Allie wants to be on top in radio. Charlie wants to stay on the bottom. Somehow they keep coming together in spite of themselves.
Dumped by her boyfriend and demoted from WBBB’s prime-time spot, radio producer Allie McGuffey has nowhere to go but up. She plans to make her comeback by turning temporary DJ Charlie Tenniel into a household name. And if he’s willing to help her cure her breakup blues with a rebound fling, that’s an added bonus.
Charlie just wants to kick back, play good tunes and eat Chinese food. He’s not interested in becoming famous. But he is interested in Allie. And after all, what harm is a little chemistry between friends?
But suddenly their one-night stand has become a four-week addiction. Night after night on the airwaves, his voice seduces her…and all the other women in town. He’s a hit. It looks as if Charlie’s solved all Allie’s problems…except one. What is she going to do when he leaves?
Allie wants to be on top in radio. Charlie wants to stay on the bottom. Somehow they keep coming together in spite of themselves.
“Allie put her chin on his shoulder to look into the carton. He had great shoulders and Chinese food. At the moment, he was the perfect man.”
Charlie All Night by Jenny Crusie
Book Notes from Jenny
On writing: The through-line for this book began when I read that today people assume they’ll be sleeping together by the third date. I am not a prude (see my books), but it did occur to me that three dates don’t give people much of a chance to get to trust each other. So I wrote a proposal in which the hero and heroine sleep together the first night they meet and begin a casual affair only to become platonic friends and then fall in love, so I could write the difference between great sex without love and great sex with love. My editor, Birgit Davis-Todd, told me to give it a shot and if the sexual tension was still in place, I could do the book that way. When I turned the finished manuscript in, she said, “It works,” and I got to do the book the way I wanted (this is why I loved working for Birgit). And since so many people have asked me, nobody at Harlequin blinked about the heroine’s best friend being gay. In fact, it was never discussed at all; we were too busy worrying about sexual tension and the legalization of marijuana to talk about non-issues. One of the best comments I ever got on this book was from someone who overheard me introduce myself, and said, “Oh, you wrote that book Charlie Up All Night.” And I thought, well, that’s a good title, too, considering Charlie.
On animals: The puppy in this book is there because Temptation author Bonnie Tucker’s dog had puppies and the runt of the litter, a little black puppy, wasn’t nursing. She tried desperately to save him, even naming him Samson so he’d be strong, but he died after a week. So I wrote him into Charlie All Night so he’d live forever.
On food: You can find the recipe for Mrs. Winthrop’s Grateful Almond Cookies in our trivia section.
Praise and Reviews
“This book had me laughing out loud… I’m hoping Jennifer Crusie continues writing for a very long time.” ~Under the Covers
“Ever the wonderful storyteller, Jennifer Crusie enchants us once again with a heartwarming tale of two lovers whose courtship is guaranteed to sweep you off your feet.” ~Romantic Times
“Ms. Crusie’s usual brand of drollery mixed with remarkable characters, sweltering love scenes, and a witty plot are an entertainment of the senses. She delivers an exceptionally delightful romance.” ~Rendezvous
“This romance is always going and doing. There’s no rest or dull spots. With wonderful characters and witty dialogue, this is a book you’ll want to read!” ~Affaire de Coeur