Customer Reviews

Sugar Daddy

5 star:		(83)
4 star:		(42)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(17)
1 star:		(19)

 

 

When awkward teenager Liberty Jones meets self-assured, loner Hardy Cates her life is changed forever. Liberty and her mother have just moved to a trailer home in Welcome, Texas. Hardy lives in the same trailer park with his mother and three siblings. Both the Cates the Jones families don't have much in the way of money, but their ties to their family make their lives complete. Liberty's mother works hard to support her daughter on her own, and when she becomes pregnant, Liberty steps in to help shoulder the extra burden. Likewise, Hardy also comes from a single parent home (his father is in prison) and he works hard outside the home to provide extra income for his family.

Liberty is going through puberty when she first meets Hardy and she falls for him hard. He is her constant advocate, helping her with tests, teaching her to play basketball, helping her see her own inner and outer beauty. But Hardy wants nothing more than to one day leave the sheltered trailer park life behind him and make something of his life. He is determined to not wind up like his father and he knows that falling in love with Liberty will only make it harder for him to go. To both of their dismay, he refuses to get involved with her and he walks away from Welcome and Liberty without turning back. Shortly after, Liberty loses her mother in an accident and is left to raise her two-year-old sister alone.

Forced to act as a single mother to her sister Carrington, Liberty makes sacrifice after sacrifice to ensure they are both fed, healthy, and happy. She sets out on a career path as a hair stylist and moves with Carrington to Houston to work at a prestigious salon. Once there, she meets Churchill Travis, a successful businessman who the other stylists tell her would make a perfect "sugar daddy." Liberty has never considered such an arrangement, but when Churchill takes a personal interest in her and offers her a live-in position as his assistant, she lets herself be swayed for the sake of her sister. Living with Churchill will give Carrington opportunities Liberty could never afford on her own. Soon Liberty has found love, happiness, and contentment in the Travis home and things are going well. But when Hardy steps back into her life after nearly 10 years, she has to decide if she's willing to sacrifice the happiness she's found for the future she'd always dreamed of.

I was skeptical when I found out Lisa Kleypas, one of the leading authors of historical romances, was going to be writing a contemporary novel. I mean, her historicals are so good--why ruin a good thing? Well, I'm here to admit that I was wrong. I forgive her for going the route of contemporary, and if they're all going to be this good, I say keep at it. Sugar Daddy was "unputdownable." I read it in six hours and stayed up until 3 in the morning to do so (and I have to go to work in the morning). But there was simply no other choice. I became absorbed in the characters, in the story, in the outcome and I just had to know how things were going to work out. Liberty Jones is a well-drawn character who develops from a shy, awkward teenager into a self-assured, confident guardian to her sister. She puts herself second to ensure that Carrington is well cared for and even sacrifices her own love life for the good of her family. When she finally finds someone to love, I was so happy for her, but then Hardy stepped back into her life and I had to wonder if she'd made the right choice. Hardy Cates was the stereotypical first love, but more than that he helped Liberty find her own womanhood. When she felt awkward and uncomfortable he put her at ease, and when she went through hard times, he picked her up. I wanted things to work for them, but at the same time it took Liberty so long to move on that I almost resented the easy way in which he walked back into her life. I've read enough romances that I can usually guess how they'll end (happily, of course), but Sugar Daddy's ending was a pleasant surprise for me. This story ranged from laugh out loud funny (the emu story) to heartwrenchingly romantic, and every emotion in between. Pick up Sugar Baby when you're in the mood for a stellar contemporary romance that will keep you on your toes, but make sure you have a few hours to spare because you won't want to put it down.

I love, love Lisa Kleypas' historical romances! There are a handful of books of hers that I reread every few months and to which I compare other historical romances. When I heard that she was going to write a contemporary, I was cautiously excited. Judith McNaught, my other all-time favorite romance novelist, made the switch from historical to contemporary romance as well and I did not find them as compelling as her historicals. With the exception of Paradise and Perfect, her contemporaries just do not contain the depth, intensity, and romance that her historicals had.

After reading various interviews that Lisa Kleypas did in which she explained her motivations and stylistic approach to writing Sugar Daddy and her statement that she thinks it's different than anything that's currently out there, I was revved up to read it. The whole day at work yesterday, all I wanted was for the day to end so that I could go home and devour the book, which I did until I finished it at 3 am this morning.

