Designing shoes for a prestigious international company
made all those years of doodling seem like a good use of
time, thought Jenny Prillaman. Twenty-six years old with
no formal design training, Jenny finds herself at the top
of her game. Covering for her absentee rehab bound boss,
Jenny must design shoes for the wedding of the century
while at the same time help Bellagio, Inc. catapult its
name onto the society pages as the new "it" designer for
fine footwear.
Summoned to the VP's office, Jenny finds herself face to
face with a man who has it all, wealth, power and the
hottest body Jenny has ever seen. Little did she know
that her dream job would come with so many strings
attached. Barely able to afford her rent, Jenny must now
rub elbows with the rich and famous while creating shoes
with flair, pizzazz and the right amount of class. Her
boss, Marc Waterman, is known for his take-no-prisoners
business approach. Definitely not Jenny's type! So why is
she so attracted to this stuffed white shirt? Perhaps
could it be what's hidden behind that dark blue suit?
Enter Brooke Tarantino! Spoiled debutant who just happens
to be the boss' cousin! Coerced into settling down or
risk being cut off from the family fortune, Brooke finds
an eligible bachelor and the game begins. Always the
center of attention, Brooke concocts a plan to make the
selection of her wedding shoes into a reality show.
Unfortunately for Jenny, she must find a way to pacify the
polar opposite cousins while at the same time capitalize
on the opportunity to become a lead designer.
From the flamboyant Chad Garcia, who repeatedly rescues
the precocious heroine, to the lovable single mom, Anna,
Banks entices the reader to keep turning the pages. Each
of her quirky characters leads credence to the plot and
the sexual chemistry between Jenny and Marc makes the
reader beg for more. However, Banks writing does have
some minor scuffs on an otherwise pristine backdrop of
fine leather. Her transitions from scene to scene are
sometimes abrupt. Luckily, this only makes the reader pay
greater attention to details and does not take too much
away from the plot.
Overall, Banks appeals to the shoe aficionado as well as
the romantic. FEET FIRST is a definite must-have to be
added to the fall fashion list.
Designing footwear is Jenny Prillaman's life, so getting the
plum assignment to create a socialite's wedding shoes is a
dream come true. Dealing with the heiress is another story.
So is staying away from her dreamy new boss, a man too hot
to deny for long, despite Jenny's best intentions of keeping
her business away from his pleasure.
Making Bellagio, Inc. and international success is executive
Mark Waterson's career ambition. But his life's desire is to
find the right woman and settle down. Too bad Jenny would
rather follow in his corporate footsteps than try on the
glass slipper of a company wife.
At least Mark's got one thing going for him—the way to a
woman's heart is through a really great pair of shoes!