Maybe This Time

By: Jennifer Crusie

Narrated by: Angela Dawe

Length: 10 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

Andie Miller is ready to move on with her life. She wants to marry her fiancé and leave behind everything in her past, especially her ex-husband, North Archer. But when Andie tries to gain closure with him, he asks one final favor of her. A distant cousin has died and left North the guardian of two orphans who have driven away three nannies already, and things are getting worse. He needs someone to take care of the situation, and he knows Andie can handle anything....

When Andie meets the two children, she realizes the situation is much worse than she feared. Carter and Alice aren’t your average delinquents, and the creepy old house where they live is being run by the worst housekeeper since Mrs. Danvers. Complicating matters is Andie’s fiancé’s suspicion that this is all a plan by North to get Andie back. He may be right, because Andie’s dreams have been haunted by North since she arrived at the old house. And that’s not the only haunting....

Then her ex-brother-in-law arrives with a duplicitous journalist and a self-doubting parapsychologist, closely followed by an annoyed medium, Andie’s tarot card–reading mother, her avenging ex-mother-in-law, and her jealous fiancé. Just when Andie’s sure things couldn’t get more complicated, North arrives to make her wonder if maybe this time things could just turn out differently....

©2010 Jennifer Crusie (P)2010 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

4.5 Stars

The narrator was excellent. She really brought the characters to life. LOL funny. The romantic element was subtle enough that I didn't feel like I was listening to bad porno. The hero isn't present for most of the book, which does inhibit the romantic development to a degree. It's not as much of a problem as it could be, since this is a second-chance romance (which ventures well into chick-lit). The addition of the ghosts made for an exciting and occasionally chilling plot. There were a couple of things which bugged me, but not enough to derail me from the story. I found it hard to stop listening and get off the Stairmonster (which should tell anyone who's ever used one how good this book is). This was my first Jennifer Cruise; it won't be my last. I'll be looking for more of this narrator and this team.

Really good one!

Would you listen to Maybe This Time again? Why?

Yes - I really enjoyed this story and the narration. Angela Dawe is a good one.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Maybe This Time?

The main character's interaction with the children and the magical quality to the ghosts.

What about Angela Dawe’s performance did you like?

Love Angela! Her voices come across so well and really make the story

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes and almost did

Any additional comments?

I will be looking for more Jennifer Crusie books in the future. I have enjoyed all that I have read/listened to.

really different

had to keep listening because I had to find out what was going to happen next because it was so different than other stories!

Fun, engaging read

A perfect Jennifer Crusie audiobook full of second chances, and ghosts. Just what I needed after finishing a heavier novel. A true palette cleanser!

Fun novel and Awesome narration

This book is fun to listen to... plus the narration is really amazing. Except that at the end chapters, I got so tired of listening to Andy having an argument with the dead aunt, plus that addition of two ghosts. I kinda' tempted to fast forward these parts.I think they could have been done better. All in all, it is a fun novel and worth listening to.

great narrator!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

The story was entertaining. The narrator did a wonderful job and made the book even more enjoyable.

A different Jennifer Crusie, but a good one

This was a little far fetched at first but got better as it went on. I really liked the narrator and the story got better and better. I would recommend this to anyone that enjoys the paranormal, sci-fi romance genre. If there is such a thing.

Humor, Mystery and Ghosts

If you can relate to a story involving ghosts, Maybe This Time is an engrossing story with humor, mystery, romance and off-beat characters.

Two turns of the screw, no three turns!

Of all the classic novels I would expect to be turned into a contemporary romance novel, the Turn of the Screw is probably one of the last, with all its gothic Freudian overtones, allusions to child molestation and actual child death. Maybe this Time is a much, much lighter retelling; the story is not told in first person like Turn, but in an occasionally shifting limited third person perspective, so it comes down definitely on one side of the 'issue.' I was totally caught by surprise by the plot; I had no idea what this novel was when I bought it. I was a little nervous once I figured out what was going on, but I ended up really liking it for two reasons. One, the novel is a really good romance novel on its own with elements that are original and fun, like the dueling mothers-in-law; the god-awful tv reporter; the allied medium and ghost skeptic; and a really appealing heroine. Two, while the novel comes down on one side of the 'issue,' there are parts that kind of pay homage to the darker and more ambiguous side of Turn and makes you get on the side of the author. It's kind of like she winks at you and says 'yes, this story could be told another way, but true love and banana bread are so much more fun.'

Not a Bad Book

Somewhat predictable. Narration was not bad. It’s a love story, so it’s sweet, but not super meaty. Read a couple other Cruise books, so no big surprises.