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Mission: Make-Over
Lucianna Stewart knew she had to change her image. Even her brothers said she needed to become more feminine. Family friend, Jake Carlisle, offered to help with her make-over. If anyone knew about sexy women it was Jake.
In her dungarees, Luce might have looked like a teenager, but in her new figure-hugging clothes she looked every bit a woman. Pity the transformation would be wasted on her boyfriend - unless Jake could make Luce realise that her efforts were targeted towards the wrong man!
In her dungarees, Luce might have looked like a teenager, but in her new figure-hugging clothes she looked every bit a woman. Pity the transformation would be wasted on her boyfriend - unless Jake could make Luce realise that her efforts were targeted towards the wrong man!
187 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
28 people are currently reading
387 people want to read
About the author
Penny Jordan
1,124 books666 followersPenelope Jones Halsall
aka Caroline Courtney, Annie Groves, Lydia Hitchcock, Melinda Wright
Penelope "Penny" Jones was born on November 24, 1946 at about seven pounds in a nursing home in Preston, Lancashire, England. She was the first child of Anthony Winn Jones, an engineer, who died at 85, and his wife Margaret Louise Groves Jones. She has a brother, Anthony, and a sister, Prudence "Pru".
She had been a keen reader from the childhood - her mother used to leave her in the children's section of their local library whilst she changed her father's library books. She was a storyteller long before she began to write romantic fiction. At the age of eight, she was creating serialized bedtime stories, featuring make-believe adventures, for her younger sister Prue, who was always the heroine. At eleven, she fell in love with Mills & Boon, and with their heroes. In those days the books could only be obtained via private lending libraries, and she quickly became a devoted fan; she was thrilled to bits when the books went on full sale in shops and she could have them for keeps.
Penny left grammar school in Rochdale with O-Levels in English Language, English Literature and Geography. She first discovered Mills & Boon books, via a girl she worked with. She married Steve Halsall, an accountant and a "lovely man", who smoked and drank too heavily, and suffered oral cancer with bravery and dignity. Her husband bought her the small electric typewriter on which she typed her first novels, at a time when he could ill afford it. He died at the beginning of 21st century.
She earned a living as a writer since the 1970s when, as a shorthand typist, she entered a competition run by the Romantic Novelists' Association. Although she didn't win, Penny found an agent who was looking for a new Georgette Heyer. She published four regency novels as Caroline Courtney, before changing her nom de plume to Melinda Wright for three air-hostess romps and then she wrote two thrillers as Lydia Hitchcock. Soon after that, Mills and Boon accepted her first novel for them, Falcon's Prey as Penny Jordan. However, for her more historical romance novels, she adopted her mother's maiden-name to become Annie Groves. Almost 70 of her 167 Mills and Boon novels have been sold worldwide.
Penny Halsall lived in a neo-Georgian house in Nantwich, Cheshire, with her Alsatian Sheba and cat Posh. She worked from home, in her kitchen, surrounded by her pets, and welcomed interruptions from her friends and family.
aka Caroline Courtney, Annie Groves, Lydia Hitchcock, Melinda Wright
Penelope "Penny" Jones was born on November 24, 1946 at about seven pounds in a nursing home in Preston, Lancashire, England. She was the first child of Anthony Winn Jones, an engineer, who died at 85, and his wife Margaret Louise Groves Jones. She has a brother, Anthony, and a sister, Prudence "Pru".
She had been a keen reader from the childhood - her mother used to leave her in the children's section of their local library whilst she changed her father's library books. She was a storyteller long before she began to write romantic fiction. At the age of eight, she was creating serialized bedtime stories, featuring make-believe adventures, for her younger sister Prue, who was always the heroine. At eleven, she fell in love with Mills & Boon, and with their heroes. In those days the books could only be obtained via private lending libraries, and she quickly became a devoted fan; she was thrilled to bits when the books went on full sale in shops and she could have them for keeps.
Penny left grammar school in Rochdale with O-Levels in English Language, English Literature and Geography. She first discovered Mills & Boon books, via a girl she worked with. She married Steve Halsall, an accountant and a "lovely man", who smoked and drank too heavily, and suffered oral cancer with bravery and dignity. Her husband bought her the small electric typewriter on which she typed her first novels, at a time when he could ill afford it. He died at the beginning of 21st century.
