Life gave her lemons, so Trudy chucked them back.
Trudy’s life is a wreck. No job, a sick son, and a thick stack of unpaid medical bills.
Her family and friends keep trying to set her up. (As if a man will solve all her problems!) Trudy shuts them all down, because she’s got a foolproof plan this time around. She won’t go out for so much as a latte until she graduates, finds steady work, and … much as a latte until she graduates, finds steady work, and pays off all her debt.
After weeks of looking, she finally lands a paying job. It’s only an interim assistant position, but it comes with medical insurance. Everything is going exactly according to plan.
Until she discovers someone is stealing from her new boss. Trudy reluctantly agrees to help him catch the thief—after all, if the business fails, she’s out of work—but it grows harder and harder to ignore one tiny detail. Her boss is hotter than a summer day in Atlanta, and he’s flirting with her.
But she will not be distracted from what really matters, not this time. She already learned her lesson the hard way—he isn’t Mr. Right if you meet him at the wrong time. Can she stay the course? Or will she find that sometimes the best things in life aren’t on the checklist?
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WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Life’s never perfect, but sometimes love can be.
MY TAKE
We met Trudy in the first book of the series. She’s Mary’s younger sister. It was fun to get to see everyone from that particular group again and have walk-ons by Trig and Geo, though more from Trig.
Trudy and Mary are kind of messed up because of the way their parents abandoned them, either physically or emotionally. Trudy added to hers by marrying a loser who cheated on her and continues to try to cause problems for her over child support. But she has a sweet son who’s also got a potentially life-threatening health issue–childhood diabetes.
But Trudy is a fighter. She’s finally finished school and is ready to do it on her own, rather than always relying on her sister.
Funny that she gets so upset at the love interest about wanting to do the same thing when his secret comes to light.
She’s been offered jobs by both Mary and her fiancé Luke, but Trudy wants to prove she can do it on her own. So her friend Paisley helps Trudy with her resume and suggests she go for an assistant job with an opportunity for an IT one since Trudy’s found businesses want a lot of experience for the IT gig.
She gets a job with a start-up company whose assistant is very pregnant. And whose apparently hit-and-miss there boss is drop-dead gorgeous. When she first meets him, Jack ends up firing one of the employees. Not a great impression and it doesn’t help that Trudy’s kind of mouthy to him. But he seems to like it.
Anyway, back on the Mary and Luke front, they’re always trying to talk Trudy into meeting Luke’s younger brother Paul. Neither Paul nor Trudy have been interested. They’re both satisfied to meet each other at Mary and Luke’s wedding.
Except that Jack is Paul. And he and Trudy are falling for each other. But she’s got this list of things she wants to mark off before she’ll consider getting involved again. And a thing about guys who lie (even though she does it all the time which was something I struggled with a little).
There’s espionage and some hints about Paisley’s story which I’m sure is to come. And a delightful storyline with her son about a dying/dead daisy and the faith of a child. The resolution is sweet.
I listened to the audiobook, and the narrators, Jennifer Jill Araya and Connor Crais, did a great job again.
4 1/2 stars
I just love Trudy and Paul, they’re so funny together (or should I say Gerty and Jack?). It’s about time Trudy had something marvelous happen in her life. After her previous choice in her rotten, selfish husband, she desperately needs to find who she really is without the help of a man or her family. Little does she know, fate has other plans for her.
Paul is the perfect partner for Trudy. He loves kids and he understands Trudy. He’s felt what it’s like to be overshadowed by the seemingly perfect older sibling. He knows how to be a true friend which is the solid base for a real relationship which is exactly what Trudy needs in her life.
I love how the author shows all the parallels in the lives of the two main characters and how they’ve handled the situations. This is such a wonderful redemption story and we finally get to meet some characters who have only ever been talked about before (no spoilers here!).
I really like how we still get glimpses of all the previous characters’ lives so we don’t miss out on anything important. If you enjoy a great mistaken identity romance, then this is the perfect book for you to read next.
