The Importance of Being Alice by Katie MacAlister

First in a new series!

 

 From New York Times bestselling author Katie MacAlister comes a series about finding your own wonderland through one roadblock at a time....

 

 Nothing about Alice Wood’s life is normal right now. Her fiancé, Patrick, called off their wedding and relationship only days before their nonrefundable wedding trip. And though a luxurious European river cruise for one is just what she needs, it’s not what she gets....

 

Due to a horrible misunderstanding, Alice is now cramped in her romantic” suite with one of Patrick’s friends. Instead of cruising along the Rhine, Main, and Danube rivers sipping champagne with the love of her life, she’s navigating the waters with a strange yet mysteriously handsome British aristocrat.

 

 A baron of dubious wealth and not-so-dubious debt Elliot Ainslie is just looking for some alone time to write the books that keep his large family afloat. But his stodgy, serious self is about to be sidetracked by a woman who seems to have jumped out of the pages of a fairy tale, one who is determined to shake up his life...and include him in her own happily ever after.

The Importance of Being Alice was witty and charming and the perfect start to a new series.

 

When Alice’s boyfriend dumps her, she sees no reason to give up the cruise she’s already paid for, and really why should she? What she didn’t realize was the fact that her boyfriend had given his ticket to one of his friends. So, when she arrives, she discovers Elliot already in her cabin. Now Elliot and Alice are forced to share close quarters and soon discover that opposites do indeed attract.  

Alice and Elliot are like chalk and cheese, although they made the cutest little couple. She’s a spunky, spur-of-the-moment-just-go-for-it type that marches to the beat of her own drum. He’s a rules and schedules bloke who’s just trying to find a little bit of peace and quiet to finish his novel before the deadline rolls around. He’s also a baron whose personality is very Darcyesque, which I loved. So, needless to say Alice is a like a little ball of spontaneity and Elliot, try as he might, is defenseless against her charms.

The romance was fast-paced but they had amazing chemistry. And like my gran used to say, ‘there’s a mate to every sock’ and Elliot and Alice are absolutely perfect for each other.  

Coffeehouses in Amsterdam—complete with hookah pipes. A German sex club—complete with a pirate hat and a stuffed parrot that turned into nipple clamps. This book had it all. But keep your panties on, lovelies. All is not what it seems. While they had some fantastic bedroom scenes, they weren’t scorching or erotic.

While I found the start of the novel to be a bit slow, the pace did pick up and before I knew it, I was pulled into the madcap romance of Alice and Elliot.  While it was predictable, I was completely and utterly surprised by a few of the twists towards the end of the novel.   

The Importance of Being Alice was as sweet and fluffy as a marshmallow and I loved every word of it. A very cheeky, laugh out loud, little romance that I could not put down. And I simply adored Elliot’s dry British humor.

Overall, it was a perfect start to a new series and I am eager to see what’s next.

On a side note, I was thrilled to see so many references to Jane Austen and Downton Abbey throughout the book.

 

 

Book Details

Title: The Importance of Being Alice

Author: Katie MacAlister

Publisher: Signet

ISBN: 9780451471376

Release Date: 1/6/2015

$7.99

How I Read It: E-Arc via NetGalley

Rating: 4.5 Cups

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