Tongue In Chic (Paperback)

by Christina Dodd (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Caught breaking into her family's old estate to steal a valuable painting hidden by her grandmother, Meadow Szarvas thought if she claimed to have amnesia, Devlin Fitzwilliam, the new owner, would have to let her go. Instead, much to her surprise, Devlin insists that Meadow is his long-lost wife. At first, Meadow plays along with Devlin, especially since she has no other options if she wants to find the much-needed painting. Things really become complicated, though, once Meadow realizes that not only is someone trying to kill Devlin but also that she is starting to fall in love with her new "husband." RITA Award-winning Dodd's latest sparkling romantic suspense novel is another of her superbly sexy literary confections expertly spiced with sassy wit and featuring a beguiling cast of wonderfully entertaining characters. John Charles
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Description
NEW FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF TROUBLE IN HIGH HEELS!

Devlin Fitzwilliam caught Meadow Szarvas red-handed, breaking into his mansion to steal a painting. In sheer desperation, she used a case of amnesia as her excuse. But then he pulled a fast one-and claimed she was his wife. Playing along was the only way for Meadow to get her hands on that painting. But what she doesn't realize is that Devlin has a hidden agenda too-and that someone's keeping an eye on them both.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Signet (February 6, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451220560
• ISBN-13: 978-0451220561
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #164,665 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fun, exciting read, February 11, 2007

By	Romance, Romance, & nothing but Romance! (Midwest) - See all my reviews

I enjoyed Tongue in Chic more than Dodd's last several contemporary books but you have to go into it ready to have fun. If you're looking for a dark suspense type book. This one isn't for you.

If you like a tough, driven, slightly brooding hero with hidden depths of gold and a spunky, hard-to-resist heroine who brings light and fun to his (and everyone else's) life - then this book has what you want!

It is well written and both main characters are engaging and enjoyable in their own way. The conclusion where all the different threads of the story come together at the end of the book is a little fast but I highly recommend this book!

Fans of Lori Foster will enjoy this book!

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Tongues Down, February 16, 2007

By	SNG (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This is a classic opposites-attract story in which Meadow Szarvas, a casual, down-to-earth artist falls for Devlin Fitzwilliam, a wealthy self-made CEO. Most of the story takes place at a mansion in Amelia Shores that has been newly converted into a hotel, owned by Devlin, natch.

I have some small and large problems with Tongue in Chic. First the small problems: What is with the lame play-on-words title that in no way relates to the story and doesn't make sense on its own? And who is the elegantly dressed woman on the cover? Meadow doesn't wear an evening gown in even a single scene. Between the title and the cover, it seems as if the publisher is attempting to mislead readers in some way, and I have no idea why.

Anyway, my real problems with Tongue in Chic concern the contents of the book. The writing style is choppy and lacks transitions. The story does not flow smoothly from scene to scene. For example, in the first scene, Devlin is described as "Mr. Arrogant" and as a "stern-faced, hawk-nosed interrogator." One page later, he is gazing soulfully into Meadow's eyes and calling her his "darling" and his "wife". When I re-read pages to find what I missed, I discovered that I didn't miss anything - the transitions simply weren't there. Dodd's writing technique in this contemporary romance is a departure from her writing in her historical romances (of which I am a fan). Apparently, I will have to stick with her historical romances.

My other main problem with the book is that so much of it required a suspension of disbelief. I should have expected some unbelievable aspects when the premise of the book involves a heroine who claims to have amnesia and a hero who claims that she is his wife. I think that Dodd is a skillful enough writer to make the premise more believable, but here again she cut corners so that it just didn't work.

On the whole, it's a thumbs down. Or should I say tongues down?

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pleasant Read But Could Have Been Much More, March 3, 2007

By	mayfayre "mayfayre" (New Jersey USA) - See all my reviews

I liked this story; it was a light, quick, fun read. But after I finished it I did give it a little more thought and realized that my overall impression of it was disappointment. Not in the characters themselves or in the plot, but with the undeveloped potential involving the secondary characters and their subplots that was allowed to languish. The behavioral inconsistencies of the main characters caused me to raise an eyebrow every now and then, but didn't bother me as much as finishing the book and wishing the author had taken the time to flesh out a lot of other interesting bits.

I don't know, perhaps it was due to contractual limits on the page number, but there was a lot in this book that could have been better developed that, I think, would have really made this a stand-out romance.

Ms. Dodd created a number of interesting secondary characters, but didn't take them that extra step. The voice of the book was basically that of either Meadow or Devlin, yet I would have really loved to have read more scenes from the secondary characters' points of view, more scenes rounding them out as characters in their own right because they seemed to be more than just stereotypes. There were more subplots than are usually found in a standard romance: Meadow's mother's battle with cancer, the embittered life of Bradley Benjamin, the wasted life of Four Benjamin, Grace Fitzwilliam's celebrity status and emotional distance, the business that Meadow apparently left to run itself, and Judith's insane desire for recognition. I think it would have really kicked this book up out of the ordinary if the story had more of a touch of the epic about it. The material was there to use, it just wasn't developed.

I don't usually mentally re-write books after I read them, but this was one that I did.