The Billionaire in Boots

Starred review from December 23, 2019
London’s top-notch third entry in the Princes of Texas series (after The Devil in the Saddle) entices with sizzling romantic tension and genuine human conflict. Charlotte Bailey works for Nick Prince as the office manager of Saddlebush Land and Cattle Company in Three Rivers, Tex. Nick always wanted to be a pilot, not a rancher, but, after his father died, he put his plans for flight school on hold to help the struggling family business. Now Nick and Charlotte keep up a near constant stream of contentious but borderline flirtatious workplace banter stemming from their frustration with each other’s organizational styles and memories of the passionate night they shared before they became employer and employee. When Nick and Charlotte inevitably give in to their mutual attraction once more and embark on a tentative relationship, their different visions for the future create complications: Charlotte wants to settle down and have children, while Nick still plans on leaving Three Rivers to learn to fly. This painfully plausible conflict is rendered with tenderness and humor. The sweeping emotions and down-to-earth protagonists of this fast-paced love story make it a must-read. Agent: Jenny Bent, The Bent Agency.

February 15, 2020
In Book 3 of the Princes of Texas series (The Devil in the Saddle, 2019, etc.), a restless rancher is torn between the family business and bigger dreams. Nick Prince's dreams of becoming a commercial airline pilot were dashed when he inherited the family's struggling business, Saddlebush Land and Cattle Company, after his father's death 18 months ago. Deeply unsatisfied with the cattle rancher life, Nick is grumpy and brooding. His capable office manager, Charlotte Bailey, is a bubbly extrovert who enjoys needling Nick over their differing organization styles and his general moodiness. Sexual tension simmers just below the surface of their banter ever since their steamy encounter at the company Christmas party two years ago. Nick tries to put Charlotte out of his mind so he can focus on fixing up the family finances and leaving for flight school, but neither can resist flirting. Charlotte is funny, loving, and adores their little town of Three Rivers. She likes her job and wants to settle down and start a family, but she knows Nick is not ready: "Why did it have to be so hot and tense between them when he was the one guy who would never be the man she wanted?" Eventually, they give in to their desires and spend more time together, but the central conflict remains. Nick's dithering and complaining wear thin, but he is surrounded by a lively group of family and friends who offer advice he mostly ignores. An engaging subplot, especially one that foregrounds life on the ranch, might have generated more excitement. A well-written but not especially engaging entry in London's contemporary cowboy series.

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March 1, 2020

Continuing her "Princes of Texas" series (after The Devil in the Saddle), London focuses on the eldest Prince son, Nick, as he struggles to reconcile his late father's wish that he run the family cattle business and his own desires to be a pilot. Meanwhile, Charlotte Bailey, the company's office manager, is torn between having a baby via artificial insemination and her deep wish for a loving husband and family. Witty dialog and palpable sexual tension transform the book from a "coworkers who accidentally slept together and want to again" plot into a slow-burn romance with nods to family expectations and the pursuit of long-held dreams. The small-town setting and characters immediately feel familiar and accessible. While the set-up for the next book will be obvious to readers, they'll have fun trying to guess its protagonist. VERDICT This fast-paced, charming novel is perfect for fans of the earlier books in the series and contemporary romance in general.--Rachel Alexander, Peabody Inst. Lib., MA

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2020
Nick Prince hates everything about ranching. Unfortunately, his father has died unexpectedly, leaving Nick in charge of the Saddlebush Land and Cattle Company. Now, as if trying to keep the family business financially afloat isn't challenging enough, Nick must also contend with the company's office manager?and official pain-in-Nick's-butt?Charlotte Bailey. Of course, Nick might find it easier to get along with Charlotte if he wasn't constantly bedeviled by the memory of the one torrid night he shared with her after a Christmas party and the feeling that he just might like to repeat the whole thing. London seems to be channeling Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell trading quips and kisses in His Girl Friday in this hilarious office romance, the third superbly entertaining entry in London's Princes of Texas series, following The Devil in the Saddle (2019). As an added bonus, London offers up a comic coup de grace in the form of chortle-rich emails between her two protagonists, whose sexual chemistry is as hot as the Texas sun.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)