Customer Reviews

Appointment At The Altar (Harlequin Romance)

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4.5 blue ribbons

Lucy West loves everything about her job at Wirrindago, an Australian cattle station where she's employed as a cook and housekeeper. She's even in love with one of the stockman. The arrival of her sister with the request that Lucy return to England to be at the bedside of a friend who's in a coma means leaving it all behind. Having to leave Australia for England is bad enough but having her antagonist Guy accompany her is almost more than she can take.

Guy Dangerfield is a successful English businessman who's visiting his cousin at Wirrindago. He takes great pleasure in annoying Lucy, including calling her Cinderella. He's perfectly aware that she fancies herself in love with Kevin but doesn't let that deter him. Guy senses that she's just drifting through life and accompanying her back to England presents him with the opportunity to get to know her better and issue a challenge that she accepts. After all, proving him wrong is a priority.

Lucy isn't at all happy about returning to England and aside from the time she'll spend at the hospital at Richard's bedside she doesn't know what she'll do, or even where she'll be staying. Guy points out that she's always counted on others to take care of the details and maybe it's time for her to take care of herself. Guy offers to let her stay at his place but Lucy doesn't want to impose. She gladly accepts Guy's challenge to find a `real' job and soon finds herself a job as a receptionist at Dangerfield & Dunn. She discovers that she actually enjoys the job and as an added benefit, she gets to see Guy every day when he's going to or from his office.

Their `friendship' evolves and takes on a romantic nature. Circumstances, friends and family as well as a few well-meaning lies result in some unexpected circumstances from which they're going to find it very difficult to extricate themselves.

After reading OUTBACK BOSS, CITY BRIDE, I couldn't wait to find out what would happen with Meredith's sister Lucy. There's so much antagonism between Lucy and Guy that I eagerly read through each new scene anticipating what would happen between them. Jessica Hart's APPOINTMENT AT THE ALTAR provides the perfect ending to the BRIDEGROOM BOSS duo and give readers their much desired happily ever after with a few twists and some comical situations along the way. I'll definitely be watching for more Jessica Hart books in the future as well as buying up some of her backlist titles.

Chrissy Dionne (courtesy of Romance Junkies)

Jessica Hart might be the Romance line's best writer.

There is no doubt this is a category romance - in theme and style - but this author knows how to take the restrictions of the line and create a brilliant story. This book is a complete story on its own, but I'd strongly recommend reading the one that came before it: Outback Boss, City Bride (Harlequin Romance).

Lucy is a pretty young Englishwoman who breezes through life, from one temporary job to the next, from one side of the world to the other. When she has to rush back to London from the life she's been carving out for herself in the Australian Outback, her boss' cousin goes with her.
Guy has inherited the family business, and at only thirty-three is already a big shot in the banking world. He is attracted to Lucy but also wants her to challenge herself - he believes she's capable of much more than she gives herself credit for.
It turns out maybe the dream life in the Outback is actually the complete opposite of what she really wants.

The story is told entirely from Lucy's perspective, which would usually annoy me, but I enjoyed it in this book.

Hart is an author who can actually show a couple falling in love. You see the characters' feelings change, and you are right there with them, wanting them to work things out, but also realising life isn't always that easy. I loved both hero and heroine, and could not put this book down. It's a good, solid love story with some nice touches of both Australia and England, embracing everything the Romance line stands for.