She earned a living as a writer since the 1970s when, as a shorthand typist, she entered a competition run by the Romantic Novelists' Association. Although she didn't win, Penny found an agent who was looking for a new Georgette Heyer. She published four regency novels as Caroline Courtney, before changing her nom de plume to Melinda Wright for three air-hostess romps and then she wrote two thrillers as Lydia Hitchcock. Soon after that, Mills and Boon accepted her first novel for them, Falcon's Prey as Penny Jordan. However, for her more historical romance novels, she adopted her mother's maiden-name to become Annie Groves. Almost 70 of her 167 Mills and Boon novels have been sold worldwide.
Penny Halsall lived in a neo-Georgian house in Nantwich, Cheshire, with her Alsatian Sheba and cat Posh. She worked from home, in her kitchen, surrounded by her pets, and welcomed interruptions from her friends and family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
July 2, 2016
This had so much potential: a Pygmalion story, older brothers, besotted H. But it's Penny Jordan who apparently despises her own heroines.
Luc is the only girl in the family and has four older brothers. Shockarama, she is a tomboy who excels in internal combustion systems i.e. she's a mechanic with a failing business. Apparently no man wants a girl working on his engine. Well, on his car engine at least. Her older brother is one of the most insensitive jerks in HarleyLand and is one nyuk, nyuk from giving her a noogie. His wife tries to point out on more than one occasion that belittling your little sister is not the most effective way to make her more feminine. Luc is in love with the emotionally distant John who jets off for career moves in Canada. In steps Jake, an old family friend, to Professor Higgins our little h. Apparently, Jake has been in love with Luc for years and shows it by belittling her feminity as well. (I didn't spell that correctly but who cares.)
Sexist jargon explodes as well as the solidifying of sexual stereotypes. Luc is annoying, confrontational and so bleeping immature you just want to shake some sense into her belligerent little head. And Jake, what do you say about a hero in love with a girl that belittles her and never makes his own move?
Struggling against her image as car mechanic, one minute in sexy lingerie and Luc turns into a sex siren. Conveniently Jake wanders in and one steamy sex scene ensues. It's everything Jake the besotted could ever want so naturally he leaves her before she wakes. Not a good way to impress a girl.
John the wimpy boyfriend, Felicity the snidely whipbitch acquaintance complete the annoying cast. The only reasonably sympathetic character was the SIL.
Luc is the only girl in the family and has four older brothers. Shockarama, she is a tomboy who excels in internal combustion systems i.e. she's a mechanic with a failing business. Apparently no man wants a girl working on his engine. Well, on his car engine at least. Her older brother is one of the most insensitive jerks in HarleyLand and is one nyuk, nyuk from giving her a noogie. His wife tries to point out on more than one occasion that belittling your little sister is not the most effective way to make her more feminine. Luc is in love with the emotionally distant John who jets off for career moves in Canada. In steps Jake, an old family friend, to Professor Higgins our little h. Apparently, Jake has been in love with Luc for years and shows it by belittling her feminity as well. (I didn't spell that correctly but who cares.)
Sexist jargon explodes as well as the solidifying of sexual stereotypes. Luc is annoying, confrontational and so bleeping immature you just want to shake some sense into her belligerent little head. And Jake, what do you say about a hero in love with a girl that belittles her and never makes his own move?
Struggling against her image as car mechanic, one minute in sexy lingerie and Luc turns into a sex siren. Conveniently Jake wanders in and one steamy sex scene ensues. It's everything Jake the besotted could ever want so naturally he leaves her before she wakes. Not a good way to impress a girl.
John the wimpy boyfriend, Felicity the snidely whipbitch acquaintance complete the annoying cast. The only reasonably sympathetic character was the SIL.
May 21, 2019
4.5 stars
*some spoilers*
I loved how Jake already loved Lucianna the way she was before her physical makeover happened. He's secretly loved her for years and always found her desirable, tomboyish ways and all. Jake only agreed to help Lucianna because 1) he was asked to by her sister-in-law, 2) he wanted her to be happy and if she believed enhancing her looks would allow her to win the man of her choice (even if he wasn't that man), then he was going to help, and 3) he wanted her to gain full power over her femininity.
