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 !

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