Pages

Showing posts with label Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Show all posts

RELEASE DAY "Love Will Find You" #Football #newrelease #Romance


 
 
 
 
 
Love Will Find You 

Blurb:

Can their new love survive the scrutiny of the public eye?

After his father’s heart attack, Australian Football League player Tyson Gaspaldi takes his parents on holiday to a small place at the New South Wales coast.

One morning, following a surfing session, he comes across a crying woman on the beach. Everything about her intrigues him, and he can’t walk away. She’s not only sexy and humble, but, as he soon finds out, vulnerable as well.


It’s only been a few months since Katie Cassidy lost her sister in a car accident.

Still overwhelmed by the loss, a chance encounter on the beach with an attractive stranger awakens unexpected emotions inside her. She’s instantly drawn to his caring nature, but also his looks.

However, Tyson’s past quickly catches up with them, causing Katie’s childhood demons to return, and the road to romance becomes anything but smooth.

 
Buy Links:





 

Where to Find Me:

Twitter: @_iris_b

 Excerpt:

Prologue


Tyson held the Brownlow Medal in his hand, but celebrating was the last thing on his mind. His fake smile was as much a lie as the last message he’d sent to Katie the day before. As a result, it was his mother who sat in the crowd amongst his teammates, his friends, the footy world, reporters, and whoever else was important—and not Katie. His gaze wandered around the ballroom, with all the round tables neatly positioned in nice rows. Each table was beautifully set with dinnerware, menus, and a floral arrangement. The TV screens on either side of him showed a close-up of the stage, and as he tried to protect his eyes against the bright lights, he watched them all, making toasts, their glasses filled with the best champagne, applauding his achievement.

The crowd settled and awaited a speech. His speech. Nervousness crept up in him as he stared into the audience. His throat burned as the acid in his stomach churned.

The Brownlow Medal was awarded to the best and fairest football player of the season, yet he didn’t think there was anything fair about the way he’d treated his girl.

Tyson Gaspaldi took a deep breath, unfolded his little note, and cleared his throat. The first word he focused on was her name, Katie. He blinked to refocus and thanked his mother as well as his family. It came effortlessly once he was past the initial hurdle and in only a few minutes he finished, held up his medal, and walked behind the stage.

Why had he said the things he had? Why didn’t he just answer her question?

A short time later, Tyson joined his friends and his mother at the table again.

“Congratulations, darling.” His mother took his face into her hands and gave Ty a kiss on his cheek. Only a few years ago, he would have been embarrassed by such open emotions in front of a crowd, but since his father’s death earlier in the year, he welcomed every sign of affection by his mother.

“Thanks, Mum.”

“Dad would be so proud of you.” Caroline Gaspaldi took a step back and gazed at him. Pride radiated from her eyes. “Look at you. You should wear a suit more often.”

His friends around the table gave him a quick clap on the shoulder and congratulated him before sitting down to proceed with the evening. Ty noticed his phone buzzing and with a flick of his finger, he scrolled down his messages. He stopped at Katie’s message from earlier in the day.

I don’t believe u!

With a heavy sigh, he switched off the screen, ignoring all the other new messages and the phone into his pocket. He took the beer in front of him and tried to concentrate on what the guy on stage was saying. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a woman at the other table. She looked incredible in her shimmering silver evening gown. The décolleté of her dress revealed tanned skin upon which a delicate necklace hung. Her curly brown hair was pinned up in a ponytail which made her look very sexy. When she smiled at him, he winked at her in return.

“What are you doing, Ty?” his mother whispered into his ear.

 


Susan Elizabeth Phillips - Call me Irresistable


Publisher: Avon

ISBN:  978-006-135152-5

My rating: 3/5


Lucy Jorik is the daughter of the former President of the United States.
Meg Koranda is the offspring of legends.
One of them is about to marry Mr. Irresistible—Ted Beaudine—the favorite son of Wynette, Texas.
The other is not happy about it. Not happy at all....
RSVP TO THE MOST RIOTOUS WEDDING OF THE YEAR
!
(susanephillips.com)



My thoughts

I'm a bit torn with this story.

This is the "pre-Great Escape" story - Lucy Jorik leaves Ted Beaudine at the altar and all of Wynette blames her best friend Meg Koranda.

