Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    Maybe This Time: A Novel
    Unavailable
    Maybe This Time: A Novel
    Unavailable
    Maybe This Time: A Novel
    Ebook403 pages6 hours

    Maybe This Time: A Novel

    By Jennifer Crusie

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    The New York Times bestselling author of Bet Me, Tell Me Lies and Welcome to Temptation delivers her long-awaited novel

    Andie Miller is ready to move on in life. She wants to marry her fiancé and leave behind everything in her past, especially her ex-husband, North Archer. But when Andie tries to gain closure with him, he asks one final favor of her before they go their separate ways forever. A very distant cousin of his has died and left North as the guardian of two orphans who have driven out three nannies already, and things are getting worse. He needs a very special person to take care of the situation and he knows Andie can handle anything.

    When Andie meets the two children she quickly realizes things are much worse than she feared. The place is a mess, the children, Carter and Alice, aren't your average delinquents, and the creepy old house where they live is being run by the worst housekeeper since Mrs. Danvers. What's worse, Andie's fiancé thinks this is all a plan by North to get Andie back, and he may be right. Andie's dreams have been haunted by North since she arrived at the old house. And that's not the only haunting.

    What follows is a hilarious adventure in exorcism, including a self-doubting parapsychologist, an annoyed medium, her Tarot-card reading mother, an avenging ex-mother-inlaw, and, of course, her jealous fiancé. And just when she thinks things couldn't get more complicated, North shows up on the doorstep making her wonder if maybe this time things could be different between them.
    If Andie can just get rid of all the guests and ghosts, she's pretty sure she can save the kids, and herself, from the past. But fate might just have another thing in mind…

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Publishers
    Release dateAug 31, 2010
    ISBN9781429930970
    Unavailable
    Maybe This Time: A Novel
    Author

    Jennifer Crusie

    Jennifer Crusie has written more than fifteen novels and has appeared on many bestseller lists, including those of Publishers Weekly, USA TODAY and the New York Times.

    Read more from Jennifer Crusie

    Related to Maybe This Time

    Related ebooks

    Romantic Comedy For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      For September, 3 Twisty, Turny, Thrill-Packed Romances

      Sep 3, 2017

      As the weather turns cooler and we start to emerge from summer's torpor, it's time for some faster-paced romances with plenty of exciting twists and turns on the way to the happily-ever-after.

      2 min read

    • Article

      A Leap In THE DARK

      Feb 1, 2023

      A Leap In THE DARK
      6 min read

    • Article

      Killed For Her Kindness

      May 14, 2020

      Killed For Her Kindness
      4 min read

    • Article

      Dark DEEDS

      Jan 20, 2021

      Dark DEEDS
      9 min read

    • Article

      Dark DEEDS

      Jan 27, 2021

      Dark DEEDS
      8 min read

    • Article

      Neighbourhood WATCH

      Apr 26, 2022

      Neighbourhood WATCH
      6 min read

    • Article

      We Don't Talk About That Here

      Nov 4, 2021

      We Don't Talk About That Here
      4 min read

    • Article

      Ella’s Choice

      Oct 6, 2021

      Ella’s Choice
      7 min read

    • Article

      The Last DELIVERY

      Aug 18, 2020

      The Last DELIVERY
      6 min read

    • Article

      Love Actually

      Jan 30, 2020

      Love Actually
      6 min read

    • Article

      LOVE Is The Word

      Jan 3, 2023

      LOVE Is The Word
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Mr Darcy MYSTERY

      Nov 23, 2022

      The Mr Darcy MYSTERY
      6 min read

    • Article

      Family Matters

      May 15, 2020

      Family Matters
      5 min read

    • Article

      Ella’s Choice

      Oct 6, 2021

      Ella’s Choice
      7 min read

    • Article

      The Gift Of Giving

      Dec 20, 2022

      Chatting to my friend over a coffee, I opened up about dreading Christmas. ‘It's my first since the divorce,’ I explained. It was October 2011, and my marriage of 24 years had just ended. Our kids were 21 and 19, but they were worried about where the

