Maybe This Time [Hardcover]

Jennifer Crusie (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 31, 2010

Andie Miller is ready to move on with her 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. A distant cousin has died and left North the guardian of two orphans who have driven away three nannies already, and things are getting worse. He needs someone to take care of the situation, and he knows Andie can handle anything.... When Andie meets the two children, she realizes the situation is much worse than she feared. 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. Complicating matters is Andie’s fiancé’s suspicion that this is all a plan by North to get Andie back. He may be right because Andie’s dreams have been haunted by North since she arrived at the old house. And that’s not the only haunting.... Then her ex-brother-in-law arrives with a duplicitous journalist and a self-doubting parapsychologist, closely followed by an annoyed medium, Andie’s tarot card–reading mother, her avenging ex-mother-in-law, and her jealous fiancé. Just when Andie’s sure things couldn’t get more complicated, North arrives to make her wonder if maybe this time things could just turn out differently....

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Product Description
The New York Times bestselling author of Bet Me, Tell Me Lies and Welcome to Temptation delivers her long-awaited new novel--Maybe This Time.

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…

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Amazon Exclusive: Susan Elizabeth Phillips Interviews Jennifer Crusie

Susan Elizabeth Phillips is the bestselling author of Nobody’s Baby But Mine, What I Did for Love, and many others. She is the only four-time recipient of the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious “Favorite Book of the Year” Award and was also honored with their “Lifetime Achievement” Award. Read on for Susan Elizabeth’s hilarious and entertaining conversation with Jennifer Crusie:

Susan Elizabeth Phillips: Exactly why is Susan Elizabeth Phillips your dear friend?

Jennifer Crusie: Susan Elizabeth Phillips is everything I aspire to be in a writer, a Comic Genius with Incredible Insight into the Human Condition, so I stay close so I can be just like her. I remember the first time we met. It was in an elevator in Dallas. It was magic. She got off at the next floor.

SEP: What do you like most about Susan Elizabeth Phillips?

JC: I think it's her modesty, her willingness to give to others. And her shoes.

SEP: Which Susan Elizabeth Phillips book is your favorite, or do you love them all too much to choose?

JC: Heaven, Texas because I love a Cinderella story.

Also her last one, whatever it is when whoever is reading this is reading this. The one that's on sale now. That one. It's amazing and you should buy it. There's probably a button for it on here somewhere. Hit that button.

SEP: Oh, wait! This is supposed to be about YOU? Sheesh... For those who haven’t read it and are waiting breathlessly, share a little something about your new book Maybe This Time?

JC: Maybe This Time is my version of The Turn of the Screw. It's about a woman who goes back to tell her ex-husband that she's marrying somebody else and takes a job caring for two orphans he's inherited who are living in southern Ohio. When she gets to southern Ohio, she finds out the kids are delinquents and the house is haunted. Also, the ex-husband? Still very hot.

SEP: What is special about this book?

JC: It's a ghost story! And a love story! With kids! It's a Romantic Comedy Ghost Story With Kids. By me!

(You don' t have a copy because it's not out yet. We'll send you one as soon as we get them. Pretend you've read it and it's the most amazing book EVER. I did for you.)

SEP: What gave you the most difficulty writing Maybe This Time and what gave you the most joy?

JC: Difficult--Ghosts. Ghosts are not easy to write without getting cheesy. Also, I generally do not write horror so the I-wants-to-make-your-skin-creep parts were a real departure for me.

Joy--The kids. I'm living with two little girls right now, ages eight and 11, and I stole from them to write Alice. Alice was so much fun to write. Not so much fun to live with in the book, but to write? Alice rocks.

SEP: How do the stories you want to tell now differ from the ones you wanted to tell when you started writing? How are they the same?

JC: Such good questions. Are you a writer, too? Oh, wait. Never mind.

