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Italian Boss, Housekeeper Bride
From mousy housekeeper...
Italian billionaire Raffaele de Ferretti had many beautiful women at his beck and call. But when he needed a fiancee of convenience, the only woman for the job was his mousy, dowdy housekeeper!
...to sexy siren!
Natasha needed a makeover--and what a result! Raffaele had no idea such a beautiful, sexy woman had been right under his nose all this time! They had to pretend to be engaged, but neither of them had to fake the explosive attraction that sparked between them...
Italian billionaire Raffaele de Ferretti had many beautiful women at his beck and call. But when he needed a fiancee of convenience, the only woman for the job was his mousy, dowdy housekeeper!
...to sexy siren!
Natasha needed a makeover--and what a result! Raffaele had no idea such a beautiful, sexy woman had been right under his nose all this time! They had to pretend to be engaged, but neither of them had to fake the explosive attraction that sparked between them...
202 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 3, 2006
25 people are currently reading
177 people want to read
About the author
Sharon Kendrick
1,220 books454 followersI was told off as a child for making up stories—little did I know that one day I’d earn my living by writing them!
To the horror of my parents, I left school at sixteen and held a bewildering variety of jobs: I was a London DJ (in the now-trendy Primrose Hill), a decorator and a singer. After that I became a cook, a photographer and, eventually, a nurse. I waitressed in the south of France, drove an ambulance in Australia, saw lots of beautiful sights but could never settle down. Everywhere I went I felt like a square peg—until one day I started writing again and then everything just fell into place. I felt like Cinderella must have when the glass slipper fit!
Today, I have the best job in the world, writing passionate romances for Harlequin. I like writing stories which are sexy and fast-paced, yet packed full of emotion—stories that readers will identify with, laugh and cry along with.
My interests are many and varied—chocolate and music, fresh flowers and bubble baths, films, cooking and trying to keep my home from looking burglarized! Simple pleasures—you can’t beat them!
I live in Winchester, one of the most stunning cities in the world, but don’t take my word for it—come see for yourself! I regularly visit London and Paris. Oh, and I love hearing from my readers all over the world…so I think it’s over to you!
To the horror of my parents, I left school at sixteen and held a bewildering variety of jobs: I was a London DJ (in the now-trendy Primrose Hill), a decorator and a singer. After that I became a cook, a photographer and, eventually, a nurse. I waitressed in the south of France, drove an ambulance in Australia, saw lots of beautiful sights but could never settle down. Everywhere I went I felt like a square peg—until one day I started writing again and then everything just fell into place. I felt like Cinderella must have when the glass slipper fit!
Today, I have the best job in the world, writing passionate romances for Harlequin. I like writing stories which are sexy and fast-paced, yet packed full of emotion—stories that readers will identify with, laugh and cry along with.
My interests are many and varied—chocolate and music, fresh flowers and bubble baths, films, cooking and trying to keep my home from looking burglarized! Simple pleasures—you can’t beat them!
I live in Winchester, one of the most stunning cities in the world, but don’t take my word for it—come see for yourself! I regularly visit London and Paris. Oh, and I love hearing from my readers all over the world…so I think it’s over to you!
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
May 26, 2017
Prepare your 2' by 4's, the arrogant asshat has entered the building.
The H needs the h, his housekeeper, to play his fiancee in order to take the heat off his emotionally fragile, head-case sister. The h, an unwed mother, has been in love with Raffael forever, who knows why as being handsome and rich are about all he has going for him as he is distinctly unloveable.
She gets a makeover and he starts placing the moves on her. Lucky girl, she's so far beneath him she should be counting her lucky stars. He monologues on and on and on about who does she think she is anytime she doesn't accept whatever he says with adoration and questions him.
A weekend trip to Morocco where he meets up with a sheikh and his sidepiece does what a tumble in the limo didn't, they have sex. It's so cataclysmic he puts the stops and turns back into the big bad boss. Not willing to be a fringe benefit and the fiancee charade no longer necessary, the h decides to leave. The H is emotionally abusive and mean.
He does a decent grovel.
I might have gone for three stars if the heroine had had a real personality to balance out the hero's jerkiness; she had little to no sense of humor or sass. She was just kind of there.
Re-read
This couple does not improve with a second go around. Why I read this a second time I do not know except it was in a bundle and who could remember this from all the other asininely titled Harlequins.
Cussing ensues.
