Susan Elizabeth Phillips
I decided that as long as I'd realized I was an SEP fan, I might as well catch up on her backlist. And, in an effort to avoid flooding f-lists with entries, I'm collecting all the entries for SEP books I've read recently into this entry. I think there are eight. Some of them are quite short, but then you all know how I don't like to go on and on about books I like. I want you to read them for yourself. ;) Enjoy.
Fancy Pants
Author: Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Genre: Romance
Pages: 496
Final Thoughts: Overall, enjoyable, though with some serious flaws.
I've been going through SEP's books as I find them on the library shelves (it's a county-wide library system, so books move around pretty regularly, and there's often something new every few weeks).
There were things that I really liked about it - I liked the hero, Dallie, quite a bit, and Francesca grew on me eventually. And I haven't read a lot of golf romances, which added a nice new flavor, but this definitely isn't my favorite of her books.
First of all, the prologue started in the present day with a disillusioned rich woman, and then in the first chapter we got jerked back to the story of her birth - and then back again to her mother's upbringing, meeting with her father, and her conception, then back to the birth again. It took up the first hundred pages or more. Then we jump again to her teenage years, then back to when she was eight or so, back to sixteen, then to nineteen (I think), where we stay for a while.
Are you getting it? It felt like for the first half of the book, I was jumping around in a time machine, and we didn't even meet the hero until 250 or 300 pages into the 500-page book. "Scattered" isn't the right word. It was disorienting.
We got Dallie's backstory spread nicely over the course of about 30 pages of other action, but it took 300 for Francesca's. Zuh?
The last half of the book picked up and tightened up, which was really good, but it didn't entirely salvage it for me. I did like the supporting characters, sometimes more than I liked the leads. *sigh*
I wouldn't recommend this to someone who hasn't read SEP before, but those who are tired of the usual "meet, fall in love, HEA all in less than two months" might enjoy it quite a bit more.
Book #5
Kiss An Angel
Author: Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Genre: Romance
Pages: 373
Final Thoughts: Very fun.
I really enjoyed this, at least what I remember of it. And because she did such a good job of summing things up, I'm linking to my friend fluffy-business's entry, here.
The Sinjun thing was a little wacky, but Tater gets cutest animal sidekick ever in a book and I agree, the whole traveling circus thing worked really well and was interesting, as well. I liked Alex better than my friend did, though that may be because, as she mentioned, I trust SEP not to throw me a hero I'll never see redeemed. I just didn't think of it in quite those terms. Also, I was really aware of the fact that Alex got backed into marrying Daisy just as much as she was forced to marry him, so his resentment toward her was understandable - a bit extra harsh at times, but understandable.
I don't know that I'll buy this one, but I might pick it up from the library again.
Book #7
Heaven, Texas
Author: Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Genre: Romance
Pages: 371
Final Thoughts: Another good one from SEP.
I really liked this one. Bobby Tom is hilarious - I saw through his ridiculous football quiz right away, but it made me laugh every time. And as soon as Gracie jumped into his moving car head-first, I knew I liked her, too.
The last chapter is one of my favorites from her, as well.
Book #9
This Heart of Mine
Author: Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Genre: Romance
Pages: 399
Final Thoughts: One of my favorites.
This is my second reading of this in the last two months, and I still can't quite put into words why I like it as much as I do. It just works. Kevin's campground reminds me of the Methodist summer camp/resort where my aunt's family owns a cottage up on Lake Michigan, so that might be part of it. And Daphne the Bunny is a real gem. I bought this one, so I'm sure I'll read it again.
Book #11
It Had To Be You
Author: Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Genre: Romance
Pages: 384
Final Thoughts: Solid quality.
I have to admit that the boob cover kept me away from this for a while, even though I knew I wanted to read it. Because of where I work and where my husband works, I have to be careful about what I'm carrying around. In the end, it read fast enough that I didn't take it out of the house.
This is Phoebe Somerville and Dan Calebow's story, the one that started the Chicago Stars series, and it was well-done, I think. I'm not sure when, but I'll pick it up again at some point. Very fun to see Darnell Pruitt and Bobby Tom Denton "early on". I've always liked Phoebe in the later books, and this didn't disappoint. Well done.
Book #12
Match Me If You Can
Author: Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Genre: Romance
Pages: 320
Final Thoughts: Great.
I don't know why, but Annabelle and Heath are two of my favorites. As with the last time I read it, the Portia/Bodie story thread was a bit weird, but in the end it worked for me, so I'm still overlooking it. :)
SEP has a gift for bringing her characters back together in the end after what seems like a final breaking point. I think that's one of my favorite pieces of her stories.
Book #14
Natural Born Charmer
Author: Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Genre: Romance
Pages: 392
Final Thoughts: Still good.
This was the first SEP book that I ever read, and as such I think it has a special place in my memory. I picked it up this time because I had a half hour to kill before a store opened, and the library was right across the street, so I went in to amuse myself for free and picked a book I remembered liking. Of course, by the time I was a half hour in, I had to read the whole thing again.
I still like Blue; having seen Dean before in Match Me If You Can added a nice dimension to his character this time around; I think Jack Patriot might actually be my favorite character out of this, and not just because he's a rock star.
I don't think the end here is as strong as some of her others, but that won't stop me from reading it again.
Book #15
Breathing Room
Author: Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Genre: Romance
Pages: 372
Final Thoughts: A nice change of pace from the Stars.
