Risky Business

Josh is on the fast track to success, but he needs a trophy wife to make a good impression with the executives. Katie, who wants to save the family photography business, needs an extension on the defaulted loan. The loan made at the bank where Josh works. Josh being the man Katie's sister jilted at the altar. Katie has a lot of hard work ahead of her. Risky Business uses some of my favorite romance spices - strong sexual attraction, the supposedly oil and water mix of a wild character with a buttoned down one, and, as their love grows, each strenghtens the others weaknesses of character. Also helping the book skip along is a nice sense of humor. By the end I was in love with Katie myself. Recommended.

According to Josh's boss, playing the field is fine for men, but what they really need is a woman who can help build their career. Any contact with Katie threatens Josh's focus. But her persistence is irresistible. She won't let Josh take her grandfather's photography studio. When he'd been engaged to her older sister Erin three years ago, Katie found him irritating but not mean spirited. When Erin defaulted on Josh's loan for the studio, Katie believed she found her nitch. But first she has to convince Josh that her sassy exuberance will lead to success.Even if Katie kisses like a fantasy, Josh intends to keep the perfidy of the Flanagans at the forefront of his mind. Josh recognizes that Katie can be a major distraction, but it takes a lot more to perceive her as an asset. While her stunning good looks benefit Josh's good in the male hierarchy of power, he doesn't want Katie's social missteps to mess up his promotion. He doesn't believe she can make a go of the studio, nor can she provide him what he needs in the way of window dressing. But when Katie cancels Josh's escort for a business evening, and shows in the woman's place, Flanagan spontaneity results in unexpected long-term success.Josh vows that he will never again become involved with a member of the Flanagan family. Even though he claims Katie as a fiancée, they both knew the falsity of it. And they also knew that she represented the polar opposite of the stability Josh craves. Katie has never seen Josh without that conscious carefulness in his eyes. Josh doesn't trust, and he doesn't ever feel safe, no matter how he surrounds himself with people who rely on him and benefit from the good work that he does. Josh believes that if he plays it right, the business world promises a certain financial stability?it's worth a few missed ballgames or lonely nights.RISKY BUSINESS humorously presents the falsity of corporate life in the guise of success, revealing that love is worth a little instability. Carol Rose's perky yet complex characterizations create endearing characters that prove quite appealing. Indeed, I couldn't help being hooked by Katie's zany spontaneity from the moment Josh took a dunking in the water fountain. I can only hope Rose will decide to share Katie's elder sister's story with an equally spirited encounter! Highly recommended.