I felt disappointment only because I had such high expectations. In her interviews, Ms. Kleypas had emphasized that this is a coming-of-age story with a strong element of romance. She mentioned that she wanted to keep the intensity and passion of her historicals. I think she was successful with the former but not the latter. The first half of the book describes the heroine's adolescence. It is vivid and compelling, especially during scenes with her younger sister and her first love. However, the romance and conflict in the last seventy pages of the novel don't ring true and the resolution seems too rushed and pat. And frankly, the romance setup in the beginning of the book led me to expect (and want) a different happy ending. I didn't sense the deep passion that the lovers have for each other, at least not like in her historicals. I wished the author had devoted as many pages to exploring Liberty's feelings in having to chose between two men as she had to her first love. And the "secret" was not the terrible revelation that the flap description made it sound. It was resolved in a matter of minutes of the confrontation. I agree with a previous comment that this book reads more like Danielle Steele than the Lisa Kleypas that we've known and loved.

However, there is one issue that nagged at me most. In one interview, Lisa Kleypas expressed that this is the heroine's story and that by the end of the novel she is completely confident and triumphant. I agree that Liberty is a great (and different) heroine due to her mixed heritage and her character. What bothered me was that although Liberty is hardworking and talented, her "triumph" was really the result of a lot of anonymous help from a "sugar daddy." I have no doubt that if left to her own devices, she would succeed on her own. But that is not what happened in this book. She ends up super-rich by way of marrying into it (no matter whom she chooses). Somehow, this fact doesn't bother me when it takes place in the historical because how else would women centuries ago become rich? They were either born into it or they married into it. Because I've been spoiled by Ms. Kleypas's penchant for writing varied characters from different stations/walks/careers of life, I had hoped that Liberty would succeed completely on her own and not as a result of association with a wealthy male.

This is the first time I'm posting anything online, which demonstrates how deeply I feel about Lisa Kleypas' books Perhaps I shouldn't be comparing this book to her historicals and critique it on its own merits, which is good the first 75% of the book. I will buy the sequel to Sugar Daddy whenever it comes out, but I really wish that book to have her trademark heart-tugging romance and strong protagonists. In the meantime, I cannot wait to read her next historical, Mine `Til Midnight.

****LOTS OF SPOILERS***

Readers here are obviously unhappy with this book, many blaming it on Kleypas' change to contemporary romance. I don't think the real root of their disappointment is that this is a contemporary work. I think the real problem is that most readers picked up this book expecting her usual romance, and instead got a different type of book.

I am a reader that knew in advance that this book wasn't going to be a romance. I began reading, knowing that this was going to be Liberty's life story. Therefore, I don't feel as disappointed as some of the other readers. I was able to really enjoy her story. These characters came alive for me more than any others in her previous works. The book was incredibly well written, but I felt disappointed with how the actual story was developed.

The scenes between Hardy & Liberty are few and far between. But those couple scenes are so incredibly powerful & moving...only Kleypas could write scenes like this. These aren't "sex scenes", these are love scenes. I prefer R-rated romance, but these love scenes are so powerful they gave me goosebumps. I read (and forget) a LOT of romance but I know the emotional intensity of these scenes will stay with me forever.

Unfortunately, the very brilliance and emotional intensity of these scenes leaves the reader feeling frustrated that so little of the book involves the two of them together. In addition, the intensity of their love far outshines the scenes between Gage & Liberty. This is why so many readers feel Liberty ended up with the wrong man.

I think this leads to another aspect that frustrates readers. Hardy is an amazingly ethical teen boy/man. He knows he'll be leaving town to make something of himself. He loves Liberty so much that he refuses to get involved in a relationship with her because he doesn't want to break her heart when he leaves. After he leaves, Liberty's life story is so well done, you don't mind waiting for them to get their Happy Ever After. When that doesn't happen, and Hardy the grown man is depicted as unethical, it is really inconsistent with how his character had been previously portrayed. Maybe it would have worked better if Gage & Liberty's love story was longer and more detailed. However, we don't get enough time with them to get attached to them as a couple. Therefore, for most of us, the book ended in a really disappointing manner.

*WARNING: SPOILERS*

I absolutely loved the first half or more of Sugar Daddy. I was completely caught up in Liberty Jones's story. It wasn't until the end that I realized I wasn't going to be entirely happy with the book.

