The Man Ban
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
When you swear off men for the foreseeable future, that means no dating. Hookups don't count, right?
Harper Ryland has been on a self-imposed man ban for the last twelve months, after a particularly horrible breakup. Instead, she's focusing on the one thing she can control: her career as an up-and-coming food stylist. Harper's latest gig is her best friend's wedding, and she receives glowing praise throughout the night. When the Best Man, Manny Gomes, belittles her hard work, she wants to stab him with skewers from the buffet table, but she can think of something much better: to lead him on the entire wedding and then humiliate him in sweet revenge.
When the handsome Anglo-Indian doctor shows up in New Zealand a week later, while Harper's on her first international job, it's the last thing she needs. Everything about him rubs her the wrong way, but when suave Manny steps in to help after an unfortunate disaster, his chivalry gets under her skin a little, and Harper discovers lifting her ban while overseas is exactly what the doctor ordered.
Manny isn't looking for anything but fun either--especially not marriage, like his grandmother Izzy keeps pushing on him. But there's something about Harper that makes him want more, even though she keeps her distance, and they're about to discover how far he's willing to go to be with her. . . .
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Marsh returns with a sizzling, standalone sequel to The Boy Toy. White Australian food stylist Harper Ryland is taking a yearlong break from men following a messy breakup and the shock of her parents' separation. She's not about to make an exception to her "man ban" just for the aggravatingly sexy doctor who insulted her profession at her best friend's wedding—no matter how hot it was when they kissed. Anglo-Indian ER doctor Manny Gomes avoids both commitment and his matchmaking grandmother with precision—but he can't stop thinking about Harper, especially not after they're unexpectedly reunited in New Zealand. Both are skittish about relationships, and Marsh keeps the reader hooked as the characters slowly open up to each other, revealing the past traumas at the root of their squeamishness. But for their relationship to succeed, they'll have to look beyond their cultural differences and win over skeptical family members. Their slow-burning romance is slightly undermined by a rushed ending that sees conflicts resolved both too quickly and too neatly. Still, fans of Marsh's witty dialogue and penchant for puns will race through this excellent beach read.
