Contemporary Romance published by Gallery Books 18 Jan 22
Ms. Lane has fast become one of my favorite contemporary romance authors and this book continues that trend. The story has been touted as a reverse “My Fair Lady” and the author makes reference to that in her dialogue as well, but this is so much more. Cain is portrayed as the red-necked Louisiana hick, even though he is so much more, while Violet is that perfect urbane New Yorker. Truly, there’s more beneath the surface of both of them and it’s interesting to see Who ultimately changes Whom and How.Violet never rocks the boat. She dresses appropriately, eschews carbs, and goes to all the right social events. She’s never really lived for herself or thought about her own wants and dreams. When she takes on the Cain Scott Rhodes project, he challenges her on every front, making her think about who she is and what she wants from her life. Of course, her attraction to the man is off the charts and she definitely wants to find a way to scratch that itch.
Cain is smart and successful; albeit he’s had a hard life and wonders where his rich father and grandmother were when he was struggling to survive. He fights the big-city transformation, even as he finds a blend of the old and new in making him a new Cain. I am surprised his grandmother, for all the private investigators, etc., never found out he was running a successful distribution business with 100-plus employees on its payroll, when she tries to mold him into an image she believes is necessary to run the family business she leads.
The cast of characters is delightful, especially Violet’s purse dog Coco and Edith’s hypochondriac butler. The story is entertaining and witty. A wonderful tuck into a warm bed and enjoy type of read.
Grade: A
Summary:
From the New York Times bestselling author of the Central Park Pact comes a reverse My Fair Lady for the modern era about a pampered and privileged Manhattan socialite who must teach an unpolished and denim-loving nobody from the Louisiana Bayou how to fit in with the upper crust of New York City
Violet Townsend has always been a people pleaser. Raised in the privileged world of Upper East Side Manhattan, she always says the right things, wears the right clothes, and never rocks the boat. Violet would do anything for the people closest to her, especially her beloved grandmother. So when she asks Violet to teach the newly-discovered grandson of her friend how to fit in with New York City’s elite, Violet immediately agrees. Her goal? To get Cain Stone ready to take his place as heir to his family company…but to say he’s not exactly an eager student is an understatement.
Born and raised in rural Louisiana and now making his own way in New Orleans, Cain Stone is only playing along for the paycheck at the end. He has no use for the grandmother he didn’t know existed and no patience for the uppity Violet’s attempts to turn him into a suit-wearing, museum-attending gentleman.
But somewhere amidst antagonistic dinner parties and tortured tux fittings, Cain and Violet come to a begrudging understanding—and the uptight Violet realizes she’s not the only one doing the teaching. As she and Cain begin to find mutual respect for one another (and maybe even something more), Violet learns that blindly following society’s rules doesn’t lead to happiness…and that sometimes the best things in life come from the most unexpected places.
No excerpt available.
