Faking It (Mass Market Paperback)

by Jennifer Crusie (Author) "MATILDA GOODNIGHT STEPPED BACK FROM HER LATEST mural and realized that of all the crimes she'd committed in her thirty-four years, painting the floor-to-ceiling reproduction..." (more)
Key Phrases: Gwen Goodnight, Davy Dempsey, Clea Lewis (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Setting: Columbus, Ohio

Sensuality: 7

Mural artist Tilda Goodnight is struggling to pay off the mortgage on the family business and keep the Goodnight secrets safely hidden. Juggling her life gets even more complicated when she hides in Clea Lewis's closet and collides with sexy Davy Dempsey. Tilda is in Clea's bedroom to steal back a forged painting; Davy's there to steal Clea's account codes and retrieve the $3 million the larcenous blonde stole from him. Somehow, Tilda finds herself exchanging a mind-blowing kiss with her fellow burglar, and when Davy follows her home and rents a room from her mother, she's forced to deal with the charming con man. Everyone in Tilda's world is pretending to be someone else, including her daydreaming mother, her split-personality sister, and her cross-dressing ex-brother-in-law. All of them, including Tilda and Davy, are Faking It. What will happen when all the secrets are out and everyone knows the truth about everyone else? Will Davy recover his 3 million? Will Tilda recover all the forged paintings and find her true artistic calling? Will Tilda's mother run off to Aruba with a hit man named Ford? And exactly what is the difference between a man labeled a "doughnut" and one who deserves the title "muffin"?

Faking It is a hilarious, warm novel with a cast of quirky and wonderful characters that endear while they charm. Readers who met the Dempsey siblings in Crusie's Welcome To Temptation will be delighted to revisit the family and discover what happens to Davy Dempsey when he meets his romantic nemesis, Tilda Goodnight. --Lois Faye Dyer --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly
Bestseller Crusie (Fast Women, etc.) takes readers on another smooth ride in her latest romantic caper. At the wheel this time is fab art forger Matilda Goodnight, whose chance encounter in a closet with cute con man/thief Davy Dempsey leads to madcap mayhem and breathless romance. He's trying to steal back the money he filched from Clea Lewis, ex-girlfriend (and possible husband killer), who had taken it right back. Tilda just wants her last "Scarlet" painting, which Clea has bought to impress Mason Phipps, her rich art-obsessed beau. It's the last of six forgeries Tilda did for Tony, her now deceased gallery-owner dad, and Tilda is determined to preserve her newly squeaky-clean reputation. Confused yet? It gets wackier, because the whole Goodnight clan and supporting cast are as enormously engaging as the loopy plot. There's Tilda's mother, Gwen; her sister, Eve/Louise, a split-personality teacher/diva; her gay ex-brother-in-law, Andrew; and her precocious teenage niece, Nadine. Add a host of shady characters and would-be hitmen, and the breezy plot thickens and puffs up like the light airy doughnuts all Goodnight women are attracted to but eventually forsake for muffins: "Muffins are for the long haul and they always taste good. They don't have that oh-my-God-I-have-to-have-that thing that the doughnuts have going for them, but you still want them the next morning." Finally, defying all odds, Crusie answers the burning questions she poses can liars and thieves fall in love, live happily ever after and stay out of jail? while confirming the dangers of dating doughnuts.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (April 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312983824
• ISBN-13: 978-0312983826
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (152 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #53,236 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What a zesty read!, May 2, 2003

By	Busy Mom (Ohio) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

I am a fan of Jennifer Crusie's books ~~ she is definitely an entertaining writer and this book is no exception! I was able to kick back and watch the sparks fly between Tilda, the main character and Davy, her romantic interest, fly like crazy. Both are con artists ~~ Tilda forges art for a living ~~ keeping up the Goodnight tradition and Davy's a con artist ~~ and they kept the pace up throughout the whole book.

They met up in Clea's closet ~~ Davy's there to recover the money she had stolen from him and Tilda's there to recover one of her Scarlet paintings and the book takes off from there. There is Nadine, the granddaughter, who is trying to figure out what her career interest is. There is Gwennie, the matriach of the family who longs to escape the art gallery and soak up the sun at a distant beach, drinking fruity alcoholic drinks. There is Eve who has a distinct second personality ~~ Louise, who performs at her ex-husband's club four nights a week. There is Clea, the amoral beauty queen whose husbands have died under mysterious circumstances and left her broke. On her third victim, she tries to snare him. Mason, the third husband-to-be, is also chasing after Gwennie ~~ and on and on. This book is a wonderful read ~~ light and funny and entertaining! I wouldn't have missed this book for the world!

Crusie is a fun writer that knows how to keep the reader's attention. This book is a sure bet!

5-2-03

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Faking it tries too hard, September 27, 2002

By	Constant Reader (New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Faking It (Hardcover)

I love Jennifer Crusie's books and had been waiting for this with much anticpation. "Fast women" had been a bit of a letdown, so I had high hopes of this one. What a disappointment! Other reviews have said it all - too many characters, sketchy character development, too many names to remember, a plot that doesn't make much sense. As another reveiwer said, it reads as if Crusie is trying to emulate a Hollywood "screwball comedy", but it doesn't work. It tries too hard to be funny. I had to force myself to finish it. I couldn't believe I would ever find a Crusie book boring, but this one came close. Where is the zany ebullience, the sheer joi de vivre that made her earlier books such a delight? Give me "Getting rid of Bradley" or "Manhunting" or "Tell me lies". They were full of the joy of living and read as if Crusie had a ball writing them. "Faking it" reads as if it was a real grind to crank it out. Please, please, Jenny, take your time and don't try so hard next time. I'm willing to wait. Quality takes time.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Faking It, September 28, 2005

By	Lmntry. Librarian (Mesa, AZ) - See all my reviews

Jennifer Crusie is a new author for me to explore. This was the second of her books I read (Bet Me, being first). In this story I was amazed at the world of Art Masterpiece and intrigue which I never really considered before. I enjoyed the dialogue and steamy sex scenes. There are many "laugh-out-loud" moments. The book took a few chapters to get into, but then I was hooked. Those of you just beginning to discover Jennifer Crusie, I suggest you read Welcome to Temptation first. It is not necessary though.