      4 min read

    • Article

      Mr Fabulous

      Apr 5, 2022

      Mr Fabulous
      6 min read

    • Article

      POISON ON Pink Paper

      Dec 23, 2019

      POISON ON Pink Paper
      8 min read

    • Article

      Just the RIGHT JOB

      Sep 13, 2023

      Just the RIGHT JOB
      6 min read

    • Article

      Valentine Angels

      Dec 31, 2023

      Valentine Angels
      4 min read

    • Article

      Something SPECIAL

      Feb 21, 2023

      Something SPECIAL
      6 min read

    • Article

      Happy Families

      Aug 5, 2021

      Happy Families
      7 min read

    • Article

      Long Lost

      Apr 22, 2020

      Long Lost
      9 min read

    • Article

      Dirty John: Escape

      Oct 8, 2017

      Dirty John: Escape
      10 min read

    • Article

      Being SANTA

      Nov 22, 2023

      Being SANTA
      6 min read

    • Article

      In the DOG HOUSE

      May 13, 2020

      In the DOG HOUSE
      6 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Maybe This Time

    4/5

    386 ratings67 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      Hooray! Jennifer Crusie is back! I have always loved Crusie novels for their off-beat kind of humor, and interesting, if not a little wacky, characters. This book had all that and more! It was really enjoyable to read a Jennifer Crusie novel again.

      That having been said, I agree with others who have said that this was more "ghost story" than romance, and that the character of North seemed a bit flat. I get that he was supposed to be the one steady "rock" and the one calming influence in this whole story, but that doesn't mean he can't have more character. I liked him OK, I just wanted to really see what Andie saw in him.

      EDIT:
      My previous review talked about how all the 80's and 90's references made the book seem dated to me. Then, it was pointed out to me that it was supposed to be set in 1992....says it right in one of the first pages. So...I retract my original complaints about dated references.

      That having been said though...sorry, it's still odd, and the story still seems dated because....well....it is. Why? The only answer is "because." Another one of those quirky Crusie things? But...this one doesn't work for me. Instead of feeling nostalgic, again, it just seems dated. I don't know...I guess I feel like a "contemporary" novel should take place in the time period it is released in. If this had been billed as some sort of newfangled "historical," and it was made very obvious it was purposely written in the past to be nostalgic, then I guess I might not have had such a negative reaction to the dated references. But, one line of "This book takes place in 1992. Because." almost makes it seem as if this was an old novel that had never made it, but was suddenly revived, and instead of going through the hassle of updating all the references, they put a note at the beginning and now it's fine. Not saying that's what happened, I'm just saying that's how it feels to me. At the risk of repeating myself: Odd.

      BUT...

      Despite those criticisms, I found the book to be completely enjoyable and fun and I highly recommended it for any Crusie fan.
    • 3/5
      Solid effort from Crusie although not as funny as some of her others. More focused on the ghost story which was a little heavy for my post holiday reading. But as always she nails characters and their interpersonal relationships in very realistic way.
    • 4/5
      Enjoyable and full of genuinely quirky, charming people who don't make terribly good choices on a regular basis. Stayed up and read this in a single session.
    • 5/5
      So. Good Crusie. Glad to see her back more nearly in the romance field.

      If you don't read Crusie's romances, go back and read some others first. This is great, fabulous and wonderful but I loved Welcome to Temptation and some of the others more.

      Brief notes - usually Crusie is a romance and a mystery - these are romance paranormal/almost borderline horror in with the romance.

