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Books › Love By Proxy (Men Made in America, Illinois)

Cover of Love By Proxy (Men Made in America, Illinois)

Love By Proxy (Men Made in America, Illinois)

First published 2006 · 249 pages

A classic, high-friction romance where a stern corporate titan meets his match in a wildly unconventional heroine.

What it feels like

Reading this romance feels like stepping into a delightfully dramatic time capsule of classic category romance. The narrative moves at a brisk, entertaining clip, immediately plunging the reader into a high-stakes clash of personalities. The mood is a blend of breezy comedy and simmering, earnest tension, anchored by the familiar comfort of the grumpy-sunshine dynamic. The prose is straightforward and unapologetically melodramatic, focusing heavily on the internal emotional turbulence of a hardened alpha male slowly losing his iron grip on his heart. It is a deeply satisfying, comfort-read experience for those who love old-school tropes, where the friction of workplace power dynamics and class differences inevitably melts into swoony, hard-won devotion.

Mood
  • breezy
  • romantic
  • tension-filled
Tone
  • earnest
  • melodramatic
  • playful
  • swoony
Pace
brisk
Themes
opposites attract · softening a hardened heart · workplace proximity · class differences
The writing
Straightforward and emotionally direct, leaning into the heightened drama of classic category romance.
The arc
Moves from comedic, high-friction misunderstandings to a tender, hard-won mutual surrender.
Who it's for
Readers who crave old-school, alpha-male romance where a stern billionaire is brought to his knees by a spirited, unconventional heroine.
Content notes
  • workplace power dynamics
  • mild sexism typical of older romance

About the book

When Amelia Glenn walked into Worth Carson's boardroom wearing a trench coat and a belly dancer's outfit, Chicago's most powerful construction magnate was fit to be tied.

But that didn't stop Amelia from performing her entire act for the swarthy chairman of the board-complete with shimmering sequins and jingling bangles.

So after Worth had Amelia fired, the last thing she expected was to be offered a job as a companion for his mother. But Worth hadn't ignored her startling beauty. Now he was determined to bid for her on his own terms.

Description from Open Library.

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