"Another great read from Molly O'Keefe"

I've thoroughly enjoyed Molly O'Keefe's Harlequin Duets so when she asked me to review her new novel for the Flipside line, I knew it was be a great read. Boy was I ever correct in that assumption!

Anna Simmons vows when she was eighteen that she would never be like her mother who moved every little while and mooched off what relatives she could while dragging Anna and her sister Marie with her. Anna got a job with the Arsenal Ad Agency as a receptionist, put herself through school and clawed her way to the top. Now her boss Camilla tells her to take a six months sabbatical and get a life. After six months Camilla will retire and Anna will be President. Anna is lividly furious but doesn't know what else to do.

When she wakes up the next morning she notices she has no bumming around clothes because she hasn't done her laundry since her washer went on the fritz months ago. She goes to the community laundry mat where she meets hunk Sam Drynan but because she has used all of the washers, they immediately start off on very bad terms.

When Anna has to go to Camilla's granddaughter Meg's birthday party, she decides to ask her gay friend Gary to go with her. The problem is when she goes to Gary's apartment she finds out that Gary has moved out and Sam is the new tenant. She apologizes and asks Sam if he will go with her. Sam is tempted but says no at first but after thinking about it, Sam changes his mind.

The next thing we know, Anna has worked up a scheme for Camilla to let her come back to work before six months and it involves hunk Sam. Will he go along with it? What in the world will ever come of this funky plan?

I thoroughly enjoyed this fun read. I especially loved the way Camilla and Marie, Anna's sister put Anna through her paces to get her to do what they wanted without her even realizing it. I'm hoping that Molly O'Keefe will see fit to give us Marie's story in the upcoming months!

Reviewed by Kathy Boswell
Posted May 9, 2004

Summary

After busting her butt as an ad exec—and forsaking everything but peanut-butter cups—workaholic Anna Simmons finds herself out of a job. It's only for six months, of course, and the forced sabbatical should teach Anna work/life balance (as in less work, more life).

But Anna can't take it. She plots the most important campaign of her career—the pretend balanced life. And she'll enlist her oh-so-hot neighbor Sam Drynan to play her fake boyfriend—it's the perfect way to convince her boss she's ready to get back in the boardroom ahead of schedule!

So what happens when the make-believe make-out sessions start to feel anything but fake? And instead of sneaking into the office—she's counting the hours till she's free?