Rating: 
Summary: Just for fun
Review: A funny, funny book, but you must suspend disbelief. Those who don't understand or like fantasy will be disappointed. You're not supposed to take this book too seriously--that's the idea (some people don't get it). It's somewhat like a modern fairy tale for the 90's woman, and just for fun.
Rating: 
Summary: I'm a Guy, But...
Review: Basically, this book stinks. The plot is unbelievable, as well as formulaic for Ms. Heller: frumpy, Jewish, mother-hating, father-loving, recently separated/divorced woman who hates her ex thinks she needs to look elsewhere for happiness, but finds it around the corner with a man she thought she couldn't stand.
Rating: 
Summary: A thank-you to fans of INFERNAL AFFAIRS
Review: Have you ever gone through a bad patch and thought: I'd do anything if I could shed ten pounds, be more successful in my career, or find a man to love? Well, that's the premise of INFERNAL AFFAIRS, my third novel of comedy, mystery and romance - a story in which the hapless heroine is dissatisfied with her life and makes an unwitting pact with the devil - i.e. she goes to sleep prematurely gray and overweight and wakes up looking like Heather Locklear! The response to the book has been so heartening - people tell me how hard they laughed. As my goal with all my books is to entertain, primarily through humor, I'm a happy gal. A lot of readers think INFERNAL AFFAIRS would make a terrific movie. I think so too. It was optioned by Disney, as was my next book, PRINCESS CHARMING, but no films thus far. Meanwhile, thanks again to my readers. I hope you'll have fun with my forthcoming novel, SIS BOOM BAH, coming out in May. It's about two bickering sisters who fall for their mother's cardiologist! Bye bye!
Rating: 
Summary: Great beginning, awkward ending
Review: Heroine: Frump-turned-babe Frizzy, frazzled, and frayed by a boring marriage, a year-long slump in the Florida real-estate biz, and nightly rounds with a wine bottle, Barbara Chessner has truly hit the skids. Upon being told that her hubby is dumping her for a younger-albeit-toothier gal, introverted Barbara washes down her rage with still more elixir of the vine. Unable to speak her mind until her husband is well out of earshot, she turns to the stormy night and wishes she was free of her old rundown life. And in the wink of an eye, her wish is granted. Barbara wakes the next morning as a blonde bombshell who can suddenly sing on-key, wrap handsome men around her little finger, and sell a house just by looking at a prospective buyer. So what if this instant makeover has some drawbacks, such as explaining her new appearance to folks who have known her forever, or the fact that her breath inexplicably reeks of Brussels sprouts? Who in their right mind would want their old life back? Barbara would! It soon becomes apparent that her prayers weren't answered by the celestial being she had thought, and new bouncier breasts or no, she doesn't want to be signing on for eternity with Satan. All Barbara has to do now is figure out where in Banyan Beach the devil is hiding and send him back where he belongs before he turns her beloved hometown into a recruiting ground for the Army of Hades. Can Barbara save her soul and her city before it's too late? What worked for me: I genuinely liked Barbara and enjoyed her transformation from doormat to independent woman. This book had some very funny lines and scenes to savor, and I had a great time watching Barbara try to figure out what had happened to her.
What didn't work for me: I get so tired of the notion that being any size in double digits necessarily equates with "frumpiness". Barbara lost 20 pounds overnight and woke up a size 8, so she must have been merely average-sized to begin with. The mixed message in this book really put my teeth on edge: bigger women are ok as long as they aren't too much bigger. And don't get me started on the fact that at the end of the story the (anti?) hero got to keep his paunch, but the heroine was on a diet to lose the double chin. How could a book that was so well-written for the first three quarters go so far astray at the end? The climax and resolution of this story just fell so flat for me. The first attempt to rid this little corner of Florida of its supernatural visitor came off as ridiculous (not in a good way), and the final solution to the town's troubles came off as trite. The confrontation between good and evil left me thinking, "That's IT?!? What was that all about?" Overall: Most of the book was so well-written that I still recommend it as a pretty good read, but only if you are willing to overlook a fat-phobic passage here and there and the disappointing ending. I sincerely hope that rumors of a possible movie based on this story are true. It has the potential to be a really cute flick if the right person develops the screenplay. Warning: there's a bit of coarse language and a brief strange (but funny) sexual scenario. If you liked "Infernal Affairs" you might also enjoy "Princess Charming", "Plum Girl", The Stephanie Plum mystery series, and "Fast Women".
