Improper English
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
American versus Englishman—will it be a war of wits, or a battle to find their hearts? Alix hasn’t had much luck in her life, but a trip to London, a matchmaking landlady, and the handsome Scotland Yard detective living above her indicate her luck is about to change. Has she truly found her perfect man, or will the disasters that dog her steps destroy everything she’s hoped for?
Alexandra Freemar should be in heaven—she’s just been handed everything she’s ever wanted on a silver plate: a three month stay in London, the time to write the book of her heart, and the chance to finally prove to her mother that she’s not the miserable failure her past indicates. Free-spirited, unconventional, and able to find the absurd in almost any situation, Alix finds that heaven isn’t what it’s cracked up to be when fate, in the form of a matchmaking landlady who promises to fix her up with her perfect soul mate, hands her the devilishly handsome man who lives upstairs. Her perfect man? Hardly! Her perfect man is not a workaholic, straight-laced detective inspector from Scotland Yard who wouldn’t recognize fun if it bit him on his (extremely attractive) behind.
Alexander Black is a man with a mission, and no one is going to distract him from that, not even the uninhibited, carefree American who personifies everything he dislikes in a woman: she belittles his devotion to work, insists on dragging him into the most unlikely of situations, exudes sexuality that makes his mouth go dry whenever he’s near her, and teases him with a brashness that’s utterly foreign to him. But underneath that sassy mouth and devil-may-care exterior, he senses a wounded woman who’s calling out to him, and try as he might, he just can’t refuse answering.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
American Alexandra (Alix) Freemar travels to England to write a romance novel, but she soon discovers romance off the page with her sexy neighbor, Scotland Yard detective Alexander Block. Alix and Alex steam up the pages of this funny yet frustrating tale. Apart from their encounters, readers are also treated to passages from Alix's own work-in-progress, Ravishing Raven. In contrast to the jazzy freshness of Alix and Alex's relationship, purple prose marks Alix's historical romance. While these passages are used to humorous effect at times, it quickly becomes apparent that they reflect not only Alix's poor writing skills, but her skewed perception of love and life. Prone to frequent hysterical crying fits and immature name-calling, Alix is likely to try even the softest heart. Matters come to a head when she receives bad news about her novel and calls Alex to come comfort her. Though sympathetic, he's hot on the trail of a child pornographer and can't rush to her side. She gets mad, he takes it all in stride, and in the end, Alix never really gains any deeper understanding of herself. The novel has its amusing moments -such as when Alex confiscates Alix's pot plant but readers aren't likely to embrace MacAlister's (Noble Intentions) self-centered heroine.