Heiress for Hire (Berkley Sensation) [Mass Market Paperback]

Erin McCarthy (Author)

Book Description

Series: Berkley Sensation | Publication Date: July 3, 2007

Chicago ex-socialite Amanda Delmar's father has cut her off, and now she must do the unthinkable-work. Single father Danny Tucker hires her to babysit his daughter, not knowing that this debutante might just find a place in his heart.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Amanda Delmar is rich and spoiled. All her father ever expected of her was to be beautiful, so that's what she's done. But at 26, the shallowness of pleasure seeking and shopping till you drop is getting old. Apparently her father agrees, because when Amanda follows a friend to a small town in Ohio, then asks her father to send money, he cuts her off. Suddenly Amanda needs a job. Enter Danny Tucker, a farmer and a decent man who has just discovered that he has an eight-year-old daughter. Against the advice of his parents, he hires Amanda to watch little Piper, and, amazingly enough, she's very good at it. Amanda and Danny are drawn to the qualities they see in each other that no one else can, yet they think they don't belong together. McCarthy transforms what could have been a run-of-the-mill romance with standout characterizations that turn an unlikable girl and a boring guy into two enjoyable, empathetic people who make this romance shine. Maria Hatton
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Erin McCarthy, the author of A Date with the Other Side, Bad Boys Online, Smart Mouth, Houston, We Have a Problem, and Mouth to Mouth.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (July 3, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425214842
• ISBN-13: 978-0425214848
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #758,196 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Erin McCarthy, the author of Bad Boys Online, Smart Mouth, Houston We Have a Problem, and Mouth to Mouth, lives with her husband and two children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deserving of more than 5 stars!, January 8, 2006

By 

Laurie (OH - USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Heiress For Hire (Paperback)

Amanda Delmar came to Cuttersville, Ohio, purportedly the most haunted town in Ohio, for the sole purpose of irritating her father. Unfortunately for her, this plan works very well and he is irritated right into cutting her off from all access to
her money. Just as she's begging Boston Macnamara, manager of her father's Cuttersville plant, to give her a job, Danny Tucker, the former husband of Boston's new wife, Shelby, arrives on the scene. With him is a dirty little urchin that he introduces as his newfound daughter, Piper.

There is an unspoken attraction between Amanda and Danny, although neither would acknowledge it. Amanda is rich, spoiled, and appears to be totally oblivious as to how the real world functions. Danny is an honest, hardworking farmer who contently
lives the simple life. He sees right through Amanda's spoiled, selfish facade and is fascinated by the woman he sees underneath.

Piper turns out to be the unknown product of Danny's one-night stand with a girl he met at a local county fair and had never seen again. Piper's mother has died and her stepfather, who is verbally abusive of Piper, decides that he doesn't want to be bothered with her and he dumps her on Danny's doorstep. Amanda needs a job and Danny needs a babysitter, providing the perfect solution for both. This also puts the two of them together for a significant portion of each day, allowing their existing attraction to grow. It also gives Piper the opportunity to flourish and grow under Amanda's care, being treated with gentle kindness, the way all little girls should be treated.

Amanda and Danny's backgrounds could not have been more different, yet they both want the same thing, a loving, life-long relationship. If only they can put their differences aside and see what everyone else does, that they are perfect for each
other.

This book is truly one of the most touching, emotionally satisfying books that I have ever read. Ms. McCarthy has tapped into an unending wealth of human emotion in this treasure. Danny and Amanda are so very sweet, and Piper's pain and fears
are captured realistically, portrayed in a way that few authors can pull off. It is certain that you will laugh, cry, hurt and rejoice with these characters. Don't let yourself miss out on this book, it is a keeper that you should treat yourself
to.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ms. McCarthy Has Penned A Heartwarming Read!, March 26, 2006

By 

Kristi Ahlers (Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Heiress For Hire (Paperback)

We return to Cuttersville, Ohio in Ms. McCarthy's latest heartwarming read. This time around we are treated to Amanda and Danny's romance with a sweet addition by the name of Piper. Readers will be well entertained with this story.

