize exists, and even begins to enjoy. I began to truly enjoy her as she grows and throughout the story into a new and happier person.
Graham is you standard bounty hunter. He never stays anywhere longer than he must, and looks forward to his time on the road...until he meets Julia. He enjoys being able to tease her about her prim and proper ways and does everything he can to bring her out of her shell.
I enjoyed this story much more than I initially thought I would. I disliked the characters at first, but as they grew I began to like them very much, as does the town they live in.
3/5
Graham is a wandering man, a drifter - and nothing could surprise him more that Julia's outlandish proposition. A proposition to act as a fiance, even get married so that she can convince her father to allow her to travel back east. Neither quite know what they are really getting into when they agree to their strange bargain.
Julia is a priss...a priss of the worst sort. She is the person that quotes her own books - Miss Julia's Behavior Books - to people so they know how to act correctly. She is well educated and is seen as the odd one in her little town. Meeting Graham will shows her a side of herself that she doesn't realize exists, and even begins to enjoy. I began to truly enjoy her as she grows and throughout the story into a new and happier person.
Graham is you standard bounty hunter. He never stays anywhere longer than he must, and looks forward to his time on the road...until he meets Julia. He enjoys being able to tease her about her prim and proper ways and does everything he can to bring her out of her shell.
I enjoyed this story much more than I initially thought I would. I disliked the characters at first, but as they grew I began to like them very much, as does the town they live in.
3/5
October 1, 2008
This is my favorite Lisa Plumley novel...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews