Everybody Loves Evie

by Beth Ciotta
 
Offbeat, wacky and wonderful, it's Evie and the Chameleon Chronicles!

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!

Evie and the Chameleon Chronicles
All About Evie (2007)
Everybody Loves Evie (2008)
Evie After Evie (2009)

Visit Beth Ciotta's web site

From the back cover: This time: her mission is personal… Former casino lounge singer/variety act Evie Parish has moved up in the world, joining Chameleon, an organization that exposes fraud using reformed crooks to catch current ones. Her last assignment landed her in the arms of the delicious bad boy Arch Duvall, who taught her how to spot a grift and how to get over a lousy ex by having a superheated fling. Now it's time to take to heart what she's learned. When Evie's mom falls for a sweetheart scam, Evie rushes to the rescue (undercover, of course), accompanied by Milo Beckett, her sexy new boss at Chameleon. Closely pursuing is Arch, who's decided Evie may not be a passing fancy after all. It's hard to concentrate on the case with these two macho males squaring off, but Evie's up to the challenge.