Susan Elizabeth Phillips: This Heart of Mine

This Heart of Mine: D
Chicago Stars #5

Molly Somerville & Kevin Tucker

Ever since she was a teenager, children's book author Molly Somerville has been infatuated with handsome Kevin Tucker, quarterback for her sister's Chicago Stars football team. Unfortunately, Kevin doesn't know she's alive until one fateful weekend when they're marooned together at the family vacation cabin. When Molly gets carried away by her creative imagination and compromises Kevin, the results are disastrous and before the dust settles, Kevin's in trouble with his boss, Molly's in deep trouble with her emotions, and both of them are in danger of losing their hearts… (amazon)

Ms. Phillips. I swear, sometimes you’re a freaking genius and at other times, you’re a complete loony! This book was horrid. Absolutely horrible. It’s a good thing I’d read Match Me If You Can (which is wonderful, comedic, and completely lovable) before reading this and Dream A Little Dream, or else I would have stopped reading your stories.

Let me start off my complete bash by saying that I loved Kevin Tucker. What a dreamboat. However, I didn’t love Molly. In fact, I thought she was a complete loser and not good enough for Kevin in the least .

Even thinking back on the book now (I must have read it a good five months ago), I still don’t understand as to how Kevin “fell in love” with Molly. If this is what happens in real life, I ought to be able to snag Leonardo Di Caprio or Tom Brady in a snap.

Molly has been in lurve with Kevin since forever. The only problem is… Kevin doesn’t know she exists because he’s a gorgeous, athletic, charming, and completely dreamy sounding hunk. Molly is a kind-of-weird, strangely compulsive woman who is antsy with her life. She is quiet and bookish (and there’s nothing wrong with that), but she’s made to sound so unattractive.

So when Molly has the chance to be with Kevin, she takes the ball and runs with it. Literally.

I really can’t explain my disgust with Molly without a few minor spoilers. (highlight with mouse for spoiler)

*spoiler*

Let me tell you that I personally believe that sex has to be consensual – all the freaking time. And what Molly does is pretty idiotic and stupid and retarded and dumb and stupid. ...Have I said stupid?

She, in her idiocy, does really stupid things, and then cannot man up to face problems that life throws at her. She whines, gets depressed, mopes, and is all-around stupid. Please. For someone so smart, you’re really not.

*end spoiler*

Magically, Kevin turns out to be a really understanding guy because if Molly did to me what she did to him, I would have punched her… really hard.

Molly is stressed with life and can’t handle her problems, so Kevin takes it upon himself to go to the campground (?) that his parents used to own. It’s at the camp that Kevin has a concussion and realizes that Molly is the woman for him.

After reading all of the Stars books (this was my last), I see how Phillips has taken ideas from books and recycled them. Nothing in the book surprised me (although it would have been later books that I would have been un-surprised at if I had read in order), the ‘romance’ between the characters were laughable.

However, Phillips does a great job with secondary characters, and their stories. I cannot remember the characters’ names, but the older couple had a really strong connection, and I loved reading their story. It’s probably what got me through this book.

In all, don’t read this unless you want to see a really pitiable heroine and a flawed, incomprehensible relationship. It is, by far, the weakest of the Chicago Star books. Sorry Kevin, even you couldn’t make this book make sense.

Susan Elizabeth Phillips: Nobody's Baby But Mine

Nobody’s Baby But Mine: A-

Tender and hilarious!

Chicago Stars #3
Dr. Jane Darlington and Cal Bonner

Physics professor Dr. Jane Darlington spends her 34th birthday in tears. She wants a baby,but not a husband. Where can she find an average or, preferably, stupid man? She decides that Cal Bonner, legendary quarterback for the Chicago Stars is perfect. Jane sets her plan into action and after some trail and error she succeeds. But the results are more than she bargained for when Cal discovers her duplicity. How can a football player with an interfering family and a nerdy professor who has never known family love ever fall in love? With lots of honesty, understanding and a whole lot of humor.

I have to give it to Ms. Phillips for writing the funniest and most entertaining stories with the most absurd story plotlines. As expected, I couldn’t put this book down and bust a gut laughing (especially when Jane is trying to “seduce” Cal, oh goodness.)

Initially, I thought this story was going to be a flop. A genius physicist pretending to be a hooker to seduce a dumb jock? And by seduce, I mean impregnate herself with his sperm with his stupid genes. C’mon, you can’t get stupider than that. For someone so brilliant, Jane was astonishingly stupid.

Then there was Cal, the gorgeous, hunky football star with a deep-seated fear of getting old and getting booted off his beloved football team. So what does he do? Pick fights with Kevin Tucker, the much-younger, new “it” quarterback and date stupid blond bimbos barely old enough to be considered legal.

With a terrifically negative mindset I started reading Nobody’s Baby But Mine and I’m sure glad I did! It was entertaining, hilarious (I repeat, when she is trying to seduce Cal, it’s the funniest thing) and SEP has this way of writing so that you cringe and feel for the humiliation the heroine is feeling (something she truly and wholly deserves, but is painful to read at the same time).

Little does Jane realize that Cal is a very shrewd and clever jock. And Cal thinks she’s a hooker who’s slightly older than what he usually prefers (she claims to be twenty-eight or something).

It’s a hoot when Jane is faced with the awful truth that Cal is brilliant and Cal is sorely pissed when he discovers that Jane is thirty-four (oh Heaven forbid!).

