Satisfaction Guaranteed (The Goddard Project, Book 1)

Beth Whitney wishes she could wake up from the peculiar dream she's having about work. She's the Central Administration Agent for a secret government agency called The Goddard Project. Her father heads the agency, and he's just hired a new agent: Alan Hyatt, the man who left Beth at the altar three years earlier. Was a little warning too much to expect? To make things even more uncomfortable, one of their top agents, Ethan Crane, has just returned from his latest mission. He just happens to be the star of Beth's most secret fantasies. Under her father's watchful eye, Beth needs to deal with both men at the same time. Come to think of it, the situation is more like a nightmare. Things get even more bizarre for Beth when her father asks her to work as a field agent on an important case. Sure, Beth trained in the basics as an agent, but she never expected or even wanted to work anywhere but the office. And naturally Ethan Crane is the agent in charge. He'll be posing as Beth's jealous, possessive boyfriend. If she agrees to the assignment, Beth will need to get herself hired as a personal investment counselor to a man the agency is trying to take down. She has the financial experience and bookish personality to handle the job, but her relationship with Ethan will have to be absolutely convincing at all times. Intellectually, Beth knows it will all be pretense for the sake of the case, but it won't be easy to keep her emotions out of the picture. Ethan Crane thrives on danger. The strikingly gorgeous, capable agent chooses the riskiest assignments at work, and extreme sports are his preferred form of relaxation. Ethan has never been in a relationship that lasted more than a couple of months and he likes it that way. Although he doesn't live near his family in Texas anymore, they're still an important part of his life. Ethan would love to learn more about the serious, quietly attractive Beth, but he plans to be cautious. She's the boss's daughter, after all. Ethan is intrigued by the unexpected facets of Beth's personality that emerge once she's away from the office. He's also strangely threatened by newly-hired agent Alan Hyatt's mysterious relationship with Beth. When Beth agrees to the field assignment, Ethan doesn't want to waste any time learning everything he can about her. The more they know about each other, the better their cover and the greater chance their mission will succeed. Is Ethan only interested in Beth for the sake of the case? She guards her heart closely, and never plans to offer it to an agent again. Will Ethan break through her defenses? As always, Lucy Monroe gets everything right. Who can resist page after page of smoldering, seductive heat as Ethan brings Beth's deepest fantasies to life in vivid detail? Beth may seem shy and quiet on the outside, but her conservative, professional demeanor is merely one facet of her complex personality. She's introspective, a dreamer, and her failed relationshi

I am generally more of an otherworld reader, but decided to branch off a bit with a little reality. Well, what I got was pure fantasy. I have never read anything by Ms. Monroe before, but after the way she pulled me in from the first page I have since gone back for Ready, Willing, and Able. Satisfaction Guaranteed is definitely stocked with my favorite characters. The heroine is wonderfully flawed and inhibited, the hero is as alpha as they come. Even down to the matchmaker father I enjoyed all of the components of this book and cannot wait for the next one.

The previous reviewers have done a good job describing the plot of this novel so I won't repeat it here. This is a good Lucy Monroe book - in the style of Ready, Willing, and Able. And it sounds like there will be more books in the series (as it appears that Whit, Beth's father, is playing matchmaker and other agents' stories will appear as other books.) And I always enjoy hearing about characters from previous books - you'll find that there's a mention of characters from Able - her Ready, Willing, and Able series so that's always fun. This is a great beach read. The mystery isn't too intense (unlike a Shannon McKenna book where the bad guys are so evil that you find yourself pretty tense reading the book), the characters are likable, and there is some spice to the romance. If you're a fan of Lucy Monroe books, you'll enjoy this book. If you have never read one of her books, this is a great book to start.

Ethan Crane is the best operative the ultra top secret The Goddard Project has. When the going gets tough and the tough retreat, Ethan gets the job done. That is why desk jock Beth Whitney, daughter of the agency chief, avoids him like the plague though she is attracted to the hunk. She had one relationship too many with a macho agent Alan Hyatt, who is now working in the same office as her. However, the Prescott case needs a female to supplement Ethan's cover and Beth is selected. As she tries to keep their relationship platonically professional, he wants her. His kisses melt her, but it is the phone sex that makes her crave him. As they bond while on assignment, Beth begins to reconsider her rule not to date field agents as Ethan owns her soul but she also remembers Alan stood her up at the alter for a case; unbeknownst to Beth, she owns his heart and other body parts too. This is a fun espionage romance starring a fascinating female who trusts her life with field agent Ethan, but not her heart as she believes that to operatives the mission always comes first. Ethan is a wonderful hero as he has the image especially with the ladies of James Bond so he knows his toughest case is to persuade Beth he needs her (his bulging pants apparently is circumstantial and not hard core evidence to her). Though similar in tone to the miniseries READY, WILLING, AND ABLE Lucy Monroe provides a tense romantic suspense. Harriet Klausner

Lucy Monroe has delivered another spicy and sensual tale in Satisfaction Guaranteed. Beth Whitney is the top notch administrative agent at The Goddard Project. Her favorite fantasy man is top field agent Ethan Crane. Imagine her shock when her boss (her dad) assigns her to a case with Ethan. It should be a simple case of gathering information but nothing is ever simple when she is with Ethan. Their cover for this assignment is to have Ethan pose as her possessive boyfriend. Oh boy. Ethan Crane has a solid rep at the Goddard Project. It made him the best at what he did. Ethan has had to put a tight lid on his attraction to the boss's daughter. Suddenly Beth's ex-fiancé is hired as an agent and this really does a number on Ethan's desire for Beth. When Ethan is paired with Beth to take down a dangerous enemy, he thinks that he can play the part of her lover without either of them getting too attached. As the assignment starts to play out, their attraction is foremost on their minds. But the danger that lurks is fast closing in on them. Will they be able to focus on the job at hand? Ethan and Beth's chemistry torches the pages. Their repartee is witty and laden with electricity. When they realize that what they have is rare they will fight tooth and nail to keep it and themselves alive. Satisfaction Guaranteed is a fast paced, funny and sexy story. The characters are ones that you will remember. Lucy Monroe is a talent in the romance industry. I am waiting patiently for the next Goddard agent to get his story.