Customer Reviews

First Lady

5 star:		(63)
4 star:		(39)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I usually don't write reviews about books that I have read. I like reading what other people have written, sometimes I agree and sometimes I don't. After reading some of the reviews for First Lady I have to comment! As I was reading these reviews, especially those of the last few days, I had to resist the urge to pick up F.L. and re-read it to make sure we had read the same book. The chacters names were the same, but the characters boring? Please! That was not the book that I read. SEP has a way of delving into her characters until you feel you know them well enough to be your best friends. Nealy and Mat were no exception. Now, I haven't done any kind of research on the subject of politics and first ladies, but it doesn't seem to implausible that the first lady of the US of A could be a little burned out! It also stands to reason that a man who raised 7 (I think it was that many) sisters and was surrounded by women for the first 3/4 of his life would shy away from marriage and the family scene. Unfortunately, some teenagers do act like Lucy. It was annoying, but 14 year olds ARE annoying! There were a few unrealistic scenes, but it wouldn't be a romance novel without them. I don't know about you, but if I wanted more realism I would stick to reading only Oprahs book club selections. I think that's why a lot of us read romance novels, to take a small break from real life. I know I haven't described the book in any detail, you can read some of the other reviews for that. I just wanted to write this review to tell you to READ THIS BOOK! It won't be a waste of your time. SEP promises great books and great escapes and First Lady is no exception.

Not so much a romance as an homage to family (the non-traditional variety) and to those decent folks willing to subject themselves to the scrutiny and ugliness that can accompany a life in politics.

First Lady Cornelia "Nealy" Case is burned out. She's been in the public eye all her life first as the daughter of the Vice President (now the party chairman) and most recently as First Lady. But the death of her President husband presents her with her first thoughts of freedom - until the new President, a widower, asks her to stay on and act as his First Lady. She very reluctantly agrees, but after six miserable months she plots her escape!

Journalist Mat Jorik is in career crisis. He's looking to regain his journalistic integrity after an ill-advised foray into tabloid TV. All he needs is that Big Story that will put him back on top again. But in the meantime, he's got other, bigger problems. He's become responsible for the two daughters of his ex-wife who has recently died. The last thing he wants is to care for two kids that aren't even his (especially after practically raising his six younger sisters!), and so he packs them into a Winnebago and embarks on a trip from Pennsylvania to their grandmother's in Iowa.

These unlikely travelers meet up at a truck stop when Nealy's car and money are stolen. Nealy, disguised as a pregnant woman down on her luck, is not recognized and Mat offers to let her travel with them if she will take care of the children and she agrees. And so begins this strange odyssey of a man who doesn't want a family, a woman who's getting her first taste of a normal life and two kids who desperately need a family. My heart went out to fourteen-year-old Lucy, sullen and cynical on the outside yet vulnerable and hopeful on the inside, she's desperate to get Mat and Nealy together so that she and her baby sister are not separated and put into foster care. As the days pass they begin to bond, but will Mat's reluctance for family life mean the girls' future is in jeopardy? And what happens when Nealy's true identity becomes known, not to mention when she discovers Mat is not the steelworker she assumes he is - that he's that sworn enemy of anyone in political life, a journalist? Is Nealy his Big Story? Would he betray her and all they shared to re-establish his journalism career?

A very enjoyable story with characters you will care about. However, as with other reviewers I do have a couple of issues. Given how much she enjoyed her freedom, Nealy's choice to go back to life in the public eye (and subjecting the girls to it) seemed odd. And I would have like to have seen more romance between Mat and Nealy, though their close proximity to the girls made intimacy difficult. The kids (Lucy in particular) were almost more interesting than the adults and the epilogue was a little too cute and idealistic. A flawed but still enjoyable read.

With great anticipation I bought this as we were heading to Florida on vacation. Because I was so certain it would be as wonderful as all of SEPs novels, I saved it for last.

How sad that I should've read it first, just to get finished with it. I found Mat and Nealy to be not only underdeveloped, but lacking any of the sympathetic qualities I have come to expect from this author. They were, sadly, flat and annoying. The notable exceptions were the children, Lucy and Button who, like most children in SEPs novels, were delightful.

While I certainly applaud the attempt to try a new kind of character, I look forward to Phillips' next novel.

When you are glued to the pages till 5AM... it's a sure sign that the book is not only captivating, but also, funny, poignant and throughly enjoyable. First Lady by SEP was the book that I was glued to! This romance novel is an original story about a widowed First Lady, Cornelia Case, in search of herself on the roads of suburbs of midwest in a disguise... and in turn, finds herself a new adventure... and love in the form of Mat Jorik.

SEP *always* present the most realistic (as realistic as they can get for a romance novel) characters and dialogue and FL was no acception! From the beginning, I was intrigued with the burnt out First Lady and Mat- who seemed to be surrounded by numerous females from birth. When this two most unlikely characters are thrown together in a beat up Winnebago named Mabel along with a baby named Butt and a rebellious teenager... well, you can just guess what happens. Or maybe not. Especially if the First Lady is in a disguise! But the twists and turns in the book had me guessing what was gonna happen next, the entire time.

