From Publishers Weekly
Romance and cozy fans will welcome this cross-genre sequel to Michaels's Maggie Needs an Alibi (2002), with its original premise, sympathetic if reluctant heroine and lively supporting cast. New Yorker Maggie Kelly, a former author of Regency romances who now writes historical mysteries, has an unusual house guest, her fictional Regency-era hero, Alexandre Blake, Viscount Saint Just (aka Alex Blakely). What's more, he has registered her for the annual conference in Manhattan of We Are Romance (WAR), a romance writers' group with whom she's had past differences. Maggie grudgingly attends and fronts Alex and his friend, Mary Louise, in the cover-model contest. Tensions run high, and participants head for home as a series of increasingly dangerous pranks culminates in the death of one of WAR's most notorious members. Alex, a sleuth in his own fictional world, is determined to unmask the killer at the fancy dress ball, with or without the help of his creator, who's distracted by the reappearance of her NYPD detective heartthrob, Steve Wendell. Michaels, a romance writer herself and a pro at juxtaposing unlikely characters, keeps the sparks flying between Maggie and Alex, who serves as an admirable foil for her irritation. A surfeit of amusing secondary characters slows the action in the middle, but the plot picks up at the end with the unmasking of the surprise culprit. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Maggie Kelley, a former romance author turned mystery writer, has her hands full with her romantic Regency detective, the viscount of Saint Just, and his sleuthing sidekick, Sterling, who have somehow come to life and invaded her current neurotic New York existence. She passes them off as a distant cousin and his friend upon whom she has patterned her fictitious detectives; then Saint Just convinces her to attend a romance conference where sabotage eventually leads to murder. Saint Just sets out to investigate, dragging Sterling, Maggie, and friends along with him and leaving a clueless Manhattan sergeant with aspirations of being a cover model in the dust. The list of suspects is large, given all the conference attendees who are vying for a chance to publish the next great American romance or to become the next Fabio. Colorful characters and humorous dialogue populate this wonderful sequel to Maggie Needs an Alibi (2002) and leave the reader waiting for more. Patty Engelmann
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Maggie by the Book FROM THE PUBLISHER
Welcome to the crazy world of bestselling New York City author Maggie Kelly...brought to you by New York Times bestselling author Kasey Michaels...
Kelly's Law #1: Just when things seem to be settling down, the other shoe drops...with a vengeance. In this case, it's more like a boot -- a Regency-era riding boot belonging to Alexandre Blake, Viscount Saint Just, hero of the bestsellers I write. And the man who's been throwing gold-filigree monkey wrenches into my life for the past three months. When he defied all laws of time, space, and -- let's face it -- reality by walking out of my dreams and into my living room, I figured there must be a way to get him back home to the corner of my fevered imagination from which he'd escaped. Okay, so I was wrong. The thing is, I'm kind of getting used to having him around. Alex Blakely, as Saint Just now calls himself, isn't exactly hard on the eyes, and he's chock full of editorial suggestions. Not that I need them. Much.
Kelly's Law #2: All's fair in love and WAR. WAR being We Are Romance, the country's largest romance writer's group. Despite the fact that the WAR-riors unofficially booted me from their little club a while back, I'm still technically a member, which is how I got the invitation to their Manhattan conference. How Alex convinced me to go -- and take him along -- is another story. I just knew it would be a bad thing. Bad for my blood pressure...and very bad for my budding flirtation with Lieutenant Steve Wendell -- he of the shaggy hair and the NYPD -- who's been suspicious of my relationship with Alex from the get-go. Of course, there's nothing to be suspicious about...yet. But my publisher and my agent are attending the conference. Plus, complimentary cocktails! When will I learn there's no such thing as a free drink?
Kelly's Law #3: That thing sticking in your back that looks like a knife? If you're at a writer's conference...it probably is. The best part of WAR thus far has been witnessing Alex being mistaken for a cover model competition contestant. The worst part? Take your pick: Conniving colleagues. Over-ambitious wannabe writers. Homicidal maniacs. First, a shaved chest is permanently retired when one of the cover hunks turns up dead. Then, the publisher of the country's leading romance book review rag is offed in the elevator. Now, Alex is on the case. And so is Steve. And so am I. Killers to the left of me, hacks to the right, here I am...stuck in the middle without a clue. Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit smoking...again.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
Romance and cozy fans will welcome this cross-genre sequel to Michaels's Maggie Needs an Alibi (2002), with its original premise, sympathetic if reluctant heroine and lively supporting cast. New Yorker Maggie Kelly, a former author of Regency romances who now writes historical mysteries, has an unusual house guest, her fictional Regency-era hero, Alexandre Blake, Viscount Saint Just (aka Alex Blakely). What's more, he has registered her for the annual conference in Manhattan of We Are Romance (WAR), a romance writers' group with whom she's had past differences. Maggie grudgingly attends and fronts Alex and his friend, Mary Louise, in the cover-model contest. Tensions run high, and participants head for home as a series of increasingly dangerous pranks culminates in the death of one of WAR's most notorious members. Alex, a sleuth in his own fictional world, is determined to unmask the killer at the fancy dress ball, with or without the help of his creator, who's distracted by the reappearance of her NYPD detective heartthrob, Steve Wendell. Michaels, a romance writer herself and a pro at juxtaposing unlikely characters, keeps the sparks flying between Maggie and Alex, who serves as an admirable foil for her irritation. A surfeit of amusing secondary characters slows the action in the middle, but the plot picks up at the end with the unmasking of the surprise culprit. (Aug. 5) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
Bored by Regency England, dashing Alexandre Drake, Viscount Saint Just, and his sober sidekick Sterling Balder (Maggie Needs an Alibi, 2002) decide to hang around 21st-century New York and give their creator Maggie Kelly continued agita. Maggie's so mad that her on-the-page Saint Just's forays into detection prevent We Are Romance from considering him a romantic hero that she threatens to boycott their convention this year-until her in-my-living-room Saint Just points out that if he wins the convention's costume competition, he and Balder will have the money to sublet an apartment down the hall. But the convention's a disaster. Superstar writer Felicity Boothe Simmons gets a threat via gorilla-a-gram; someone releases a zillion mice in the hallways; food poisoning lays low Maggie's publisher Bernie Toland-James and her agent Tabitha Leighton; all the elevators go on the blink, trapping Maggie and her pregnant friend Virginia Neuendorf between the floors just as the contractions start, and attendees leave in droves. Even conference chair Bunny Wilkinson flees, leaving put-upon assistant Martha Kolowsky to coordinate the showdown among cover-models Giancarlo, Damien, and Lucious. But it's murder that sends Saint Just into action, forging an unlikely bond between the highborn hero and NYPD's down-to-earth Steve Wendell, his rival for Maggie's heart. Michaels need not fear that Maggie's novels will lose their romance status if they offer as little mystery and as much soap as this fare.
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