Black Ties and Lullabies by Jane Graves ~ review

 Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Forever (June 28, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446568473
ISBN-13: 978-0446568470



Product description from Amazon.com:
A good girl can be bad for one night...
Bernadette Hogan doesn't make mistakes. Not when it comes to caring for her mother, and not at her job protecting Texas's most eligible--and infuriating--bachelor. Maybe that's why she's overcome with guilt after one tiny indiscretion: a passionate fling with her boss that's left her confused, intrigued...and pregnant.
but can a bad boy be good for a lifetime?

To self-made millionaire Jeremy Bridges, women are like fine wine: if held for too long, they sour. But one wild night with Bernadette changed all that. She makes him laugh, she makes him think, and soon she's going to make him a father. For the first time, Jeremy wants to be a one-woman man. So how can he convince the fiercely independent Bernadette he's ready to change from partying playboy to dependable dad--and become the loving husband she deserves?
 
My take on this book:
 "Bernadette Hogan, (Bernie) takes pride in her job as a bodyguard, never making mistakes, never drinking on the job, and she never has a personal relationship with her clients. Well that is except for the night she finds herself locked in the safe room with her boss Jeremy Bridges, a womanizing self made millionaire that totally gets on Bernie's nerves. Although to be fair to Bernie, it was after hours and she had just saved her bosses behind from a robbery attempt, which in a way was his own fault. She had warned him about the woman he just had to bring home, something didn't seem right about her, but would Jeremy listen? Oh noooo, so while there waiting for police in the safe room, Bernie decides she needs a stiff drink to put up with her boss. Well one thing leads to another, and their passionate interlude, has Bernie quitting her job, and Jeremy wanting more of Bernie! 

A few months later Bernie is hit with a shocker she is pregnant, and Jeremy is the father! She is certain he will give up rights to his child, but he has other ideas. He wants to be a father, and he is willing to do what it takes to show Bernie he has changed, but will she believe him?


Bernadette (Bernie) was a totally a normal down to earth person.While her character was tough on the outside, grown men were afraid of her, on the inside she was kind, caring and also a bit insecure. So often in romance we find the protagonist described as beautiful and perfect, not so with Bernie, while she was attractive, she didn't put alot of stock in her appearance. She had her hands full as a bodyguard,worrying about her mother who was having issues with her memory, not to mention the nephew that moved in on her mother that was sponging off of her. She also was an advocate for the residents in her apartment complex. Going to bat for them when they needed something from the manager.I must say the  people in her apartment complex were a quirky lot, from the  manager named Charmin, to the chain smoking 82 year old Ruby Wilson, who was the ultimate nosy neighbor. 
Jeremy grew up with nothing, so as a self made millionaire, he enjoyed being able to get whatever woman he wanted, but the more I read about him the more I realized he was really lonely. When he tries taking care of Bernie, giving her someone she could count on, I knew he was going to be an ok guy! His character grows so much in the story that I was rooting for him to get the girl!
This book starts out fast, the authors descriptions draw you in completely, and Bernie and Jeremy's characters keep you turning the page to see what will happen next! A perfect read for a rainy day, or when your looking for a few hours of escape where you want contemporary romance filled with humor, wit and sizzle!

rating 4/5
Reviewed for ReadersFavorite.com