When Cal catches onto Jane’s evil and sneaky scheme, he hurriedly marries her – so that their child will have his name and won’t be considered illegitimate – and plans to divorce her shortly after the baby is born. They move back to Cal’s hometown, Salvation, North Carolina, and Jane meets Cal’s family – his estranged parents, bitter and cynical Gabriel, angel-y Ethan, and Cal’s wicked-cool grandmother.

It’s a poignant tale of tribulation and overcoming differences with love at the very bottom. Completely recommended – ignore the almost too-stupid-to-live heroine. (She eventually redeems herself.) I did and everything worked out well!

Susan Elizabeth Phillips: Dream a Little Dream

Dream a Little Dream: C+
Chicago Star Series #4
Rachel Stone and Gabriel Bonner

Setting her story in Salvation, N.C., Phillips adeptly develops the theme of love's healing power. Broke and desperate to provide a better life for her son, gutsy Rachel Stone ends up in Salvation when her car breaks down. She knows the place, even worse, they know her as the widow of G. Dwayne Snopes, a televangelist who fled stealing millions. Luckily, Gabe Bonner, who owns a drive-in theater where Rachel asks for work, seems to be the only person who doesn't recognize her right off. Rachel's proud mettle distracts Gabe from the grief of his own tragic loss, but enemies strike out at Rachel, while Gabe's brothers mount a family defense against the gold-digging widow. Phillips (Heaven, Texas) digs deep to expose weaknesses and strengths in the psyche and faith of her characters…

Not really a “part” of the Chicago Stars series since the story has very little to do athletics and professional sports, but it is a continuation of Gabe and Ethan Bonner, whom the reader meets in the previous book, Nobody’s Baby But Mine.

I knew that this would be a particularly hard story to love since I don’t do well with stories where a main character is a widow, or the survivor of his or her lover’s death – a lover that the character has loved immensely before. (It’s kind of like one giving his entire heart to a woman and then having his heart broken into a million and a half pieces, then getting over that woman to love another person.)

Gabe Bonner has lost his wife and childhood sweetheart (he knew he loved her since he was thirteen, or something like that) and his son in an automobile accident two years ago. Being a lively and very gentle person before the death of his family, our heroine Rachel Stone finds Gabe to be a very bitter, hard-edged, and cynical man.

She has a five year old son and is a widow of Snopes, a once hugely famous corrupt tele-evangelist. He was from Gabe’s hometown and was found to be pocketing millions and millions of dollars, ruining lives in the process of doing so.

Rachel returns because she is at the very bottom of all possible lows; she has no money, no job, and a son to support. Her car breaks down in front of an old drive-in theater, one that Gabe has bought, and tries to work there.

To Gabe’s surprise, he finds himself attracted to Rachel and does his best to tamp down his desire for her, but more than physical attraction, he finds Rachel’s ability to keep going, even when she’s constantly shoved and pushed down, admirable and intriguing. She is shunned by the entire town, including Gabe’s very friendly family and Gabe’s pastor brother, Ethan.

The development of Rachel as well as her son’s character is truly remarkable. So is Gabe’s ability to move on with his life after the death of Cherry and Jamie. Their relationship is down to earth and full of angst –because of Gabe’s remaining pain and the hate that is hurled at Rachel.

Story-wise, there is nothing wrong with Dream a Little Dream, I just dislike that Gabe was still so fully in love with Cherry and Jamie. I know that it’s a necessary fact in life for people to move on after the death of their loved ones, but I still don’t understand (from the lack of experience?) how he was able to put his pain away and focus on his blooming love for Rachel.

SEP was able to write about it and technically, I understand – I just don’t comprehend how the feelings play into the entire equation. It’s something I probably won’t understand for a long time.

Good story, but full of pain that is gritty. I probably won’t want to read it again…

Susan Elizabeth Phillips: Heaven, Texas

Heaven, Texas: A


As the second book in SEP's "Chicago Star" series, I felt that Heaven, Texas was a mix of hilarity and sweet romance.

I was introduced to Gracie Snow, a spunky thirty-year old virgin who was born and raised in a small town (Ohio). She worked at a nursing home, sharing her love with the elderly and after an epiphany, decided that she needed to re-make herself and live her life.

She starts a job with a movie production company, one that is to film a movie with the ex-football player (and total hunk!) Bobby Tom Denton. At thirty-three, he was forced to retire because of a sports injury and chooses to try his hand in acting. However, he is his own man and refuses to listen to the movie director.

Movie director saids Gracie Snow to collect Bobby Tom and bring him to the film production site, aka BT's hometown. In a series of comic mistakes (or not), Bobby Tom meets Gracie Snow and falls for her wit and tender charm. Bobby Tom is hunky, hot, kind, and um...hot.

The secondary love story cast is of Bobby Tom's mother and the owner of a corporation - which is compelling but not quite as wonderful as BT and Gracie's story.

What I love most about SEP's writing is that even if I don't love love the story or the characters (or something of the book), I put it down with a smile. SEP writes hilarious and witty dialogues and her characters come to life through their words. There were moments when I was laughing out loud, groaning for Gracie, or "aw-ing" their time together. And to top it off, the ending was fabulous. Definitely a favorite ending of mine.

If you've yet to read a SEP, you're missing out!


Side: SEP posted an epilogue that was not published with the story on her website. I do love epilogues - and this one is great.