The problem was, I absolutely wanted this to be Liberty's and Hardy's story. Hardy is the one we meet first and get to know at length. He's not only Liberty's first love, but his memory is the one that has haunted her for all the years after he left their hometown to make something of himself.

At an early age Liberty is hit with loss after loss and hardship after hardship. Hardy's loss is a large part of what shapes her life. But . . . I knew what was coming. I knew Gage was going to be her grown up love and I was accepting that, or at least trying to. Just as I had begun to forget how much I really wanted Liberty to be with Hardy: Hardy returns, disrupting her life and making her doubt her relationship with Gage.

In the end, Liberty seems not to have any doubts about choosing Gage, but I certainly did. She may have gotten to know Gage, but as a reader I do not feel like I did. I had much more of an emotional investment with her childhood romance than her adult one. Unfortunately, despite excellent writing and a very compelling story, I was simply left feeling rather dissatisfied.

I picked this one up not sure if I was going to like it, but it was by Lisa Kleypas so I decided to give it a shot. I was pleasantly surprised and plowed through it in a few hours.

The first-person narrative did throw me off at first, but after a few pages I got used to it. I did think that Hardy's morphing into a jerk at the end was abrupt, but his behavior made Liberty's decision that much easier.

So here's why I liked the book. I am 1) a Texan and 2) a Houstonian. Was there some stereotyping about Texas and Texans? Yes, of course. However, for the most part I thought Ms. Kleypas delivered an interesting perspective and story, and there were definitely some parts that were so true to life that I couldn't stop laughing (Huzzah for red velvet cake, liposuction, and Houston pollution!).

Moreover, I really felt myself identifying with Liberty. I've been the girl with the glasses, the girl without a father or any positive male influence, and the girl whose life was defined by money or a lack thereof. I don't know that I was as pleased by how things ended up for Liberty as I was by how hard she worked in the face of overwhelming obstacles. By the end of the book, I felt like I was reading about someone who was a success whether she ended up with a rich guy or not.

Sugar Daddy reads like the memoirs of a young woman - Liberty Jones - who recounts her life from ages 14 to 25. The book is written in the first person, and spends a lot of time narrating Liberty's life as a teenager and high school student living in a trailer park in a small Texas town. Fans of Lisa Kleypas should be prepared to expect something very different from her past books. I expected a contemporary romance when I bought Sugar Daddy, but this book seemed less like a romance than a memoir. And it was more of departure from Kleypas' past work than I anticipated.

My favorite part of the book was the romance between Liberty and Gage Travis. Unfortunately, it took up only a small portion of the novel. Quite a few pages are devoted to Liberty's first love, Hardy Cates. Hardy's re-entry into the book towards the end felt brief and anti-climactic to me after the build-up of him in the first half.

I would give the story between Liberty and Gage four stars, but the book overall deserves only three stars.

I was amazed how drawn into this book I was. I knew it wasn't going to be like Lisa's historical romances, so there were no surprises for me there. What was different was that it was written in first person and starts when Liberty is 14 years old. And Liberty's childhood wasn't just backstory to bring you up to the present. Lisa really went in depth into Liberty's teen years and the struggles she went through. Parts of it were funny and other parts were heartbreaking.

Because of that detail, I really felt an emotional connection with Liberty. My heart broke when Hardy left because I felt for sure he was the one for Liberty. Then Gage shows up and you think he's the one until Hardy returns to the scene. Since it's all first person, you don't know what anyone else is thinking, so you really don't know who she's going to end up with.

This was one book I couldn't put down until it was finished. It definitely wasn't like Lisa's other books, but good writing is good writing and Lisa has a gift for storytelling regardless of whether it's a historical romance or not.

Growing up in a trailer park, Liberty Jones never felt a burning desire to better herself. Though her father died when she was young, Liberty has a mother who loves her and a life she's happy with. Her first love, Hardy Cates, doesn't want to end up like his father so he feels the need to leave Welcome, Texas as soon as his sisters can take care of themselves. Liberty has loved Hardy for years, but he always stays away from her, telling her that he would never be able to leave her if he got involved with her.

After tragedy hits her family, Liberty finds herself the sole guardian of her baby sister, Carrington. Knowing that the only one she can depend on is herself, Liberty puts herself through beauty school and moves her and Carrington to Houston. When she meets Churchill Travis, her friends tease her about finding her very own sugar daddy. Liberty feels nothing for the older man but friendship and knows the feelings are returned.

