Doukakis' Apprentice by Sarah Morgan

Doukakis's Apprentice by Sarah Morgan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I can totally see why one of my GRs friends has so much love for Polly. She really is a great character. Loving, hardworking, intelligent, strong, and willing to stand up for what's right. And she has a great sense of humor. I loved her loyalty to her employees. Wish more bosses were that way in real life. At first, I didn't think Mr. Doukakis was nearly good enough for her. He was a bit of a jerk to poor Polly. Fortunately, as it should be with any good romance book, I came to like and respect him, to see that he was a Control Freak more than anything. It's interesting how an insecure childhood can shape two different people in two entirely different ways. Honestly though, Polly and Damon aren't that different. They are both goal-oriented, decisive people who get the job done. Who deal with circumstances and fix what's wrong in the best way possible. People who love strong and deep, and believe in doing the right thing. Damon came on hard and tough, like he didn't care, but he also cared about his employees. He just wasn't touchy feely about it like Polly. I have to say I liked his business ethics a lot (except for the hot desk idea. Did not like that at all). So my main issues were with how Damon treated Polly. Damon couldn't see past the outside, the fae, energetic beauty of Polly, to believe that she was just as capable as he was. He was poisoned by his past experience with her and his issues with her father. I was glad that he did work past his preconceived notions to give her the credit she was due. And he fell head over heels for her. I think I might create a new shelf, the "He never even knew what hit him" shelf, because that's what happened to Mr. Doukakis when Polly came into his life.

I liked the fresh, modern feel of this story, without throwing out the things I value in a HP. I like a virgin heroine, and I like that Ms. Morgan wrote one who is identifiably modern without being promiscuous. It wouldn't make sense for her to be that way, but it makes perfect sense for her to be a virgin. And there are a lot of woman out there who might be virgins for similar reasons without being weirdos, as the media tries to present. (off soapbox) I also felt the freshness in the references to such things as You Tube and other social media. Polly knows that the target audience for her advertising campaigns are going to rely heavily on social media. So why not use those technological avenues to advertise to the younger demographics? This felt very relevant, and I never felt like I was lost in a time zone, like I can feel sometimes with category romances. I also liked that although Damon takes over Polly's dad's firm, she isn't just the secretary. She's been running the company for years and not getting credit for it. It puts her on much more equal footing than you see in the usual workplace-set HP. Cheers for that. Even though this couple get their traditional HEA, I can rest happily knowing that Polly will continue being a genius in the workplace, making a name for herself, as she deserves. And she gets the man of her dreams. Works for me.

This review is a rambling fest. I guess that's the mood I'm in. Anyway, I ended up loving this book. it's glad I am that this is my first HP read of the new year. You were right, Lulu!

Sarah Morgan has done it again. High five!



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