Rating: 
Summary: Charming story--fictional hero confuses author's life
Review: Author Maggie Kelly has made it big--stepping up from historical romances to clever historical mysteries set in regency England, with a properly dashing regency hero and his bumbling side-kick. She's just finishing her latest when her inspiration becomes material and the Vicount Saint Just (her hero) and his sidekick suddenly appear--solid, real, and in New York. Once Maggie persuades herself that she's not completely crazy and that she really has created two characters, she tries to get on with her life--a life complicated by the classic alpha hero type who is a whole lot more enjoyable to read about than to have to live with. Unfortunately, her life includes publisher Kirk Toland who seems intent on getting back into her bed. When Kirk ends up dead and Maggie the primary suspect, it's time for some serious detecting. Maggie, Saint Just, and way-cute cop Steve Wendell manage to compete, cooperate, and get in each other's way as they try to get to the bottom of this mystery. Author Kasey Michaels delivers a funny and charming mystery. Maggie is damaged enough to be entirely sympathetic. Saint Just displays just the right balance of arrogance and bafflement at the 21st century. He's a fish out of water in modern New York who, nevertheless, manages to find his way. Minor characters, especially the cute forger Mare, add to the texture of this fine novel.
Rating: 
Summary: An excercise in poor imagination and lazy writing
Review: Great book, great characters, and great plot!! Maggie and Alex grind on eachothers nerves, but are a good team. Sterling is as funny as ever and I'm glad to see that Michaels's has included Sock's more throughout the book this time. Mare & Jay(ne) are great additions to the cast! I'm still hung up on Maggie and Alex's relationship (or lack there of). I'm pulled between wanting Maggie & Alex together and wanting Maggie & Steve togther. Alex is a jerk most of the time but he makes Maggie think. He can also evoke feelings of love/hate very quickly in her, which is something Steve doesn't do. Oh well Michael's will probably keep us geussing till the very end. I'll just have to buy the next book :-)
Rating: 
Summary: 'Maggie Needs An Alibi'
Review: I found this book to be highly enjoyable while I was reading it. Afterwards, when I look back upon it, there isn't anything spectacular about it that I could point out about the book, except that the plot is a very creative one. It's not often that one hears about fictional characters stepping out of a computer into reality, after all, only to plague their author while she tries to avoid being pinned with murder. But while I can't exactly point out anything specific that made this book a wonderful read, I can tell you that it's full of wit and humor, the kind that anyone could enjoy. The characters of Saint Just and his loyal sidekick Balder perfectly offset each other, and the fact that Saint Just is slowly developing a little crush on Maggie is, dare I say, cute. That, and Balder's fascination with Maggie's doorman, an aspiring actor named Argyle Jackson, is just about all the romance in the book. Meaning there isn't too much--but there's enough for me, I find it refreshing. Kirk Toland, Maggie's ex-boyfriend and editor, becomes sick at her apartment after having the dinner that she prepared. He later dies in the hospital, poisoned to death, and Maggie finds herself a main suspect. In order to take the blame off of herself and find out which one of the people in her life actually killed him, she enlists the help of Saint Just. Oh, and his faithful, funny, yet not-really-helpful partner, Balder. I must warn you, that if you're in the mood for a very light, fast-paced read, this wouldn't be it. It starts off moderately and doesn't picks up its pace. There is no suspenseful climax either, so if you're one for a thriller that leaves you guessing at every turn of the page, you might want to put this one back on the shelf. Otherwise, if you don't mind an intellectual mystery, solved by brains rather than storming towards death and getting the information mainly from the killer while they plot to kill you, you should go ahead and give it a go. -Embyr Bradson (10/9/03)
Rating: 
Summary: Didn't have the will the read on...