Far from being anti-feminist I think this book celebrates a woman's right to choose what's best for her. Lucianna was already in touch with her masculine side, so I found it natural that she'd what to enhance what nature gave her and develop ALL the aspects of her personality. (Lucianna did attempt to look like a "girl" in her teens but yielded uncomfortable results so she never tried again. With only her brothers and father around she didn't have the proper support to access her softer side.)
In an ironic and symbolic twist Lucianna's transformation revealed the true inner beauty, or the lack, of the men in her life. John, Lucianna's casual boyfriend, only paid her more attention after the makeover so he could use her. In contrast, Jake, a longtime family friend, loved Lucianna unconditionally and only wanted what was best for her.
Plenty of unrequited love, passion and emotion exists in this Penny Jordan book, with a positive message on top of it all!
*some spoilers*
I loved how Jake already loved Lucianna the way she was before her physical makeover happened. He's secretly loved her for years and always found her desirable, tomboyish ways and all. Jake only agreed to help Lucianna because 1) he was asked to by her sister-in-law, 2) he wanted her to be happy and if she believed enhancing her looks would allow her to win the man of her choice (even if he wasn't that man), then he was going to help, and 3) he wanted her to gain full power over her femininity.
Far from being anti-feminist I think this book celebrates a woman's right to choose what's best for her. Lucianna was already in touch with her masculine side, so I found it natural that she'd what to enhance what nature gave her and develop ALL the aspects of her personality. (Lucianna did attempt to look like a "girl" in her teens but yielded uncomfortable results so she never tried again. With only her brothers and father around she didn't have the proper support to access her softer side.)
In an ironic and symbolic twist Lucianna's transformation revealed the true inner beauty, or the lack, of the men in her life. John, Lucianna's casual boyfriend, only paid her more attention after the makeover so he could use her. In contrast, Jake, a longtime family friend, loved Lucianna unconditionally and only wanted what was best for her.
Plenty of unrequited love, passion and emotion exists in this Penny Jordan book, with a positive message on top of it all!
March 17, 2015
If you love Cinderella stories and a hero who is deeply, crazy, hopelessly in love with a blind in denial heroine who thinks she is in love with another man you will love this book. Very passionate and romantic read!
May 6, 2020
"Mission: Make-Over" is the story of Lucianna and Jake.
Our heroine is a total tomboy, having grown up without a mother and with four brothers. She has always been ridiculed and called non feminine by her siblings, who completely dismiss her accomplishments of being a successful mechanic. Things change when her "boyfriend" dumps her, and her brother and sister in law coerce her to be woman like- by employing the help of her nemesis- our secretly smitten hero, who is her brother's friend.
Then there are makeovers, yearning, hot lovemaking, loads of misunderstandings due to lack of communication, drama, more yearning and HEA.
All I liked was that the hero liked her for her true self, and was not a douche like her family. She totally did not need a glow up though.
SWE
2.5/5
Our heroine is a total tomboy, having grown up without a mother and with four brothers. She has always been ridiculed and called non feminine by her siblings, who completely dismiss her accomplishments of being a successful mechanic. Things change when her "boyfriend" dumps her, and her brother and sister in law coerce her to be woman like- by employing the help of her nemesis- our secretly smitten hero, who is her brother's friend.
Then there are makeovers, yearning, hot lovemaking, loads of misunderstandings due to lack of communication, drama, more yearning and HEA.
All I liked was that the hero liked her for her true self, and was not a douche like her family. She totally did not need a glow up though.
SWE
2.5/5
June 6, 2019
Love—real love—has nothing to do with physical attractiveness—at least not for me. It goes deeper, much, much deeper than that. After all, a person's physical appearance is only their outer shell and it's the inner personality, the inner person that really counts.
I'm in love with you Jake. You're the best hero ever!
I'm in love with you Jake. You're the best hero ever!
June 13, 2014
This one was marked as the most popular Penny Jordan romance on Goodreads, when I checked some time ago, so I was really excited about reading it. Well, I can only say, what a disappointment. This has got to be the worst Jordan offering I have ever read (and look back at my profile – I’ve read a lot).
