Wealthy wine-importer Simon Holcroft comes home to find a beautiful woman asleep in his bed. He quickly deduces that the young woman is the maid with whom he has been trading witty messages. Before Simon can give in to the temptation to kiss her, Caroline Sampson awakens mortified to have been discovered sleeping on the job. She's been keeping long hours between attending law school and working as a maid. Before Caroline can escape, they are interrupted by Francine, Simon's ex-girlfriend and future sister-in-law, who has come to rekindle their romance. Simon isn't interested and claims Caroline is his fiancée to keep Francine at bay. Facing spending Christmas holiday with the whole family, Simon decides a pretend fiancée may be just what he needs to keep Francine off of him during the 2 week holiday.

Caroline thinks lying to his family is a bad idea but Simon makes a tempting offer, enough money to finish her law degree. She is all alone in the world so spending Christmas with a family, even one on temporary loan, has its own temptations. Soon, Caroline finds herself in Savannah Georgia with a new fiancé and a new wardrobe surrounded by a loving and welcoming family. Will Caroline and Simon realize that this pretend engagement may be the best relationship they ever had?

HIS SECRET TEMPTATION is a fun, heart-warming story that will more than please fans of contemporary romance. I was rooting for Caroline and Simon to find their happily ever after together. Caroline's personal history was well developed and I really wanted her to find a place to call home. Simon wasn't looking for a committed relationship, but Ms. Schield built a strong story that convinced me it was exactly what he needed, the fun was in watching him come to that realization as well. I really enjoyed the role of Simon's family. I'm hoping we get a follow-up story featuring Dane, Simon's lawyer brother.

Book Summary

Who's the sexy blonde stranger sleeping in Simon Holcroft's bed? The workaholic returns from a business trip to find someone stretched out on his sheets. Between the laundry basket at her side and the smell of orange cleaner, he deduces that the young woman is his maid—and resists the urge to kiss her awake.

But when his brother's fiancé—his own ex—bursts in and strips down to her panties, Simon has to get her dressed and back where she belongs. So he introduces the maid as his fiancée. But his little white lie gets bigger, because now he has to bring his supposed bride-to-be to meet the whole family. One offer-she-can't-refuse later, Simon has bought himself a temporary fiancée.

In debt up to her eyeballs and all alone for the holidays, how could struggling grad student Caroline Sampson not accept her gorgeous client's fantasy proposal? But acting like she's in love comes more easily than she ever expected.