As much as I liked the coming together of "old" and dearly missed characters like Cornelia Litchfield Case and Mat Jorik, Lady Emma and Kenny Traveller, Francesca Day and Dallie Boudine and and and - the story didn't really do it for me.

I couldn't really warm up to Ted and his odd behaviour. Even though it made sense when explained at the very end, for me it was too late. I really liked Meg and her "growing up" and taking her life into her own hands, but the idea of them both hooking up "just for sex"  didn't work for me, it felt like a desperate plot solution because nothing else would've worked.


Not my favourite SEP read, but not a bad one either. Personally, I reckon it does help to know the above stories to understand the background of some of the characters.

Susan Elizabeth Phillips - The Great Escape


Publisher: William Morrow

ISBN:  978-0062106063

My rating: n.a.

Returning in The Great Escape are some of Phillips’s most adored characters, including headstrong, impetuous ex-president’s daughter, Lucy Jorik, who’s just abandoned her fiancé, Ted “Mr. Irresistible” Beaudine, at the altar. Now she’s looking for adventure—and perhaps a little romance—embarking on a wild and hilariously unpredictable road trip that begins on the back of a rather menacing-looking stranger’s motorcycle. The winner of more Favorite Book of the Year Awards than any other romance author, including Nora Roberts, Susan Elizabeth Phillips offers her fans an Escape to remember, and they’ll certainly want to come back for more! (susanelizabethphillips.com)



My thoughts

I didn't like it .... that about sums it up. And if you do pick it up to read (which every SEP fan should do, try not to listen to the Audio!)

Susan Elizabeth Phillips - Honey Moon

Publisher: Pocket

ISBN:  978-0671735937

My rating: 2.5/5


Honey Jane Moon is a scrappy little know-it all—brave, smart, but ill-prepared to become the most famous child star in America, even though she’s not quite as young as everyone believes. It won’t take her long to drive the men in her life crazy. There’s Eric Dillion, a smoldering bad boy and one of Hollywood’s most gifted actors. And Dash Coogan, the last of the cowboy heroes, a man trapped on a screen too small to contain a legend. When Honey falls in love, she’ll do it the only way she knows how—with all her heart. (susanelizabethphillips.com)


My thoughts

Not really my coup of tea. A big fan of SEP's books, I have to admit I'm struggling a bit with the 'older' books by her. This one is one of the them.

It  takes about I-don't-know-how-many pages to get through Honey's back story and, bang, within only couple of pages we learn of so many other characters it was confusing.

Short of the story is Honey Moon is an orphan and grows up with her auntie,uncle and cousin, but makes it to Hollywood. She becomes a star and then it really messy.

As I said, not my story, too many people, too little of SEP's usual wit and humour

Give it a go if you're a SEP fan, but if not, you should read her Chicago Stars series - they're brilliant!

Susan Elizabeth Phillips - First Lady



Publisher: Avon
ISBN: 978-0380808076
 
My rating: 4/5

How does the most famous woman in the world hide in plain sight? The beautiful young widow of the President of the United States thought she was free of the White House, but circumstances have forced her back into the role of First Lady. Not for long, however, because she’s made up her mind to escape—if only for a few days—so she can live the life of an ordinary person. All she needs is the perfect disguise . . . and she’s just found it. While an entire nation searches for her, the First Lady is in the last place anybody would think to look—in the company of a seductive stranger with secrets of his own. (susanephillips.com)
 
 
My thoughts

If you like Susan Elizabeth Phillip's books, you will like this one as well. It more or less follows the same recipe!

Nealy Case has just lost her husband, but not her role as First Lady - and she is suffocating under the burden of public life.  So she "breaks out" ... and ends up with Mat Jorik and his two daughters, who are on a road trip to Iowa to meet the girls' grandmother.

As far fetched as it is, it's a very entertaining story. I have to admit, I enjoyed the way Nealy "sees" the little things and appreciates things we take for granted. And Mat is the perfect hero!

The book is written in true SEP style - with wit, humour and a lot of love!

What I didn't like was the ending. Nealy didn't seem to be Nealy or the First Lady, but someone to fit into the story to get a few more pages added.

