Paulie is almost 30 and still living at home. Not by her choice. Her Dad is very protective and doesn't want anything to happen to his little girl. When her Stepmom suggests a reality tv show about a car race around the world, Paulie jumps at the chance, fighting her Dad the whole way.
Dixon is the Estate Manager for his brother's castle in England. Dixon hasn't had a vacation in years. His brother talks him into the race.
I loved this book. I thought it read really fast as I finished in almost 2 days.
The writing is fantastic and the story flowed seamlessly. It's written in journal form in both Paulie and Dixon's POV. The race kept the book suspenseful and moving fast. I absolutely recommend this book. It can be read as a standalone.

Paulie is the daughter of a former Russian mob who is now the carpet king of California. Trying to spread her wings and get out from under her controlling father, her step mom helps her sign up for a race around the world. Dixon feels that his life is boring and laid out in a way that will never change. He ends up agree to a reality tv show that is recreating a 1908 race from NYC to Paris racing around the world. Can two people who area racing find romance on the race to Paris.

Lots of traditional MacAlister humor that is spread through out the book

Cute and fun, it's like Rat Race in book form, with lots more sexy times.

This was a typical Katie book and of you are a fan of Katie's, you will most likely enjoy seeing adults act like moronic teenagers.

This was a cute story, but Katie's descriptions of sex are wearing a little thin for me -what was really funny a decade ago is not so funny as I age. I guess that makes Katie a great author for those who are new to her and will be reading everything Katie has written in one huge gulp.

As I said, this was a cute story and the plot-line was a bit more unique than the norm. However, it quickly lost its uniqueness as the romance part heated up.

*ARC supplied by publisher.

I am a total fangirl for Katie MacAlister's dragon series... so I wanted to try out some of her contemporary and romantic comedy work as well. The Perils of Paulie is the fourth book in the Matchmakers in Wonderland series, but its the first book of the series that I am reading. It seemed to work fine as a standalone for those who haven't read the earlier books.

Paulina "Paulie" Rostakova is the daughter of the flooring king of California, an extremely over-protective father that used to be involved in the Russian mob in his home country. Still living at home in the family mansion at nearly 30 years old, Paulie laments her boring and uneventful life. I was a little worried that her whining at the beginning of the book would persist and drive me crazy, but it didn't and Paulie grew on me as the book progressed. She is a bit awkward and embarrasses herself quite often, and I could certainly relate to those characteristics. When the chance comes up for Paulie to appear on a reality show featuring a race across the world, she jumps on the opportunity despite her father's objections. I loved Paulie's father - he cracked me up with his paranoia, suspicion and declarative statements.

The reality show was a nice touch, reminiscent of The Amazing Race. The contestants were slated to drive antique cars across the US, Europe and Asia while wearing period clothing, to re-enact a similar race that occurred in 1908. As most reality shows guarantee, there was quite a bit of drama and sabotage embroiled in the production. I liked this portion of the story and it helped keep the plot moving along at a steady clip when we weren't focusing on any potential romance.

Dixon Ainslie is a handsome brit, an estate manager to his brother's grand English manse. Dixon was a bit of a beta male, not usually what I go for, but I liked him well enough and he matched our heroine. I saw him in my head as a Dermot Mulroney a la My Best Friend's Wedding. He was just as awkward as Paulie, and was the complete opposite of a womanizer due to a rocky relationship in his past. He didn't seem to have much ambition to me, though he was a workaholic on the estate. When he was reluctantly talked into the race by a matchmaking cousin, his main reason for going was the opportunity to drive the antique cars. He doesn't quite know what to make of our awkward Paulie at their first few meetings.

Dixon and Paulie started off with several awkward encounters which were cute and caused some light chuckles. I thought their awkward pairing was cute, and they had some entertaining banter. Paulie had the tendency to go overboard, becoming obnoxious, but Dixon kept a cool head and balanced out her behavior.

As this book was about a reality show, I felt like the filming aspects were not developed as fully as they could have been. The cars often did not have a camera team with them to catch the contestants in action... and the cameras inside the car weren't mentioned past the first quarter of the book. I don't know why that stuck out to me, but I found myself wondering how the production company would have enough material to make a full season show.

This was an entertaining romantic comedy - one that would probably translate well to film or television. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from the publisher, Berkley.

When I think of Katie MacAlister and her writing the first thing that comes to mind is humor. This chick, oozes wit and sassiness. I'm a sucker for characters with quirks and MacAlister always seems to know just the right idiosyncrasy whether shes writing about vampires, or reality stars. Her madcap adventures always make me smile. Readers looking for a book that has both romance and comedy are sure to love, The Perils of Paulie.

What I liked:

I love a good love story and I've read a ton. I often think there is very little variety left. Nothing new and different. But, I'm surprised again and again when I pick up a book that might have the same type of characters or setting, but there is just something unique about it. Something that gives the tale a totally different dimension. This book has that something, whatever it is, in spades.

The humor was one of the best parts. Katie MacAlister has this knack for irreverent and off color comedy. That might not be everybody's cup of tea, I find it refreshing and fun to read. I loved the banter between the hero and heroine, in The Perils of Paulie. A conversation about STD's and unhappy crotches is an example, lol. This book is a take off an old Tony Curtis movie, called "The Great Race" that was totally boisterous and entertaining. MacAlister's book takes a spoiled American heiress who needs a little adventure in her life and pits her against a stoic Brit with an aversion to touch. What a pair! The laughs just kept coming.

Paulie is both hilarious and erratic, while Dixon is very controlled and somewhat awkward. She's sassy and competitive and he's sweet and smooth. They weren't exactly opposites, but there was that essense of attraction to their relationship that made them good for each other. The banter between them, as they pretend to be falling in love, is rich and vibrant. I loved the way they interacted with each other and the wonderful setting of this novel. There was so much to learn about each other and their surroundings. It was a fun romp!

Dixon doesn't like to be touched. How much more unconventional and wacky can you get for a character flaw? I found that endearing and delightful to read about. His social anxiety was just a really cute and sweet aspect of the story. Paulie gets it. She doesn't have to think it over or get all upset or anything. She just gets him. That's such a perfect thing in a relationship. It made me like these characters so much more. A very prim and proper Brit who doesn't like to be touched put up against a flirtatious and outgoing American... Oh yeah! That hit the spot.

One of my favorite things about this one was the travelogue slash journal entries from both POV's. That was unusual and gratifying. I sometimes think I miss out on not knowing what the other character was thinking and feeling during a scene and with this one I was able to see all that. I loved the way MacAlister used this technique to enhance the story and bring out things readers might otherwise miss. It was different and I found I really liked the method.

What I didn't like:

I will admit to watching a bit of reality tv. It's not what I would call deep and meaningful television most of the time and I was skeptical that I would not like that part of this book. But I was pleasantly surprised. The scripted aspect of it makes me wonder about some of things I watch, lol! It did make me contemplate the motivations of these characters. I wasn't always sure whether this was a part of the script or real feelings they were expressing. There were a few plot twists that I felt were not really resolved before the end of the novel, but nothing to break the bank. Paulie's dad and his worries about Russian interference was also a bit over the top.

Bottom Line:

I liked this one a lot. I found the balance of humor to romance to be just about right. I loved the take on the old movie and the fact that it was based on 1908 race around the world that actually did happen. I loved the vintage cars, the quirky characters and the fierce and determined competitors. I even loved the old fashioned garb the characters got to wear. There isn't much to make me think you wouldn't like this one. If you've never tried a book with a very comedic approach to love, this is the one.