Infatuation by Charlotte Lamb

This was a really good oldy but goodie. There are some elements that are missing from the newer Harlequin Presents. For one, the heroine is not a lower status, lower education woman like a lot of the newer romance feature. Also, she is not drop dead gorgeous and model beautiful. And the hero is not Italian, Greek, Latin, or Middle Eastern. He's actually half American and half English. Although Judith does go to work for Lucas, she is a very valued employee with a keen knowledge of finance and the ability to run an empire for him. I really appreciated that. Lucas looks through her at first, but then falls in love with her mind, her humor, her capability, and her spirit. In essence, he sees the woman inside of her and his heart is lead into her hands. Lucas is engaged to Judith's friend Baba (short for Barbara) who is at first presented a sweet girl who would never hurt a fly. Time reveals that she is somewhat self-absorbed and manipulative, but she's not the evil other woman like we commonly see in this series of books. This books is one that you will like because she really appreciate Judith for her strengths and her integrity. She falls in love with Lucas, but her loyalty to her friend, even though she comes to see that Baba is not worthy of Lucas, is unassailable. You admire Lucas because he does have the good sense to see what a treasure Judith is, and you are happy that things work out without any back-stabbing or sneaking around occurring. Ah, I miss the old Harlequin Presents.