Ah, the Molly O'Keefe I know and love. Welcome back.
But maybe Between the Sheets (the ending, anyway) was just a fluke.
This book... hmm, where to begin.
First thing's first: our female lead is Ryan, a thirty-two year old bartender from Philly. One night, she's tending bar with a co-worker when the gentleman she and her co-worker Lindsey have dubbed Ken Doll comes in -- he'd been frequenting the bar that entire week. Ryan, being the kindhearted woman she is, decides to figure out why he's seemed so sad. She attempts humor ("My name is Ryan....apparently I'll be the woman getting you drunk tonight"). He introduces himself as "Harri....Harry" -- the first sign that maybe he's holding something back. But Ryan doesn't really catch it, or at least she doesn't think about it.
After talking briefly (nothing too deep, just that he's angry, sad, and looking for his sister), Ryan decides to go against her own code and takes him home (or rather, goes to his hotel room). After the night was over and Harry left (with a note), Ryan quits her job -- then finds out a few weeks later she's pregnant.
Determined to keep it to herself (even after learning that Harri....Harrison, is actually a man running for office -- woah, political scandal), Ryan's brother Wes takes matters into his own hands and confronts him. Due to his family's public disgrace in the political world, Harrison offers Ryan an "indecent proposal" (I always love when the title makes it's way into the book) -- shotgun wedding before news of the pregnancy comes out. They will have a contract and she can leave after 2 years. After hemming and hawing, Ryan comes up with her own contract, a prenup of sorts. She'll agree but only on the terms that the baby is hers, and while she doesn't want anything from him, he needs to pay off her family's morgage and her sister's schooling. Agreed.
After also agreeing that the lies are in public and they will be truthful to one another in private, the world of political lies begins. They put on a phenomenal show to the press and public, but the moment they hit the limo, they're on opposing sides, quiet, and either looking at notes (Harrison) or looking out the window (Ryan).
As with any romance novel, feelings get hurt (Ryan gets frustrated when Harrison doesn't recognize the baby, to which he responds he hadn't really thought about it -- but after that point, oh, did he start thinking about it).
I loved Wallace... He's Harrison's assistant who doesn't like Ryan (at first) who wears crazy-ugly ties (which are actually a sentimental piece from his mother) -- but she grows on him very quickly. As Ryan points out, and then Wallace points out to Harrison as well: when Ryan and Harrison met, they were in the room together and one knew the truth, the other did not. The hard feelings towards Ryan are unneccesary and if anyone should be upset, it's Ryan towards Harrison.
I also loved Harrison's "making up" scene at the end. This nicely dressed, well-to-do man, hands deep in deer guts. Doesn't get better than that ;)
I made a lot of notes and highlights in this book, so I could probably go on and go over each and every one, but I won't.
This is definitely a must-read Molly O'Keefe book.
However, there are still things that I wish were cleared up:
*I would like to know more about the Ryan/Paul disaster. Maybe I'm sadistic that way, but I want to know what the report stated, I want to know Ryan's full thoughts on the matter... I kind of want Harrison to comfort her on the entire matter.
*I would like to know more about the whole Wes/DHS thing...
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