Perfect and Clean Romance
What a wonderful and heartwarming story! This is a full-length book which means that the author can flesh out all of the details of her story. And I don’t mean the nonsensical details of who wore what or who ate what. This is a clean romance that touches on the emotional struggles that we all go through as we become the adults we want to be and get ourselves on the correct path. There are many emotional issues along the way that the reader can surely identify with. Although this book can stand alone, I believe that the reader will enjoy each story more if they are read in order. I received this book from the author and this is my honest opinion.
I really loved this book. The cover drew me to this book as I wanted to know more of what is going on. I really loved how round the characters were and it kept me falling in love with this book. I just wish it was longer. I loved how it took time for them to build up their relationship.
“Poor Trudy” is probably what she hears in her head, but not in the way that she is pitying herself. More what she thinks everyone else sees when they look at her. Poor, as in lacking in worth. Could not be further from the truth as you see as you get to know her in this book. Trudy is just as deserving of a real love and partner as her sister is. She survived an abusive ex-husband and is a single parent to a young child with serious medical needs. She is much smarter than she gives herself credit for and I found myself rooting hard for her in this book. She’s had more than enough of lying, sneaky men and can handle juggling a new job, promotions, crushes, and being a loving mom to a very active little boy just fine on her own. It’s just nice to have someone to walk through life with you, too.
This is such a cute, clean story! I love the development of the characters and the intrigue (who is stealing!?!) It’s a great continuation of the series.
A fantastic office romance with a single mom
Audiobook version: 5 stars overall, 5 stars story, 5 stars narration
I highly recommend this series and this third book to everyone who likes light contemporary romances. There are a few serious parts, but it is almost a rom-com. It is best to read the books in order, but it is not necessary. The writing is as good as the best contemporary romances out there, and Bridget E. Baker deserves to be famous. The story is exquisitely passionate without having any graphic love scenes. The vivid writing rivals that of Helen Hoang in “The Bride Test”, Sylvie Stewart, Lisa Becker, or Penny Reid.
I love the clever writing that makes the meet-cute plausible. I love the respect between Trudy and Paul. I appreciate the realism of Trudy’s busy life as a newly divorced mom of a cute little boy. Trudy’s new start on life is inspiring with her finishing her degree, a new career, and realizing what is important in a relationship. The ending was so satisfying. I also like the attention to detail in the setting in Atlanta.
The narrators, Jennifer Jill Araya and Connor Crais, both gave excellent performances. Jennifer Jill Araya sparkles with enthusiasm, humor, and nuanced emotions. Her beautiful character voices showcase her versatility with children’s, men’s, and women’s voices. Connor Crais brought Paul’s (AKA Jack’s) perspective to vivid life. He was great at expressing Paul’s inner thoughts.
I requested and received a free audiocode from the author via Audio Bookfly, and I voluntarily wrote this honest review.
Finding Spring, the third book in the Almost a Billionaire series written by Bridget E Baker is about Trudy (Gertrude) and Paul. Both characters have been introduced to us in book 1 called Finding Faith. Even though this is a series this book is written in a way that it can be read as a standalone novel without any trouble. This is a special talent of Bridget’s because with most series you have to read them in order to understand them but you will be receiving background to understand the characters that is not repetitive and gives you a much deeper insight into people you are going to love through the story.
Bridget E Baker writes in a light, fun, and entertaining way. This story has lots of facets to it that make it relatable. And Bridget always makes sure to do ample research before writing any novel. This novel has some references to modern technology which she has incorporated beautifully and wrote it in a way that even a novice can understand. When reading this novel you will be in love, you will be angry, you will be intrigued trying to figure out the puzzle, you will cheer them on, and you will be on the edge of your seat but most importantly you won’t be able to put the book down because the story just draws you in from the beginning and you will want to know how it ends. Will love prevail and end up being perfect?