SUGAR DADDY takes the reader through the life of Liberty Jones. The first half of the book takes us through her adolescence. You virtually feel the love she has for Hardy Cates coming off the pages. Her relationship with her mother is uplifting at times and heartbreaking at other times. When her sister is born, you can virtually feel the inner conflict. Is she a mother or a sister? Why doesn't her own mother feel more for Carrington than she does? I'm not a big fan of first person, but Kleypas pulls it off. While I wanted her to be with the person she ended up with, I was really disappointed with how Hardy was portrayed. Here is a character that the reader really loved and admired and then you just despise him. That ruined a lot of the book for me. Plus I felt that the ending was too rushed. While I plan on reading Kleypas' upcoming work, I don't know if I'll buy the hardcovers.

When I first read that Lisa Kleypas was venturing into the contemporary genre, I wasn't sure what to expect from her first novel. I loved her historical novels and some of them remain in my shelf to read again later. It has been a year since SUGAR DADDY has been published and I have only just bought it now. Oh why did I wait a year?!

I was instantly taken upon reading the main character's narration of how her father died. It was like watching a movie unfolds as the lead actress reminisces about her childhood. Liberty Jones is a fourteen year old newcomer in the small town of Welcome, Texas. In a place where time moved at a crawling pace, Liberty's life changes dramatically starting off when she lays eyes on Hardy Cates and falls in love. From the day that he saves her from two raging pit bulls, Hardy becomes the person she turns to in times of need. Liberty wants more but Hardy has a burning ambition to escape the stigma of his youth and leave Welcome for good. He doesn't want the complication of being with the person who could hurt him and his ambitions. When he finally says goodbye, her heart is broken. Liberty proceeds through the motions of life like a wind-up doll. It isn't long before fate deals her another hard blow when her mother dies. Liberty finds herself the sole guardian of her two year old sister, with hardly any money and no job. But Liberty is a survivor.

Liberty wins a scholarship at a beauty academy, packs up their meager belongings and moves to Houston where she ends up working at a fancy salon. There she meets the powerful billionaire tycoon, Churchill Travis. A friendship begins and it isn't too long before Liberty and her sister find themselves living with Churchill after she accepts a position as his live-in assistant. Despite a few hiccups in the beginning, particularly with the eldest heir Gage, Liberty and her sister Carrington settle in. It seems that things are finally looking up for them but sometimes life, as they say, has a cruel sense of humor. After years of being alone and finally finding love, Hardy steps back into her life.

I admit that I was torn by Liberty's plight. Because of their history, part of me wanted her to be with Hardy, while the other part wanted her to move on and accept what Gage was offering her. Hardy's lack of scruples certainly made it easier to cheer for Gage. If I hadn't known about the next book, I would have been really surprised with the ending. And I must say that the ending felt rushed as if Kleypas crammed everything in the last 50 pages. I would have loved it more had another fifty been added and spent on Liberty's relationship with Gage and Hardy. I also felt that the first person narration both added and detracted from the poignancy of the story. It was great to read about Liberty's feelings, angst and frustration from her point of view, but reading more about Hardy and Gage's feelings and thoughts would have added poignancy to the story. However, I truly enjoyed this book. It is a moving story about a girl's path into womanhood, her heartaches and her yearning for a better life. SUGAR DADDY is a heart-warming, tender and at times heartbreaking novel. It wasn't what I initially expected, especially with the title, but Kleypas skilfully wove a captivating story which made me laugh, cry and sad to see it end.

This was a tough book for me to get through for a couple of reasons. The author spent way much time on the childhood of Liberty, and as some other reviewers mentioned, the way Liberty acted as a teen seemed unrealistic. The first person view also made the book difficult to get through. I also thought the title didn't fit the story, and I think I expected the story to go a different route because of the title. The author spent way too much time on the teen years and not enough time developing the ending. Like someone else said, it seemed like the author ran out of gas and just wanted to be done.

The one redeeming quality of the book is the message that what we think we want from the past is not always what is best for us. I also think the whole point of the book was to show us that Liberty's view of Hardy wasn't actually who he was. I didn't take it that Hardy changed. I think there were signs of his character as a teen that showed he was probably not a good fit for Liberty. She just didn't see that at the time.