Carter's Story By: Lucy Monroe Series: The Mercenary Trilogy Book Number: 0.2 Star Rating: Sensuality Rating:

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Synopsis

Carter Sloane needs to get married fast. The terms of his father's will stipulate that he must find a bride within a certain time frame or forfeit ownership of the family-owned electronics company, and time is running short. The only woman he can see himself with is Daisy Prescott, who's worked for the company for years. Since his body always lights up like a Christmas tree whenever she's around, Carter suspects things could be really good between them, and he's willing to offer her half a million dollars to find out.

Daisy has loved Carter from afar for years, but believing she's far too plain for a gorgeous man like him, she never thought he would give her a second glance. When he comes to her office late one night, declaring his intention to kiss her, she doesn't know what to make of it, but their chemistry ends up being off the charts. She's stunned when he asks her to marry him and offers her a ton of money in exchange for her "I do" and full conjugal rights. She'd gladly do it all for free, but will Carter ever be able to love her the same way she loves him.

Review

"Carter's Story" is the second of three connected novellas about three half-brothers. In this one, we have Carter, who is technically the middle brother, but only ever so slightly younger than the oldest, Rand. When Carter's father passed, there was a stipulation in his will that Carter must marry within a certain time-frame or the family-owned electronics company will be sold off, and his time is running out. He cares about his mother and brothers and doesn't want to put them in a difficult position by not complying, nor does he want the media attention that's sure to follow if he tries to have the conditions of the will overturned. Therefore, he's determined to get hitched fast. Carter had broken off his engagement to Phoebe, Rand's heroine, four years earlier, because he had such a visceral sexual attraction for another woman he thought he was following in his philandering father's footsteps. That other woman was Daisy, who has been employed by his company for a number of years, and she's the one Carter has his eye on as his future wife. However, convincing her might be difficult. I really liked Carter, even better than Rand, because he's a little more of a soft touch. It's cute how he keeps reassuring Daisy that the money he's offered her isn't for sex, and I thought it was sweet that he wanted to make their first time together special, even if it's supposedly just a business arrangement.

Daisy has been in love with Carter from afar for years but never thought he would give her a second glance. She harbors insecurities from her first marriage, because her husband said she was too fat and never thought she was good in bed. So when Carter comes to her with his offer of marriage, even if it is one of convenience, it's like a dream come true, but she doesn't know why he would want someone like her. I loved how Carter was able to bring out Daisy's sexy, passionate side in a way she's never experienced before. Daisy is so shy and adorkably awkward, I couldn't help but adore her. She was the perfect heroine for me.

Because of the short length of the story, the "I Love Yous" come pretty quickly, especially for Carter who didn't think he was capable of loving someone, but them knowing one another for a while and admiring each other from a distance helped with the quickness of it all. The love scenes are deliciously steamy and absolutely perfect. So overall, this was a very fun story that I thoroughly enjoyed. In addition to being part of the trilogy of connected shorts about Carter and his brothers, both of whom make appearances, it's also tied to Lucy Monroe's Mercenary/Goddard Project series. Daisy mentions her brother being a merc, and her sister, Bella, whose story, Silver Bella, is also part of that series makes an appearance, too. "Carter's Story" was originally published along with its two companion novellas in the 3 Brides for 3 Bad Boys anthology, but it has since been republished as a stand-alone ebook, simply titled Carter.

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Lucy Monroe

Themes

Geniuses, Scholars & Scientists aka Geeks - Heroines
Opposite Sides of the Track
Physically Ordinary Heroines