It makes me giggle while reading this book. This is a beautiful book.

Very cute & I laughed a lot! This was a cute story about romance, a nerdy flasher who wore a paper bag over his head & flashed in the rain, an eccentric aging aunt, among many other oddities too numerous to list. A very light-hearted read!

I read Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series & love it. I do read some of her other series books once in awhile. This one was typical of her romance series books--light, easy to read, likeable characters, lots of witty banter & humor, happy ever after endings. They make a fun break from the usual. This one had the perky cute heroine--in this case, a recently divorced mom of two boys who finds a job with the gorgeous guy who builds houses. Her newly bought old house just happens to be falling apart &, of course, it's love (or lust) at first sight & he helps her fix her house up while trying to convince her they'd make a great couple. Her aunt, her ex-husband & a neighborhood nighttime flasher all make appearances along with a mischievous dog & aloof cat & there's plenty of hijunks that keep the story moving. It's a fun read.

It was okay, cute at times annoying at others. It's my first Janet Evanovich book, I'll try some of her other books. I did like most of the characters and the thing with the flashing pervert was funny.

I couldn't get into this book when the female character needed a mans help to close a paint can and felt she needed a lesson on painting with a roller. Really? And the male character felt she should be looking into a job as a secretary? Can you say male chauvinist? The female character actually says that she hates being a "helpless female". Then don't act like one!

It's fun reading (listening to) early Janet Evanovich books. It's easy to see the prototypes of the characters in her later, better books, especially the Stephanie Plum series. However, the older stories are a lot simpler and more straightforward. Still, they're fun.

This book was just plain fun - typical Janet Evanovich. This is one of her pre-Stephanie Plum books, and it's pretty obvious (to me at least) that several of the characters in this book were the inspiration for some of the characters in the Plum books. Matt has some definite similarities to Joe Morelli, Ferguson the dog reminds me of Bob, and Aunt Elsie IS Grandma Mazur. Even Lizabeth has a resemblance to Stephanie, although not as strong as some of the others. There's a food-stealing dog, wacky neighbors, cute kids, a jerky ex-husband and a yuppie flasher - what more could you ask for? It was just what I needed today!

Lizabeth Kane needs a job; shes divorced with 2 children. Lacking job skills (but having a history degree), Lizabeth decides to apply for a construction job. The hours are right (they get off work before 4 pm), and she could walk to work since the construction site is close to her home.

Matt Hallahan is the ½ owner of the construction company and instantly attracted to the small woman asking for a job. He doesn't know what she can do but he can't let her leave.

Taking Lizabeth home at the end of the day, he meets her two boys and Aunt Elsie. As he gets to know the family, he starts thinking about marriage. The only problem is that Lizabeth has been an unhappy wife and wants to learn to be independent. She also doubts the maturity of a man with a Harley and a tattoo.

To further complicate things, there's a flasher who makes nightly visits to Lizabeth's home. All of this silliness makes for a typical Evanovich book. It is a quick book that isn't troubled with too much plot -- but offers some chuckles.

This is a review of the following:

1. Back to the Bedroom (1989) 4 stars
2. Smitten (1990) 4 stars
3. Wife for Hire (1990) 3 stars
4. The Rocky Road to Romance (1991) 4 stars

OK, so these are EARLY Evanovich, but they are particularly interesting because you can see her growth. Apparently, that woman could write even back when she first started and was writing romantic love-at-first-sight drivel for cheap-o publishing houses. But they raise above the level of drivel because they are funny, they are cute, and they are entertaining. Plus, they don't take long to read. I read them all in a day, and I wasn't reading the whole time, either.

It is interesting to see the similarities between these books and the Stephanie Plum books. Elsie Hawkins appears as a minor character in all of these books, and she really resembles Plum's Granny. There is also a huge, clunky old car. Except for the first one, the women have (or acquire) interesting jobs. And there is always an interesting problem facing the new couple.

The reason that Wife for Hire only gets 3 stars is that the plot was just not as believable as the other three. OK, so none of the plots are really believable, but in this one, I thought "stupid" several times instead of laughing. Still good for a 2 hour diversion while you are in a waiting room or whatever.

I managed to read these books while my husband had the TV on in the same room, which is usually harder for me. It's because the author, as usual, really pulls you in.

An older what you would call "Fluff" novel by JE. Never the less I liked it. It made me laugh as only she can do. It was just the charge I needed for a very crappy day!

I really enjoyed this! There were so many times I had to stop for a minute because I was laughing too hard to continue. Overall, this book was funny, well paced, and enjoyable. Well worth the time to read.

3-16-2019: This was amusing but not one I’d recommend unless you just want some light fluff. The only character I’d want to see more of would be Aunt Elsie. I could definitely see her being a prototype for Grandma Mazur in the Plum books.