"Fun, sexy contemporary romance"

Ben MacAllister has made a fine art out of the avoidance of any responsibility and any expectations his family might have for him. He has a list of things he wants to do before he dies and settling down is just not on it. But now his stable family that he always counted on seems to be breaking up and he is feeling lost. He takes a job as Director of Security at his father's mattress factory because he wants to try to help prevent the break-up of his parents' marriage. But once he finds out that his father plans on selling the company Ben discovers a secret desire to be needed, and to prove that he can carry his share of the load. Then when he meets new employee Hilary Sinclair, with her propensity for messiness and her prickly attitude, he finds that the secret longing he has to be needed carries over to his feelings for her as well.

Hilary has only just moved to town and begun her new job at MacAllister Beds. She is helping to launch a new mattress line at an upcoming conference in Las Vegas and she is anxious to do a good job. Unfortunately, her personal life keeps distracting her. First, the little house she just bought seems to be falling apart. Then, she finds herself in bed with the son of her new boss and she doesn't quite know how it happened. She is attracted to him, but knows there is no future there because she is aware of the fact that he will only be in town a short while before he moves on.

Funny and sexy, ONCE UPON A MATTRESS is a thoroughly delightful tale about a man and a woman who are new to their jobs, and are out to prove their worth to themselves and others. Ben is especially appealing because underneath the wise cracking, devil-may-care persona lies an insecure man who just wants the people closest to him to recognize his worth. The setting of a mattress manufacturer is unique and provides an interesting backdrop for the action, which can get pretty steamy. I am not a fast reader but this one was so diverting that I breezed right through it.

Reviewed by Janice Bennett
Posted April 10, 2003

After one failed relationship, Hilary Sinclair has moved to Dallas to start a new life. Ben MacAllister surprises them both when he falls in love with the prickly Hilary, but can he break down the walls around her heart?

Summary

If there's one thing Hilary Sinclair knows, it's how to make a bed. Well, okay, a mattress. As an executive at MacAllister Beds, she's new to the company, but she can manufacture with the best of them. Besides, it's a fresh start in a fresh city. The last thing she needs is trouble, and when her Victorian fixer-upper is anything but, she camps out at the factory looking for a dry place to crash. Trouble strikes, though, when she winds up with a strange bedfellow!

Ben MacAllister has rushed back to Dallas to help at the family's mattress company. But he can't believe the bed he makes for himself once he gets there! To start with, he can't figure out Hilary Sinclair — she's as uptight and as sexy as they come. Hilary has made it clear that she's not interested. Fine with him — he doesn't want to get distracted now. As director of security, Ben has to find out who's been sleeping in the test center — he figures the best way is to sleep there himself!