The Virgin Secretary's Impossible Boss by Carole Mortimer

The Virgin Secretary's Impossible Boss by Carole Mortimer

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This book suffered from a lack of good romantic tension.  I just didn't feel much of a spark between Andi and Linus, which was disappointing, since there was good potential. I think this book is one of those identity crisis books where if it had been written twenty years earlier, I think Mortimer would have felt the levity to go there and make Linus the meaner, manipulative hero who propositioned the heroine and went through with it.  It would have made for more intense drama.  On the other hand, this isn't a very modern book where the couple just have their sex without commitment or any desire to commit either, where both characters felt free to cross the line between employee and employer. So, we ended up with somewhere in between and it feels and read awkward.  

I feel like I am always a little hard on Harlequin Presents that lack drama and romantic tension.  I feel like this is such a hallmark of this series, so I miss it keenly when it's not there.  I'm not just a drama-hound. I love books that are very emotionally intense, which is another good thing about this line of books. In this case, I didn't get either.  The characters weren't that engaging to me.  I would have liked it more if Linus had been more of a possessive/obsessive hero and more of a pursuer than he was.  Or if he had an unrequited love for Andi. I think he mainly just was attracted to her and finally decided he wanted to act on it.  And Andi certainly wasn't going to pursue him.  So the romance didn't really gain a lot of momentum.  I think if the author just went there more, it would have been better. I get a little bored with run of the mill contemporary romance, which this felt like.  Not enough oomph to keep my interest.   Or at least more of an emotional hook. Instead, it's just fair to middling.