      Who cares - it's a new Crusie.
    • 4/5
      Very entertaining story of a divorced couple who, of course, are still in love with each other. When he inherits 2 difficult children he asks her to go stay with them until he can make other arrangements. Enter one not so lovely housekeeper, 2 distrusting children, multiple ghosts, a slimy newsreporter, a crazy mother, and a haunted house with a personality of it's own. Of course the outcome is predictable, but that doesn't stop the fun.
    • 1/5
      As far as Jennifer Crusie's books go, I either LOVE them or ...NOT. This was definately a Not. I found myself skimming a lot. I wanted more romance and less ghosts. I will probably still check out her new books looking for the LOVE factor in the future.
    • 5/5
      All Andie Miller wanted to do was give back the alimony checks to her ex so she can get on with her life, it’s too bad that one look at him brings back all the good times they shared along with the bad, but he begs her for one favor, just one small tiny favor. North Archer hasn’t seen the bane of his existence in 10 years, his ex-wife Andie still stars regularly in x-rated dreams, then one day there she is sitting in his office trying to hand back his alimony checks. In the mean time North has a problem not easily solved, a problem with Andie’s name written all over it now if he can just convince her to grant him one little tiny favor. Two young orphans alone in a wreck of an old house the only family left is one far away (in more ways than one) distant cousin who happens to be their ward then in blows a wind named Andi and everything changes, can she get the kids out of the house safely, can she put herself high enough on the shelf that North won’t touch her, does she want to.This is classic, wonderful Crusie with her trademark characters you’d find in the dictionary under the definition of quirky, her uniquely imaginative story line with solid realism with just a touch of woo woo. This plot will wow the staunchest unbeliever as the reader winds and weaves through all the mystery, mayhem and intrigue of this one family, a family with secrets and maybe not skeletons in the closet, but would you believe ghosts. Her dialogue is flowing and descriptive at times and at others to the point and matter of fact. Her characters are a group of the most unlikely people to be found under one roof that you will ever have the pleasure of meeting, from the I’m too sexy for my shirt ex-brother in law, to the will sleep with anyone to get ahead TV reporter, to the open minded hippie in her heart mom (of Andie) and the never a hair out of place mom (of North). Then we have the happy couple, well maybe not so happy, but boy do we want them to be, these are one of those couples who you know want to be together, but will beat their heads together, against a wall or anywhere else to avoid having to admit they were wrong, but at the same time they really want to be together and we readers will feel their struggle, struggle with them and hope for the best. The romance is one of my very favorite types, that of second chances. The love scenes are inventive, sensual and we are kept enough outside the door that we have to imagine the scene.So if you crave the next Crusie, why wait. If you can’t get your fill of crazy characters, you only have to go as far as your nearest bookseller, if you yearn for that all elusive happy ever after, come get it inside the pages of Jennifer Crusie’s latest novel “Maybe This Time”, you won’t be sorry you did.
    • 4/5
      Oh, very enjoyable. I got in the mail earlier this week and spent the evening reading this book. (I think it may have arrived on Wednesday and I started reading it after my knitting class and I finished it that same evening.)