I had no idea how difficult writing fiction was when I started so I just wrote stories. Then I Learned My Craft. Now I spend a lot of time staring into space, thinking about how much I don't know and panicking. So it's harder. But the books are better, more complex, better structured, better written. Also I'm kind of over that Oh-My-God-They-Have-To-Have-Sex-Right-Now-Let-Me-Describe-It-In-Graphic-Detail. I figure anybody reading my books has either had sex or seen it on cable so maybe there's something more interesting in the characters' lives to describe in depth. Like, oh, GHOSTS!

SEP: You're an amazingly entertaining writer. Are you funny in real life? (I know the answer to this, but I'm thinking all of your readers might not.)

JC: Well, not as funny as Susan Elizabeth Phillips, who is a Comic Genius, but I have inspired a few chuckles here and there. Mostly, no.

SEP: Once I start a Jennifer Crusie book, I can't put it down. I know your loyal readers feel the same. What's your secret? (Please reply in 10 words or less because I hate making things too easy on you.)

JC: I do everything Susan Elisabeth Phillips does, except backwards in high heels. (That's twelve words. We can cut the "Elizabeth Phillips" part if you want.)

SEP: Did you finally get your messy office cleaned up so it looks as good as mine? (Oops... This is about you. I keep forgetting.)

JC: Yes. And then it got messy again. Because I'm a creative person and we creative people cannot be bound by the shackles of conventionality that stifle the expression of those who feel compelled to clean their offices. How's your office look?

From Publishers Weekly

Crusie (Bet Me) is back on her own--after a couple of books written with Bob Mayer--with a sweet, offbeat romantic tale of second chances. Thirty-four-year-old Andie, hoping to cut the ties that still bind her to rich ex-hubby North, winds up instead getting drafted to "fix" the troubled orphaned children of North's cousin, who live with a grouchy housekeeper and a crew of ghosts that have an interest in the kids and their gothic mansion home. But there's no ordinary fix for this unruly bunch of living and undead as Andie tries to cajole them all--troubled and lonely kids Alice and Carter, dead aunt May aiming for a do-over, newly dead Dennis, and ancient spooks Miss J and Peter--into moving on. Crusie's created a sharp cast of lonely souls, wacky weirdos, ghosts both good and bad, and unlikely heroes who are brave enough to give life and love one more try. You don't have to believe in the afterlife to relish this fun, bright romp.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; First Edition edition (August 31, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312303785
• ISBN-13: 978-0312303785
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (173 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #522,215 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jennifer Crusie was researching her dissertation on the differences in the way men and women tell stories when she got sidetracked into writing romance novels.

Her first book was published in 1993 (which pretty much finished off any hope of her getting that PhD) and her twenty-second book, Maybe This Time, came out in August of 2010, all of which she considers a minor miracle, especially since she is also a New York Times, USA Today and Publisher's Weekly bestseller and a two-time Rita award winner.

Jenny is currently working on her new Liz Danger mystery series. She is a very happy woman.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

70 of 76 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Quite Classic Crusie, But Good! July 4, 2010

By Randi Morse VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

I first read Jennifer Crusie three years ago. I'd asked my librarian for a book that was light and yet fun to read, and she immediately pointed me towards Crusie. I fell in love with her characters and snagged up all of her books. I loved the characters and how funny they always were, and how she intermingled love with the funny story.

I was extremely excited to get to review Maybe This Time, as I haven't read any new Crusie books since her last one was released. You've probably already read what the story is about, so instead of detailing that, I'll stick to the critiquing.

THE GOOD

Once again we get Crusie's classic wit. You read all sorts of hilarious things in the book, with witty characters that you definitely won't forget. Andie is just as memorable as any other female Crusie character, and I definitely fell in love with Dennis the ghost expert and Isolde the medium. I also really enjoyed that she snuck in Gabe McKenna, from one of her other books. It was nice to see the character in a story that wasn't his own, and I hope she continues to give her characters little cameos.

Writing a ghost story isn't easy - writing a ghost romance that isn't cliche is extremely difficult, but Crusie does it. She manages to get the ghosts in there, explaining all about the different types of ghosts, without seeming corny. And you don't feel like you're reading a ghost story. You feel, as you do with other Crusie work, like you're simply popping into someone else's life for a time.

