Rachel Dennehy had a crazy thought. If she could just start over somewhere else, she could forget about her sad and tragic past and all the ghosts that chased her. When an email landed in her inbox, to tutor a difficult student whose father just happened to be the CEO of one of the biggest companies in the nation, the apple was a bit too enticing for Rachel to refuse. She moves from Texas to Beverly Hills, where she is tasked with turning around her wealthy pupil’s bad attitude. It is a bad attitude that stems almost entirely from his parents’ ugly divorce and even uglier custody battle.
That her new boss Andrew, or Drew, Fullerton is one of the handsomest and most eligible bachelors in the world means nothing to Rachel. She has absolutely no plans to ever marry or have kids of her own. Her priority is teaching nine-year-old Jonathan, who needs her guidance and her direction and... most importantly... her friendship.
Drew’s brother, Alex, however, assumes otherwise. He basically accuses her of being a gold-digging opportunist upon their first meeting. This sets the two immediately at odds, though they both have young Jonathan’s best interest at heart. Alex believes that Rachel is a “ringer,” a wholesome alternative to edge Jonathan’s socialite mother out of the running for custody, since she left Drew after her own salacious affair with a younger man. He wastes no time in telling Rachel that as long as she stays in her job, she will keep Jonathan from his real mother, and that is the driving force behind Drew's interest.
Unfortunately the more he tries to warn her away from Drew, the closer he ultimately propels her toward her charming boss. Drew never questions her motivation or her presence because Jonathan thrives under her tutelage, and Drew is beguiled by her no-nonsense attitude that challenges him from the start.
Rachel navigates these choppy waters solely to protect Jonathan. She sees the adults in the family as self-serving; most of whom are far more interested in hurting each other than taking care of this fragile, vulnerable boy. Her heart traps her into this sticky web, despite her own history of loss and betrayal. How long will she last? More importantly, what will she be required to give to save these Fullerton men who continually tug her in three different directions?
The saga begins with the first book, titled “Enticed,” due to release in early 2014. Author Ginger Voight returns to the dream-making landscape of Los Angeles, in a new tale that throws back the curtain on the dangerous power, appeal and excess of the privileged. Only by the time this tale is done, one principle character will pay the ultimate price as they all race toward that elusive happily ever after.
Rachel
Dennehy was living her mundane life day by day. She spends her days working as
a middle school teacher and her nights alone in her small one bedroom apartment
surrounded by books. She knows her life needs a change, she wants to get away,
start over, leaving the painful memories of her past behind. The change she so
desires comes in form of an email from Mr. Andrew Fullerton. Drew Fullerton is
the CEO of Fullerton Enterprises, one of the biggest companies in the country.
He is handsome, extremely wealthy, known to be ruthless, and a playboy. After
hearing about Rachel’s nomination for secondary teacher of the year, Drew
decides she’s the perfect candidate to teach his son Johnathon in a small one
on one setting. Johnathon Fullerton is nine and although he’s advanced for his
age his parents’ messy divorce has him sporting a bad attitude that’s resulted
in him being thrown out of virtually every school he has attended. Rachel
decides this is the opportunity she’s been waiting for and almost immediately
after accepting the offer, she finds herself on a plane from Texas to
California.
“Maybe it was the rich timber of his
voice, or maybe it was because he was one of the most powerful people on the
planet, but hearing this man for the first time sent a jolt from my head all
the way to my toes.”
When Rachel
arrives at the Fullerton residence she meets Johnathon for the first time. He
immediately takes to her and she realizes that he is just a little boy, albeit
wise beyond his years, who has been torn apart by his parents’ messy divorce
and custody battle. She immediately falls in love with him and knows that she
was meant to come into this little boy’s life.
Meeting Drew
was much more daunting for Rachel. He was every bit as handsome as his pictures
in magazines portray him, and every bit as powerful too. But Rachel refuses to
fall all over him just because he is rich and famous. Plus in her opinion she
is nowhere as skinny or pretty as the women you would normally see on his arm.
“Granted he was rich and powerful.
Granted he was one of the most eligible bachelors in the country. But I had no
need for any of the fancy trappings. I was here to teach his son, and by God
that was what I was going to do.”