Review: I got this at the library, reading the summary, back cover, and the first page. I thought I would give it a try, because I liked the plot; it was interesting and held my interest. However, when I got back home and started reading it, I put it down. It didn't meet the my expectations. I was bored, didn't understand the characters (the 2nd guy wasn't even introduced...he barged in and with no background), and I thought her story within the story was bad. The humor was blunt; I didn't laugh once. Partially, I went for this too because of the humor. I write it, I read it, and I want to enjoy it. This book disappointed me. It could have been better, but it wasn't. Don't be misleaded by the summary.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I have been a fan of Ms. Michaels for a long time and usually am delighted by the wit, romance and good characterization of her books. This book was simply not up to par with her previous novels. The plot sounds far more interesting than it reads. The characters are more annoying than charming and the pace is too slow for this type of book. I was not amused by the dialogue and the plot as I usually am. As noted by other reviewers, there is precious little romance in this book either. Considering that it is a hardcover and thus I paid more for it than her previous paperback releases, it was a severe disappointment. Usually an author earns their way into the hardcovers by selling lots of paperbacks and showing consistent quality and reader appeal. This novel is a step back for the author and I'd be surprised if she continues to be printed in hardcover.
Rating: 
Summary: Energetic and funny
Review: Imagine your fictional characters appearing real-life and taking over your life. Kasey Michaels starts her riotous who-dun-it with a twist where popular writer Maggie Kelly gets the shock of her life when her book protagonists Regency detective extraordinaire Alexandre Blakely and assistant Sterling Balder manifests in her world. Things start going out of hand when Alex becomes a heroic rescuer at Central Park - and really wrong - when her publishing boss Kirk Toland ends up dead after eating her mushroom steak. Funny and satirical, Ms. Michaels wickedly lampoons the publishing industry and deftly paces the tale with snappy dialogues and quirky characters including her doorman Socks, thugs like Snake and the detective Steve Wendall. Ms. Michaels however chooses to downplay the romance element here which may be disappointing for her fans but nevertheless this audacious book charms with its energy.
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious! I loved it!
Review: Maggie has made a successful career for herself telling the stories of the finest Regency detective since Holmes, Alexandre Saint Just and his trusty sidekick Sterling. Until now, she has not had to worry about out of control characters or writer's block. Then, one day she opens her eyes to find that Sterling and Saint Just have gone out of her head, literally. They are in her living room, bodily, and she is short a couple of cats. If the fact that her star characters are now her roommates wasn't enough to deal with, her ex boyfriend is making a pest of himself. Though she might like to kill Kirk the Jerk, Maggie never intended to do so. She just has to convince the police of that, when he winds up dead after eating poison mushrooms she served. Maybe having Saint Just around is a good thing after all. ***** Maggie and her two "friends" will quickly win your heart. The situation is completely unique and fresh, and the humor fast paced. Maggie is easy to like, and while Alex and Sterling might get on your nerves, it's in the way that loved ones can. You love them for the irratations. I look forward to their further exploits. *****
Rating:
Summary: An Absolute Gem!
Review: This book (and its sequel, Maggie By the Book) do not belong hidden amongst the Harlequins and Silhouettes. The series is witty, well-written entertainment that anyone can enjoy. Imagine Anthony Edwards in full Scarlet Pimpernel glory appearing in your Manhattan living room, along with a charming Watson-like sidekick, and you're off to the races. I haven't laughed this hard with a book in a long time. Not to mention - the mystery itself is a decent who-dunit. If you are looking for a light read without sacrificing writing quality - look no further. Snatch these two up and you'll soon be holding your breath for a new one!
Rating:
Summary: Who cares who did the deed?
Review: This book dragged...it was slow....and it was sluggish....and the best thing about it was the end. The highlight was finishing the book and reading the preview for the next book in the series. The first chapter of Maggie by the Book gripped me more that the entire first book so I'm giving Kasey Michaels one more chance.
Rating:
Summary: Impossible to Not Put Down
Review: Well, sadly I bought the hardcover. It seemed interestng and at first I eagerly read on. She's a wacky novelist who smokes and devours M&Ms, and then her hero comes alive. And if things got any more interesting from that point on, a funeral would have broken out. Saint Just is BORING and his talk is so, well, everybody else has said it and I'll say it too. CONTRIVED! I hear rumors that a plot developes, where? I quit reading because I couldn't find a pulse in the darn thing. And now I hear there's a sequel? Dear God, nooo! Don't even bother with it, lest of course your morbid curiosity demands it. In that case, check it out from the library or read it at the bookstore, just don't buy it. It's terrible. I got about 150+ pages into it without hopes of a plot, and as one reviewer said the contrivence of the will is so outlandish it hurt to read it.
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