Customer Reviews

Cross My Heart

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Carly Phillips writes the type of books that are fun and sexy romantic reads, perfect for taking along to the beach on a relaxing summer day and this book fits pretty much into that mold.

The prologue sets the story up nicely showing Tyler Benson and Daniel Hunter, two young teens, conspiring to save their best friend Lillian Dumont from further abuse by her guardian uncle. By faking her death she would be leaving them, but they all agreed the sacrifice was worth the risk in keeping her safe from the clutches of her greedy alcoholic uncle.

Ten years later Lilly, who is now known as Lacey Kincaid, has a new life and a successful business in New York city when Ty her best friend, childhood sweetheart and co-conspirator from Hawkens Cove, has turned up on her doorstep. Ty learned that her uncle was getting ready to claim her inheritance by declaring her officially dead and urged her to come home to claim it for herself. Lacey had never intended to return to the place that held such unhappy memories but seeing Ty again rekindled the flames of a childhood passion that had never completely left her. In order to see where these newly aroused feelings would progress she decided that maybe returning home and becoming the Dumont heiress wouldn't be too hard to take. Unfortunately, it became obvious that someone from Hawkens Cove doesn't want to see Lacey claim that inheritance and Ty would have to keep Lacey alive long enough not only to claim her inheritance but to claim her heart.

*** This was an interesting and fast paced read with a lovely romance for the main characters as well as featuring a blossoming secondary romance for their best friend Hunter and his new gal pal Molly. The plot itself was relatively simple with no big surprises. Motivations and character actions are well defined and the romance is sweet and tender showing the characters taking the time to get reacquainted before immediately falling prey to their physical attraction. Although Phillips is known for her off-beat humor in previous novels the seriousness of the storyline did not call for, nor was humor a major factor in this story. Other than references to Lacey's odiferous dog, I did not find much humor at all in the story. Judging by the cover, I was under the impression that this would follow Phillips signature lighter fare. So I would caution the reader that if you are picking this book up by looking cover, you might be misled when you discover that humor was not a primary ingredient in this story. A fast and sexy read - just in time for great summer beach reading.

Marilyn Rondeau, RIO - Reviewers International Organization

Carly's newest book is a heart warming read dealing with lies, deceit, truths uncovered and second chances.

After her escape from Hawken's Cove with the help of her two closest friends, Tyler Benson and Daniel Hunter, Lilly Dumont goes under an assumed name of Lacey Kincaid in New York City. Fast forward 10 years and the appearance of Tyler at her door, who she has never forgotten and the fledging love that never had a chance to see where it could or would go. He is requesting that she come back and claim her trust fund and inheritance, before her abusive Uncle, who was her guardian when both her parents were killed, has her declared dead and takes it and everything that is rightfully hers. Now the problems start to compound, attempts are made on her life. The sexual tension between Tyler and Lacey is so tangible but both are afraid to let down their walls and see where this might lead. Tyler, more so than Lilly, has lots of baggage to overcome but even so he is her most fierce protector and supporter. Along with this you have the sub plot and characters of Hunter, their best friend, and Molly Gifford, the soon to be step-daughter of her Uncle. This book will move you to tears, make you smile and have you turning pages from the moment you open the book till the last page because you are anxious to find the answers to resolve this highly charged emotional roller coaster. It is skilfully weaved and your heart strings are tugged as each chapter unfolds and issues resolved. I highly recommend this book, and hope that Hunter and Molly get their own story as well, because I am sure there is more that needs to be told. Hopefully you will agree with me.

With the help of her two best friends Daniel Hunter and Tyler Benson, Lillian Dumont faked her death to escape her abusive Uncle. She disappeared, becoming Lacey Kincaid and neither Ty nor Hunter has seen her since.

Ten years later Hunter discovers that Lilly's uncle is going to have her declared legally dead and claim her family fortune, so he and Ty decide to try and convince her to claim what is rightfully hers.

Ty and Lilly had something special when they were teenagers. With them being too young and not enough time to figure it out, nothing became of it, but now as adults, the attraction is stronger than ever. Hunter is dealing with an unrequited love of his own as well. Unfortunately Molly is tangled up in the danger surrounding Lilly. These four friends have to work together to find out what is going on and who is involved before the threat to Lilly turns deadly.

Cross My Heart is a charming love story. The special bond between Ty and Lilly stirred my romantic heart. Cross My Heart has a common theme where some danger and the uncertainty of their relationship mix and yet I was still easily entertained. There is also a clear setup for Hunter and Molly's story, which I am very eager for! I really enjoy this author's fun, witty, and sensual writing style. In Cross My Heart, Carly Phillips creates a sexy, passionate and endearing story where a hometown hunk and a woman with a troubled past get back the love they thought was lost forever.

Nannette reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

I really enjoy Carly Philllips novels and expect a light, fun, fast read when I have a book of hers in front of me. I was really excited to read her newest one, so I pre-ordered the hard cover and awaited it's arrival. Well...it was a light, fun, fast read...but it wasn't really worthy of $17 and I would have liked it more had I only paid $7. The story line is good, but it's not too deep or hard to figure out what will happen in the end. Great book (in paperback) and a quick fun read.

