The Secret Groom: Surprise Brides

Ok, the premise is a little hokey, I admit. Ellen's tyrranical old-fashioned boss won't give her a promotion she deserves because she (Ellen) isn't married. So what's a girl to do? Borrow a picture of her ex-roommate's womanizing (but gorgeous) ex-boyfriend, who's conveniently away lawyering for the rich and famous in Europe, and tell everyone they're engaged, of course. Except that said ex-boyfriend (Josh) gets wind of the scheme, and basically being a good-hearted type in spite of himself, reappears and decides to help his ex-girlfriend's nice ex-roommate out. Well, you know how it goes from there. It's eerily similar to the plot of Day LeClaire's Accidental Wife (even down to the needy family members leaning heavily on the heroine), with the refreshing twist that Josh and Ellen, unlike Jonah and Nikki, actually LIKE each other from the word go. And with the exception of a few lurid fantasies Josh fleetingly entertains, things stay pretty clean. Both hero and heroine go heavily into self-sacrificing mode toward the end (I won't tell him/her I love him/her because s/he will be better off if I don't) but it's worth getting through. Even the description of Josh's troubled childhood is handled with remarkable tact and gentleness, and an impressive lack of cheesiness.