Rafael is fucking asshole that can't go five minutes without inner monologuing on how or why the the lower class Natasha could ever question him. You, a lowly housekeeper, dare to question me and my mighty manwhore behavior, rude and dissmissive lack of manners, and general assholiness. Fie on you, you housekeeper.
And Natasha, you pathetic Sister-Wife, wearing lip gloss is really NOT a big deal. I really wonder how you survived a whole makeover. No doormat here, she's like a vacuum cleaner, simply sucking up the humiliation because she's in love.
P.S. This is the second Harley where a trip to Morocco or similar fill-in-the-blank eastern country breaks down the tiny h's morals and brain function. The other was a Lynne Graham I think, and that h is lucky enough to answer the phone when the fiancee calls. She's also smart enough (spine and brain intact) to dump his sorry arrogant ass.
The H needs the h, his housekeeper, to play his fiancee in order to take the heat off his emotionally fragile, head-case sister. The h, an unwed mother, has been in love with Raffael forever, who knows why as being handsome and rich are about all he has going for him as he is distinctly unloveable.
She gets a makeover and he starts placing the moves on her. Lucky girl, she's so far beneath him she should be counting her lucky stars. He monologues on and on and on about who does she think she is anytime she doesn't accept whatever he says with adoration and questions him.
A weekend trip to Morocco where he meets up with a sheikh and his sidepiece does what a tumble in the limo didn't, they have sex. It's so cataclysmic he puts the stops and turns back into the big bad boss. Not willing to be a fringe benefit and the fiancee charade no longer necessary, the h decides to leave. The H is emotionally abusive and mean.
He does a decent grovel.
I might have gone for three stars if the heroine had had a real personality to balance out the hero's jerkiness; she had little to no sense of humor or sass. She was just kind of there.
Re-read
This couple does not improve with a second go around. Why I read this a second time I do not know except it was in a bundle and who could remember this from all the other asininely titled Harlequins.
Cussing ensues.
Rafael is fucking asshole that can't go five minutes without inner monologuing on how or why the the lower class Natasha could ever question him. You, a lowly housekeeper, dare to question me and my mighty manwhore behavior, rude and dissmissive lack of manners, and general assholiness. Fie on you, you housekeeper.
And Natasha, you pathetic Sister-Wife, wearing lip gloss is really NOT a big deal. I really wonder how you survived a whole makeover. No doormat here, she's like a vacuum cleaner, simply sucking up the humiliation because she's in love.
P.S. This is the second Harley where a trip to Morocco or similar fill-in-the-blank eastern country breaks down the tiny h's morals and brain function. The other was a Lynne Graham I think, and that h is lucky enough to answer the phone when the fiancee calls. She's also smart enough (spine and brain intact) to dump his sorry arrogant ass.
July 19, 2017
Note to self: Heroine has a child (not from the hero).
July 7, 2011
Italian billionaire Raffaele de Ferretti needs a distraction to pull the paparazzi off his sister, what better way to gain their attention by flinging an engagement to a reknowned bachelor in front of them, now all he needs is a bride. There is only one female he trusts not to divulge his secrets, his housekeeper Natscha although young, her appearence is dowdy. When she agrees to his plan, he finds a stunning beauty whose grace and sensuality stir an unwanted desire within.
2.5 for this one, I thought Raffaele was pretty much a jerk throughout. He is untrusting with others, but you never get a glimpse as to why, slightly over melodramatic and I really wanted to like this one.
2.5 for this one, I thought Raffaele was pretty much a jerk throughout. He is untrusting with others, but you never get a glimpse as to why, slightly over melodramatic and I really wanted to like this one.
February 28, 2016
3 Humbling Stars
“Let’s leave our egos out of it and just stick to the facts, shall we, Raffaele?.”
Natasha, a desperate, single mum takes a job with Raffaele, an Italian tycoon at his London home. Their relationship is completely professional until he asks her to pretend to be his fiancée to take the media attention off of his younger sister. Now Raffaele sees Natasha as a woman, a woman that he wants with a passion. Natasha has been in love with her boss for a long time he finally sees her as more than his housekeeper.
I enjoyed the tension between the Raffaele and Natasha. I also loved his acceptance and affectionate for her son, Sam. This was my second time reading this book and it was just as good as the first time I read it. It is a very good read .
“Let’s leave our egos out of it and just stick to the facts, shall we, Raffaele?.”
