Natural Born Charmer CD [AUDIOBOOK] [UNABRIDGED] (Audio CD)

by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (Author), Anna Fields (Reader)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Veteran narrator Anna Fields (whose real name was Kate Fleming) died recently, and this audiobook—one of her final performances—shows just what a loss her passing is to the industry. This quirky romance full of eccentric, colorful characters is a perfect showcase for her talent. She creates distinctive, believable voices that bring the characters to life: the slow, deep drawl of football star Dean Robillard and the feisty, sarcastic tone of Blue Bailey, the down-on-her-luck wanderer he picks up on the road. There's also the timid, innocent, anxious-to-please quaver of 11-year-old Riley, whose irresponsible rock star dad also fathered Dean, and the crotchety, elderly, Brooklyn-tinged voice of Nina, the mean-spirited old woman who owns the small town they all end up in. Field's wonderful performance elevates the material and makes this romance even more entertaining on audio than it is in print.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Description

Chicago Stars quarterback Dean Robillard is the luckiest man in the world. But life in the glory lane has started to pale, and Dean has set off on a cross-country trip to figure out what's gone wrong. When he hits a lonely stretch of Colorado highway, he spies something that will shake up his gilded life in ways he can't imagine. A young woman . . . dressed in a beaver suit.

Blue Bailey is on a mission. As for the beaver suit she's wearing . . . Is it her fault that life keeps throwing her curve balls? Witness the expensive black sports car pulling up next to her on the highway and the Greek god stepping out of it.

They're soon heading for his summer home, where their already complicated lives and inconvenient attraction to each other will become entangled with a charismatic but aging rock star; a beautiful, fifty-two-year-old woman trying to make peace with her rock and roll past; an eleven-year-old who desperately needs a family; and a bitter old woman who hates them all.

Natural Born Charmer . . . for anyone who's ever thought about leaving their old life in the dust and never looking back. Susan Elizabeth Phillips takes us home again . . . and shows us where love truly lives.

Performed by Anna Fields

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Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: HarperAudio; Unabridged edition (February 6, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061227196
• ISBN-13: 978-0061227196
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 5.3 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #669,111 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars LISTEN AND FIND OUT IF LOVE CAN CONQUER ALL, February 17, 2007

By	Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

Actress Kate Fleming who recorded audio books as Anna Fields died recently. Audio book fans remember her for her magnificent narrations and her versatility - reading the works of authors as diverse as Joyce Carol Oates and Molly Ivins. She won an Audie Award, and was a narrator for the 9/11 Commission Report. Kate will be greatly missed but thankfully we can still enjoy her voice performances, I treasure her take on the life of Blue Bailey in this heartwarming story by Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

Yes, this is a love story, and a funny one, too. Who can resist smiling at the thought of a young woman walking along the side of a Colorado highway in a beaver suit? Chicago Stars quarterback Dean Robillard did more than smile, he came to a quick stop and picked her up. This is a man who has it all - great looks, life in the fast line, adulation, and more money than he's quite sure what to do with.

He's on his way to Tennessee to check on a farm he recently purchased. Blue (she in the beaver suit) is down on her luck and appreciates the ride, hoping to get somewhere where she can restart her portrait painting business. Despite a bit of bickering she's quick to ingratiate herself with Dean and convince him of how much help she can be
.
Help is what he needs when he reaches his farm and finds that the person hired to oversee the renovations is actually his mother, April, whom he hasn't seen in years. Motherhood wasn't exactly April's thing - drugs were, and now she's trying to make amends. It's not too long before Dean's Dad appears - ditto Dean's half-sister. Can these folks ever forget and forgive?

Listen and find out whether or not love conquers all.

- Gail Cooke

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Natual Born Charmers..., February 16, 2007

By	L. Jones "Lynn loves books" (Gilroy, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I absolutely love Susan Elizabeth Phillips' books. She has an incredible sense of humor and her books are fun! I also love listening to her books-on-tape. She has hired an incredible reader (Anna Fields), full of talent, a great voice, and you can tell too, that she has a great sense of humor. My commute is 45 minutes to & from work. I can complete a Books-on-Tape very quickly. I always get so sad when I am on the last C.D. of a S.E.Phillips book because I don't want it to end. Her books make you feel good, make you laugh. Her characters are fun. I often find myself laughing and chuckling out loud in the car. Thank you Susan for continuing to put out great romantic novels! Keep up the great work!

4.0 out of 5 stars A Treat for the Open Road, November 3, 2007

By	Professor Donald Mitchell "Jesus Makes Me a P... (Boston) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)

I often take long driving trips and look forward to letting well-read books entertain me. Natural Born Charmer turned out to be a good choice for a recent trip to Philadelphia. Why? The book opens with a scene where a driver sees a woman stomping down the highway wearing a headless beaver suit. From now on, I'll be keeping my eyes open for such a character.

In addition, I can tell from listening to the book that I would have found it not nearly as entertaining if I had read the book silently instead of listening to the wonderful Anna Fields whose versatility makes the characters more interesting than Susan Elizabeth Phillips wrote them.
While most readers capture accents and sex pretty well, Ms. Fields adds wonderful qualities of emotion and character to her reading that reflect a deep appreciation of the story . . . adding to my understanding and appreciation.

NFL star quarterback Dean Robillard isn't feeling very happy during the off season as he recovers from his first serious injury. Rather than working on rehabilitation, he's gone for a long drive . . . possibly to his new home that's being restored. His attention is taken by the angry woman in the beaver suit, and he picks her up looking for some amusement at her expense. When she turns out to be seemingly unaware of who he is and filled with witty comments, he decides to let her ride along . . . as long as she stays amusing.

Blue Bailey is one of the feistiest women you'll ever meet in fiction, almost as feisty as some real women I've met. She has attachment problems and keeps moving like the proverbial rolling stone. On top of that, life has dealt her some tough blows that she's struggling to contain.

The battle of the sexes takes many new turns as the two try to out smart and out talk each other. And many surprises await when they arrive at their destination. It turns out that Dean's life wasn't always so rosy, and he has deep insecurities that he doesn't want to talk about.

Before the book ends, you'll meet all of Dean's family and they will come to terms with one another in new ways.

But can the smooth, well-dressed quarterback find happiness with one slim, argumentative, fashion-challenged woman who doesn't care about her appearance or what people think of her? You'll enjoy finding out the answer.