Avon Books (Paperback), ISBN 0-380-80232-5
Turning 30 gives many of us pause, but English spinster and successful novelist Amanda Briars refuses to pass this milestone without making love to a man. She decides to give herself quite a birthday present -- an evening with a male prostitute from London's most notorious and prestigious bordello.

Seduction sizzles from the moment Amanda's "package" arrives. By the end of the evening, she remains a virgin, but she knows lots more than when the evening began. Several weeks later, she attends a dinner party with London's literati, and her birthday present walks into the room. Surprise! Her man of the evening turns out to be Jack Devlin, a 19th century Rupert Murdoch. He runs a publishing empire, and he wants to serialize one of her books -- not to mention bed its author.

Amanda rejects both offers. After all, this new-fangled idea of serializing books won't last. Her three-volume novel needs no improvement. Devlin points out serialization works very well for some new author named Charles Dickens. Devlin knows how to market books and develop new ideas. Serialization will be the wave of the future. Amanda keeps her reservations, but a 5,000 pound advance can't be ignored.

A partnership forms between the gently reared spinster and the cast-off son of a nobleman. Jack Devlin lives up to his name -- sexy, devilish and completely delightful. Amanda resembles many of her readers -- short and plump with a practical mind and a sharp tongue that Jack finds absolutely desirable. Every time Jack and Amanda meet, the sexual tension burns the page.

Lisa Kleypas explores some fascinating territory. Perhaps she asked herself "what if" she shifted 21st century publishing practices to the 19th century? Amanda Briars writes about daring women who push social bounds, while Jack Devlin bulldozes the staid business of publishing toward innovations that mostly flowered 100 years later.

Serializing novels gained popularity and great financial success for authors and publishers in the 19th century. Kleypas sets Suddenly You at the beginning of this phenomenon. What a relief that the three-volume novel lost popularity along the way. This reviewer would be hard put to get through the first volume of many of these books! Readers won't have any such dilemma with Suddenly You. From beginning to end, passions collide while Kleypas gives us some fascinating glimpses into the unpredictable world of publishing.

Doris Valliant

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