Natasha, a desperate, single mum takes a job with Raffaele, an Italian tycoon at his London home. Their relationship is completely professional until he asks her to pretend to be his fiancée to take the media attention off of his younger sister. Now Raffaele sees Natasha as a woman, a woman that he wants with a passion. Natasha has been in love with her boss for a long time he finally sees her as more than his housekeeper.
I enjoyed the tension between the Raffaele and Natasha. I also loved his acceptance and affectionate for her son, Sam. This was my second time reading this book and it was just as good as the first time I read it. It is a very good read .
June 4, 2017
Natasha is a housekeeper and single mom who has been in love with her boss, Raffaele from the beginning. Always she has loved him from afar and wanted nothing more than to be important in his life. To divert attention from his sister's scandal, Raffaele's lawyer suggests he become engaged so the media will focus on him, but when they consider who will enter into the agreement fully knowing it's purpose, Natasha is the easy answer. But Natasha has a difficult time adjusting to roles...for three years she's been his servant and now she's expected to act like his equal. Raffaele similarly has difficulty here and with not taking advantage of his authority, especially in light of her recent makeover and the attraction that now simmers between them.
Asshat alert. Raffaele is not a quality kind of guy - he doesn't do anything major, but it's definitely in his attitude. He's had Natasha as a housekeeper for three years and despite the altruistic way in which he brought her to work for him, nothing in his behavior suggests anything more than tolerance for Natasha. I agree that at the beginning, she was overstepping her bounds and trying to act more of a friend than a housekeeper and Raffaele was in his rights to remind her of her position. It wasn't very nice, but he wasn't out of line at all. But when he drags Natasha into this scheme and starts getting physical with her, his constant reminders to himself that she was beneath him and lower class because she was a servant were really asshole behavior. The measure of a man is in how he treats his inferiors and the way he treats Natasha is really telling. At one point, he's trying to establish their story and asks her about herself. She says that after 3 years working together, surely he would know something about her. To which he monologues, "Did she imagine that it was some kind of interest in her as a person which made him ask, instead of plain necessity?" Later he claims that he treated her so badly because he was afraid of his feelings and lashing out. But this is something he monologued...no lashing out here. This is just who he is. He cares so little about her that in 3 years he had absolutely no interest in learning the slightest thing about her. Then he goes ahead and seduces the woman that he knows is naive without prefacing the fact that it's "just sex." So he breaks her heart. This guy was an asshat on the inside. I can deal with asshats when they have a good reason to be so...or if the book is a train wreck that is highly entertaining otherwise, but in this, I cannot possibly route for a guy with this attitude.
The only reason this story got 2 stars instead of 1 is because of the heroine developing a backbone there at the end. She was a doormat being trampled upon for the entire story, but once she wised up, she had grit. She left the asshole and walked out with dignity. Then, when he came back a month or so later, I appreciated that she didn't just fall to his feet and thank her lucky stars. By this point, she knew exactly what she wanted and what she was willing to take. Even after he declared his love she didn't cave. She first clarified that he'd treated her horribly and it was unacceptable. Then, she caved. Raffaele did not grovel or apologize nearly enough. I'm not sure it was possible, since he'd have to apologize for being him. And the fact that he immediately took her to bed was a bit suspicious. I also would have possibly liked some sign that he saw her for who she was and loved her for who she was - like maybe buying her an engagement ring that fit her personality...it felt like that was being set up in the beginning and that ball was dropped.
Asshat alert. Raffaele is not a quality kind of guy - he doesn't do anything major, but it's definitely in his attitude. He's had Natasha as a housekeeper for three years and despite the altruistic way in which he brought her to work for him, nothing in his behavior suggests anything more than tolerance for Natasha. I agree that at the beginning, she was overstepping her bounds and trying to act more of a friend than a housekeeper and Raffaele was in his rights to remind her of her position. It wasn't very nice, but he wasn't out of line at all. But when he drags Natasha into this scheme and starts getting physical with her, his constant reminders to himself that she was beneath him and lower class because she was a servant were really asshole behavior. The measure of a man is in how he treats his inferiors and the way he treats Natasha is really telling. At one point, he's trying to establish their story and asks her about herself. She says that after 3 years working together, surely he would know something about her. To which he monologues, "Did she imagine that it was some kind of interest in her as a person which made him ask, instead of plain necessity?" Later he claims that he treated her so badly because he was afraid of his feelings and lashing out. But this is something he monologued...no lashing out here. This is just who he is. He cares so little about her that in 3 years he had absolutely no interest in learning the slightest thing about her. Then he goes ahead and seduces the woman that he knows is naive without prefacing the fact that it's "just sex." So he breaks her heart. This guy was an asshat on the inside. I can deal with asshats when they have a good reason to be so...or if the book is a train wreck that is highly entertaining otherwise, but in this, I cannot possibly route for a guy with this attitude.