I typically really enjoy a book by Carly Phillips, but this one was not up to par with what I expected. It was a cute story, albeit with plenty of holes and a very predictable bad guy. It is a light romantic read with some heart warming and likable characters, it just fell short on the sizzle and surprises that I am used to by this author. I really liked her Hot Zone series, which is what I would recommend to you if you haven't read it yet. I didn't hate this book, it just was OK and I know this author has many other books that are simply better. My recommendation is to pass on this book, but not on this author.

Ten years ago three friends, Ty, Hunter and Lilly, hatched a plan to get Lilly away from her abusive uncle. Lilly changed her name to Lacey and at the age of 17 moved to New York on her own. When Ty and Hunter hear that her uncle is going through the motion to get Lilly declared legally dead so he can claim her trust fund, they decide it is time to bring Lilly out of hiding.

On the day that Lilly said goodbye to her life and friends, she and Ty had the beginnings of young love. In all these years neither has forgotten the other so when Ty shows up on her doorstep, Lilly/Lacey knows exactly who he is. He convinces Lilly to come back and facer her past and uncle and claim what is rightfully hers. However, when Lilly arrives back in her hometown, it seems not everyone is happy to have Lilly back.

I am a Carly Phillips fan as she almost always delivers an entertaining, light and quick read. Her stories and characters are always fun, fabulous, and her books are hard to put down. Cross My Heart is my favorite CP book, and for me her best to date, it has a lot more depth than what we usually get. From the first chapter I knew this book was going to be different from any of her other books, just by the emotions the characters make you feel so soon. It's not your typical predictable romance as it has some interesting twists and turns. The mystery portion of the story was strong and kept me guessing and second guessing while reading it.

The secondary characters help add to the enjoyment and complexity of the story. This was a reread for me as I am getting ready for the release of the next book in the series, Molly and Hunter's story, Sealed with a Kiss. This book was great the first time I read it and I enjoyed it just as much this time around. I am looking forward to the next one.

I thoroughly enjoyed the ride that Carly Phillips takes us on. Carly has a great way of engaging us into the the lives of Lilly Dumont (aka Lacey), Ty, & Hunter. It's as if I'm there watching them go through this soap opera of a plot that Carly does such a fantastic job telling us. I'm new to the Carly Phillips works but will definitely pick up the next book SEALED WITH A KISS due for release in 10/2007

I have really come to like Carly Phillips. Her writing is wonderful, her charactors are so colorful and unique and her storylines are vivid and new. This book was more of what she is so good at.

While she was born Lillian Dumont, Lacey Kincaid would like to forget that part of her life, and has for ten years. While she left behind her teenage sweetheart, she also left behind a hateful uncle who only loved her for her money. Lacey is now a successful business owner who has worked hard to get her life where she wants it. But when her past shows up on her doorstep with bad news she must fight her fears and return to the life she once had. But with the pains come joys, she can now explore the feeling she had for the boy who is now a man. But someone will stop at nothing, including murder, to keep Lacey and her past quiet.

Left orphaned with a huge trust fund, Lilly never found a loving relationship with alcoholic Marc, who holds her responsible for his unwitting attraction to her deceased mother. He schemes to get control of the trust, and when threats do not work, he has her put into foster care where she forges a bond with her "brothers" Ty and Hunter. With the aid of Hunter and Ty, Lilly escapes from the clutches of her evil uncle by faking her death to start a new life in New York.

A decade later, Lilly (now going by Lacey) is a successful entrepreneur on the verge of accepting a marriage proposal from boyfriend Alex, when she gets the surprise of her life - Ty is at her door and wants her to return to claim her inheritance. Marc is on the verge of getting married and thus wants to have Lilly declared legally dead in order to have control over the money. Ty's emergence into her life brings up unresolved feelings - both have nursed crushes on each other, but never acted on it. When they return to Hawken's Cove, she moves in with Ty, makes her presence known, and soon is finding herself in danger. Between burning up Ty's sheets, getting nearly run over, and having someone set fire to the apartment while she is sleeping, Lilly is pretty busy. With the help of lawyer Molly, Marc's soon to be step daughter, Lilly and the guys investigate whether Marc hates her enough to want her dead.

Phillips latest is an entertaining story that is a little deeper than most of her novels. While it has its lighthearted moments, there is a lot of baggage - abuse, alcoholism, betrayal - you name it. I am happy to say that I really enjoyed this book - even if there is a shameless open end so that secondary couple Hunter and Molly can be featured in her next book.

then you'll like this book. I just wanted them to grow up (warning - most don't and you have to wait till last couple of pages (or minutes) until two of them do. This one doesn't have any of the wit or charm that the "Simply" series holds. The love scenes made me wince and every one described how the female lead "tingled" somewhere. I'm really regretting the $30 + dollars spent on the audio version.