Trudy has had plenty of misfortunes. Her husband, a total looser, left her and their young son who has become sick with a stack of medical bills. Due to her having gotten married so young she never finished college and just recently lost her job. Thankfully Trudy has amazing friends who help keep her entertained and trying to set her up but that is not what Trudy wants. She has reached rock bottom and to come back she has a plan. 1. finish College, 2. get a good Job, 3. pay off all her debt; then and only then will she allow love back into her life. But Bridget E Baker does a great job making us feel with Trudy and the struggle she is experiencing. Finding the perfect job when you don’t have a finished College Degree can be a struggle. And having a sick child with medical debt stacking up does not make it any easier. But finally, Trudy gets a break when she finds a job that also offers medical insurance which is more than she was hoping for. Will this job be the way to get on track in her life again or will the sexy new boss throw her a curveball?
Paul is an entrepreneur who is trying his best in making sure his new startup is going off without a hitch. His constant fear of company espionage makes him a little skiddish and when he is forced to hire a substitute assistant, because his is going into labor, he is not happy with his world. One thing he doesn’t have time for is dating, his priority is very clear to him but nobody else knows about his dreams. Therefore, he is constantly dodging his brother Luke’s suggestions on finding love. Will his luck change? Can he have both, a successful startup and a love life?
“Life’s never perfect, but sometimes love can be.”
I really enjoyed reading this book, and I think it’s my favorite so far in the series. I loved both Trudy and Paul. I found them both to be relatable characters. Trudy and her son, Troy stole my heart. I liked that Trudy wanted to do certain things for herself before she got into a relationship, and I loved that Paul gave her the space to do that.
Though the characters are relatable in many ways, in some ways this series is pure escapism with hot rich guys, beautiful women, and everything always gets tied up in a nice neat little bow of happily ever after. At times I couldn’t help think of how easy things seemed for Trudy being in the situation she was in as a single mother who went back to school, and then had to find a job. It seemed far too easy for her to find the perfect job, and then get the subsequent promotions, but I was able to ignore that. I appreciate that these are clean romance books that focus on romance instead of sex, and they remind me a lot of Hallmark movies, which are also pure escapism. If you enjoy escaping into these sorts of books then you will probably like it.
Trudy’s life has not gone as intended. Abandoned by her husband, left with an incomplete college degree and no job, she has no choice but to move into her sister’s house with her young son while she tries to get back on her feet. But she’s not going to stay dependent. The list on her fridge reminds her daily of her goals, and one of those goals is NOT falling in love until she has her life back on track. Besides, after what she’s been through, her heart is as dead as the withered daisies little Troy keeps uselessly watering.
Finally, something in her life goes right and she lands a job. If she can show her skill, she might even be able to work up from boss’ assistant to the IT position she dreams of. Unfortunately…or maybe fortunately…the boss is very attractive. And they get along way too well. And when Trudy stumbles on a plot against the company she finds herself working closely with Mr. Campbell to save his invention from being stolen. Can she keep her eyes on her long-term goal, or will she be sidetracked? And what will happen when they both find out who the other person really is?
It was so fun to watch Paul and Trudy, while staunchly refusing to meet each other, begin to fall for each other under their assumed names. I loved how Trudy was tough enough to stand on her own feet and fight for her place in the world, while also being a loving mom and learning to open her heart to others. She also loves her child more than any happiness or money she could get from a boyfriend or fancy job. She finds the importance of knowing who she is and preserving that, while gradually letting someone in. And Paul had the same mix of determination and openness…he poured his heart and soul into his business, but when he realized that his motives weren’t exactly right, he was humble enough to give it all up and reconcile with others. Finally, props to the sweetest proposal ever! Quite possibly better than Mr. Darcy’s…both his first and second ones. 😉
When a young Mom, recently divorced decided to try to fill her dreams while taking care of her small son that is sick suddenly finds what she really needs from life, she is scared to take it. But when life just doesn’t give up, and spring arrives, her life blooms like a Gerbera daisy.
A sweet romance that can become emotional at times, but worth it in the end.