The only reason this story got 2 stars instead of 1 is because of the heroine developing a backbone there at the end. She was a doormat being trampled upon for the entire story, but once she wised up, she had grit. She left the asshole and walked out with dignity. Then, when he came back a month or so later, I appreciated that she didn't just fall to his feet and thank her lucky stars. By this point, she knew exactly what she wanted and what she was willing to take. Even after he declared his love she didn't cave. She first clarified that he'd treated her horribly and it was unacceptable. Then, she caved. Raffaele did not grovel or apologize nearly enough. I'm not sure it was possible, since he'd have to apologize for being him. And the fact that he immediately took her to bed was a bit suspicious. I also would have possibly liked some sign that he saw her for who she was and loved her for who she was - like maybe buying her an engagement ring that fit her personality...it felt like that was being set up in the beginning and that ball was dropped.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 2, 2014
Really just okay. I didn't really like the hero. He pretty much did not respect the heroine throughout most of the book. He believed that she was beneath him and was shocked at himself for wanting her. So while it wasn't horrible, it wasn't great either. Also it was a make over book. She needed a beauty make over before he was really hot for her. Not my favorite trope.
February 19, 2015
Loved it, very cute storyline!
July 26, 2023
Fairly standard take on Cinderella tale. Natasha is a likeable, if largely insipid, single mom working for stereotypical alpha hero Rafaelle de Ferretti. When Rafaelle's sister is admitted to a clinic for mental health issues, he is desperate to keep her condition out of the press. His solution: a fake engagement with his housekeeper, who must undergo a makeover so she will be believable in the position.
This book hits many typical romance tropes and avoids any issues of consent. One notable difference: the heroine is a single mother. The child is actually hers and is not the hero's from some past encounter. Sam is apparently an angel and does not interfere with the developing romance.
It's a decent, typical Harlequin read.
This book hits many typical romance tropes and avoids any issues of consent. One notable difference: the heroine is a single mother. The child is actually hers and is not the hero's from some past encounter. Sam is apparently an angel and does not interfere with the developing romance.
It's a decent, typical Harlequin read.
July 17, 2019
There were two large relationships missing, hero with the heroine’s son and the hero with his sister. The heroine didn’t behave as if her son was important in her life. Just kinda an excuse. Hero is a bit of an ass in the end the heroine just forgives him willy nilly. Get some backbone girl. Not too romantic in my opinion. Skip.
May 4, 2019
Little boring...I didn't like the hero.
December 4, 2021
I enjoyed this book. I could feel the emotions.
March 8, 2024
Love, love, love this book. the story line, the characters, the grovel, you will love.
August 2, 2010
Having a crush on your employer like Natasha Phillips did was not a good thing. Especially when said employer, Raffaele de Ferretti, keeps you arms length. But when a situation comes up and Raffaele asks her to pretend to be engaged to him, she knows that after all he has done for her and her son, Sam, Natasha of course says yes. Going along with the plan only gets complicated with the burning passion that fills them. When Natasha realizes Raffaele will never make room for her in his life she resigns and moves away with Sam. Here you finally get to see Raffaele confront his feelings. Will he let his ego keep him from going after the woman he loves?
July 2, 2013
2.5 Stars!
March 6, 2013
Bien que le trame soit sans originalité, il est très bien écrit et très agréable à lire, il a un côté raffraichissant.
On passe un très bon moment en le lisant.
On passe un très bon moment en le lisant.
July 3, 2013
Yeah okay, I got what I asked for: a quick (2 hour) read. Pity that the main guy had the personality of a wet blanket.
June 22, 2018
Modern M&B are so depressing. The hero is a spoilt child and the heroine should have more sense. And they’re both so boring you don’t care what happens
October 11, 2020
Houden als er een boek los is..
February 2, 2020
Found in: His Cinderella Housekeeper 3-in-1
September 24, 2021
Εκρηκτική έλξη - Sharon Kendrick, Σειρά Χρυσά Σπέσιαλ, νούμερο 186
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews