If I asked what first attracted a hardworking personal assistant to the billionaire boss, you'd say I was asking a leading question. Leave the money out—if that's possible—and let's look at how two people can put aside barriers in HIS FOREVER FAMILY.

Marcus Warren works in Chicago, and we meet him jogging on the shore path around Lake Michigan. I've done that! So I could really picture the summer scene as Marcus stops to check his heart rate on his fitness electronics and chat company management matters with Ms. Reese, his straightforward PA. Liberty Reese isn't shy because she knows her value, and she knows that unlike his womanising father, Marcus has never made a move on a member of staff. He's far too busy deciding to invest in the luxury watch market now everyone will be wearing inexpensive smart gadgets.

Building Marcus's brand means politely attending the wedding of a former date who sold her story to a gossip rag. He can't be seen to hold a grudge. He doesn't have a lady to escort, and an off-hand remark that he'd do better to take Ms. Reese doesn't go down well. Liberty doesn't move in exalted circles; she also has no desire to be used in a tug of war between her boss and his snobby parents. That's all forgotten however when they find an abandoned infant in a pile of trash.

A nice touch is that the baby is African-American; no gossips could attach Marcus's or Liberty's name to the child. The young man behaves with absolute humanity and sense, calling Liberty over to help and doing what she says, such as cooling down the baby with clean water and calling 911. That's a man who gets his priorities right. Liberty has never told anyone, but she's biracial and cared for babies in a succession of foster homes while growing up. She knows the baby will have a hard road if the mother doesn't reappear. Liberty can't lose the little boy.

All this occurs early so the story unfolds and Marcus's big money makes keeping tabs on the child easier while making Liberty's personal life more complicated. Actually, even her dining gets complicated when she's taken to a pricey restaurant and told that the experience of eating is as important as getting fed. I did laugh. And then the going gets tough. Despite this, Liberty turns out to be the one thing money can't buy. Good for her. Sarah M. Anderson has written other books like THE NANNY PLAN about principled hardworking ladies, and she certainly doesn't let us down with HIS FOREVER FAMILY. This adult romance will knock your socks off.

As a fun addition, this book also contains a short story by Brenda Jackson, NEVER TOO LATE. A couple in their twenties are days away from a divorce; in a nice role-reversal, the stress and time-consuming activity of running a business took the lady away from her husband too much. We learn that Sienna's insecurity drove her to accomplish, in part because Dane's family disapproved of his choice. When a snowstorm forces the two to spend time together, the two finally start to communicate. NEVER TOO LATE to start again? See what you think about these well-drawn, energetic characters thrown out of their comfort zones.