Title: What I Did For Love
Author: Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Type: Contemporary Romance
Published: 2009
Why: SEP equals auto-read.
Thoughts: Charmed me to my toes.
You know, I hate to leave the "Type:" listed above at "Contemporary Romance". I almost want to re-enter it as "SEP's Contemporary Romance." She really has created a class all her own. Every single mention of this release in our online community has been followed by comments like "A perfect SEP read," and "SEP is SEP," or "everything I expected from Susan Elizabeth Phillips".. So yep, a class all by herself.
Difficult to fully explain that, for non-SEP readers. For paranormals, we call it world-building. For contemporary romance, we just assume the romance will occur in the world as we know it today, our world. For SEP though, it's really not our world, LOL. I swear her characters occupy a different plane altogether. It's a plane, a world where SEP's celebrities live, like:
1) her actors, agents and producers
2) her musicians (rock stars) and groupies
3) her football players, team owners and agents
4) her circus performers and ring leaders (Kiss An Angel--a top 10 all-time keeper for me)
I'm sure there are more, but you get the picture. SEP's world? Very, very different from mine. Yet she pulls me in and turns my skeptic 'tude to charmed cheers in just pages. We call her characters "quirky"; truth be told, they are nut jobs, every one. And they literally step from the page, because no matter how outside the norm they may be, SEP makes them "real."
So, characterization. Check.
Story, character-driven. Again, check.
Entertaining.
Humorous.
And charming. Sums it--right there--charming. I was, quite simply, charmed by Georgie and Bram. From beginning to end. With plenty of distraction--in the form of her trademark cast of nut jobs--along the way.
Don't know what else to say. Oh, I will mention that I was just as turned on by the sweet-and-seductive sex here as I was by the edgy-smokin-sex of Natural Born Charmer.
Totally charmed.
Word On The Web:
Charlotte's Web Of Books Says "What I Did For Love was everything I expected from Susan Elizabeth Phillips and more."
Romance Novel TV Says "I found both Georgie and Bram to be selfish, single-minded people who were really only out or themselves."
Dear Author Says "although I appreciated Georgie and Bram’s vulnerability, I didn’t entirely sympathize with them."
In Response:
I have to admit to not liking either Georgie or Bram much at the outset, but--as always--SEP won me over brilliantly. She charmed me. Did I mention that I was charmed?
Author: Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Type: Contemporary Romance
Published: 2009
Why: SEP equals auto-read.
Thoughts: Charmed me to my toes.
You know, I hate to leave the "Type:" listed above at "Contemporary Romance". I almost want to re-enter it as "SEP's Contemporary Romance." She really has created a class all her own. Every single mention of this release in our online community has been followed by comments like "A perfect SEP read," and "SEP is SEP," or "everything I expected from Susan Elizabeth Phillips".. So yep, a class all by herself.
Difficult to fully explain that, for non-SEP readers. For paranormals, we call it world-building. For contemporary romance, we just assume the romance will occur in the world as we know it today, our world. For SEP though, it's really not our world, LOL. I swear her characters occupy a different plane altogether. It's a plane, a world where SEP's celebrities live, like:
1) her actors, agents and producers
2) her musicians (rock stars) and groupies
3) her football players, team owners and agents
4) her circus performers and ring leaders (Kiss An Angel--a top 10 all-time keeper for me)
I'm sure there are more, but you get the picture. SEP's world? Very, very different from mine. Yet she pulls me in and turns my skeptic 'tude to charmed cheers in just pages. We call her characters "quirky"; truth be told, they are nut jobs, every one. And they literally step from the page, because no matter how outside the norm they may be, SEP makes them "real."
So, characterization. Check.
Story, character-driven. Again, check.
Entertaining.
Humorous.
And charming. Sums it--right there--charming. I was, quite simply, charmed by Georgie and Bram. From beginning to end. With plenty of distraction--in the form of her trademark cast of nut jobs--along the way.
Don't know what else to say. Oh, I will mention that I was just as turned on by the sweet-and-seductive sex here as I was by the edgy-smokin-sex of Natural Born Charmer.
Totally charmed.
Word On The Web:
Charlotte's Web Of Books Says "What I Did For Love was everything I expected from Susan Elizabeth Phillips and more."
Romance Novel TV Says "I found both Georgie and Bram to be selfish, single-minded people who were really only out or themselves."
Dear Author Says "although I appreciated Georgie and Bram’s vulnerability, I didn’t entirely sympathize with them."
In Response:
I have to admit to not liking either Georgie or Bram much at the outset, but--as always--SEP won me over brilliantly. She charmed me. Did I mention that I was charmed?
Aaaaahhhhh. I may not be able to wait for the library copy. I do love SEP. She does depth of character and quirky so well. Same reasons I like Deborah Smith.
ReplyDeleteOk now I have to go buy this one! I was trying to hold myself back but after reading your review I'm pretty sure I have to go get it. Thanks for the great review!
ReplyDeleteHi Linda - Ahhh yes, you're right. Deborah Smith's characters hold a similar charm. Although, I have to say that SEP's characters--her males at any rate--harken back to the possessive romantic hero that started it all for me...years ago. It's like underneath the zanyness lies a very traditional romance hero.
ReplyDeleteHi Tracy! I loved it! Like I said, she erased any and all annoyance I may have had with the characters and Hollywood setting--she just pulled me into the story. A perfect SEP read.
Yup, she's awesome. Adding it to my library queue.
ReplyDeleteI loved this one. Stayed up until 2:30 to finish it last night. I love SEP's ability to take people you wouldn't normally perceive as hero/heroine material and turn them into characters you root for.
ReplyDelete