So the (awful) premise is this: Lucianna (“Luce”/“Luc” – depending on who is speaking to her) is a bit of a tomboy after being raised by her father and brothers. She’s also an incredibly gifted car mechanic, and due to the nature of her work, slobs about in manly attire and doesn’t bother about having her nails manicured. Now, instead of rejoicing at the fact that he’s never going to have to take her shopping or buy her flowers AND he’s never going to have to pay garage fees for his MOT or service ever again, Jake, the male lead, decides it’s time she changed. This is where it got really offensive. Jake, something of an expert in female behaviour (according to him) belittles her, talks down to her, patronises her and then blames her for all of her “failings,” before, when he catches her taking his advice and dressing up in pretty underwear, takes her to bed and then holds her responsible for this. This, in itself, was terrible as Luce was actually trying on the underwear in the privacy of her own bedroom, thinking she was alone, and he just let himself in the house and then when he begins seducing her, states “‘Do you know what you’re doing to me?’ he asked Lucianna rawly. ‘Do you know what you’re making me want to do to you?’” thus shifting the blame for his despicable behaviour onto her.
In fact, (unfortunately for the book as Lucianna is really the only decent character in it), Jake DOES manage to change her and pretty soon she’s not bothered about cars anymore and is as vapid as any of his other girlfriends, flipping through glossy magazines and flogging her socket set on Ebay. It’s all a bit tragic really. There were some good moments with Luce – the description of her pain as she realises that other women are laughing at her behind her back was instantly familiar, as it will be to many readers, mainly because women can be bitches sometimes – but instead of embracing that difference in her character which makes her such a strong person (and negating the need to ever be patronised/ripped off by the garage again) Jordan tells us that what women need to do is change in order to be accepted. It’s a dubious message for her readers, at best. Personally, I think it’s wrong.
This is so bad I actually wondered if Jordan had really written it. Perhaps it was by Jenny Pordan not Penny Jordan, but this kind of motif – of the man instructing the woman in her female sexuality is a familiar one from some of her dodgier books; so it’s definitely her work. It read as outdated, sexist, and downright offensive in places. Jake was controlling and, well, a bit of a knob really. If I’d have been Luce, I’d have sabotaged his spark plugs and told him to stick his self-help guides where the sun doesn’t shine. Sadly, it’s a Mills and Boon so they all live happily ever after. Utter Rubbish. It doesn’t even deserve one star this.
So the (awful) premise is this: Lucianna (“Luce”/“Luc” – depending on who is speaking to her) is a bit of a tomboy after being raised by her father and brothers. She’s also an incredibly gifted car mechanic, and due to the nature of her work, slobs about in manly attire and doesn’t bother about having her nails manicured. Now, instead of rejoicing at the fact that he’s never going to have to take her shopping or buy her flowers AND he’s never going to have to pay garage fees for his MOT or service ever again, Jake, the male lead, decides it’s time she changed. This is where it got really offensive. Jake, something of an expert in female behaviour (according to him) belittles her, talks down to her, patronises her and then blames her for all of her “failings,” before, when he catches her taking his advice and dressing up in pretty underwear, takes her to bed and then holds her responsible for this. This, in itself, was terrible as Luce was actually trying on the underwear in the privacy of her own bedroom, thinking she was alone, and he just let himself in the house and then when he begins seducing her, states “‘Do you know what you’re doing to me?’ he asked Lucianna rawly. ‘Do you know what you’re making me want to do to you?’” thus shifting the blame for his despicable behaviour onto her.
In fact, (unfortunately for the book as Lucianna is really the only decent character in it), Jake DOES manage to change her and pretty soon she’s not bothered about cars anymore and is as vapid as any of his other girlfriends, flipping through glossy magazines and flogging her socket set on Ebay. It’s all a bit tragic really. There were some good moments with Luce – the description of her pain as she realises that other women are laughing at her behind her back was instantly familiar, as it will be to many readers, mainly because women can be bitches sometimes – but instead of embracing that difference in her character which makes her such a strong person (and negating the need to ever be patronised/ripped off by the garage again) Jordan tells us that what women need to do is change in order to be accepted. It’s a dubious message for her readers, at best. Personally, I think it’s wrong.
