A CONVENIENT SCANDAL – Kimberley Troutte
Plunder Cove , Book 2
Harlequin Desire #2646
ISBN: 978-1-335-60348-7
February 2019
Contemporary Series Romance

Plunder Cove, California – Present Day

After a contrived sex scandal ruined the career of television hotel critic Jeffrey Harper, he reluctantly returns to Plunder Cove to develop a luxury resort for his father. But there are strings attached to the offer: once the resort opens, Jeffrey must agree to marry a woman his father approves of in order to stifle the lingering scandalous rumors. But first, he has to hire a chef for the resort and several women are brought in to personally cook for him. One, Michele Cox, attracts his attention. Jeffrey wants Michele but if he makes a play for her, is he ruining his reputation again by bedding an employee?

Michele once was a top chef at a New York City restaurant but after her employer double-crossed her, she quit and the ensuing aftereffects have made her question her ability to be a creative cook. But being the sole financial responsibility for her disabled sister has Michele plunging ahead with the quest to win the chef's position. The competition for the job is a lot like a reality TV show with lots of drama—and a sexy man at the center of it all. Jeffrey is attractive, but after being hurt by one man in her past, Michele's not about to go down that same path again.  Yet the sparks between Michele and Jeffrey  can't  be ignored. Will she win the job—and the heart of her employer?

Jeffrey had a traumatized childhood thanks to his cruel and unloving mother, and his relationship with his father isn't the best either. He thought he'd put it all behind him with a career as a hotel critic, but after one of his subjects set Jeffrey up with a strange woman in a compromising position and the ensuing “sex tape” was released, he lost his credibility. Now his father has offered him a chance to reinvent himself as head of a luxury resort with the condition that he gets married in order to make him appear settled down. What Jeffrey doesn't realize is that his siblings catch on quickly that he's attracted to Michele and work to make sure they're thrown together. It works only too well, but while Jeffrey is falling for Michele, he has vowed to not marry for love. Will he end up breaking her heart?

A CONVENIENT SCANDAL features a cooking contest between several female chefs and leaves Michele wondering if she's up to the challenge. But her first priority is her sister, Cari, and without a decent job, she can't pay for her care at the facility. Numerous times in this story Michele is about to run away. Her insecurities run that deep, despite the fact that she's talented. Yet, time and time again, Michele and Jeffrey are drawn to one another. It's clear to readers they have fallen in love. Will they manage to overcome the odds against them to find a happily-ever-after? Find out the answer in the intriguing A CONVENIENT SCANDAL.

Patti Fischer