Susan Elizabeth Phillips - Lady Be Good

Lady Be Good by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Publisher: Avon

ISBN: 978-0380794485

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lady Emma Wells-Finch, the oh-so-proper headmistress of England’s St. Gertrude’s School for Girls, is a woman on a mission—she has two weeks to lose her reputation. World-famous playboy-athlete Kenny Traveler is suspended from the sport he loves, and only one thing will restore his career—complete and utter respectability. When a gorgeous man who can’t afford another scandal meets a hardheaded woman who’s determined to cause one, anything can happen. (A spin-off of FANCY PANTS. Dallie Beaudine and Francesca Day Beaudine appear in supporting roles, along with the delectable “Teddy.”) (susanelizabethphillips.com)


My thoughts

Hallelujah - SEP at her best again.

After a few Phillips books which didn't really rock my reading world, I was really happy to have enjoyed another SEP book to the fullest.

Gist is, Lady Emma Wells-Finch, Headmistress at St Gertrude's Girls School in the UK travels to the US to lose her reputation. Yes, indeed, to lose it! And Francie Fancy Pants has the perfect (or not?) guy to look after her: Golfer Kenny Traveler, who has to avoid any scandals at all costs! Perfect match - or not?

The dialogue is witty and funny. The characters great and interesting. The plot has twists and turns which makes this book hard to put down. The secondary story involves Tory, Kenny's sister. She's just a hoot, and I really liked her character, including her foul language.

All in all - LOVED IT. Wonder what point #6 is :-)


http://astore.amazon.com/iriblo-20/detail/0380794489

View all my reviews

Susan Elizabeth Phillips - Fancy Pants

Fancy PantsFancy Pants by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

ISBN: 9781416505242

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


She was the most beautiful British bauble in Europe’s jet-set playgrounds. Now she’s broke, furious, and limping down a backwoods road in an ugly pink Southern Belle gown. He’s a tall, lean Texan who’s sure to regret stopping his car for this woebegone, surly Scarlett? Meet Francesca Day and Dallie Beaudine, two incredible characters whose tangled love affair is at the heart of this ravishing New York Times bestseller from award-winning author Susan Elizabeth Phillips



My thoughts

No wonder my mum didn't get me to read books in the 1980s!

I have absolutely no idea how to put my thoughts into words. Basically I'd give the first third a rating of '1' as in boring, the next part a '3' as in mildly amusing and interesting, we go back to '2' for more confusing backstory and another '3' for tying everything up nicely in the end ... so what does that make? I'd say a weak '3' .... :-)

So we read about Francesca. English born, spoilt rotten, up herself, the most unlikeable person you could read about in a romance. And it drags along and more and more about her upbringing. More or less to the point where I was considering giving up! Then we get to know Dallas 'Dallie' Boudine. Golfer in the US with his own demons to struggle. And back and forth both, Francesca and Dallie meet and loathe each other, yet end up in bed. You get the gist of it.

Result of the bedstory is Teddy, yet Dallie only finds out about ten years later. Even though it's a book and not real life and you've gotta give it a bit of leanway, but honestly I did struggle with that!

Who else is there? Heaps of people, makes your mind boggle, honestly! I really liked Holly Grace, Dallie's first wife, and mother of his first son. Anybody out there who can tell me if she has her own story ?

So all in all, I really can't recommend the book only to die-hard SEP fans. Perhaps one could argue that's the way stories were told in the 1980s .... I wouldn't know!

Susan Elizabeth Phillips - What I did for love

Publisher: William Morrow & Company

ISBN:  9780061351501
My rating: 2/5

"How did this happen?" Georgie York, once the costar of America's favorite television sitcom, has been publicly abandoned by her famous husband, her film career has tanked, her father is driving her crazy, and her public image as a spunky heroine is taking a serious beating.
What should a down-on-her-luck actress do? "Not" go to Vegas . . . "not" run into her detestable former costar, dreamboat-from-hell Bramwell Shepard . . . and "not" get caught up in an ugly incident that leads to a calamitous elopement. Before she knows it, Georgie has a fake marriage, a fake husband, and maybe (or not) a fake sex life.
It's a paparazzi free-for-all, and Georgie's nonsupporting cast doesn't help. There's Bram's punk-nightmare housekeeper, Georgie's own pushy parent, a suck-up agent, an icy studio head with a private agenda, and her ex-husband's new wife, who can't get enough of doing good deeds and saving the world--the bitch. As for Georgie's leading man, Bram's giving the performance of his life, but he's never cared about anyone except himself, and it's not exactly clear why.
Two enemies find themselves working without a script in a town where the spotlight shines bright . . . and where the strongest emotions can wear startling disguises.



