Jenny Brown isn’t a millionaire, nor is she model-perfect or a member of MENSA like her coworker Monica Starke. That is, until she makes a wish one Monday night and wakes up the next morning in Monica’s French lingerie. Somehow they’ve traded bodies and lives. And all it takes is twenty-four hours of walking in Monica’s Manolo Blahnik’s to learn her life isn’t the fairytale-come-true Jenny’d always thought it was. So she decides to fix a few things, including Monica’s relationship with ex-boyfriend, Jason Foxx.
Jason has had it with Monica. She’s selfish, whiney and has sold his grandmother’s Art Glass to a junk dealer. After she lets the insurance lapse on her leased car, he has it repossessed. That night she pays him a visit, but the woman standing on his front porch seems like an entirely different woman from the one he broke up with. He quickly finds himself falling in love with her all over again...or at least he thinks he has, until a few weeks later when he meets Jenny Brown.
It’s a story of two women, one man, and a crazy Monday night that changes all their lives, forever.
An excerpt from About Monday...
Who the hell was this woman?
Jason pulled back the instant before their mouths met and stared into her eyes. It was Monica on the outside. No doubt about it. Same traffic-stopping smile, blue eyes and long blonde hair. Same body with surgically altered boobs and lipo-sculpted hips and tummy. Same long legs that made every guy on the planet drool when she wore a short skirt.
But inside there was something different. Could amnesia be the cause? Would it change her into a completely different human being? He highly doubted it.
Monica was still Monica.
It might be close to impossible, but somehow he had to remind himself of her more devious side. The one that had tricked him before, taken advantage of his impulses to take care of the women in his life.
Monica would not wiggle her way into his heart again!
He shook his head, trying to clear it, and hoping the motion might send some much needed blood to his brain. She’d come very close to seducing him, but he’d make sure she didn’t succeed. While he nursed his guilt for having had her car hauled away, even if for a valid reason, he’d keep an eye on her until she had a means of transportation she could afford to maintain on her own. After that, he’d cut the ties. No need to cling to her any longer.
Just one night. Come hell or high water, by tomorrow he’d make sure she had a car. She wouldn’t need his help any longer.
He just had to make it through one short night. Eight, maybe ten hours.
Unfortunately, based upon the expression on her face, she wasn’t about to make it easy for him. If there was one thing Monica knew, it was how to play him. Damn her for being so good at it!
They were over, he reminded himself. She’d sold his grandmother’s collection of pottery for peanuts, for God’s sake. She’d treated him like a convenient ATM for the past year, pushing a few buttons until he paid out. It had gotten to the point where he’d been disgusted with himself every time he succumbed, but damn it, he couldn’t seem to help himself.
Weak. He’d been weak. But not anymore!
Gathering up what remained of his wavering will, he gently nudged her forward. “Let’s get upstairs before one of us falls.” Both literally and figuratively. Damn, he wanted her. Something fierce. He wanted to taste her, to feel her, to hear her sigh his name as she climaxed. He wanted to hold her until morning. He wanted to serve her breakfast in bed and lie next to her, smoothing her sex-tousled hair after she ate. Stop it now or you won’t be able to resist.
“Jason?” She reached forward and rested a palm against his cheek. “Would you believe me if I said I was truly sorry?”
I want to believe that but I can’t. I’ve heard it too many times before. “No.”
“I wish we could start over again. Pretend like we were complete strangers and do things right.”
Why are you telling me this now? Damn it, stop! I can’t listen to this. “I can’t. We were never right for each other. We want very different things in life.”
“Well, maybe I’ve changed my mind.”
He gave her another gentle nudge and she took several steps up before stopping and turning again to give him another imploring look, batting eyelashes and all. “No way. It’s too late for that now. We can’t go back. We can’t change who we are, although you seem to be making one hell of an effort. You’re you. I’m me. And together we make a mess.”
She smiled and her eyes glittered playfully. “A mess. I like that.” Turning, she climbed the rest of the stairs and walked straight to his bedroom door. “Can I stay in this room?”
“No. That’s my room. You know that.”
“Even so, you said I could stay in any room I wanted.”
Shit. I should have known she’d do this. “Fine, but I won’t be sleeping in there with you.” He opened the door and followed her inside.
“Will you stay for a little while? Can we talk? I’m still a little shaken from earlier. I don’t think I can sleep.”
“I have cable TV. Watch a movie.” He pulled out a pair of sweatpants from a drawer and handed them to her then walked back toward the hallway and safety. He was confused, didn’t know his mind. While her outside—her physical beauty—did nothing for him anymore, the mystery of what she seemed to have become inside absolutely fascinated him. He could spend all night talking to her, trying to discover who she was. It was as if someone else had taken over Monica’s body. Of course that was impossible!
“Please?” She walked across the room and opened the bathroom door. “I promise we will just talk. Nothing more.”
He felt his resistance draining.
“Pretty please? You can stay way over there,” she said pointing at the love seat positioned in front of the fireplace. “And I’ll stay over here on the bed. I won’t do anything naughty. We can just talk.”
