A review by lmrivas54
Handle with Care by Helena Hunting

5.0

Another blockbuster from Helena Hunting! I swear she gets better each time! With lots of sensitivity, lots of humor, lots of feeling, she threads a lovely story about a wildebeest of a man, the woman who handles him and makes a CEO out of him.

Lincoln Moorehead comes to New York City for his father’s funeral. His grandmother, whom he affectionally calls G-mom, convinces him to stay for six months and take over the company because his younger brother is useless. Armstrong Moorehead is a narcissistic a-hole with a legion of sexual harassment cases and temper tantrums. We saw him first in Hooking Up and learned about his bad ways.

Wren has been working with Armstrong for months, trying to clean up his act, and in the absence of improving his manners, has taken to manipulate and control him, using self-defense action, menace, and child psychology. Now that Lincoln has arrived to take over, she’s tasked with handling Linc also. He’s a giant of a man, with long hair and bushy beard, atrocious clothes that seem two sizes smaller than they should be and the manners of a bull in a glass shop. Wren is tenacious, snarky and determined so she takes the bear on, and Lincoln is entertained and entranced with her. He cooperates somewhat, and she coerces, bullies and connives to get him spruced up and ready to look the part of an executive. Lincoln is a Harvard graduate, he just prefers to work in poor countries building habitats than joining the rat race. He doesn’t care about the trappings of New York’s financial world but his G-mom and Wren are the incentives to do this job.

The initial parts when Linc and Wren are inveigled in their battle of wills and wits to wrestle Linc into shape are entertaining and comical. Linc ignores the million messages, emails, phone calls and voice mails that Wren sends, out of pure mischief due to his reluctance to deal and also to see what Wren does. He likes to walk around the penthouse in his tighty whiteys just to see Wren drool and stutter. Wren got accustomed to the beautiful sight that is Linc semi-naked and loves dressing him like an oversized toddler. They are such a cute pair! Eventually, there are workplace intrigues, family intrigues, and the increasing attraction and affection that develops between those two. One of the things that I liked most was how upfront Wren was. In all her dealings, she was true and sincere and honest. She always dealt with honor and integrity, which is what made Linc fall so hard. On the other hand, although Linc was wayward and exasperating, inside that gorgeous body and face was a man with a good heart who was mourning a father who died, whom he never really knew, and a family that never felt like a family should. Wren’s no-nonsense and direct manner is what won him over because she didn’t bend over to please him. I also loved their squabbles, they were like foreplay and so endearing.

Another thing I loved is seeing characters from other books and appreciate all the ways they are inter-connected. This book was like a breeze of fresh air on a hot summer day, entertaining, feel-good, fun and adorable.