My thoughts

I'm not really sure what to write or whether to actually rate this book. SEP is one of my favourite author, I love her books, but I was really disappointed with this one. It took me weeks (instead of the usually couple of days) to get through this story - it was bland and the character without oomph.

Basically the story is about two Hollywood actors, getting married in Vegas, regretting it the next day. Old, I thought so too. So instead of facing "the media" they pretend it to be real and honest ... and along the way fall in love.

Georgie, the main character was boring, and simple, though developing character and self-esteem throughout the book, I couldn't warm up to her at all. I liked Bram. He had the certain oompf, even in his nastiness. The usual side-story was neglected and it felt it was added only as a filler.

So all in all - if you haven't read a SEP book yet, please do not start with this one. Susan Elizabeth Phillips has a wonderful way of using wit and humour in her story  ... it's kinda missing in this one!

Susan Elizabeth Phillips - Ain't she Sweet

Publisher: Avon

ISBN: 978-0060589776

My rating: 3/5

Sugar Beth Carey, the one-time “wild child” of Parrish, Mississippi, returns home to face a slew of old enemies lining up to get even. Worst of all is Colin Byrne, the man whose career Sugar Beth destroyed. Now he’s a famous novelist living in Sugar Beth’s old mansion, and he’s using his writer’s imagination to figure out how to bring the town’s former princess to her knees.
(www.susanephillips.com)


My thoughts

Ain't She Sweet is one of those books where I was undecided on what rating to give this book.  It was a great read, and nowadays I don't expect anything less from SEP, she's just one hell of a writer, but ... hmmm .... how to put it into words. The plot was good, funny, witty, great dialogue etc, but I had a hard time warming up to the characters.

Sugar Beth is coming back to Parrish after years away and three marriages later. She's not welcomed with open arms is an understatement, old feelings of feelings of betrayal and dislike creeps up in most of the town's residents.
I liked Sugar Beth - she's one hell of a character, backbone comes to mind, matured alright etc. Colin's is OK, but the most annoying person of all was Winnie - in her insecurity she came across selfish, petty and shallow.

I'd recommend Ain't She Sweet to all of those SEP lovers, but it's certainly not her best work. For those readers (really? There are some out there?) please have your first Phillips experience with a different book like "Dream a little Dream" or "Nobody's Baby but Mine".

Susan Elizabeth Phillips - Breathing Room

Publisher:  Avon

ISBN: 978-0060093914

My rating: 3.5/5



She’s Dr. Isabel Favor, America’s diva of self-help. He’s Ren Gage, Hollywood’s favorite bad guy. She’s lost her money, her fiancé, and her reputation. He makes his living killing people—one the the silver screen, that is. Sometimes all it takes is a special place . . . a special love . . . a little breathing room . . . for life to deliver all its glorious promise. (www.susanephillips.com)


My thoughts

Gee, I like SEP's books. Another great read. From start to almost the end. Yes, I have to admit, the end was close to ridiculous or unbelievable that I wondered whether I had picked up the wrong book.

The main characters are Isabel and Lorenzo "Ren". She's just lost everything important in her life when she flees to Italy for some time out. But she meets Ren who's in Italy about to start his next movie. Order meets Chaos! I really liked the two characters, Ren even more when he got the hang of playing with the kids, or the potty training. I had a good giggle.

The sub-plot is about Ren's ex-wife Tracey and her husband Harry. With their marriage in pieces, Tracey comes to Italy for help from Ren - out of all people!

It was a typically SEP story with twist and turns, love and misunderstandings and a really good read for everyone who loves a good romance. I wasn't really sure how to rate it because bottom line, I had it read within days and I loved it. But it doesn't have the characters like in Dream a Little Dream or even the depth.

All in all - a great read, yet not of SEP's best one, but still highly recommendable!