THE BAD

While the book was definitely readable, and memorable, and I'll definitely be reading it again (and probably again), there was just something missing. I think one of the problems I had was that while Andie feels like a main character, her ex-husband and leading man, North Archer, doesn't. We see him in pieces, in his office or through Andie's memories. I did love the memory flashbacks, but there really didn't feel like there were enough of them, or like Andie and North interacted enough. Even North's brother, Sullivan (Southie) seemed to be more alive on the page than North did. It was only towards the very end when I finally got to see what North was really like, and it's sad, because I wish I had a lot more of that throughout the entire book.

This Crusie book is definitely a great read, but I don't feel as though it's quite as strong as some of her other work. But after an absence of writing solo for 6 years, maybe she's just gotta work the kinks out.

33 of 36 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars More ghost story than romance July 5, 2010

By Book and Dog Lover VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Andromeda (Andie) Miller decides that she needs to make a clear break from her past - from her ex-husband North Archer that is - so that she can move forward in her new relationship. She intends to just tell him to stop sending her alimony (and give him 10 years worth of uncashed checks) and be done with him. Instead, she finds herself agreeing to help him with his 2 wards - 2 children of his cousin who are only living with a housekeeper in a very Gothic house. The other nannies have quit and North is hoping that Andie will get things straightened out so that he can get the kids moved away from that house.

What Andie discovers when she gets to the house are 2 children who are a bit odd, a housekeeper who likes her booze, and some nasty ghosts who don't want her there. And nasty they are - these are no friendly, funny ghosts - these ghosts mean to drive Andie away.

And that was my problem with this book - I found that this was much more a story about Andie dealing with some nasty ghosts than a romance. Andie's conversations with North and their feelings for each other really take up a small part of this book.

I was a big fan of Jennifer Crusie books - Welcome to Temptation and Bet Me are two of my favorites - I loved the characters, I loved the dialog and I loved the romance. I couldn't get into her collaborations and was really excited to see her writing a new solo novel. You'll find that this is in some ways a typical Crusie novel - well-written with some wonderful dialog, some wacky relatives who want to help, and a great heroine - I loved Andie.

Overall, I say if you're a Crusie fan, you'll probably like this book. But if you're looking for a romance or some witty dialog between the hero and heroine as they try to see if maybe this time their relationship will work, you may be disappointed.

41 of 50 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Not vintage Crusie by any means June 30, 2010

By feysidhe VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

I had high hopes for this book. I've been waiting and waiting for Crusie to come out with a new solo book since I haven't enjoyed her collaborations. Unfortunately, this book didn't live up to my expectations.

As usual, Crusie has created some likable characters, but this time they don't suit the book particularly well. There's Andromeda (Andie) Miller, who is ready to go on with her life and get married again after being divorced from her husband, North, for 10 years. As a last favor (too complicated to get into the reasoning--suffice it to say it didn't make me like North particularly, nor was it the most convincing setup), Andie agrees to go deal with North's two wards, who are off in a rural area and who he'd like to bring to live in Columbus with him.

But the kids don't want to move and he has no idea if they are able to matriculate into regular schools, so Andie says she will go and bring them up to speed educationally, as well as deal with the psychological problems they seem to have. (Andie is a paragon, you see. North is not. Their relationship is not terribly believable.)

The setup at the house is quite Gothic. In fact, one feels as if one has stepped right into a prototypical Gothic historical romance, except for the very modern characters and the snappy, humorous dialogue. There are ghosts, murders, a creepy housekeeper, fading children...the whole deal. And that could all work well, but it doesn't fit with Crusie's light and witty style, or with the addition of the kooky characters of Andie's mother, the extraneous medium, etc.

All that sounds very negative, but the fact is that Crusie is an entertaining writer and she makes long stretches of this work. This is not an awful book, it's just not very good, either. (B-)