      Like eating a sack of potato chips without the resulting upset tummy. I liked the supernatural aspects and the (characteristic) light tone of the books. Hmmm, no important dog in this one.
    • 4/5
      Sweet story--not terribly realistic at times, but a fun vintage Crusie story. Much better than her recent collaborations, which all seem to be lacking a bit of her usual zest.
    • 3/5
      I was so disappointed. I always count on Crusie for a laugh, often to laugh-out-loud. Unfortunately, I grabbed this one even though I sensed it was going to be about ghosts (I'm not a paranormal fan). And that seemed to be all that this book was about - the romance and humor were vaguely there. I finished it because it was compelling enough to want to see it through but this is one novel I will not reread as I have many of Crusie's others.
    • 4/5
      Maybe This Time is a book about Andie and North ex's who haven't seen each other in 10 years. Andie's planning on getting married again and would like some closure first. North asks her to one little favor for him first. A Gothic house complete with ghosts, 2 self-sufficient kids, a Mrs. Danversish, housekeeper, along with a host of other characters makes for a fun, thriller of a read. Crusie writes characters who are quirky and vulnerable. I loved the story this is Cruisie's best book yet.
    • 3/5
      Crusie is back in near top notch form. Thank goodness she dumped Bob Mayer as co writer for this book at least. He was a real drag on her stories. Maybe This Time has lots of charm and Andie and North are great characters. The book gets a little too ghostie in the last 1/3rd but this is the best Crusie book in years.
    • 4/5
      10 years after they divorced, Andie visits ex-husband North to return 119 alimony checks and to tell him she’s getting married again. Ouch. North then drops a bomb of his own and offers Andie a deal she really can’t refuse: $10,000 a month for taking care of two children down in a house in Ohio where their father (North’s distant cousin), their Aunt May, their grandmother, and almost a governess died. Andie accepts and finds herself in a haunted house with a pyromaniac, a screaming 8-year-old, and a housekeeper that likes her tea spiked (heavy handed please). They can be only 3 reasons why there are ghosts 1) everyone’s been drugged; 2) someone is pulling a really nasty prank; 3) there really are ghosts. Andie is bringing reinforcements.Jennifer Cruise’s Maybe This Time was flirtatious read. It draws the reader in then pushing them away; it forces them to dream about the book—borderline nightmare—then wakes the reader up at 6 in the morning because the next chapter is dying to be read; it melts the body into the couch while reading for 4 hours straight then the reader realizes they can’t move because your muscles have been locked in place. But the reader does not care because this is some good stuff read. (Not that I speak from experience coughcough.)One thing that I loved most about this novel that I just do not get enough of in YA lit is the closeness in families. In Maybe This Time family plays a large role with Carter and Alice, the children, Flo and Lydia, North’s and Andie’s mother, and Southie (Sullivan), North’s brother. It is not this cold-shoulder-mention-once type of deal, but they play vital key components to the novel with their rich dialogue and funny antics. But the children are the spotlight with a great relationship of sister and brother. Even when Alice is extremely stubborn and constantly screaming, there was no feeling of irritation from me. I found both children endearing and brave to endure it all.The tension between North and Andie is 60% sexual and 40% love at least from what I garnered throughout the book. It can get a bit frustrating at times. I did enjoy the banter between the two and there were hints of deep affection between the two.There is a mild twist in the end and another funny twist at the last page that I thought ended Maybe This Time on a right note.In all I found Maybe This Time to be a blast to read and will end it with a quote by the editor of the novel Jennifer Enderlin: “I’m stopping you in the street. I’m grabbing you by the lapels and I’m saying “You’ve got to read this book.”’
    • 5/5
      I was able to tell right from the start that I would like this one! I enjoyed the author's fast paced writing style; there was no fumbling over words or over descriptivness. (Is that even a word?) It was a meat & potatoes story right from the start! (Hopefully everyone knows what that expression means LOL!)It was a refreshingly new storyline (for me) and the characters were very "interesting" shall we say. The lead character Andie was totally spunky and determined.My only complaint....I don't think the cover matches the story. The cover made me think that it would be a much more "romantic" story but it had just a bit of romance and in my opinion a lot of spook! While looking at the author's website I saw that there were quite a few covers that were looked at. You can see them here. I think they could have gone with a "darker" one.Really though, that is irrelevant to the story itself. I thought the book itself was excellent and this is an author that I plan on reading more of.