Rating:
Summary: Great beginning, awkward ending
Review: Heroine: Frump-turned-babe Frizzy, frazzled, and frayed by a boring marriage, a year-long slump in the Florida real-estate biz, and nightly rounds with a wine bottle, Barbara Chessner has truly hit the skids. Upon being told that her hubby is dumping her for a younger-albeit-toothier gal, introverted Barbara washes down her rage with still more elixir of the vine. Unable to speak her mind until her husband is well out of earshot, she turns to the stormy night and wishes she was free of her old rundown life. And in the wink of an eye, her wish is granted. Barbara wakes the next morning as a blonde bombshell who can suddenly sing on-key, wrap handsome men around her little finger, and sell a house just by looking at a prospective buyer. So what if this instant makeover has some drawbacks, such as explaining her new appearance to folks who have known her forever, or the fact that her breath inexplicably reeks of Brussels sprouts? Who in their right mind would want their old life back? Barbara would! It soon becomes apparent that her prayers weren't answered by the celestial being she had thought, and new bouncier breasts or no, she doesn't want to be signing on for eternity with Satan. All Barbara has to do now is figure out where in Banyan Beach the devil is hiding and send him back where he belongs before he turns her beloved hometown into a recruiting ground for the Army of Hades. Can Barbara save her soul and her city before it's too late? What worked for me: I genuinely liked Barbara and enjoyed her transformation from doormat to independent woman. This book had some very funny lines and scenes to savor, and I had a great time watching Barbara try to figure out what had happened to her.
What didn't work for me: I get so tired of the notion that being any size in double digits necessarily equates with "frumpiness". Barbara lost 20 pounds overnight and woke up a size 8, so she must have been merely average-sized to begin with. The mixed message in this book really put my teeth on edge: bigger women are ok as long as they aren't too much bigger. And don't get me started on the fact that at the end of the story the (anti?) hero got to keep his paunch, but the heroine was on a diet to lose the double chin. How could a book that was so well-written for the first three quarters go so far astray at the end? The climax and resolution of this story just fell so flat for me. The first attempt to rid this little corner of Florida of its supernatural visitor came off as ridiculous (not in a good way), and the final solution to the town's troubles came off as trite. The confrontation between good and evil left me thinking, "That's IT?!? What was that all about?" Overall: Most of the book was so well-written that I still recommend it as a pretty good read, but only if you are willing to overlook a fat-phobic passage here and there and the disappointing ending. I sincerely hope that rumors of a possible movie based on this story are true. It has the potential to be a really cute flick if the right person develops the screenplay. Warning: there's a bit of coarse language and a brief strange (but funny) sexual scenario. If you liked "Infernal Affairs" you might also enjoy "Princess Charming", "Plum Girl", The Stephanie Plum mystery series, and "Fast Women".
Rating:
Summary: As funny as her other books
Review: I have read three other books by Jane Heller, and this one is just as funny as the others. I really enjoyed Barbara's character. Some of the devil scenes were a little sappy, but for the most part the book was very humorous and a fun read.
Rating: 
Summary: Infernally boring
Review: I only finished this book because I had no other reading material at hand. The story is silly, the romantic plot predictable from page one, and the promised humor is nowhere to be found. It features a pitiable Devil and a God that has nothing better to do than to sit on the heroine's sofa. Gee whiz...
Rating:
Summary: I enjoyed this book....
Review: I read some of her other books and I was alittle more satisfied with them than this one. This one is very good, but I felt it was not her best. The story was very cute and it held my attention, but I sort of got lost in the middle, but the end was great and it finished with a bang!
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Summary: What a Pleasant Surprise!!
Review: I read this book a few years ago and it was my first for this author. After reading this I went out and grabbed all of her backlist. This was one of the first books that I had read in the first person, I tend to steer clear from them but I'm glad I didn't with this one. This was one of those books that I couldn't stop laughing about, in the rest room at work, in the Cafeteria at lunch, anywhere I was you could hear me just cracking up over the dialogue and the things Barbara did! I don't recommend this book for anyone looking for a piece of literary genious. I do recommend it if you are in a reading slump and you have had enough of historical sap, graphic murder mysteries or time-travel overload. It was a light read and a unexpected Pleasure. I am currently reading "Name Dropping" and one of the reasons I like it so far is it reminds me of "Infernal Affairs" I'm thoroughly enjoying it. As with all authors I do recommend that you read their backlist first and then work your way up to their current writing style it is important to see the Author's progression some time they get better and then there are times when they get stuck in a rut. If you like Janet Evanovich, Rachel Gibson or Jennifer Cruise I would give Jane a try.
Rating:
Summary: Devilishly Unsatisfactory Reading
Review: I really enjoyed "Name Dropping" by Jane Heller so I went looking for more of her novels. Do not waste your time on this one. I could barely get through it. The plot sounded clever enough-wishing for a better life the main charcter gets caught up in a deal with the devil she does not want; but it just did not work. The characters are annoying and the story not only is unbelieveable it is boring. Skip this one and go for "Name Dropping."
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