Susan Elizabeth Phillips - Kiss an Angel

Publisher: Avon, February 1996
ISBN: 978-0380782338

My rating: 3/5


How did pretty, flighty Daisy Devreaux find herself in this fix? She can either go to jail or marry the mystery man her father has chosen for her. Alex Markov, however, has no intention of playing the loving bridegroom to a spoiled little featherhead with champagne tastes. As humorless as he is deadly handsome, he drags the irrepressible Daisy away from her uptown life into an adventure that will change their lives forever. (www.susanephillips.com)


My thoughts
My first non-Chicago-Stars book!

So this was my first choice .... out of a nice selection .... yet when I read the blurb my initial thought was "WTF??" But SEP pulled off a modern-day arranged marriage nicely, but not only that, it's all set in a circus.

Alex is the sexy Russian hero and Daisy's husband. He's got a lot of baggage to carry and again SEP did brilliantly to develop him from a seemingly straight laced, cold man who has a strong sense of honour and pride to the man who falls in love with Daisy. She shows and teaches him how to care for someone and love.
Daisy has her baggage as well.  She's broke and has no choice but to agree to the marriage with Alex or face prison because she can't pay her debts.

I loved the book. It made me laugh, it made me cry and made me want to visit the next circus coming to town. Yet, it wasn't quite the page turner I'm used to from SEP, but I can't pinpoint why it wasn't.

If you love SEP you'll love this one as well. It's a great read, with raw emotions that keeps you reading till the end.

So .... which one will I read next? :-)

Susan Elizabeth Phillips - Natural Born Charmer

Publisher: Avon

ISBN-13: 978-0061233050

My rating: 3/5

Chicago Stars quarterback Dean Robillard is the luckiest man in the world: a bona-fide sports superstar and the pride of the NFL with a profitable side career as a buff billboard model for End Zone underwear. But life in the glory lane has started to pale, and Dean has set off on a cross-country trip to figure out what's gone wrong. When he hits a lonely stretch of Colorado highway, he spies something that will shake up his gilded life in ways he can't imagine. A young woman . . . dressed in a beaver suit.
Blue Bailey is on a mission to murder her ex. Or at least inflict serious damage. As for the beaver suit she's wearing . . . Is it her fault that life keeps throwing her curveballs? Witness the expensive black sports car pulling up next to her on the highway and the Greek god stepping out of it.
Natural Born Charmer is for everyone who's ever thought about leaving their old life in the dust and never looking back.

Chicago Stars Book #7 (www.susanephillips.com)


My thoughts

Okay - those who read my "reviews" know I like SEP books! They're funny, witty, full of romance and make my day. I found the exception to the rule :-(

The story is simple: Blue gets picked up by Dean (one of the Chicago Stars) who's on a cross country trip to figure out what's missing in his life. So far so good! He gives Blue a lift and they somehow end up together on his new farm.

The usual SEP-recipe in her books doesn't work this time - we add Dean's mother, his father and his half sister -  oh yes, not to forget, Nita, the owner of the town nearby the farm. That should work, shouldn't it?

First of all, I couldn't warm to Blue. For me she was a pain in the butt with all her whinging and attitudes .... only to end up in Dean's bed, so she, for once in her life, could have something "good". Dean was ... not a charmer, but something else and his character not well developed, witty or even "sensitive" as all the other Chicago Stars. And the ending was confusing and irritating.

I loved April - she had style, attitude, character and was well developed. And again, not to forget Nita ... she gave the story the oompf it needed!


Bottom line ... if you've read all the other Chicago Stars Books, you should read this one, yet don't expect too much. If you haven't .... don't start with this one!




Susan Elizabeth Phillips - Match me if you can

Publisher: Avon

ISBN-13: 978-0060794361

My rating: 4/5

You met star quarterback Kevin Tucker in This Heart of Mine. Now get ready to meet his shark of an agent, Heath Champion, and Annabelle Granger, the girl least likely to succeed. But that's going to change now that Annabelle’s taken over her late grandmother's matchmaking business. Why does the wealthy, driven, and gorgeous sports agent Heath Champion need a matchmaker, especially a red-haired screw-up like Annabelle Granger? When the determined Matchmaker promised she'd do anything to keep her star client happy . . . did she mean anything? If Annabelle isn't careful, she just might find herself going heart-to-heart with the toughest negotiator in town.