    • 3/5
      For me this felt like a return to the Cruisie of Bet Me, or Faking It. Its not right up there with her best, the pace flags a little bit once in awhile, but its good fun, and there are whole sections filled with the kind of champagne light, whip smart dialogue that makes her such a joy to read when she's really on.
    • 4/5
      I loved this book. ex husband/wife. ghosts. 2 orphan children, carter and alice. Andie Miller and North Archer. Kind of scary at time but has enough humor to make it light and enjoyable reading. Library book.andie is sent to an old, haunted house where kids are being raised by nannys who leave because ghosts are present.
    • 3/5
      I missed Crusie's trademark wonderful one-liners; in this book they were too few and too far between. There was a lot of f-ing this and f-ing that, without a lot of f-ing -- just potty mouth. Alice's temper tantrums were annoying, and the reader's voice for Mrs Crumb reminded me of Jon Stewart's GWB. Anyhow, it was fun for an audio book in the car!
    • 4/5
      Jennifer Crusie is back with her first solo book in six years, and those of us who love vintage Crusie have many questions to ask. Well you may ask: Is `Maybe This Time' the book we've been hoping for? First, must I keep reminding you not to end sentences with prepositions? And in answer to your question, `Maybe This Time' is almost the book I was hoping for. (oops) It's a clever version of Jenny meets Henry James and Daphne du Maurier. We have two haunted orphans, a governess, an unfriendly housekeeper, a stone castle imported from England complete with ghosts, and Crusie's usual uptight but sexy hero. Is there a spunky smart-mouthed heroine? Need you ask. Andromeda (Andie) Miller is perhaps a softer version of Sophie Dempsey (`Welcome to Temptation'), but she's worthy of the Crusie mantle. Is there a plot? Yes, but as usual, it's secondary to the characterization. Conscientious but sexy boy ( North) meets and marries free-spirited and sexy girl (Andie). Misunderstandings follow and result in divorce. Ten years later the girl returns her collection of uncashed of alimony checks, both feel frissons of interest, and somehow she ends up as the governess to his two ghost-haunted wards. If we've got the heroine and the ghost/literary riff going, why then the `almost the book I was hoping for' qualifier you may well ask. It's the addition of the ghost element that weakens the story. There's too much ghost and too little North. The supporting characters are, as usual, fun, and Andie is every bit as witty, charming, and wonderful as her predecessors, but North is a walk-on. My other reservation is that 'Maybe This Time' reads more like Crusie's early short romance novels than her later more successful novels. To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised (or disappointed) to learn that it had been written twenty+ years ago and reworked. And it does work; it's just not Crusie at her absolute best. So how many stars? Four. But by all means, run out and buy the book. 'Cause we all know that a four-star Crusie beats anything else out there.
    • 5/5
      I freely chose to review this book and was delighted to discover this unknown to me author, I will definitely look for more of her books! Andie Miller intended to be done with North for good and ten years of walking out of their marriage, she intended to give him back the alimony checks and start a new life with her new husband, but North tripped her guilty card and now she was heading south to the boonies....North Archer needed Andie to go to the southern part of the state to stay with two little kids that had so much death in their lives since he was given custody. Three nannies had already quit on him from the children's antics and he played the sympathy card to get his ex-wife to agree to a one month trial.
    • 4/5
      If you’ve read Cruise’s previous works then you will not be disappointed in this one. This was typical Jennifer Cruise genius, filled with believable, funny, and tender characters. It surprised me that this book included ghost, something completely unique for Cruise. I thought it would be your run of the mill contemporary romance but I was pleasantly surprised.After being divorced for 10 years, Andie visits her ex husband, North, to inform him of her upcoming nuptials and to return years of alimony checks. North surprises Andie with an offer she cannot refuse, $10, 000 a month to look after his orphaned cousins, to which Andie grudgingly accepts. Of course there were all the makings of a good ghost story; Creepy house (check!), strange housekeeper (check!), stranger kids (check!), unexplained phenomena (check and check!). Andie feels like she’s losing her mind so she calls for reinforcement. What happens next is for you to find out; I promise you won’t be disappointed :)
    • 5/5
      After reading 'Bet me', I decided to read all books by this author. So glad there are many! This one was less romantic, but I loved it nonetheless. A fun ghost story.