Rachel,
although not used to living in such luxury, finds herself settling into the
Fullerton’s quite nicely. She gets along great with the household staff and is
making excellent progress with Johnathon. Drew’s brother Alex is a whole other
story though. Alex Fullerton is the proverbial black sheep of the family and
takes an immediate dislike to Rachel. He insists she is a gold digging whore
who is out to make herself the next Mrs. Fullerton and take Johnathon away from
his mother for good. Rachel is insulted by these allegations, she has no desire
to ever marry or have children of her own, she is there to help Johnathon but
Alex is too stubborn to see that and insists she should go back to Texas before
she gets hurt. It is only Alex’s genuine love for his nephew that keeps Rachel
interacting with him at all.
Drew spends
a lot of time away from home, but with some coaxing from Rachel he starts
spending more time with Johnathon and therefore more time with Rachel as well.
The more time they spend together Rachel starts to see a different side to Drew
she wasn’t expecting. As much as she tries to fight it she finds herself
thinking and dreaming about him all the time and they find themselves growing
closer to one another.
“I don’t want you because you’re
convenient. I want you because you’re passionate…because you’re strong. I want
you because you’re you.”
Rachel can
no longer deny her feelings towards Drew, but she is worried how it will affect
Johnathon and about the media circus that surrounds Drew at all times. Alex is
also a problem, although he still gets on Rachel’s last nerve he is an
important part of Johnathon’s life. Despite all this Rachel finds herself
giving her heart to Drew Fullerton and his son.
As inappropriate as it might have
been, and as much as I never wanted it to happen, I had fallen for Drew
Fullerton despite every iota of common sense that
screamed I shouldn’t.
Rachel was
right to be guarded with her heart for she soon learns that she has been woven
into a web of deceit and lies. With more than one heart broken and betrayed
there seems to be no hope of a happy ending where the Fullerton’s are
concerned.
Enticed is
the first novel in the Fullerton Family Saga by Ginger Voight. This is the
first book I am reading from this author and I have to say I am an instant big
fan! Her writing is witty and keeps you turning the pages greedily. I was drawn
into the story immediately. I love Rachel’s strong no nonsense attitude. Rachel
is guarded with her heart because of her tragic past and it took a lot for her
to open it up to Drew. You see a lot of different shades of Drew and I am oh so
curious to see how his character develops as the series goes on. Rachel shared
an instant connection with Johnathon from the beginning, one that grew stronger
by the day. Alex claims he is trying to help Rachel and protect Johnathon by
trying to get her to return to Texas. The Fullerton men carry a lot of baggage
filled with secrets and lies and Rachel got pulled into the middle of it.
Enticed left off with a bit of a cliffhanger so we have to impatiently wait for
the next book to see what happens next!
Entangled is due out in February 2014, I cannot wait!!!
The world was his oyster, but he had
wanted me.
“I think you misunderstood exactly what kind of tutor I was seeking for my son. He is going to be a titan in business, following four generations of Fullertons before him. He needs to be prepared. You’ll forgive me if I don’t think measuring ingredients and shopping at the market qualify as the higher education for which I’m paying very good money.”
I placed the fork on the plate, my appetite totally obliterated. “You wanted me to teach your son, and I have done that. More importantly, I’ve reached him. He knows he can trust me, especially after I shielded him from that family debacle yesterday. This morning I gave Jonathan three different tests. In math, he was tested on fractions and word problems. The skills he learned with a simple cooking lesson or quick trip to the store helped him score in the 99th percentile testing at near seventh-grade levels. Likewise on the history essay, in which he researched and wrote a thousand-word document on the Greystone Mansion and Park where we walked and explored, which – if I’m not mistaken – qualifies under your physical fitness requirement. I also tested him on the book he’s been reading for pleasure, with a questionnaire that helped him think critically about the material he was reading simply for the joy of it, giving him several key vocabulary words to note as he read along. It is a book that has been in my own curriculum for years, and I’m confident at least one student who reads it will go on and get an Ivy League education.”
His jaw clenched as he realized what I had done. I had taken Jonathan from a stale, unchallenging classroom environment with endless tests and bookwork, which had been crippling his curious and playful nature. By putting him in an entirely foreign setting, he learned how to do the things Drew wanted him to do, right down to the budgeting skills at the market, but in new ways that would naturally keep him more engaged than the boring ol’ status quo. And Jonathan had never even realized what I had done until I had quizzed him on it.
My green eyes glittered just as hard as Drew’s icy blue ones. “You may question my methods, Mr. Fullerton, but my results are indisputable. Considering I did all this in two days, even playing go-between between you and your ex-wife and your pain-in-the-ass brother, I’d say I’ve done a hell of a lot more than the previous tutors you have hired to do this job, with exceptional results.”
