The Importance of Being Alice - Katie MacAlister (Signet - Jan 2015)

Read December 6, 2016

Series: Matchmaker in Wonderland (Book 1)

Nothing about Alice Wood's life is normal right now. Her fiance, Patrick, called off their wedding and relationship only days before their nonrefundable wedding trip. And though a luxurious European river cruise for one is just what she needs, it's not what she gets.... 

Due to a horrible misunderstanding, Alice is now cramped in her "romantic" suite with one of Patrick's friends. Instead of cruising along the Rhine, Main, and Danube rivers sipping champagne with the love of her life, she's navigating the waters with a strange--yet mysteriously handsome--British aristocrat. 

A baron of dubious wealth--and not-so-dubious debt--Elliot Ainslie is just looking forsome alone time to write the books that keep his large family afloat. But his stodgy, serious self is about to be sidetracked by a woman who seems to have jumped out of the pages of a fairy tale, one who is determined to shake up his life...and include him in her own happily ever after.

Fun book. Alice has been dumped by her boyfriend of two years, right before they were to go on a European river cruise. She decides to go ahead and take the trip anyway, only to find out that her ex gave his ticket to a friend. So she is stuck sharing her cabin with stuffy, slightly mysterious British aristocrat.

Elliott is just looking for some peace and quiet to finish his book. As the oldest of twelve, and the heir to a crumbling castle, he is in charge of the family finances. The  income from his spy novels provide a large part of the income that keeps everything going. He’s not pleased to be sharing a cabin with a talkative American.

From the moment they met there was a connection between Alice and Elliott. I loved their first meeting as his seriousness ran into her intent to have fun. He does a good job of making his requirements clear, but Alice convinces him to take a break from his writing for a meal. From there he is lured into going on one of the tours, and the next thing he knows he is hooked on Alice. I loved seeing how the two of them balanced each other. She is enthusiastic and spontaneous and he is cautious and methodical, and together they are just right. Within two days they have fallen in love, which both admit is ridiculously fast, but are so certain it is real they go ahead and get married.

Things don’t go smoothly, as Alice’s ex shows up, determined to win her back. He is initially oblivious to the fact that she wants nothing to do with him, and I loved seeing her make the point. There’s also a female passenger that has her sights set on Elliott, and it was fun to see them fight her off. Then Elliott gets an emergency call from home, and rather than explain what has happened, tells Alice to go on with the cruise without him. He has his reasons for not telling her, important to him, but not really good in the long run. It doesn’t take long for Alice to miss him and want to join him.

Elliott ends up in the hospital and when Alice tries to find out what’s happening she keeps running into walls. Seems Elliott hadn’t had time to tell anyone in his family he was married and no one believes her when she shows up. Her trials and tribulations of getting to him were pretty epic. I loved her reaction to his family and theirs to her. There is some strain between Elliott and Alice as he’s recovering from his injury, leading her to believe that he’s fallen out of love with her, something that would have been avoided if they had talked to each other about their feelings.

Alice has put her mind to helping Elliott find ways to make the castle profitable and one such venture brings her ex and Elliott’s sister and two fellow passengers to the castle for the “Ainslie Experience”. But things are not quite what they seem and there are several surprises in store for Alice and Elliott. I loved how they overcame them and were finally able to move forward.

The book is full of quirky characters, from Elliott’s siblings to his overly dramatic mother, and some interesting fellow passengers on the cruise. Alice and Elliott also get into some hilarious situations, including their dinner in an Amsterdam coffeehouse and their adventures in a German sex bar. There were a lot of places that had me laughing out loud. I can’t wait to read Gunner’s story.

 

Charmed and Dangerous - Lori Wilde (Forever - July 2004)

Former Olympian Maddie Cooper keeps her trim, taut body in great shape...and her heart safe from any man. Until her thrill-seeking twin, Cassie, gets in big trouble and Maddie has to come to her rescue-again!

FBI agent David Marshall has a big headache and all because of two women. He'd enlisted Cassie in a sting operation, but she's disappeared among art thieves and forgers. Now, determined to find her sister, Maddie charges furiously into the picture, sticking to his side and making him tingle in all the right places.

But David knows just how to take back control. First, locate Cassie. Second, reclaim the stolen masterpieces. Third, figure out how to put Maddie's fears about men to bed...and get her delectable self into his.

Very fun book to read. Maddie has been watching out for her twin sister since they were kids. Maddie is the responsible one, while Cassie tends to be impetuous. When Maddie discovers that Cassie is missing and has been working with FBI agent David Marshall, she is determined to stick with him until Cassie is found. David has been chasing after the same art thief for ten years, and when he recruits the thief's latest girlfriend he is going against orders from his superior. He feels a little guilty when she disappears, but all is fair in the long run.

When Cassie doesn't show up for a meeting with David, it is the beginning of a rather madcap adventure. Instead, David mistakes Maddie for Cassie, when Maddie had also been planning to meet up with Cassie. There is an immediate clash between the two, as Maddie insists on being involved in finding her sister. David isn't at all happy about the idea and makes it clear she isn't welcome. There's a great scene at the airport when David tries to keep Maddie from going with him and Maddie uses a sneaky method to get her way. David is furious, but can't help admiring her creativity.

Maddie and David are totally opposite personalities, but that doesn't stop the attraction that flares between them. It was fun to see them fight it, as the chemistry distracts them from their mission. As they chase Cassie across Europe, they argue, they try to ditch each other (the drinking scene in Paris, and the museum scene in Madrid are hilarious), and finally realize that working together is the best way to get what they both want.

I loved seeing the effect that they had on each other. David's tunnel vision on catching Shriver no matter what he has to do begins to change under the onslaught of his growing feelings for Maddie. At the same time, Maddie's rigid adherence to rules takes a big hit as she has to adapt on the fly to each new step they have to take. I also loved how Maddie's unswerving belief in Cassie's innocence began to chip away at David's belief she had gone over to the other side. Once they stopped working against each other, I loved seeing how they began to understand each other's motivations as no one else ever had. I loved seeing them come together at the end and realize that together they were a perfect balance.

The suspense of the art thefts was exciting and fun. Cassie seems like such an airhead, but as the story goes on we see that she's never had to face consequences of her actions. She really wants to overcome her reputation, and especially make Maddie see that she's not helpless, so she goes along with David's plan. That is, until she decides to take it further and starts making changes. Pretty soon she's in over her head and having to try to recover. David and Maddie always seem to be one step behind, and trying to figure out what side she's on. Then there is the involvement of a dangerous thug, who adds some complications to the whole process. By the time all the parties arrive in Venice, it's anybody's guess how it will turn out. Maddie ends up in extreme danger, with David hoping to get to her in time. Cassie's attempts to set up a sting get her in hot water, but also give her a chance to shine. And an unexpected twist at the end brings things to a dramatic close.