GRR Reviews Bachelor at Her Bidding by Kate Hardy

"Bachelor at Her Bidding" is a "bachelor auction" story where a fun fling turned into something far more serious. Both characters came with a load of baggage, but the main problem is lack of editing, that the author's British origin came through even though the story was set in Marietta, Montana, almost feeding into a trope (much like SEAL trope and cowboy trope)

Dr. Rachel Cassidy divorced her cheating husband and went home to Marietta, and she thought she'd never date again. She was so down, all her female friends came together and bid on a bachelor for her at the charity auction, and the bachelor was Paris-trained pastry chef Ryan Henderson. Ryan wasn't in Marietta to fool around. He abandoned his dreams of opening a Michelin-starred restaurant to care for his grandmother. That in turn, caused his partner and lover to walk out on him. He didn't count on falling for Rachel, and Rachel to him. But when gram had a mini-stroke, and Rachel went to Ryan to discuss care plans, he instinctively reacted by pushing her away (like his last partner). He realized later he was wrong, but Rachel wasn't ready to forgive him. So what's a top pastry chef gonna do? Why, bake cakes, of course. Some of the most delicious and perfect cakes in the state of Montana...

While the story push-pull is fine, and the characters seem properly motivated, the author should hire an American editor to make sure no Brit-speak ended up in the novel. It was somewhat jarring to see Brit-speak in Montanans.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Hurting doctor had a fling with a pastry chef, and they wanted more. Then his mother's stroke made him withdraw, and she's not ready to forgive him...

Tropes: chef, auction ,scars, fling to a thing, doctor/patient

Overall Rating:  3/5

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