Chicago Stars Book #6 (www.susanephillips.com)

My thoughts

Being still on sick leave I wanted to read something familiar and something I knew I would like. And SEP delivered!!!

 This book is a feast for Chicago Stars fans! Not only do we get served the wonderful story between Annabelle and Heath, but we can also reacquaint ourselves with friends like Molly and Kevin, Phoebe and Dan as well as the Tucker campground.

In short, the plot is Annabelle Granger inherited a matchmaking business from her grandmother and with the help of her friend Molly she lands a deal with Heath Champion (Kevin Tucker’s agent) as one of her clients. But, she not only has to cope with his demands, but also with Portia Powers owner of the matchmaking competition.

A special treat is the subplot – Portia’s romance with Bodie, Heath’s bodyguard. I LOVED IT!

 So in true SEP style, it’s a great book. The dialogue is witty, funny and “just right”. The characters are loveable and all we are used to in Susan’s stories. I loved the chapters at the campground with most of the characters from previous books – Phoebe Somerville and husband Dan (“It Had to Be You”) and Molly Somerville and husband Kevin Tucker ("This Heart of Mine") ... plus quite a few little kids.

Phoebe is great and I loved every scene she was in. She’s a real character nowadays and IMO deserves another book!

Molly’s little one is a hoot and I loved every single line she and Heath were in it.

A great story and it made my days "in bed" enjoyable!

Susan Elizabeth Phillips - This Heart of Mine

Publisher: Avon

ISBN: 978-0060188030

My rating: 4 / 5

Molly Somerville (IT HAD TO BE YOU) loves her career as the creator of the  Daphne the Bunny children's book series, but the rest of her life could use some improvement. Then there's her long-term crush on the quarterback for the Chicago Stars football team her sister owns—that awful, gorgeous Kevin Tucker (NOBODY'S BABY BUT MINE), a man who can't even remember Molly's name! Molly and Kevin battle their attraction and each other as they face one of life's most important lessons. Sometimes love hurts, sometimes it makes you mad as hell, and sometimes—if you're lucky—it can heal in a most unexpected way.
Chicago Stars Book #5    (www.susanelizabethphillips.com)


My thoughts

She does not disappoint, does she! Another wonderful book, which I read within only a few days - boy I love those men from the Chicago Stars! AND their women.

The story is pretty much straight forward. Molly, who we got to know from "It Had to be You" is now in her mid-twenties, author of the Daphne children's book series and owner of a big crush for Kevin Tucker ("Nobody's Baby but Mine"). These two coincidentally end up in a cottage together and because of circumstances better not told her, they get married a few weeks later. Okay, now this is a bit worn - they "have" to get married. Yet, in true SEP-style they fall in love. The campground is a wonderful setting and I envy SEP for her ability to put so many metaphors into the story as well as the way she lets the characters "grow" so subtly. Molly and Kevin are a wonderful couple, each with their insecurities and troubled past, I'm sure everyone else will like them as well. The witty and funny dialogue between them made me laugh out loud quite a few times. One of the funniest parts of the book was near the end when Kevin took Molly to the lake to show her "how romantic" he can be.
The subplot is about Lilly, an aged TV star in her 50s, who happens to be connected to Kevin and when she finds out about his marriage, makes her way to the campground as well. And that's where she meets Liam, a brilliant artist. I've also got to say a big Hooray to SEP for so beautifully addressing the issue of the aging female body. It was a delight to read Liam's comments about Lilly's looks!

Now having said all that - it should be a 5/5. But sorry I can't! Being a writer myself I do know that we sometimes have to stretch certain "plots" to find a start, or even ending, but somehow deep in my heart -even though it's a book - I cannot go past the reason why Molly and Kevin had to get married. It seems wrong to me.

BUT if you can see past that - definitely a book I'd wholeheartedly recommend to anybody who likes a nice and solid romance! Susan Elizabeth Phillips has delivered again !

Favourite Quote
"Did anybody tell you that you're a few french fries short of a Happy Meal?"   

Susan Elizabeth Phillips - Dream a Little Dream

Publisher: Avon

ISBN: 978-0380794478

My rating:  5/ 5


(This is not an official Chicago Stars book, but continues the story of the Bonner family.)