Normally I wouldn’t have cursed at an employer. But his elitist attitude really pissed me off. Did he really believe his son was too good to wash a dish or cook a meal, as if these mundane tasks held no value for such powerful, wealthy people? And if that was true, how did he regard anyone who had the misfortune of being born average? Did he think we were all beneath him, simply because we had no one to treat us like gods? The Texan was coming out, and he was either going to prove he could deal with that or he was going to send me home anyway. I had nothing to lose. In fact, the only one who had anything at all at stake was Jonathan.
“Now, if you don’t approve of my more unconventional methods, then you can gas up the jet and send me home tonight. But I’m willing to bet that you won’t find anyone else who can reach Jonathan the way that I have done. I have a connection with him. That was what you wanted. That is what you got.” I grabbed a glass of ice water and gulped it down. “Do with that what you will.”
Before he could reply, Jonathan raced back into the room, wearing a new jade green kimono, and holding the entire box set of his favorite Anime program. “Thanks, Dad!” he said as he rushed to hug his father. “Let’s watch it together,” he pleaded hopefully.
I used that opportunity to slide my chair back and rise from the table. “I think I’ll retire for the evening. Let you two catch up.”
Jonathan was crestfallen. “No, Rachel,” he said with a plaintive whine in his voice. “Please don’t go. You haven’t even had any pudding.”
“Pudding?” Drew echoed.
Jonathan nodded. “She made homemade Southern banana pudding.”
I shook my head. “You enjoy it. I’m stuffed,” I lied easily. “The dinner was excellent, Jonathan. You did a great job.” I turned to Drew. “It was very nice meeting you, Mr. Fullerton. I trust you’ll think about what I said and let me know if there has been any change in plans.”
Jonathan was panicked as he looked between his father and me. “Change of plans? You’re not leaving, are you, Rachel?”
“No decisions have been made,” Drew filled in before I could speak. “Why don’t you go get us some pudding, Jonathan? That sounds delicious.”
Jonathan nodded and disappeared into the kitchen. Drew rose to his feet and walked around the table to face me. “Obviously I’m not used to being spoken to in such a way in my own home,” he said, his voice hard but quiet. “But obviously I offended you. I apologize.” He offered his hand.
It was a gesture of civility, but his eyes were still lethal as they stared down at me. My hand shook as I placed it in his. His fingers closed around mine powerfully as he pulled me closer. I gasped as I stopped short mere inches from that massive chest. I hadn’t been this close to a man in many years, much less a man as intimidating. I was certain that he could feel the tremble in my grasp when my eyes shot to his. His face broke apart in a victorious smile. “Start over?” he asked softly. “Rachel?”
I gulped hard. I should have told him to gas up the jet anyway and just leave Beverly Hills in my daydreams where it belonged. Had Jonathan not been a factor, I probably would have done just that. But he was very much a factor, so I owed it to him to make inroads with Drew, who now had five days to prove to me that I could work for him. He had to trust me and my methods, and respect the job that I was hired to do. So I tipped my chin again and said in as steady a voice as I could muster, “You’re the boss,” I said, adding, “Mr. Fullerton,” defiantly.
Ginger Voight is prolific author, freelance writer and optioned screenwriter. Her fiction is diverse, with novels like the edgy, coming-of-age drama DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS, and the fun family adventure for kids of all ages, COMIC SQUAD.
Having grown up reading different authors like Danielle Steel and Stephen King, Ginger has always been drawn more to story than to genre. This shows up in her various stories. Titles such as MY IMMORTAL and TASTE OF BLOOD are a delicious, heady mix of horror, suspense, and romance.
Genre romance, however, has held a special place in her heart, ever since she read her first Harlequin novel when she was only eleven. As a result, Ginger is making a name for herself writing romances of her own, starring women who look more like the average American woman rather than those traditionally represented in the size-biased American media. Her Rubenesque romances were created especially for those heroines with fuller figures, who can still get the man of their dreams if only they believe they can. Such titles include UNDER TEXAS SKIES, LOVE PLUS ONE, THE GROUPIE TRILOGY, THE FIERCE TRILOGY and PICTURE POSTCARDS.
Ginger was included in the best-selling book by Smith Magazine NOT QUITE WHAT I WAS PLANNING, featuring her six-word memoir.
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