Review: Romancing the Undercover Millionaire (Romancing the... #3) by Clare London

Can poverty and privilege find a loving compromise?

Alexandre Bonfils, a rich and spoiled second son, is tired of being ignored and decides to help when the family’s exclusive wine business is in trouble. Going undercover in the warehouse, he loves the adventure—and the chance to be close to the sassy and sexy manager, Tate Somerton.

Tate is hardworking and financially struggling, bringing up his siblings on his own. A suspected saboteur at work is his latest challenge, but now he also has a clueless, though very attractive, new intern. There’s an immediate spark between the ill-matched couple, until a shocking accident cuts short Alex’s amateur sleuthing.

While recovering in the generous care of Tate and his family, will Alex realize what belonging really means? Passion and pride come together to fight for the company they’re both committed to preserving, but can a personal bond remain when the dust settles?

This series just keeps getting better and better! When I saw there was another “Romancing The…” book coming out I was far more than excited. I’ve loved the previous books and seeing this set within the world of the exclusive wine business had me bubbling like a sparkling wine.

I adored the idea of this set up. We have Alex Bonfils who is the playboy of the famous Bonfils Bibendum wine family whose father is tired of him not taking his position in the family business seriously. So, basically his father fires him but since he can’t exactly do that, he tells Alex he needs to find a personally satisfying project. When it comes to our dear Alex, it’s not that he doesn’t want a place in the family business, it’s that he’s always been a bit lost as to what his place could be with his older brother Henri settling in firmly as the CEO and leaving Alex to the wind. Alex won’t accept the firing though, he’s determined to show his father he can be more, he can be a valued part of the business and the family and when hears one of the warehouses is having “worrying events”, he takes it upon himself to go undercover to solve the problem and show his father his worth.

My family and I love the show Undercover Boss. It’s always a heartwarming watch to see the Boss see how their company is run and the employees who go above and beyond the job because it’s not just a job to them. Their loyalty and integrity to their positions always earns them a handsome reward and for Bristol Warehouse Manager Tate Somerton that reward comes with a handsome man indeed as well as a future he only hoped for.

Told in dual POV’s of our couple, we meet Alex first as he plans his undercover adventure down to the dying of his light hair and applying for the intern position at the Bristol warehouse. We meet Tate as he is starting his day going through the “to do” list in his head for the three siblings he takes care of after his parents death and his Gran who lives with them. Tate has a lot on his plate but he gets through the day at a job he actually enjoys, committees to improve situations he's passionate about until it’s time to return home to the cacophony of love that is his family.

The meet cute of Tate and Alex is one that is always a favorite for me. When the self-assured man gets flustered by putting his foot in his mouth right before he turns and meets the stunning ginger that is now his boss? I LOVED it. I also loved that we get both men’s first impression of the other and both are hot under the collar and ready for some workplace fraternizing. Well, in their head that is. Well, in Tate’s head he is but Tate is steady and cautious with his life and while he fancies his new intern, Alex Goodson, he won’t act upon his feelings. It’s a damn good thing that Alex doesn’t have such reservations and knows exactly what the Bonfil Human Resource status is on dating a coworker so he sets up anything he can do to be around Tate.

They’d only known each other a short time. They’d said no strings, right?

I loved the heck out of Alex. He isn’t the stuffy and arrogant rich playboy the social pages make him out to be. Learning quickly of his childhood before the death of his mother gives the reader a wonderful picture of who Alex is at the core and how that essence has been lost being thrust at the table without a definitive place card. He relishes in the making of the family wine from the soil to the first pour. He is knowledgeable about the business but when everything is already done for him, what is there to do? Applying as an intern not only gives him a chance to go undercover to solve the mystery of events that seem to be internal sabotage but it gives him an opportunity to see levels of the business he never learned. Meeting Tate not only makes Alex want the man, it makes Alex want more than a hook up with a man and while that terrifies Alex, he doesn’t turn away after the first date and the official meeting of Tate’s family. In fact, that first meeting allows Alex to take it slow with Tate and when their days blend into nights, when Alex starts to feel more, he knows he needs to tell Tate the truth.

Tate is my fellow ginger and over thinker extraordinaire. I loved him and how responsible he was not only with taking care of his siblings without a second thought but how he puts everyone first, even before him. I know what that’s like and it can be exhausting. Tate needed to have someone like Alex come into his life to show him that he matters, that he should be put first and his wants are just as important as the rest of the family. Though Tate feels Alex is holding back from him and not telling him the whole truth, when he learns it I was thankful for his reaction. I’d expect nothing less from a rational man.

The mystery of what was going on in the warehouse was an added bonus to this romance. I loved how bumbling Alex seems when he first starts as in intern and begins asking seemingly random questions. Alex’s main goal is to straighten out the mishaps going on at the warehouse with revolving pallets and delivery mix-ups but a bit of falling in love never hurt anyone.

Okay.

Wow.

Rambling Red has gone off the rails with this one, eh? I just loved the heck out of this story and I haven’t even mentioned Tate’s lovely family. Each one of his siblings own a piece of that man’s heart and only want the best for their brother. They help Tate open up to the possibility of Alex being more than a friend and they so help Alex evolve into a true family man. I loved every minute they were one the page and hope Gran catches up with all the Game of Thrones hoopla with Alex.

Ack. There is still so much to say but I just want to add that I really liked the connection of Tate wanting to apply for the sommelier internship considering it was actually Alex who created the Bonfils sommelier internship, open to all applicants…sigh. These two were so made for each other in so many ways.

This story was so good. Every bit of it made my romantic heart happy and I do hope that one day, Alex and Tate do disarm the CCTV and make Tate’s first impression of Alex a reality.

An ARC was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.