Didn't finish it. The heroine is so flippin' stupid and klutzy, it stopped being cute around chapter six and I just couldn't stand any more. ( )

This book is a light comical yet saucy romance. Off the bat, I love the British flair to the novel. The characters Alex and Alix are combatively attracted and repeling to one another, this is what keeps the novel interesting. The complications in the lives of the characters surrounded by noisy quirky neighbors balances the steamy bits that create a well rounded romantic comedy. MacAlister once again has whitty female character that can draw in almost any reader.

This book ranges from mildly entertaining to giggle-out-loud. Overall, though, it rates only an 'okay' because the story is unmemorable. ( )

If I'm not mistaken, this is Katie's first contemporary. It's not quite as solid as her more recent ones, but she definitely already had the "voice" down and an amazing gift for humor.

Alix is a young woman at a crossroads. She's failed at marriage, failed at every job she's tried, definitely failed to win her mother's approval or respect. So now she's decided to become a novelist. Her mother has paid her rent for 2 months in an apartment in London, on the condition that she write--and finish--a book. If she does, her mother will support her for a year to get herself established. If she doesn't, well, her grandmother (grandfather? I'm fuzzy on this--it's only mentioned once) needs tending.

She's determined to make it work, but she's insecure about it, so she asks everyone--and I mean everyone--their opinion on her chapters. Most of the chapters in Improper English begin with a snippet of what she's currently writing, and it's mostly hilariously bad. The opinions she gets don't help any, either.

Complicating matters, Alix's landlady Isabella wants to set her up with "the perfect man," Karl, but Alix instead has major sparks going with her neighbor, Scotland Yard inspector Alex. (There's a cute, understated exchange regarding their similar names, then the subject is dropped.)

Alix is a combination of bravado and insecurity, and has a habit, as do many of MacAlister's heroines, of blurting out whatever pops into her mind. Alex, on the other hand, is serious and staid. They bring out the best in each other, but Alix's insecurities make her jump to conclusions and keep her from getting too close.

Humor is definitely MacAlister's strong suit, and I started laughing aloud on the first page, and chapter 3 had me laughing until I cried. There were a couple of things that didn't quite work--Isabella's habit of getting names wrong, for example: it didn't go anywhere. More could also have been made of Alix/Alex, though I did love the one time it was addressed. But... see above, re: "first contemp." I'm not going to complain too much.

Alix was a nicely complex heroine. She did grate on me once or twice, with her insistence that they had to break up, and most particularly when she was angry that Alex didn't put her ahead of his job (he had a valid reason not to at the time). However, it was realistic, and fit with her character, and I loved how her character grew and developed throughout the course of the book.

Alex wasn't quite as well developed, but then, this was Alix's story.

Another theme that pops up in MacAlister's work is the displaced heroine. I've never been to England (yeah, I know. and yeah, I've seen the Ryan Air prices.), but I've lived for 12 years in a country where I'm not a native, and Alix's situation did resonate with me quite a lot. She manages the contrasts between American and Brit with a lot of humor and honesty, and (though I'd like to hear from someone from England about this to see if it's just my impression) without insulting either side.

Bottom line: A fast, funny, feel-good read. There's a reason Katie Mac's on my must-buy list. ( )

Alexandra (Alix) Freemar lives in a large house in London. Her mother has sponsored her going to England on the condition that she produces her novel. She meets up with the dishy Alexander Black who is a detective inspector in Scotland Yard, working with the Obscene Publications and Internet Unit.
The torture she puts herself through to end up with him is occasionally a bit too torturous but pretty believable but I think I would have told her much earlier on to stop reading me turgid book extracts in public a long time before she realises that the first book wasn't working.

Yeah, it's not a bad read but it's not really my cup of tea, I get too embarrassed for people embarrassing themselves to be comfortable with it for a whole book and Alix does embarrass herself a lot. ( )