New Fiendish Review: Call Me Irresistible by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Book:                   Call Me Irresistible

Author:                Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Publisher:           William Morrow

ISBN/ASIN:         9783361351525

Rating:                  4.5 Stars

Release Date:    January 18, 2011

Be sure to check out Susan's page.

Read the Excerpt

Will Ted Beaudine actually lose his head over Meg Koranda? Will she really, really make him pop like a volcano and explode? Just wondering about it is half the fun of reading Susan Elizabeth Phillips’s newest contemporary romance Call Me Irresistible. It is her fault entirely that I got no sleep last night! 

SEP takes us back to it all, to the root of her amazing stories: Glitter Baby, Lady Be Good, Fancy Pants and First Lady whose characters infiltrate and bolster Call Me Irresistible…it was like hanging out with old friends again with a martini in my hand, alot of mischief, some tongue wagging, brisk dialogue, and hilarious banter…snappy set-downs….and Wynette….a crazy town with crazy politics and once again two great characters who can’t stand one another.

This time the story is about steely calm Ted Beaudine, the son of Dallas and Francesca Beaudine-her “Teddy” the golden boy who can do no wrong. Ted is the over achiever, plays a mean round of golf, got his BA and Masters simultaneously, is super rich, has multiple patents, and always does everything calmly and methodically-lovemaking, even marriage. And. He. Never. Ever. Loses. His Cool.

So when his wedding day comes and he’s picked the perfect bride it’s no surprise that it all goes to hell in a handbasket.  Jilted at the altar, his bride-to-be Lucy Jorik hits the trail for greater pastures, and it’s her BFF Meg Koranda who’s left to pay the piper.  Apparently she’s the one that talked Lucy out of committing and Ted hates her….and that is nothing compared to the whole town ganging up against her.

Watching Meg and Ted is like watching a train wreck, careening towards you, without a chance of dodging it, but you are so riveted by the disaster in your sights that you cannot turn your eyes. That’s what SEP does….she brings you along for the ride, to watch these two proud towers of people crumble and fall. She explores the inner mechanisms, what makes a character tick, exploits all the weak points to enamor the audience, curries favor, and reaps a huge emotional investment.

This is why Susan Elizabeth Phillips novels work…they are extraordinary feats, with nuggets of wisdom embedded in them, flawed and zany characters who for the most part have to inevitably accept themselves, and next each other.

The ride for Meg and Ted is difficult. She’s a screw up, a Hollywood daughter who cannot find her way, who doesn’t know what to do with her life. From Hollywood to scrubbing toilets in Wynette, and sleeping in her car-she’s hit rock bottom and still has to fight her way out of it to make it to who she can really be. And she can’t do that without Ted. But she will fight him all the way…from the doorstep…to the bedroom…till she reaches his arms..

Call Me Irresistible embodies all the sweet and sour of life, it will make you teary, make you wistful, laugh hysterically. I loved it…lost sleep over it and it was worth every minute of it. Especially the part when Ted pops his top for good. Bravo Susan!

A Fiendishly Bookish Review (and one grumpy cat)

New Juicy Review: Lead Me On by Victoria Dahl

Book:              Lead Me On

Author:            Victoria Dahl

ISBN/ASIN:    0373774346

Publisher:       Harlequin

Rating:            Five Stars

Wickedly delightful are the first words that come to mind when reading Victoria Dahl. And that means ANYTHING by Dahl. Her Tumble Creek series cuts straight to the chase, with vividly quirky contemporary characters that might appear to live hum-drum lives but in actuality are anything but. Their personalities will stay long in your mind after the novel is done, or at least till you pick it up-which I am betting not long after you read it the first time.

Lead Me On is the sauciest of the three (out of Start Me Up and Talk Me Down) simply because Jane Morgan is hilariously such a compelling character. What reader wouldn’t identify with an uptight office manager who secretly yeans for a muscle-clad, inked beefcake in construction boots yet purposely dates staid conservative accountants. In fact her long line of extremely boring boyfriends is driving her crazy.

The best fun of Lead Me On is seeing this hilarious character come crashing straight into her desires (try as she might to fight them) and into the arms of hot and hunky (and yes, very tattooed) Billy Chase a delicious demolitions expert. One of the prevalent themes throughout Dahl’s books is that of being true to yourself and this is something readers will identify with. Coupled with the ready humor, steamy scenes, and genuine character building makes Lead Me On a fantastic read. Dahl takes the reader on a journey of self-discovery, as her characters come to terms with who they are. Jane has a lot of issues to resolve regarding her past, her family, and a jail-bound brother-not the least of is that Billy Chase is definitely giving her a run for her money. And what more can I say but that dynamite is not the only thing exploding between the Billy and Jane. By the time you finish the book, readers will be fanning themselves. Please do yourself a favor and read the book in front of the a/c!

Just count me in on the Victoria Dahl bandwagon!

A Fiendishly Bookish Review