Amanda can't believe that her wealthy father has decided to practice "tough love" with her by refusing to finance anymore of her spoiled life. She is faced with the very real possibility that she will have to get a job. When she approaches her friend Boston (A Date With The Other side) and is told he can't help her...she is surprised to find the answer to her dilemma is none other than Danny Tucker and his daughter Piper. But, when Danny hires her to watch over Piper she can't believe the change her life is about to take or the pleasure she will find playing house. Will she allow herself to be happy without Danny and will she be able to make him realize she can be what he needs?

Danny is shocked when his eight year old daughter Piper is unceremoniously left with him. But she is his and his heart aches at the signs of neglect she wears. Not knowing what to do with his new responsibility he looks for help from his ex-wife Shelby and instead finds help from the pampered princess Amanda. Will he have what it takes to keep this lady from worming her way into his heart? He can't ignore the attraction between them but they are too different...or are they?

This was a sweet, heartwarming story. It was fun to re-visit Cuttersville and the characters we were introduced to in "A Date With The Other Side." Ms. McCarthy is a talented author and one that should be watched in the future.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Sweet, Funny Read, March 25, 2006

By 

D. A. Gantt "Hopelessly devoted bookworm" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Heiress For Hire (Paperback)

Even though I'd read the prequel to this book, "A Date with the Other Side," I was a little hesitant to read this because I was afraid the female lead, Amanda, was going to be like Paris Hilton, whom I abhor. Turns out Amanda is your typical spoiled rich girl, but she's got a heart under all that designer wear and she's not afraid to let it show.

Amanda is a total fish out of water in Cuttersville, Ohio, but she doesn't get as annoyingly whiny as one might expect of a rich girl who finds herself stranded in the middle of nowhere and cut off by her millionaire father. I found myself laughing at the situations Amanda got herself into as she tried to find a job, but I respected the fact that she decided early on to take the lemons handed to her and make lemonade. Imagine, a spoiled, rich kid who actually discovers she's got a backbone and learns to do for herself. I will admit that I couldn't wrap my head around her dad. While the idea that he wanted her to stop being a sponge is one thing, the fact that he virtually ignored everything about her except her spending habits was sad - and cold. When Amanda became close to Piper, you could see that the apple, happily, fell far, far away from the tree. She had a lot more love in her than her sorry excuse for a father, who, by the end of the book, came around and made an effort to be more involved in Amanda's life.

Some of the best scenes in the book are when Amanda, Danny (the hot farmer who was featured in "A Date with the Other Side" - he is Shelby's ex-husband), and Piper are together. Danny is so sweet and totally determined to give Piper, the daughter he never knew he had, the good home she never had with her late mother and rat bastard step-father. You really felt for little Piper - Erin McCarthy really brings forth Piper's hesitancy in letting herself get close to Danny - who can blame her after the life she's had thus far - but it is wonderful to see how she relaxes around Amanda and it's even more wonderful that Amanda totally responds to this little girl and is willing to take the child under her wing - the scene where Amanda and Piper are playing with Barbie dolls is both funny and endearing. Of course, Danny and Amanda realize that they're hot for each, but the romance built up slowly as Amanda transformed from spoiled rich kid to caring, responsible young woman who realized that the people you love are more important than who you're wearing this season.

Like "A Date with the Other Side," there was a supernatural aspect in this story, but it was so brief that it could have been left out and it wouldn't have detracted from the story. My only real disappointment was the absence of Shelby and Boston. They were featured in only two small scenes (Danny had a much more prominent role in the first book), and I would have liked to have seen a litte more of them in this book. This aside, "Heiress for Hire" was definitely one of my favorites by Erin McCarthy so far. Her fans won't be disappointed and this book should gain her a bunch more new ones.