After the discovery that her late husband, a popular televangelist, embezzled five million dollars from his ministry, Rachel Stone, the televangelist's widow, is an outcast—broke, unemployed, with a five-year-old son to raise. Fate and a dead car engine leave her at a shabby drive-in theater owned by Gabriel Bonner, the hostile black sheep of the town's most prominent family. Welcome to Salvation, North Carolina, where a man who's forgotten what tenderness means meets a woman with nothing to lose.
Chicago Stars Series Book #4  (www.susanephillips.com)


My thoughts

BINGO !! -  LOVED. IT !!!


I always wondered what a book would be like that I'd rate 5/5. "Dream a little Dream" is very, very close to just that, but I couldn't give it any less than 5 because of the way it got me glued to the pages for two full days and got the emotions going non-stop.

The story tugs at your heart from the very page and it doesn't stop for quite a while. I had this book read within just a few days and am very glad I did.

With only a few dollars left in her pocket, Rachel's car breaks down in Salvation - the place she left only years early when her televangelist husband is killed in an accident. Rachel is now determined to find the five million dollars, the money her husband stole from the congregation - with good intentions in the back of her mind, as well as the intentions of providing her five year old son with a better future. Then she meets Gabe - Cal Bonner's brother (from Nobody's Baby But Mine) who is still grieving for his late wife and son.

The characters, mainly Rachel and Gabe, are real to the bone - with their flaws and their goodness at heart their daily struggle to survive what life throws at them is a wonderful read and in my opinion couldn't have been put into words any better.
Ethan, Gabe's brother, is a hoot, especially when he finally figures out his feelings for Kirsty and I really enjoyed their story, which got me laughing within all the tears I shared with Rachel - I would've loved for SEP to give them a book in their own right.

The only aspect I didn't like the mean-spirited portrait of Cal. I loved him in Nobody's baby but mine and thought, even though he was the protective older brother, his actions were uncharacteristic for him.

All in all .... LOVED IT LOVED IT LOVED and will place it underneath all the books on my desk so I can read it again soon !

Go and get it if you love a nice romance with oomph!

Susan Elizabeth Phillips - Nobody's Baby But Mine

Publisher: Avon

ISBN: 978-0380782345

My rating: 4/5


The Plan: Genius physics professor Dr, Jane Darlington desperately wants a baby.

The Target: Cal Bonner, the Chicago Stars' legendary quarterback, seems like the perfect choice. But his champion good looks and down-home ways are deceiving.

The Explosion: A brillant, lonely woman who dreams only of motherhood . . . A take no-prisoners tough guy who'll settle for nothing less than surrender . . . Can passion and physical attraction propel two strong-willed yet vulnerable people to a totally unexpected love?

Chicago Stars Book #3  (www.susanephillips.com)


My thougths

Am I allowed to say it? DANG - she's done it again.

I liked the story! The plot is simple and based on a somewhat far-fetched idea. The main characters are Jane - 34, not married, very cleversome physicist who doesn't want anything more than a baby she can love with all her heart. Neglected during childhood and feeling that she's an oddity because of her brains, she's looking for someone "dumb". That someone is Cal Bonner, Football player with the Chicago Stars! Cal is 36 and avoiding the subject of age like hot fire. Retirement is a no-no word around him. Though it's not his age and the retirement, yet the angst of not knowing what the "life-after-football" will bring. It scares the devil out of him. Yet, he's no "dumb" footy player as Jane soon finds out.

So through some opportunities, Jane gets "her night", falls pregnant, Cal finds out, and honourable as he is - they get married.

That's when the fun starts! We get to know Annie, Cal's grandmother, Ethan, his brother, and his parents, who over the course of the story rekindle their marriage and fall in love again. Well, let's not forget Kevin Tucker, another Football player of the Chicago Stars who's made his way to Salvation, Cal's hometown and the place he and Jane have settled for the next few months.

The characters are well developed. There's Jane in her mid-thirties, clever, witty though not the good looking stunner. And Cal, sexy, smart, stubborn comes to mind and honorable, but also commitment-phobic  - and please nobody mention retirement! Both of them together are a hoot. There arguments and conversations are well worth the lack of sleep I had in the morning after reading through most of the night! What a cracker!