    • 3/5
      Andromeda "Andie" Miller has met the man perfect for her and is almost ready to accept easygoing Will's marriage proposal. She just has a couple loose ends to tie up, one being her ex-husband, North Archer. The story starts with Andie meeting with North so she can return all the alimony checks he sent and which she never cashed. It's Andie's way of closing the door on their relationship. He reluctantly agrees to take back the checks, but impulsively asks Andie to do him a favor. He needs her to care for two young relatives of whom he is now legal guardian. He sweetens the deal by offering her enough money to pay off her debt as well as pay for her upcoming wedding. All she has to do is postpone her wedding plans for a month or so, and ultimately figure out how to rid the children's current home of pesky ghosts which are rumored to have haunted the house for over 100 years. Of course, there is no such thing as ghosts... I was actually disappointed in this book. I keep hearing how funny Crusie's books are, and I even put this book on my wishlist a while ago in response to a favorable review which intrigued me. I didn't like the heroine at all. In instances that I think were supposed to be funny, I found she was incredibly insensitive and rude to people. I found a lot of the characters very likable, including North, little Alice and Carter, and Dennis the "ghost expert". I just didn't believe that a bond could exist between any of these people with the limited and unsentimental interactions they had.The ghost story picked up near the end, and I did like how Andie and North finally resolved issues they held in dispute over the years.
    • 5/5
      MAYBE THIS TIME, by Jennifer Crusie, is a romantic and thrilling book that will keep you glued to the pages. Crusie created a great story that is sweet and almost scary at times. I love the supernatural aspect of the ghosts and how the children factor into everything. I absolutely loved this book! I fell in love with the characters and I was enamored by their uncontrolled predicaments. Andie was such a doll and I would have loved to snatch her out of the book and make her my best friend. She was extremely patient with Alice and Carter and protected them with every inch of her soul. Crusie also let us into the mind of North, Andie's ex-husband, and it was a pleasurable experience. I thought North and Andie's past was a bit rocky but I am true believer that time heals all wounds, it just took some effort to get Andie thinking the same way. Even some of the more minor characters were hilarious. Mrs. Crumb, as the crochity housekeeper, was ecentric and sometimes too secretive which made me question her motives. I even liked experiencing the mystery of the house and the ghosts that inhabited it. I was pulled back and forth between siding with Andie or North in the debate about the ghosts and Crusie never allowed me to put my guard down until the very end! I liked how Alice and Carter fit into the larger aspect of the book. It was no mystery that these children have seen their share of horrors and neglect but Andie and her determination did stand a chance against them. I don't think I can give higher praise to this book. It was funny, fresh, romatic, with some added suspense. I highly recommend it to those looking for a great mystery and a little romance.
    • 5/5
      relationships, ghosts, Ohio, mystery, humor, children I love almost everything written by Jennifer Crusie, and this one is a little crazier than most. It has romance, nasty ghosts, frightened kids, a nutsy mother in law and an even nuttier mother, a convenient but clueless fiancé, and two people who still love each other and are learning to communicate. And LOTS of humor! And almost all of this madness happens in a very weird house that was brought over from England and reassembled in rural southern Ohio. No spoilers here, just go ahead and enjoy! The audiobook is very well narrated by Angela Dawe.
    • 5/5
      I won this book from LibraryThing and was very happy about it. Crusie is one of my favorite authors. This one was a bit different from her others because of the ghosts. I wasn't sure at the beginning if I was going to like it, but it got better and better as the book went on. The characters are great - each one has a distinct personality, unlike some books where the secondary characters just sort of exist. The events that happen are both spooky and fun. For the first half of the book I wanted to beat North - he was so uninvolved with the kids. Once he finally showed up things got much better. For all that she insisted that she didn't want children, Andi was fantastic with the kids, helping them through the problems with the hauntings.This book was great, and I can't wait for the next one.
    • 3/5