The ending is wonderful and very satisfying... Nealy goes for her goals and achieves it. With the help of everyone around her. Marvelous! I was definitely impressed with SEP's knowledge of past First Ladies facts and details of White House. I wonder what she did for her research!

This gotta be the best road romance I've ever read... And probably best "I love you" scene... which totally made me cry. Tears rolling down my cheeks and all! Although, Dan Calebow from It Had To Be You is my favorite SEP hero, Mat Jorik is giving Dan a run for his money! Definitely a keeper! Can't wait for This Heart Of Mine! By the way, if you've never read an SEP novel, start with this one! You *can't* go wrong with FL!

This book was by no means her best work. The romance wasn't believeable nor were many of Ms. Phillips' political ideas. I usually love her novels (especially Dream a Little Dream and Heaven, Texas) but this was not even in the same league. The most excited I got about the book was the ad for her next book in the back!

After the President has been assassinated, the First Lady of the United States is asked to act as First Lady to the new president. The problem is, Cornelia Case just doesn't want to. So several months after her husband is assassinated, she runs away from the White House and pretends to be a pregnant woman down on her luck.

Luck runs out when Nealy's car is stolen and she meets Mat Jorik, a man who is transporting a teenager and a toddler across the country. Mat asks Nealy, not realizing she is the missing First Lady of course, to act as the children's nanny. She agrees.

The road trip takes many, many turns but eventually the First Lady is caught and sent back to Washington. During her week and a half away from the White House Nealy grows and learns how to take care of herself and learns to love two children and their guardian.

I was so excited for First Lady to finally be released, but now I feel let down. Unlike many other Susan Elizabeth Phillips books, the love story between Nealy and Mat was boring, there was nothing there to make the reader sit back and say 'Wow!' I didn't believe that the First Lady of the United States of America would 1) act that way and 2) fall in love with Mat.

Of course Lucy and Button stole my heart, but as for the other two, they were left in the dust.

If you're a lover of Susan Elizabeth Phillips, pass on this one. I'm sorry to say that SEP doesn't deliver the goods that her fans know, love and expect. I only hope that the next is better.

You must read this charming, wonderful, and unusual story of our own American princess, a protected and sheltered political pawn who finds the courage to go on the lamb. But hiding isn't easy for such a famous young woman, that is, until she is rescued by a reluctant, grumbling hero who rides in on..of all things...a Winnebago! I was fortunate enough to read FIRST LADY early and this book delivers everything you have come to expect from the Diva of Romance, Susan Elizabeth Phillips. I just loved it! You will laugh out loud at Nealy's attempts at instant motherhood. You will want to hug Lucy, the sassy, bright and mouthy teenager, close to your chest, and I guarantee you will laugh and cry along with these characters as they travel across middle-America and right into your heart. FIRST LADY is filled with charming yet vulnerable people you will adore. When you read the last page you will be craving more from Susan Elizabeth Phillips because her books are just the best there is today in romance. Enjoy it! I did.

I'm amazed at the number of reviews that say the story isn't believeable... I say its romance not nonfiction for crying out loud. SEP makes me laugh out loud and I read her books for entertainment not hard hitting facts. I especially enjoyed Nealy's contact with former First Ladies. (Talk about an exclusive club) I absolutely love SEP's depiction of Button/Demon and Mat's frustration dealing with her. Living off of I-270 I could easily picture Nealy's getaway. Bravo!

I couldn't see how this book could be good, but it was. Very entertaining and I loved Button and Lucy. Ms Phillips is one of my all time favorites - But I'm giving this book 4 stars because I didn't believe Nealy's character was consistant in the end. The Nealy at the beginning was very much not the Nealy at the end. I very much loved Mat and his sisters, I wish they had been in the book more often rather than just before the end. I would recommend this book to SOME people, but with some reservations. Doesn't come close to her football heros. I am very much looking forward to the story of Molly and Kevin.

Nealy Case is the daughter of a former vice-president, and the widow of a recently assassinated president. When asked to continue her reign of first lady for the elderly widowed new president, she reluctantly agrees, but longs to escape the White House and have a private life of her own.

When she does escape, she runs into Mat Jarvik and his 2 "daughters" and has no choice but to bum a ride with them. Mat is taking the 2 girls to their grandmother's in a motorhome to Iowa, as his ex put him on the birth certificates despite being divorced over a decade, and him not being the father of either child. Mat doesn't want kids - especially girls since he spent his adolesence caring for 7 sisters. He's also a successful journalist and thinks Nell (as she now calls herself with her revamped look) has a passing resemblance to the first lady. Slowly, the two embark on a smoldering affair, her first real relationship in a long time, and she reveals plenty of secrets in her pillow talk.

Will the Secret Service ever catch up with her? Will Mat figure out who she is? Will the girls have a happily ever after? Will Mat betray her with the scoop of the century? This is a heart-tugging tale that'll make you wish for happy endings.