Ruthie Midona has dedicated her whole adult life to the residents at Providence Retirement Building where she works the front desk, maintains the property, and guards the endangered tortoises that live on the grounds. But somewhere along the way, she's forgotten that she’s young and that there is a world beyond the villa. That is until she meets the son of the property developer who just acquired the retirement centre.
Teddy Prescott has spent the last few years partying, sleeping, and giving himself tattoos. His father wants Teddy to be his his successor and can’t understand his son's inability to take anything seriously. When Teddy needs a place to crash, his father comes up with the idea of having him stay in one of the on-site cottages and work to earn his keep. Teddy agrees—how hard can it be to do a few odd jobs? But Ruthie has plans for Teddy too! You see her two wealthiest and most eccentric residents need a new personal assistant to torment after another one quits. Truth be told, they never last more that a week. It's the perfect plan and will surely get rid of the handsome man that keeps getting under her skin.
What Ruthie doesn't count on is that the the Biddies may have finally met their match. Teddy will do anything for them as well as do repairs around the property all while charming everyone in his path—even Ruthie. But when she finds out that Teddy’s father is only fixing up the retirement home just to sell it, jeopardizing everything she cares about, Ruthie can't help but wonder if Teddy’s magic was all just an act.
I have thoughts… Lots of them. This book was a total seesaw for me between things I loved and things I hated—I felt like I was just going up and down. The good news, it was better than 99 Percent Mine. But the bad news is that it was only marginally better.
Where Thorne excels is with the ability to completely draw the reader in and not let go until the end—she is incredibly engaging. There is an ease to her writing and she has such an ear for conversation and banter which translates extremely well on the page.
While this book might not have been everything I had hoped it would be, there are going to be those that love it. I just didn't love it as much as The Hating Game. I mean, Josh Templeman... Enough said.
SALLY THORNE believes that romance readers are always searching for intensity in their next favourite book—and it isn't always so easy to find. The Hating Game was her first novel.
Thorne lives in Canberra, Australia.
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