Book Review & Giveaway- Maybe This Time

By Jennifer Crusie

Published by St. Martin's Press

Released on August 31st, 2010

Source- publisher

2 stars- It's Ok

Andie Miller is ready to move on in life. She wants to marry her fiance 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 fiance 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-in-law, and, of course, her jealous fiance. 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… (quoted from Goodreads)

I have never read any of Jennifer Crusie's books before and I really didn't know what to except when I read Maybe This Time. When I was asked to review the book, I was drawn to it because of the paranormal twist. I think that sometimes readers think that adult books will have a YA appeal because of the paranormal element in the book, but this is not the case with Maybe This Time. I think adults who like a little bit of romance with a paranormal twist may enjoy it.

Maybe This Time follows the book's main character Andie, as she wants to rid her ex-husband of 10 years, a prominent lawyer, North Archer from her life once and for all. When she goes to his law office to do just that, she finds herself falling for him all over again. Not one to show weakness, Andie fights that feeling and finds herself saying Yes in helping him for a month. She is to go and take care of Alice and Carter, the two kids North is a guardian for. The kids live in an old Victorian style house that was brought over from England about a hundred years ago, and they refuse to leave the house, even though attempts have been made numerous times to move them up with Archer. While they have a caregiver, the nanny's keep running away.

Having never wanted to be a mother, Andie's maternal instincts take over the minute she meets the kids, but she also realizes something is not right in the house. Not only have the children never been properly cared for, but the house is very haunted. After a series of events, North returns to the house to help Andie, both their mothers are there, North's brother, and team of people who are their to investigate the ghosts. As things heat up, the ghosts become stronger, though they'd never harm the children, nothing has stopped them from killing in the past and nothing can stop them now. Andie and North (who doesn't believe in ghosts) will stop at nothing to protect the children and each other.

What I did like- I really loved how Andie came in and took charge over the children. She is one feisty character who came to care for and love two very broken kids and worked to make them better. Where everyone else gave up on them, I should say ran away, because of the ghosts that live in the house, Andie stood her ground to everyone and every ghost in order to protect the kids. I loved seeing her relationship with kids grow and seeing the kids come around and grow to love Andie. I liked the chemistry North and Andie have, as even after being divorced for 10 years neither has gotten over the other one. They both try to deny the feelings they have for each other at first, but in the end their hearts win out. I liked both North and Andie's mothers. Bothof them have some great flaws, but both are fiercely protective of their adult children, but not in that overbearingly bad way. I did like the ghosts/haunting in the book. It was a little creepy and a little predictable, but it was still good.

What I didn't like- I had a hard time getting into the story, until close to the end. There wasn't enough character building or plot depth to really keep me hooked. Over all there wasn't any depth to the story. I had a hard time finding the characters relatable. The story left me feeling a little empty, as I didn't take anything away from it. I didn't care for the language that's spread through out the book. I'll be honest, I'm not a big fan of the F word. I over it look it if it's used or twice, but more than that and it totally bugs me and sometimes will completely turn me off of the book. I didn't care for the sex scenes, even if it was hot. But, it's an adult book and that's excepted, it's just something that wasn't for me. I wanted to sit down and get lot in a great love story with a paranormal twist and that didn't happen.

Though Maybe This Time wasn't my cup of tea, but many adult readers & Jennifer Cruise fans may enjoy it.

Thank you to St Martin's Press, we have 1 copy of Maybe This Time to giveaway. This is open to residents in the US and Canada only. The winner will receive the book from St Martin's Press.