The Bachelor Auction by Rachel Van Dyken

This is the type of novel that I think Rachel Van Dyken is quite simply the mistress of, the reluctant hero, the super sexy guy with everything he could possibly want other than a woman to share it with but with a little bit of inadvertent tinkering (or maybe not in some cases) all that is about to be put to rights.
I loved the fact that this was a tongue in cheek twist on the Cinderella story, a modern day interpretation of the old adage of finding and keeping a partner that you find in the most unexpected circumstances, but will this reluctance heroine get her man?
Jane has the whole Cinderella complex down pat, at her sister’s beck and call she works her fingers to the bone for two women who I would have quite frankly put on the street! She was the epitome of what I would expect given the context of the story but that didn’t mean that I didn’t want her to find her backbone and stand up for herself.
Running the home and her own cleaning business she has no time for a social life but all that is about to change?
Brock’s grandfather is keen on using his assets to substantiate the families hold on their company and in some ways to pacify the rest of the board but auctioning off his grandson??? I had my doubts but in the hands of this very talented author, Brock’s fate was always going to be in very good hands.
Saying No is a problem for Brock, he believes that he holds some responsibility for the death of his parents, of course this is ridiculous but safe in the knowledge that the last conversation he had with them include him telling them No, he has a complex almost about refusing any request made of him and in a way I think his grandfather took advantage of this but as the story developed I got the impression that there was always an ulterior motive to the auction and his grandfather had redeemed himself by the end of the book.
Packing Brock off until the auction, his grandfather hires Jane to clean the family ranch, the very same place that Brock is going to be staying…the only issue is that neither of them are aware that they will be having company. From their first interaction I had my hopes high and my fingers crossed for the two of them but I was concerned as to how they were ever going to get a happy ending knowing full well that the auction as looming and that there was no chance that Jane would ever be in a position to bid on her own accord.
But there are bigger plans afoot and once Brock's brothers get in on the act (by the way I loved this pair !!!) I was ready to get with the program.
The story was funny, the characters were loveable and the whole scenario as it unfolded brought a smile to my face, I’ll admit now that I chuckled regularly and laughed out loud on more than one occasion.
I loved the fairy tale element to the book, the fact that the hero went all out to sweep his woman off her feet, they were meant to be but in true fairy tale style something worth having takes work and they definitely had to work to get their happy ever after.
One last thought, one parting gift from the story…. Brock has brothers and I cannot wait to see what Rachel has in store for them both!