You've Got Male

I'd stopped reading Ms. Bevarly for a while because the books had become almost a parody of her distinctive writing style. She's toned that down so it's again humorous not intrusive and teamed that with a great heroine and a funny plot. I really, really enjoyed this book and look forward to the 2nd and 3rd books.

Ex-socialite Avery Nesbitt is a computer genius with a serious case of agoraphobia. Avery conducts her social life completely online, and has been living alone and secluded for over 8 years. Avery suffers from a host of maladies, including bad nutrition, paranoia, and fear of her family. Because of a past incident, Avery was disowned by her family, so she spends her time making friends and lovers online. It turns out that one of Avery's online `lovers' is a man who is wanted by OPUS - an elite crime squad. In order to get more information about Avery's online lover (Andrew/Adrian), an OPUS agent named Dixon invades Avery's home and privacy for the duration of his mission. The mission takes them to the Hamptons, where they pursue Andrew/Adrian and their own budding romance. The romance is fun and engaging, the characters are interesting, and the plot maintains a steady pace and keeps you interested. As with most Elizabeth Bevarly romances, the secondary plot/romance is almost as interesting as the main romance. In this case, the subplot involves the romance between 20something "Cowboy" (Dixon's partner), and 40something Carly (Avery's sister). I enjoyed the stories very much and look forward to the next book in the series.

I loved this book! I think one of my favorite things about Elizabeth Beverly's books is that she's just so smart. The pop culture references always make me feel smarter and younger because I "get" all of her jokes. I was also caught off guard by the depth of emotion in this book. Avery was a very touching heroine who won my empathy from the very first page. And Dixon was really hot! If you like humor mixed with some tenderness and a little dollop of suspense, you'll love "You've Got Male"! (And I'm kind of fascianted by bad guy mystery man Adrian. Hope he gets his own book!)

The Bastard! Avery Nesbitt thinks when she catches Andrew cheating online with another woman. She has fallen passionately in love with him and now she finds Andrew doing it with some other woman! How dare the Bastard! Avery decides to make him pay for it. She turns to her laptop and as "Daisy" starts making Andrew a present that will pay him back for his cheating. After much hard work creating a computer virus, Avery is feeling hungry, so she calls the local neighborhood store to get a delivery of food. Dixon had been watching "Daisy" for a week and so far he had not been able to get through the firewall on her computer or the filter on her phone. Dixon suspects "Daisy" since she has been writing to a well known criminal called "The Sorcerer," aka Andrew. When Dixon hears her requesting a delivery from the local market she reveals her real name, confirming her actual address. Dixon intercepts the grocery delivery and delivers it himself. Avery meets him at the door wearing glasses and frumpy clothes which hide all her assets. While in her apartment Dixon sees a potent computer virus displayed on her laptop computer. He decides that he needs to check into her background more. After Dixon discusses the information with his superior, The One Whose Name Nobody Dare Say, he is ordered to bring her in immediately. When Avery is brought in for questioning, they threaten to put her back in jail unless she helps capture Andrew. What is a girl to do? The orders are for her to go back to her parents home and be there as they lay the trap. So what if they have banished her from the family because she went to prison? Avery had been caught releasing a computer virus that almost destroyed the World, especially Greenland and The Pope. Avery resists having cyber sex with Andrew online as part of the trap, but relents thinking its Dixon that she is writing to. And OHHHH how the sparks fly between Avery and Dixon. You've Got Male by Elizabeth Beverly is a totally wacky story. It has tongue-in-cheek references to all the spy innuendos you may have ever read or seen. Ms. Beverly makes repetitive redundancy an art form all her own. Ms Beverly's story is a tad bit overdone in many areas. However, the characters are zany and hilarious as they interact. You've Got Male shows that cyberspace can be a place where just about anything goes. Gene Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Former convict Avery "Viral Avery" Nesbitt suffers from agoraphobia so since she left prison eight years ago she has never ventured outside from her New York condo. The computer genius uses the Internet for everything including on-line relationships especially Andrew until she learns he is cheating on her in other chat rooms. Irate she plans to feed him a virus like none that anyone has seen before. Federal Office for Political Unity and Security Agent Dixon realizes that Avery's Andrew is the cyber-terrorist the Sorcerer. With her history of creating a computer virus that crippled the Internet ten years ago, he believes she is in cahoots with this brilliant madman. He wants to bring her in but she goes bongos with anxiety. As he forces her out into the real world and uses her as bait to reel in the Sorcerer, Dixon falls in love with the PJ-clad geek, but to persuade her they belong together even if he only sees her in her condo proves to be as tough assignment as he ever tried to solve. Avery is a unique heroine, estranged from her family since her conviction while struggling to cope with surviving without going outside. Her phobia is brilliantly handled with dexterity with her savior being the Internet that enables her to live by herself in Manhattan. The story line focuses predominantly on her and her growing relationship with Dixon. A subplot involving her sister whom she has not spoken with in a decade, and Dixon's partner is an intriguing opposites-matched with her being much older too; hopefully that twist will continue in a follow up tale. Elizabeth Bevarly provides a wonderful romantic suspense thriller starring a fabulous cast. Harriet Klausner