This is so bad I actually wondered if Jordan had really written it. Perhaps it was by Jenny Pordan not Penny Jordan, but this kind of motif – of the man instructing the woman in her female sexuality is a familiar one from some of her dodgier books; so it’s definitely her work. It read as outdated, sexist, and downright offensive in places. Jake was controlling and, well, a bit of a knob really. If I’d have been Luce, I’d have sabotaged his spark plugs and told him to stick his self-help guides where the sun doesn’t shine. Sadly, it’s a Mills and Boon so they all live happily ever after. Utter Rubbish. It doesn’t even deserve one star this.
May 8, 2020
Reccomended by a dear friend of mine,it instantly made me obsessed with every page of it.
Jake Carlisle is everything a woman wish in a man.Sexy,self-assured,intense,gentle,protective,and good-hearted.His love to the heroine,the tomboyish Lucianna were so beautiful and exceptional.
Lucianna herself is a spirital soul that has a certain love for cars,and i found her innocence and childish nature really cute.
Another great book by Penny Jordan,and one i will hardly ever forget.
Jake Carlisle is everything a woman wish in a man.Sexy,self-assured,intense,gentle,protective,and good-hearted.His love to the heroine,the tomboyish Lucianna were so beautiful and exceptional.
Lucianna herself is a spirital soul that has a certain love for cars,and i found her innocence and childish nature really cute.
Another great book by Penny Jordan,and one i will hardly ever forget.
January 1, 2021
2.5 stars
August 8, 2015
Ok I liked it. It was true he wanted to change her make her sexy but really he had the right intentions. Her brothers confused her and gave her enough trouble about her sexuality no wonder she never had sex or thought of herself as a woman. I enjoy their conversations. And that scene in her room with the underwear wow!!!
May 19, 2019
This is one of the sweetest books I’ve read from Penny Jordan.
Lucianna is a true tomboy. She was raised by her father and brothers after her mum died when she was a young child. As she grew older she realized a skill as a mechanic. She loved fixing machinery and started her own car repair business. However, her brothers thoughtlessness made her afraid of her own femininity, so she hid herself in baggy jeans and plaid shirts. Looking more like a boy than a girl.
Jake, her brother’s oldest friend, decided to teach her how to dress and carry herself in a more feminine way. He told himself he was doing it to help her win over her (immature, idiotic) boyfriend, John. So he took her shopping and helped her see herself as a feminine woman. A beautiful, feminine woman.
I adored Jake. He has loved Lucianna for years but hid his love to give her the chance to grow up and mature. He decided to help her because he saw how hurt she was believing herself to be lacking in femininity. Although he was a bit rough on her feelings at times, he did it to give her a push in the right direction. He had to challenge her into seeing herself the way he saw her. And it worked. Beautifully.
I am adding this to my favorites bookshelf and will be reading it again in the future. It’s a really lovely feel good book and worth reading again.
Lucianna is a true tomboy. She was raised by her father and brothers after her mum died when she was a young child. As she grew older she realized a skill as a mechanic. She loved fixing machinery and started her own car repair business. However, her brothers thoughtlessness made her afraid of her own femininity, so she hid herself in baggy jeans and plaid shirts. Looking more like a boy than a girl.
Jake, her brother’s oldest friend, decided to teach her how to dress and carry herself in a more feminine way. He told himself he was doing it to help her win over her (immature, idiotic) boyfriend, John. So he took her shopping and helped her see herself as a feminine woman. A beautiful, feminine woman.
I adored Jake. He has loved Lucianna for years but hid his love to give her the chance to grow up and mature. He decided to help her because he saw how hurt she was believing herself to be lacking in femininity. Although he was a bit rough on her feelings at times, he did it to give her a push in the right direction. He had to challenge her into seeing herself the way he saw her. And it worked. Beautifully.
I am adding this to my favorites bookshelf and will be reading it again in the future. It’s a really lovely feel good book and worth reading again.
May 17, 2016
Es una linda historia y engancha. Y leyendo me entero de que, también, es muy viejita. Por momentos su relación con el que era el novio no me terminaba de cuajar, pero me mantuvo entretenida y estuvo bien. Pobre Lucianna, con su tomboy-style y Jake era un enamorado eterno, un santo de héroe ^^.
