Everybody Loves Evie
by Beth Ciotta
Offbeat, wacky and wonderful, it's Evie and
the Chameleon Chronicles!
Publisher: HQN (February 2008)
No one does romantic comedy like Beth Ciotta! Everybody Loves Evie, the second
book in the Chameleon Chronicles after All About Evie, combines fast-paced
action and humor with a bit of mystery and tenderness as Evie and
Chameleon come closer to home.
An over 40 year old former lounge singer, Evie has turned secret agent
in an organization of former con artists stinging cons, Evie is about
to start a new life complete with a new job and her new love, Archie.
The problem is that Archie is a con artist turned good but a con artist
no less. How can Evie know if what they have is real? He knows her like
no one else but isn't that part of the con? Her plans turn awry when
Milo hires her for Chameleon, against Archie's advice, and develops a
crush on Evie. Can she trust Milo when her job placement isn't quite
what she imagined? Does she choose the good boy or the bad boy? When
her nice prim and proper mother gets a new hairdo and starts primping,
Evie knows there is a new man in her life and takes a leave of absence
from Chameleon, or so she thinks. Milo and Archie join her and make it
a mission complete with roles to play. Will Chameleon find the answers
to the mystery and more importantly, will Evie find the answers to the
questions of her heart?
Beth Ciotta's Evie romances are a major breath of fresh air. Chronicled
in first person monologue, with references to legendary film and
television drama, Everybody Loves Evie breaks all the rules of the
chronicle tradition with its delightful offbeat character commentary on
events and her involvement in unfolding events. Humorous, zany and just
crazy at times, the action goes into the most unexpected places from a
senatorial cover-up to Evie's Indiana hometown, from pyramid schemes
and fraud to the tender places of the home and heart. Evie is a
hilarious yet lovable self-contradiction in herself, describing herself
as one quality and then listing the exceptions, all the while endearing
herself to the reader with her humorous vision. Beth Ciotta writes some
of the funniest lines writing in Evie's voice. When she reveals Evie's
most tender thoughts, the reader can't resist loving Evie --- nor can
the characters.
Beth Ciotta mixes up her characters and their agent roles with humor
and romance. Bad boy grifter and Scottish nobility, Archie plays both
roles but who is the real Archie? As Evie learns more and more about
the fine art of the con game, can she keep the boy and the job,
creating for herself a modern fairy tale for a modern woman's passion
and her girl's innocent heart? Once burned by her ex-husband, will Evie
find a love, sweet and sexy, in this strange grifter turned agent world
that might just trump even her childhood fantasies? As Arch and Milo
learn more and more about Evie, will they and Chameleon ever be quite
the same?
Everybody Loves Evie
is a madcap comedy with a romantic story of the heart. Taking the
chance to follow her dreams, Evie discovers her heart. She dares,
taking a step into an unusual but thrilling world. Evie doesn't just
find romance ---- she evolves, changing the hearts of all those around
her. Everybody Loves Evie is
a unique reading pleasure --- wacky, witty, romantic and wonderful!
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