“Fine.”
She beamed. “Thanks. Be right back. Gonna go change.” She went into the bathroom.
Feeling both defeated by his lack of willpower and intrigued by the opportunity to talk to the woman who had overnight become a fascinating stranger, he dimmed the lights, lit the gas fireplace and sat in the loveseat. Then he prayed to God for strength and turned as he heard the bathroom door open.
She bounded out with far too much energy considering the hour and flopped on her stomach on the bed.
“What do you want to talk about?” he asked.
“Do you have any ice cream? Late night gab sessions aren’t the same without Ben and Jerry. Oh, and nice fireplace. It’s very romantic.”
“It was chilly in here,” he offered as an excuse, feeling guilty as if he’d done something wrong. He decided not to take a stab back by pointing out the fact that she never ate ice cream, always lectured him about how bad it was for him. She had to know what she was doing by acting like her antithesis. “I might have a little bit left. Want me to go down and check?”
“I’ll go with you.” She rolled off the bed and followed him down the hall. “Chocolate Therapy is my absolute favorite. You don’t have that flavor by any chance, do you?”
Of course I do and you know it. That’s my favorite. “I might.”
They walked through the kitchen and, leaving the lights off, Jason dished out two bowls of ice cream. Monica stood waiting by the French doors, staring out into the back yard. “Can we eat out there?”
“It’s cold. You’ll freeze your butt off. You freeze when it’s eighty.”
“I’ll be fine with these warm sweats. Come on.” She opened the door, stepped out on the deck and looked out onto the yard. “Wow, this is gorgeous. I like those lights. Just enough so you won’t walk into a shrub or fall into the pool. But not too glaring.”
“You have always hated this backyard, called it The Jungle.”
“I did? Well, it is very lush, but now that I see it again, I think it’s lush in a good way. I like all the green. I feel like I’m on vacation on some tropical island. Can we sit over there? Oh! Is that a hot tub?”
He handed her a bowl. Of course she knew it was the hot tub. Why was she acting this way? “Yes.”
She ran across the deck, plopped onto her behind at the rim of the sunken tub and, setting her bowl aside, pulled up the sweatpants above her knees and dipped her feet into the steamy water. “Oh, this is heavenly.” Picking up her dish, she spooned some ice cream into her mouth.
“Glad to see you’re enjoying yourself.”
She patted the wood deck next to her. “Come and sit with me. Promise I won’t bite. My mouth is busy at the moment.”
Copyright 2005 Sydney Laine Allan
About Monday
Available now from Cerridwen Press
Read an excerpt below!
What the reviewers are saying:
This is a delightful take on the adage about walking a mile in another's shoes. Allan's tone is light and humorous and will keep readers turning the pages. 4 Stars.
Karen Sweeny-Justice, Romantic Times
The moral of the story ‘About Monday’ is the grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence and when there are two women and only one man someone is going to lose out. But who? I adored the lovable and very funny character, Jenny. She knows she can’t hide behind her false persona forever, and despite the total body swap, the sexual chemistry between her and Jason is even harder to disguise. This is an endearing and hilarious tale of one woman tottering around in someone else’s Manolo Blahnik stilettos, only to find the high life is not quite what it seems. It’s to Sydney Laine Allan’s credit that this paranormal romance ‘About Monday’ has been deployed so naturally she’s succeeded in writing an entertaining, memorable comedy romance, I shan’t forget in a hurry. It’s one of the rare books where my husband actually turned the telly up ~ to drown out my bursts of laughter! I will never look at Monday’s the same way, ever again!
Tracy-Jane Newton, Euro-Reviews
5 Cups!
I laughed out loud many times during the course of this book, in all the right places, of course. The romance between Jason and Jenny as Monica was sweetly romantic. He was intrigued by the changes in her, and she was blown away by his good looks and charm. The anticipation of the unknown kept me engrossed from beginning to end. I liked how it showed both sides of the coin without painting Monica as a total villain of the
story just a real person with problems.
Jenn, Coffee Time Romance
About Monday is a fun and fresh romantic comedy with a paranormal twist which will enchant readers everywhere!
About Monday is a fabulous story which will make you laugh out loud on more than one occasion! Jenny is a fantastic heroine you just cannot help but love whilst Jason is a gorgeous romantic hero you cannot help but fall for. Written with style, verve and a wicked sense of humour, Sydney Laine Allen's story is a gem which you should not dare miss!
Julie Bonello, ECataRomance Reviews
About Monday is a clever little tale about how things aren't always greener on the other
side of the fence. Although Monica can be annoying at times, it quickly becomes apparent
that she too has a good side most people never see. Jenny is a heroine I could relate to. I
wanted to see her get the guy at the end. While Jason is faced with letting go of a relationship that has become a habit. About Monday is a story that has depth. The characters are well rounded and feel real. I will definitely be on the look-out for more from Sydney Laine Allen in the future!
Melissa,
