The Reluctant Tutor

By Paula Hampton

The Reluctant Tutor by Paula Hampton released on Sep 24, 2000 is available now for purchase.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0373291345
• ISBN13: 9780373291342
• Release Date: October 2000
• Publisher: Harlequin Books
• Length: 296 Pages
• Weight: 0.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.2" x 6.7"

Customer Reviews

Sexual Content: PG-13

The only thing I don't like about this book is its deceptively bland cover, but the author can hardly be held accountable for that. A glance at the cover art, which consists of a windmill, a prairie, and grazing horses, brings to mind images of the Midwest...boring images of the Midwest at that. Not so. The Reluctant Tutor is a fun romance taking place amongst the hustle and bustle of New York City in 1899. Kate Delaney has long dreamed of becoming an architect, but she's been met with rejection and ridicule at every turn because of her gender. Finally, however, Kate's dream comes true as she is granted an apprenticeship in New York City. She makes a deal with her grandfather so he'll allow her to go, promising that if she cannot become financially independent within a year's time, she will return home and marry a man of his choosing. Confident in her plan and in her skills, Kate sets off for New York City only to discover that the man who had agreed to instruct her has died. Worse yet, the man's son (who has taken over the business) is openly hostile toward her and has no desire whatsoever to uphold the agreement she made with his now deceased father. Kate eventually gets him to relent by striking a bargain with him: if she chooses to leave before the year is up, he will not have to refund her money, but if she chooses to stay, it is his duty to instruct her. Gabe Murray is confident he can make Kate quit before the year is out, so he makes a wager at the local bar with his chief rival Lloyd Peyton, the man who stole his fiancee out from under him a year ago and the same man who's architectural firm is his primary competition for winning the chance to design the new public library downtown. If Kate leaves, Lloyd is not allowed to submit his plans to the city. If she stays, Gabe is not allowed to do so.Gabe accepts the challenge from Lloyd, refusing to listen to his conscience in the doing. But problems soon arise and his guilt soon takes hold, for Gabe genuinely likes Kate. More disastrous for his wager yet, he's beginning to fall in love with her. When push comes to shove, Gabe will be forced to choose between gaining the hand of the woman he loves or seeking revenge against his sworn enemy.One of the things I really liked about this book is the fact that the hero's conscience comes into play very early on. The reader isn't forced to endure all manner of mean, cruel acts toward the heroine before the hero finally relents and treats her decently. What you get instead is a romantic tale about two people at odds coming together, learning to like and respect one another, and eventually falling in love.- full review originally published in The Romance Reader. Sexual content PG-13 = consummation scenes are described in a fair amount of detail.