May 2, 2012
First published in 1970. Enough said.
May 7, 2013
I loved this book. I am sucker for Cinderella stories and this was a great one. It was great watching Luci come into her own and recognize her femininity. Great light reading material.
November 12, 2016
2.5 stars
Easy read.
The boyfriend was an a$$hole.
Easy read.
The boyfriend was an a$$hole.
September 8, 2018
Lucianna Stewart thought her boyfriend of months was going to take them to the next level when he left for a six month trip away. Her disappointment has her self reflecting and realizing that her tomboy looks are not sparking the fire she sees in other couples. Enemy and family friend Jake Carlisle offers to help Lucianna find her inner woman but she has to follow his rules. What Lucianna doesn't know is that Jake has loved her for years but will she see what is right in front of her before it is too late?
I really did not understand Lucianna, she was a bit immature at times and then you had all the teasing by her brother and taunting from Jake. For me it just went over the top and I think made it so the chemistry was just flat. Wanted to like just not what I was expecting.
I really did not understand Lucianna, she was a bit immature at times and then you had all the teasing by her brother and taunting from Jake. For me it just went over the top and I think made it so the chemistry was just flat. Wanted to like just not what I was expecting.
May 2, 2021
Wealthy, self-assured Jake Carlisle, born with the kind of looks that drive women wild, usually succeeded at everything he did. But now he d taken on a real challenge, transforming scruffy tomboy Lucianna Stewart into a temptress!
So he taught her to dress, to flirt, to kiss and Lucianna was learning fast. Perhaps too fast for Jake s liking. Because beneath her baggy clothes was a woman who could lead any man into temptation. Including him!
So he taught her to dress, to flirt, to kiss and Lucianna was learning fast. Perhaps too fast for Jake s liking. Because beneath her baggy clothes was a woman who could lead any man into temptation. Including him!
July 15, 2012
This is an older romance, so it was a little dated but I thought it was cute overall. The term "whilst" was used...A LOT, and it got a bit annoying after a while. Otherwise, it was exactly like I expect a Harlequin Romance to be: a pleasant reading experience that doesn't tax my brain to enjoy.
August 15, 2016
I really enjoyed this one. It was very fun and just the right amount fire. My only complaint is why does the woman always have to be irrationally prickly? Other than that it was a fun romp for any romance reader.
October 11, 2010
It was okay.
April 10, 2016
So, then what did she do after deserting her business? Who knows? Clearly it wasn't important enough to be part of the plot.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 4, 2021
Good story. She is a car mechanic in her own business (company) and she is a tomboy. He is a friend of her eldest brother and he is in love with her, but she doesn’t know that.
She gets lessons from him in how to attract a man because she likes some other guy who is just not that into her. That is in how she acts, how she kisses, how she dresses, etc.
What I didn’t like: she is a 23-year old and she can’t financially support herself. She lives with her brother and his wife for free. And she uses her brother’s shed as a work place for free.
So she doesn’t have some major costs that other people who own a business do have. And still she is in debt. What does she do all day that she hardly has any income?
And also: why not let your Cinderella dream go of being a car mechanic in your own company and find a job where you as a 23-year old can stand on your own two feet.
Never in the book it is mentioned that she helps her brother and sister-in-law with cooking and cleaning or doing other stuff around the house, so is she just a freeloader?
She gets lessons from him in how to attract a man because she likes some other guy who is just not that into her. That is in how she acts, how she kisses, how she dresses, etc.
What I didn’t like: she is a 23-year old and she can’t financially support herself. She lives with her brother and his wife for free. And she uses her brother’s shed as a work place for free.
So she doesn’t have some major costs that other people who own a business do have. And still she is in debt. What does she do all day that she hardly has any income?
And also: why not let your Cinderella dream go of being a car mechanic in your own company and find a job where you as a 23-year old can stand on your own two feet.
Never in the book it is mentioned that she helps her brother and sister-in-law with cooking and cleaning or doing other stuff around the house, so is she just a freeloader?
December 1, 2022
I really was considering throwing my Kindle against the wall. This was written in 1977 and the first 1/4 of the book was extremely offensive to me- a female isn't a woman unless she's "feminine"- complete with makeup, dresses and slinky walking, and so Lucianna isn't a woman.