I think a big part of the reason I really liked this was because I love Tuscany. I was a bit worried that this would be very similar to Under the Tuscan Sun (I haven't read the book, but saw the movie, for what that's worth). But it was different enough to work. I think, in the end, that I actually liked Ren better than Isabel, which is interesting.
Book #17
Fancy Pants
Author: Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Genre: Romance
Pages: 496
Final Thoughts: Overall, enjoyable, though with some serious flaws.
I've been going through SEP's books as I find them on the library shelves (it's a county-wide library system, so books move around pretty regularly, and there's often something new every few weeks).
There were things that I really liked about it - I liked the hero, Dallie, quite a bit, and Francesca grew on me eventually. And I haven't read a lot of golf romances, which added a nice new flavor, but this definitely isn't my favorite of her books.
First of all, the prologue started in the present day with a disillusioned rich woman, and then in the first chapter we got jerked back to the story of her birth - and then back again to her mother's upbringing, meeting with her father, and her conception, then back to the birth again. It took up the first hundred pages or more. Then we jump again to her teenage years, then back to when she was eight or so, back to sixteen, then to nineteen (I think), where we stay for a while.
Are you getting it? It felt like for the first half of the book, I was jumping around in a time machine, and we didn't even meet the hero until 250 or 300 pages into the 500-page book. "Scattered" isn't the right word. It was disorienting.
We got Dallie's backstory spread nicely over the course of about 30 pages of other action, but it took 300 for Francesca's. Zuh?
The last half of the book picked up and tightened up, which was really good, but it didn't entirely salvage it for me. I did like the supporting characters, sometimes more than I liked the leads. *sigh*
I wouldn't recommend this to someone who hasn't read SEP before, but those who are tired of the usual "meet, fall in love, HEA all in less than two months" might enjoy it quite a bit more.
Book #5
Kiss An Angel
Author: Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Genre: Romance
Pages: 373
Final Thoughts: Very fun.
I really enjoyed this, at least what I remember of it. And because she did such a good job of summing things up, I'm linking to my friend fluffy-business's entry, here.
The Sinjun thing was a little wacky, but Tater gets cutest animal sidekick ever in a book and I agree, the whole traveling circus thing worked really well and was interesting, as well. I liked Alex better than my friend did, though that may be because, as she mentioned, I trust SEP not to throw me a hero I'll never see redeemed. I just didn't think of it in quite those terms. Also, I was really aware of the fact that Alex got backed into marrying Daisy just as much as she was forced to marry him, so his resentment toward her was understandable - a bit extra harsh at times, but understandable.
I don't know that I'll buy this one, but I might pick it up from the library again.
Book #7
Heaven, Texas
Author: Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Genre: Romance
Pages: 371
Final Thoughts: Another good one from SEP.
I really liked this one. Bobby Tom is hilarious - I saw through his ridiculous football quiz right away, but it made me laugh every time. And as soon as Gracie jumped into his moving car head-first, I knew I liked her, too.
The last chapter is one of my favorites from her, as well.
Book #9
This Heart of Mine
Author: Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Genre: Romance
Pages: 399
Final Thoughts: One of my favorites.
This is my second reading of this in the last two months, and I still can't quite put into words why I like it as much as I do. It just works. Kevin's campground reminds me of the Methodist summer camp/resort where my aunt's family owns a cottage up on Lake Michigan, so that might be part of it. And Daphne the Bunny is a real gem. I bought this one, so I'm sure I'll read it again.
Book #11
It Had To Be You
Author: Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Genre: Romance
Pages: 384
Final Thoughts: Solid quality.
I have to admit that the boob cover kept me away from this for a while, even though I knew I wanted to read it. Because of where I work and where my husband works, I have to be careful about what I'm carrying around. In the end, it read fast enough that I didn't take it out of the house.
This is Phoebe Somerville and Dan Calebow's story, the one that started the Chicago Stars series, and it was well-done, I think. I'm not sure when, but I'll pick it up again at some point. Very fun to see Darnell Pruitt and Bobby Tom Denton "early on". I've always liked Phoebe in the later books, and this didn't disappoint. Well done.
Book #12
Match Me If You Can
Author: Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Genre: Romance
Pages: 320
Final Thoughts: Great.
I don't know why, but Annabelle and Heath are two of my favorites. As with the last time I read it, the Portia/Bodie story thread was a bit weird, but in the end it worked for me, so I'm still overlooking it. :)
SEP has a gift for bringing her characters back together in the end after what seems like a final breaking point. I think that's one of my favorite pieces of her stories.
Book #14
Natural Born Charmer
Author: Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Genre: Romance
Pages: 392
Final Thoughts: Still good.
This was the first SEP book that I ever read, and as such I think it has a special place in my memory. I picked it up this time because I had a half hour to kill before a store opened, and the library was right across the street, so I went in to amuse myself for free and picked a book I remembered liking. Of course, by the time I was a half hour in, I had to read the whole thing again.
I still like Blue; having seen Dean before in Match Me If You Can added a nice dimension to his character this time around; I think Jack Patriot might actually be my favorite character out of this, and not just because he's a rock star.
I don't think the end here is as strong as some of her others, but that won't stop me from reading it again.
Book #15
Breathing Room
Author: Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Genre: Romance
Pages: 372
Final Thoughts: A nice change of pace from the Stars.
I think a big part of the reason I really liked this was because I love Tuscany. I was a bit worried that this would be very similar to Under the Tuscan Sun (I haven't read the book, but saw the movie, for what that's worth). But it was different enough to work. I think, in the end, that I actually liked Ren better than Isabel, which is interesting.
Book #17