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37 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
2.5 stars, (SPOILERS!!), November 6, 2007
It took me a while to decide what star rating I would give this book. Even detractors of Susan Elizabeth Phillips' books can admit that she is a great writer, and I am no exception. She has the distinction of being the only author that can make me laugh out loud, and create characters that I remember.
I enjoyed the interaction between Lady Emma and Kenny, and I thought her managing/bossy ways was a good foil for his 'ambling' about his life. Neither of the forced marraiges posed a problem; SEP did an excellent job of portraying Hugh as a manipulative and domineering man pushing Emma into marraige. Since Emma allowed herself to be pushed into her first'engagement', I didn't bat an eyelash when she and Kenny got hitched in Vegas.
What made me rate the book so low was the ending, where Emma keeps on villianizing poor Kenny. I mean really, Emma. The real villian was Hugh; she did not show one ounce of backbone to him, yet she treated Kenny as if he was a bad man. As with all SEP books, she does not allow the protagonists to have a happy ending till the man has been emasculated in some large, public way. Now this can be needed, (actually I don't think so but that's another review...) but in this story I thought it was overkill. What made this even worse, was that Emma acted as if Kenny grovelling was necessary for them to be together. I am still not clear what he was supposed to be grovelling for. I agreed with Kenny's accusation to Emma that she didn't want to fight for them.
Now like a previous reviewer mentioned, SEP is starting to have too similar heroine- slightly dippy, insecure and a virgin, with no sense of confidence. Till they get with the too gorgeous rich playboy who falls for their dippiness. But then dippy heroine suddenly musters the spine she has been lacking all her dippy life to lash out at the hero. And then he has to do something Big. Like win a superbowl. Or throw away his career and reputation. Ya know simple things like that.
Maybe the heroines want to punish the hero for being so wealthy, good looking, charming and sexually experienced?
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19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great follow up to Fancy Pants, August 15, 2005
Lady Emma wants to become "not so much a lady" so she won't be a viable candidate to be the next Duchess of Beddington. That means tight clothes, tattoos, piercings, and bedding down an available man to take that pesky (but apparently important to royalty) virginity she has been toting around. The Duke of Beddington owns the girl's academy where she is headmistress, and vows to close it if she refuses him.
On a trip to the US to research a book, she decides to drop her inhibitions with suspended sexy golf pro Kenny Traveler, who she mistakes for a tour guide/gigolo. Their discussions of what constitutes his job responsibilities are hysterical. And $30 for a night of passion with a superstar? He is a bargain! And very willing to find out what a "head mistress" does. When she tells Kenny she wants a pretty flower on her shoulder, but wakes up with the flag of Texas and a banner with the name KENNY emblazoned across it, she is a little frazzled, especially after finding out who he really is.
Kenny is attracted to Emma, but can't act on it since he is on suspension for bad boy activities. Soon, he throws caution to the wind as the two embark on an affair. When Emma thinks she is being followed, she does crazy things like flirt with the first available man or goes on interesting shopping sprees. Kenny's response to her late night drug store excursion is priceless.
This story is a follow up to Fancy Pants, which revolves around the relationship of Kenny's mentor Dallie and his reporter wife, Francesca. They make a brief but memorable appearance (as well as fully grown son, Ted, who Emma almost seduces) in this story as well.
Being an SEP novel, you always know how it will end, but as always, getting there is half the fun!
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A book definitely worth reading....., August 12, 2002
This is my very first book by Susan Elizabeth Phillips...and I enjoyed every moment!!! Being that I prefer historical romances, the modern day backdrop to this book threw me off at first; I decided to give it a shot anyway...and I'm sooo glad I did!!! This book was so charming...it was full of laughs...and not only were Kenny and Emma wonderful, but the secondary characters were outstanding as well!!! I would definitely recommend this and look forward to purchasing more works by this author.
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