The Ring on Her Finger [Mass Market Paperback]

Elizabeth Bevarly (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 31, 2002

Heiress Lucinda Hollander decides to get engaged -- to a man who thrusts a rock on her finger and promptly disappears -- leaving Lucinda to take the rap for a crime she didn't commit.

Lucinda goes on the lam, and even though she's never held -- or used -- a dust mop she goes "underground" as a housekeeper on a large estate. After all, she knows her way around big houses, and making floors sparkle is a whole lot better than making license plates.

She quickly figures there's something suspicious going on in the servants' quarters -- especially with Max Hogan, "the car guy." He's strong, sexy -- and sure knows how to work with his hands. But he's more than a little silent about his past, which makes Lucinda wonder what he's up to ... and what will happen when her secret comes out. Still, she hopes they can have a future together ...

If only she could get that darn ring off her finger.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Flaky heiress Lucinda Hollander, the heroine of Elizabeth Bevarly's rambling contemporary romance, The Ring on Her Finger, is forced to take charge of her life when she foolishly flees town to escape being arrested for a crime she didn't commit. With the help of her best friend, who conveniently runs a nationwide network of housekeepers, Lucy lands a job in Kentucky housekeeping for a wealthy family. There she meets sexy car maintenance man Max Hogan, a bad boy who's determined to live a boring life to punish himself for a past mistake. It doesn't take a fortune-teller to predict that Max and Lucy will change each other's lives, but it will take a determined reader to get past the first chapter. Bevarly's repetitious writing style bogs down the narrative, but those dogged enough to reach the end will be rewarded by Lucy's convincing transformation from ditzy daughter into capable wife.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Elizabeth Bevarly is an award-winning romance author with over a dozen books to her credit.Her novels have been translated into fourteen languages, and there are over three million copies of her books in print worldwide.Elizabeth lives with her husband and young son in Louisville, Kentucky.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Avon (December 31, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380819619
• ISBN-13: 978-0380819614
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,971,036 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Elizabeth Bevarly is the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of more than sixty works of contemporary romance. Her books have been published in two dozen languages and three dozen countries, totaling more than ten million copies in print worldwide. Although she can't remember wanting to be anything other than a writer, her career side trips before publication included stints as a salesclerk, waitress, bartender and editorial assistant. She has called home places as diverse as New Jersey and Puerto Rico, but now lives in her native Kentucky with her husband and son.

She is delighted to be offering some of her out-of-print works on Kindle and is looking forward to the publication of her first women's fiction title in trade paperback. THE HOUSE ON BUTTERFLY WAY will be published by Berkley Trade in February 2012. Visit her website at www.elizabethbevarly.com or, even better, "like" her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ElizabethBevarlyReaderPage.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Too much inner monologue, January 17, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Ring on Her Finger (Mass Market Paperback)

I have enjoyed Ms. Bevarly's other books, but this one seemed to fall a little short. While her other books had the characters interacting, this endeavor failed in that area. We were constantly reading what the characters were thinking and at times it got very repetative. I like to see the main characters do some verbal sparing. I think that reveals more about the character. The ending was a bit too contrived too. Everyone was mad one second and then hunky dory the next. I hope Ms. Bevarly's next offering raises the bar.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth Your Time, November 16, 2003

By 

Butterscotch (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ring on Her Finger (Mass Market Paperback)

This was a very enjoyable book -- it was lighthearted, funny, and romantic too. The writing was quick-witted and the characters were fully developed and fun to read about. There is the main storyline, between heiress-on-the-run Lucinda, and a chauffeur, Max, and there is an equally involving sub-story between Rosemary, a nanny, and Nathaniel, a wealthy cad. The story takes place at the estate of a wealthy couple (the Coves) in Kentucky over a period of three months. The writing was repetitive at times, but only because it followed the characters' random thoughts and allowed us to see just how silly/confused they were. The plot was totally unbelievable, but the characters themselves were quite charming and made the book a worthwhile read. I thought the story started slow, but it picked up in the ssecond chapter, and was a truly a modern-day romance with freethinking, personally flawed characters. I had never read a book by this author before, but would look for more by her.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Quirky, Yet Touching Romance, March 4, 2009

By 

Genie In A Bottle (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ring on Her Finger (Mass Market Paperback)

After learning she is being arrested as an accomplice to murder, Heiress Lucinda Hollander goes into hiding. Assuming a new identity, she gets a job as a housekeeper on a large private estate. There she meets Max Hogan, mechanic and chauffeur.

But Max has a secret in his past. As penance for the pain he's caused another, Max disallows himself all the comforts of life: a house, a car, a good cold beer, air conditioning, leisure time, sex... But Lucinda discovers Max has also assumed a false identity. When she interferes, Max's carefully constructed walls start to crumble.

Enhancing the story is a romance between the 'plain-jane' nanny and the estate owner's best friend. As the relationship started out on a bet-to-bed-the-nanny premise, this secondary plot made for some entertaining friction - and was vitally interesting to the whole plot.

While using the characters inner thoughts to convey their anxiety at times was actually refreshing, I did get annoyed in 4-5 instances with the repetitiveness. And though the first five or so pages were a little too quirky, I really did enjoy this book.