What I came to realize is that this attitude was that of her brothers/ fathers who had no clue of how to raise *anyone* to accept what they are. Lucianna has been so programmed by her brothers to believe this that she has buried any softer feelings and had no clue about how to actually be herself, rather than the role she was forced to play. I really thought Jake had the same attitude as Lucianna's brothers, but through the story, I could see how Jake has really loved and just wants her to be whole. *That* was the whole purpose of the agreement, not to "make her over" into something she wasn't.
What I came to realize is that this attitude was that of her brothers/ fathers who had no clue of how to raise *anyone* to accept what they are. Lucianna has been so programmed by her brothers to believe this that she has buried any softer feelings and had no clue about how to actually be herself, rather than the role she was forced to play. I really thought Jake had the same attitude as Lucianna's brothers, but through the story, I could see how Jake has really loved and just wants her to be whole. *That* was the whole purpose of the agreement, not to "make her over" into something she wasn't.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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November 6, 2024After having watched My Fair lady last month, I noticed similarities in the plot: a woman changing herself to a real lady for the betterment of her future. But as opposed to one unlikable antagonist in the male lead, EVERYONE here is either a terrible person or underdeveloped. I didn't enjoy ANY of the dialogue, and the narration went to often into different would-be romantic / erotic scenarios and not enough into the plot. There was none of that Before Trilogy charm involved in the dissection of love. It's largely just a bunch of sensual nothingness.
June 28, 2018
เนื้อเรื่องหลักๆ พระเอกต้องมาเปลี่ยนลุคนางเอกเจ้าของอู่ซ่อมรถจากให้เป็นสาวสวยหวาน แล้วระหว่างนั้นก็หลงรักกันเอง เรื่องไม่ไม่ยาวอ่านรวดเดียวจบได้เลย
July 15, 2019
Short but sweet. The heroine matured as the story went along.
August 4, 2024
Read this many years ago. Classic from Penny Jordan🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤
July 14, 2016
Rather offending premise for a feminist reader. Girl is a tomboy, a wonder mechanic always covered in baggy clothes and soot.
Guy is a suave woman charmer, secretly in love with our rag doll heroine in spite of her awful looks!
Left to himself he is ok with her shabby appearance, but feels bad that the heroine if suffering from low self esteem.
So mission makeover. Get her off the garage and into sexy lingerie. I wonder if that's enough to feel sufficiently feminine.
Acting dictatorial and dragging her thru makeover lessons - not ok mister.
He could have simply been sweet and loving and flirty and made her feel special. That would have worked wonders both within and outside.
But if he had been sweet on her right from the beginning, wheres the story huh !?!??!
So the author gives us a silent lover hero who acts tough but actually wants her to love herself first!!
Whatever, I liked it for a quick read. 3 stars.
Guy is a suave woman charmer, secretly in love with our rag doll heroine in spite of her awful looks!
Left to himself he is ok with her shabby appearance, but feels bad that the heroine if suffering from low self esteem.
So mission makeover. Get her off the garage and into sexy lingerie. I wonder if that's enough to feel sufficiently feminine.
Acting dictatorial and dragging her thru makeover lessons - not ok mister.
He could have simply been sweet and loving and flirty and made her feel special. That would have worked wonders both within and outside.
But if he had been sweet on her right from the beginning, wheres the story huh !?!??!
So the author gives us a silent lover hero who acts tough but actually wants her to love herself first!!
Whatever, I liked it for a quick read. 3 stars.
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November 23, 2018Poor luciana her experiences with trying to be more feminine have hurt her n her male dominated family n their side comments have not helped or encouraged her to want to embrace her femininity.
Like luciana n jakes interactions though until it was reveal jake loved her his harsh comments annoyed me n made him come across as a jerk instead of as guy trying to protect himself from a one side relationship
Like luciana n jakes interactions though until it was reveal jake loved her his harsh comments annoyed me n made him come across as a jerk instead of as guy trying to protect himself from a one side relationship
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 12, 2020
3 stars, but only because, despite liking some aspects of the book, I still found the shauvinism too persistent, not only with how the brothers "acted" towards the sister, but also in affirmations such as "women drive, but don't own cars so they don't get to decide who had to work on them".
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