Crazy in Love (Warner Forever) [Mass Market Paperback]

Lani Diane Rich (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2007 | Series: Warner Forever

Flynn Daly is turning thirty. And thirty is the age where she has to, gulp, get a job. Not just any job, but a job working for her real estate magnate father, a man who's tired of supporting his daughter through her many careers. So when their great-aunt Esther Goodhouse, proprietress of a historic inn nestled in Nowhere, New York, dies, Flynn finds herself smack dab in the country, contending with a hotel staff that's unsure of their new boss, a scruffy, sexy ex-policeman named Jake Turner who's convinced that Esther's death wasn't as natural as it seemed, and the ghost of Aunt Esther herself, who starts showing up in Flynn's dreams and undoing all the personal touches that Flynn tries to make to her new home.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Lani Diane Rich currently lives in Syracuse with her husband and two children. You can visit her Web site at www.lanidianerich.com.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Forever (October 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446618241
• ISBN-13: 978-0446618243
• Product Dimensions: 4.1 x 1 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,275,832 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm Lani, and I'm a writer, a teacher, and a mom. I live in Southern Ohio with my husband, my daughters, two cats and five dogs, and my best friend. My favorite color is yellow, and I have a thing for polka dots that borders on the ridiculous.

I wrote my first book, Time Off For Good Behavior during NaNoWriMo - National Novel Writing Month, fifty thousand words in the thirty days of November - and was the first previously-unpublished author to publish a NaNoWriMo manuscript. It's a very specific niche, but it's all mine. Time Off For Good Behavior won the Rita Award for Best First Book, and I went on to publish another seven solo novels, and one collaboration. So, apparently, it wasn't a fluke. I find that comforting.

When I'm not writing words on paper, I'm speaking them into microphones. From 2007 to 2010, I hosted the Will Write For Wine podcast with the amazingly talented CJ Barry/Samantha Graves; since 2010, I've hosted Popcorn Dialogues with Jennifer Crusie, and the StoryWonk Daily podcast with Alastair Stephens, who happens to be my husband. Which is good, because I often record the show in my pyjamas.

At the moment, I'm writing magical romance novels as Lucy March. I'm still Lani on the inside; it's a publishing thing. If you'd like to learn more about what I'm doing now, visit LaniDianeRich.com, LucyMarch.com, or Storywonk.com. And thank you!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sometimes it's the perky ones you gotta watch out for..., March 4, 2008

By 

Tracy Vest (Northern California) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Crazy in Love (Warner Forever) (Mass Market Paperback)

At the urging of her sister, ne'er-do-well Flynn leaves her dilapidated South Boston apartment to run an inn passed down by their great Aunt Esther in upstate New York. She soon encounters a host of eccentric townspeople, most employed at her inn. While she fights her attraction to sexy bartender Jake and the inevitable questions about whether her family plans to sell the inn, she avoids responsibility and decision making at all costs. Oh and she has to dodge crotchety Aunt Esther's ghost, particularly after moving her collection of kitschy cow creamers. Jake draws her into an investigation of town real estate shark Gordon Chase who wanted the inn so bad he might have killed for it. When Flynn loses her heart to the inn and Jake, will she be able to convince her dad to give her the responsibility she needs to grow up?

Rich has an incredible talent for coming up with funny plots and unleashing her wit and wry observations on readers. Her leads sizzle off the page; Flynn's sister Freya is a hysterical bundle of tension; and Aunt Esther is one funny ghost. I don't think I've laughed quite as hard as I did when Flynn developed a gastro-intestinal disorder while making out with Gordon. It was a funny read from cover to cover. My only criticism is that there was often too much going on and sometimes too much can be... well, ... too much. But with a great catchphrase like CWIL (crazy woman in love), you can't find too much fault with the story! I have yet to read a bad novel penned by Rich - other stand outs include "Maybe Baby" and "The Fortune Quilt."

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You're in for a treat, October 19, 2007

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crazy in Love (Warner Forever) (Mass Market Paperback)

What happens when you're almost thirty and have difficulties maintaining a steady job and a steady relationship?

If you're Flynn Daly, you find yourself presented with an offer you can't refuse. Tired of worrying about Flynn's safety, love life and diminishing bank account, Flynn's family schedules an intervention. She joins the family hospitality business and is sent to the Goodhouse Arms inn. The inn belonged to her great-aunt. Now that Aunt Esther is dead, Flynn's job is to keep the staff calm until her father finds a buyer for the inn.

Jake Tucker was a cop until a key piece of evidence in a high-profile case he was working on went missing. He's now a bartender at the inn. Mercy, his sister and the inn's chef, is hoping that he'll move on with his life. But is it a coincidence that Gordon Chase offered to buy the inn just before Aunt Esther died? And is there a connection between Chase and the missing evidence?

Flynn's job is to keep the staff calm but she finds herself drawn to the inn and the friendly people. She also finds herself sharing her room with the ghost of great-aunt Esther. Jake finds that his first impression of a spoiled rich girl is wrong. There is something about Flynn that he finds irresistible. Has Flynn finally found a job and a guy that she can commit to?

Crazy In Love is a sweet, fun book. The plot keeps moving, there's plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and likeable characters. Flynn and Jake are people you'd want to be friends with. The sibling relationships were also a lot of fun. Flynn and Jake have great relationships with their older sisters. Freya and Mercy are convinced that they know what's best for their younger siblings. Mix in embezzlement, unsolved crime and some CWIL (Crazy Women In Love, an acronym that I love!), and you're in for a treat.

Armchair Interviews says this blend of mystery and romance is very satisfying read!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Jake & Flynn Inn Love, June 26, 2008

By 

IndigoRaiyne (Aiken, SC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crazy in Love (Warner Forever) (Mass Market Paperback)

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I liked Flynn and Jake and thought they had amazing chemistry. I also liked Dead Aunt Esther and her ceramic cow obsession and the mystery surrounding her death. This book was well written and the dialog was great.

My favorite thing was that Finn wasn't super successful or incredibly wealthy but trying to find herself and her purpose. I liked that. I liked that she had jobs that weren't glamorous too.

The only thing I didn't enjoy about this book was the ending because it confused me. The whole embezzlement scheme was never fleshed out enough for the ending to really add anything. A sum up would be better. And why, for the love of god, did they steal Mercy's saucier?