And there's Annie .... nuff said. What a gem.

Go and get that one if you're in need for a good giggle or laugh.

Favourite Quote: "I married a damned cereal killer"


Susan Elizabeth Phillips - Heaven Texas

Publisher: Avon

ISBN: 978-0380776849

My rating: 3/5


Come heck or high water, Gracie Snow is determined to drag the legendary ex-jock Bobby Tom Denton back home to Heaven, Texas, to begin shooting his first motion picture. Despite his dazzling good looks and killer charm, Bobby Tom has reservations about being a movie star—and no plans to cooperate with a prim and bossy Ohio wallflower whom he can't get off his mind or out of his life. Instead, the hell-raising playboy decides to make her over from plain Jane to Texas wildcat.  (www.susanephillips.com)


My thoughts

Dang!!! She's done it again. SEP has written a book that made me cringe for reading it and at the same time not wanting to stop.

Main characters of this story is Bobby Tom Denton, a retired (though unwillingly) football player with the Chicago Stars (not to mention extremely sexy!!!) and Gracie Snow, a little wall flower who’s just escaped her life so far only to get the almost impossible job to escort Bobby Tom to the movie set – the two couldn’t be more opposite.

The main issues as I see them were Bobby Tom’s struggle with coming to terms of his retirement at only in his early thirties; Gracie’s strive for wanting to change her life and in a more secondary plot, Bobby Tom’s mother’s grief and romance in her fifties.

I’ve got to say, the start was again a bit of a turn off, but once these two got onto their road trip I loved their bickering and teasing – it was funny, witty and sometimes even thought-provoking. But then it went slowly downhill. There was a lot of repetitive “thoughts” mainly Bobby Tom’s struggle with his retirement or Gracie’s self-doubt about her appearance or the lack of it. Though doing her best in trying to characterise Bobby Tom as a generous, intelligent and good-natured person, I thought he was still quite selfish and superficial. I would have wished for a more obvious change in him and his attraction towards Gracie.  I also couldn’t warm up to Gracie and her self-doubt, but liked the way she verbally hit back at this ueber-guy as well as she blossomed after the make-over, though I was hugely disappointed when she showed up in her old clothes again when it was most important to demonstrate growth.

All in all a nice romance, but too long in some and too little in other parts.

Read here what I thought about Susan Elizabeth Phillips - It had to be you







.

.

Susan Elizabeth Phillips - It had to be You

Publisher:  Mass Market Paperback

ISBN-13: 978-0380776832

My thoughts: 3/5


The Windy City isn't quite ready for Phoebe Somerville—the outrageous, curvaceous New York knockout who has just inherited the Chicago Stars football team. And Phoebe is definitely not prepared for the Stars' head coach Dan Calebow, a sexist jock taskmaster with a one-track mind. Calebow is everything Phoebe abhors. And the sexy new boss is everything Dan despises—a meddling bimbo who doesn't know a pigskin from a pitcher's mound.

Chicago Stars Book #1   (http://www.susanephillips.com/)

My thoughts

I accidently got hold of this book a few weeks ago and even though I had read a few reviews I started it not knowing what to expect. I’m not fond of the AFL here in Australia, hoping I didn’t need any knowledge about American Football for this book. I did okay.

Reading the book was a constant battle of putting it aside and wanting to keep reading. I disliked Phoebe Somerville and at the same time really liked her. We’re getting to know her as a “Bimbo” who has just inherited her father’s football team, with a serious of conditions. Initially Phoebe is running off ignoring the football team yet Dan Calebow is able to convince her to do her job – and so she does, with finesse that makes you shake your head and leaving a smile on your face.

A few things ... I would have liked for SEP to develop the side characters a little more, the Kindergarten Teacher and the angry father, but more importantly I would have loved to read more about Phoebe and Molly’s relationship.
Overall – the start was ridiculous and I nearly placed the book back onto the shelf. I persisted and liked the idea of the story, especially Phoebe’s background and how she’s handled life and was going to tackle the future. Yet, over the I-don’t-know-how-many pages we have to go through quite a few intimate scenes between Dan and Phoebe and their constant teasings and bickering as they both are slowly getting to know the truth about each other’s past. In my opinion – it took too long!