First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the couple pushing a baby carriage. If Raina Chandler gets her way, she’ll be seeing that baby carriage in a matter of months. She’s so desperate for grandchildren that she’ll fake bad health in order to coax her three sons into settling down and getting married.

Roman Chandler is the baby of the Chandler family. He’s an investigative reporter used to traveling the globe in search of injustice. Called home unexpectedly due to his mother’s almost heart attack, Roman doesn’t know what to expect. He sure doesn’t expect to have to be standing in the garage with his two brothers tossing a coin to decide his future.

Charlotte Bronson has men issues. She’s got a too-shy mother who lets her father walk all over her, time and time again. Charlotte doesn’t want to be that needy or pathetic and decided at a young age to avoid anyone who remotely resembles her father.

In high school, Roman and Charlotte had one date and the chemistry was explosive; unfortunately Roman was a wanderer and Charlotte wasn’t having it. So she gave him the boot and headed for NYC while Roman took to a much wider path. Years later, Charlotte decides to use her experience in the fashion industry to liven up Yorkshire Falls, her old hometown. Having just opened her shop up, she’s shocked to discover Roman. Roman is looking for a wife to fulfill the bet he lost with his brothers. He wants to get a suitable wife in order to keep his lifestyle as much the same as possible. That will require one special woman -- she'd have to be tough as nails to fill those shoes.

The Bachelor is a fantastic book. The wily Mrs. Chandler and her exploits to see her sons married are funny, especially all the underhanded things that she does to keep her secret from her boys, especially since Roman has to live with her while in town. There is also the little matter of a crime spree in the small town that has Roman’s name all over it, but the real culprit will shock you. The good-natured ribbing between the brothers is sweet and funny. Each of the brothers is an individual, but they have similar characteristics -- just like in a real family. The plot flows smoothly to the inevitable ending, but there are some bumps in the road on the way to boy-gets-girl as expected. Charlotte has high expectations in a husband and she has the gutsy personality to back them up. Fun read, great for the beach, The Bachelor is one to be seen with while getting your tan this summer.