The Boss's Inexperienced Secretary by Helen Brooks

The Boss's Inexperienced Secretary by Helen Brooks

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars


I have to say that Kim really made this book for me. I admired her for her emotional integrity and fortitude. I liked that she took a painful past and used it to be stronger and didn't mull on the past. She isn't a wallflower at all. She's actually very fashionable and feminine, although she does have a few insecurities about her extreme height and being teased about it in the past, also from what her ex-fiance' did to her. I like that she was able to stand strong against Blaise, who is a bulldozer in most ways. She was very attracted to him from the beginning, and fell deeply in love with him, but she didn't let that compromise what was important to her as a woman. I especially loved that she was clear about what she wanted out of a relationship and from a man, and didn't play emotional games.

I really liked that through Kim, this story reflects that some young women's values don't follow the trends and shouldn't have to. That some women do still believe in sex having to meaning something for them personally, and aren't afraid to wait or afraid to stand up for what they believe they deserve. This wasn't done in a preachy way, as Kim doesn't condemn other women who are happy with no-strings sexual relationships; she just knows it's not for her. I found that this was refreshingly dealt with, and the message was clear enough without being PSA-like.

This story had me crying near the end, and I won't say why. I think that it's worth reading about for oneself. It relates very closely with Blaise and his issues. He's a man that I feel has some emotional scars that have caused him to cut himself off from love. I loved that Kim was brave enough to be real and to challenge his perceptions,and not in a pushy way. But in a way that made him realize that he couldn't continue to live his life the way he had and be a whole person.

I thought that Helen Brooks was effective at having a modern voice with this novel, but also showing that people can have their own values that cause them to step outside of what is expected for a 'modern' person, when it doesn't ring true for themselves in particular. That's a good message for this reader. Outside of that message, I enjoyed reading about the relationship between Kim and Blaise. They had a a strong relationship that involved not only passion and love, but mutual respect. And the ending was very romantic and sensual, exactly what I hoped for.

This was a very good book. Thus a 4.5/5.0 star rating.



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