      When Andromeda (Andie) goes to her ex-husband, North's, office to return every single alimony cheque from the last ten years (did he not notice that she hadn't been cashing them?), he surprises her by offering her a job. He has become guardian of two children who have gone through a string of nannies. Since he knows her to a competent teacher who is good with children, he asks her to go downstate to care for the children for one month until arrangements can be completed for the children (Alice and Carter) to be moved back to Columbus. Oh, and by the way, the house there are reports that the house is haunted. Since neither Andie nor North believe in ghosts, they both really just want to get to the bottom of whatever is going on.As soon as the plans are revealed, all hell breaks loose. Andie's boyfriend Will (who North believes is her fiancé) thinks North planned this as a way to win Andie back; therefore, he must go there to ensure that his girl remains his. North's brother is dating Kelly, a news reporter, and they both race to the house as she's in search of a story to redeem her after a scandal that has the talk of Ohio (and not in a good way). When North gets wind of this, he decides to check everything out in person. And Andie's and North's mothers both decide to join the party as soon as they find out what's going on. Meanwhile, strange things start happening, and Andie decides she might believe in ghosts in after all. Enter two experts on the paranormal.This was a departure from what I usually expect from Crusie - light-hearted, fun, flirty romance with a healthy dash of humour. While this had some humour, it was heavy on the paranormal and was downright dark at times. There was one part near the end that reminded me a LOT of one of the worst books I've EVER read, and I almost dreaded finishing it. Thankfully, this book didn't end like That One, although it was a close call. The typical Crusie humour showed up in flashes, but I'm hoping that her book will be more in the ilk of "Tell Me Lies," "Crazy For Me," etc.
    • 3/5
      I'd give this book 3.5 stars. I love Jennifer Cruisie but this book seemed to be lacking something... Don't get me wrong, it's still a good book. Normally Cruisie's book contain more humour than this one though.
    • 4/5
      Witty, funny and romantic – all of which I expect from a Jennifer Cruise novel and she didn’t disappoint. Not a classic romance but still has shades of romance hidden in the supernatural elements. I’m generally not a fan of paranormal storylines, but this book kept a nice mix of what I want in a storyline and was able to keep my attention throughout. Andie (the main character) is likable with many down to earth qualities and a wicked sense of humor. I loved the children’s roles in the story (Alice and Carter). I love the entertainment and humor that they added to the storyline.
    • 3/5
      I don't normally get into the para-normal, although I do enjoy some lightly haunted ghost stories (Charlaine Harris e.g.) but this one got a little bit deeper than I normally would read. By the time I realized this was as ghostie as it was, I was hooked on the romance and the rest of the story, so I soldiered through. I was surprised that at the end I could say I really enjoyed it, although I hope the rest of her stories aren't quite so weird. I really don't want to spoil the story, but will say it's vintage chick-lit on steroids: strong female in love-hate relationship with drop dead perfect gorgeous stud, interesting side kicks, heart-pulling orphans, Victorian haunted houses, nasty housekeeper, imperious mom-in-law, ditzy relatives, etc etc etc. Fun fun fun, in spite of my normal aversions to ghosties.
    • 4/5
      Maybe This Time - Jennifer Crusie It has been 6 long years between Jennifer’s last solo effort---was it worth the wait? That’s a difficult question to answer. Jennifer’s writing style has changed so much since her last solo book, and so has her subject matter. It’s neither a good thing nor a bad thing---it just is. I’m not thrilled with the change in directions of this book. I didn’t like it when Jennifer and Bob tried to use a paranormal theme with their last collaboration and I don’t like it any better with “Maybe This Time“.Andie Miller is divorced from North Archer and trying leave behind what they had together. It is now the time for her to remarry and to gain closure. She confronts North only to find out that his cousin has died and left him the guardian of two young children, AND in the possession of what appears to be a haunted house. North asks Andie to help him out, offering her a large sum of cash which will be handy to pay off her bills and pay for her up coming wedding. But once she meets the children and scopes out the house she realizes that things may not be quite as they seem.Now the descriptions of the books claims that “ What follows is a hilarious adventure in exorcism…”, but I didn’t find that to be so nor did I find this to be on par with Ms Crusie’s usual ability to make me laugh with the comedy and bring me to tears with the romance. If you doubt she can’t deliver both, then please read “Bet Me” or “Fast Women”. Don’t judge the rest of her work by this book. While it’s not horrible and at times it’s engaging and even mildly giggle worth it’s just not what I could have hoped for after a drought of 6 years. Another funny and engaging read is “Agnes and the Hitman” collaboration with Bob Meyer.